Download 6th grade science: 3rd 9 weeks test Name: Period: _____ 1. (3.e.1

6th grade science: 3rd 9 weeks test
Name: _______________________ Period: _____
1. (3.e.1) A producer is:
a. an animal that eats another living organism
b. an animal that only eats plants
c. a plant that makes its own food
d. always a carnivore
2. (3.e.1) Two examples of primary consumers are:
a. Grasshopper and deer
b. Squirrel and grass
c. Lion and gazelle
d. Eagle and mouse
Use this diagram to answer the questions below:
3. (3.e.1) Which organism in this food chain is a secondary consumer?
a. flower
b. grasshopper
c. mouse
d. snake
4. (3.e.1) Which organism in this food chain is a tertiary consumer?
a. flower
b. grasshopper
c. mouse
d. snake
5. (3.e.1) Which type of organism do you expect to see in the greatest number in any ecosystem?
a. producer
b. primary consumer
c. secondary consumer
d. tertiary consumer
6. (3.e.1) What important role do decomposers play in an ecosystem??
a. decomposers break down water into food
b. decomposers change sunlight into minerals
c. decomposers break down dead organisms into nutrients
d. decomposers cannot survive above ground
7. (3.e.1) What level in the food chain are most humans?
a. producer
b. decomposer
c. primary consumer
d. secondary or tertiary consumers
8. (3.e.1) The Sunrise national park ecosystem is mainly made up of many organisms including
caterpillars, wildflowers, and songbirds. Sort these organisms into a food chain in the following order:
Producer → Primary consumer → Secondary consumer.
a. caterpillar → wildflower → songbird
b. wildflower → songbird → caterpillar
c. wildflower → caterpillar → songbird
d. songbird → wildflower → caterpillar
9. (3.e.1) What is the source of energy most ecosystems?
a. The human
b. The trees
c. The soil
d. The sun
10. (3.e.2) Head lice eat animal skin and blood to survive. Because they depend on resources from
another organism to survive, lice are an example of a:
a. predator
b. host
c. competitor
d. parasite
11. (3.e.2) If one organism benefits from an interaction and the other organism is not hurt, this
interaction is known as _________________
a. predation
b. competition
c. commensalism
d. parasitism
12. (3.e.2) When two organisms work together so that both organisms benefit, this is known as:
a. mutualism
b. parasitism
c. competition
d. commensalism
13. (3.e.2) Competition is most likely to occur between which two organisms?
a. eagles and mice
b. mountain lions and wolves
c. grass and deer
d. great white sharks and seals
14. (3.e.2) When colonies of army ants move through the forests in Africa, groups of birds will follow
them and catch bugs that the army ants have disturbed. How would scientists classify the relationship
between army ants and birds?
a. parasitism
b. commensalism
c. competition
d. habitat
15. (3.e.2) Sea anemones and clownfish share territories and protect each other from predators. This
kind of interaction is known as:
a. predation
b. parasitism
c. competition
d. mutualism
16. (3.e.2) Which of these situations could cause a decrease in the number of hummingbirds in a
population?
a. An increase in cooperation with other birds in the area
b. An increase in the hummingbird's territory
c. An increase in competition with other nectar-eating animals, such as bumblebees
d. An increase in the hummingbirds’ food supply
17. (3.a.1-2) Wildebeests and gazelles both live on the African plains and eat grass. Usually, there is
plenty of grass to feed both the wildebeests and gazelle populations. Over the last few years, however,
especially short rainy seasons have resulted in not enough grass growth to feed both populations. What
interactions would you expect to occur between the wildebeest and gazelle populations as a result of
this change?
a. increased commensalism
b. decreased commensalism
c. increased competition
d. decreased competition
18. (3.a.1-2) Flocks of Canadian geese usually spend the summer nesting and fishing on Lake
Michigan. In 2008, there was an oil spill on Lake Michigan which poisoned the water and killed many
fish. How do you think the population size of Canadian geese was affected?
a. the population would reproduce faster
b. the population would decrease in number
c. the population would increase in number quickly
d. the population would increase in number slowly
19. (3.a.1-2) Blue herons eat a small fish called a stickleback. What do you think would happen to the
stickleback population size if a large number of Blue herons died?
a. reproduce faster
b. begin to produce their own food
c. decrease in number
d. increase in number
20. (3.a.1-2) Human activities often cause the number of animal species in an area to decrease. Which
human activity might INCREASE the number of rabbits in an area?
a. Building houses and roads that destroy the rabbits’ habitat.
b. Growing crops that rabbits do not eat.
c. Using toxic chemicals on plants that rabbits eat.
d. Killing predators that hunt and kill rabbits.
21. (3.a.1-2) Hyenas and cheetahs eat the same food, but live in different areas. Cheetahs are much
faster than hyenas. What do you think would happen to the population size of hyenas if cheetahs
moved into their habitat and began competing with them for food?
a. the hyena population would increase
b. the hyena population would not change
c. the hyena population would decrease
d. the question is invalid because hyenas are stronger than cheetahs
22. (3.a.1-2) Which of the following statements best describes what would happen to animals in an
ecosystem if overpopulation occurred?
a. resources would increase to feed all the animals in the ecosystem
b. there wouldn't be enough resources and a lot of animals would die
c. there would be no effect
d. all of the animals would find new food sources
23. (3.a.1-2) When overpopulation occurs, it is common for _______________ to occur also
a. cooperation
b. increased health
c. disease
d. commensalism
24. (3.a.3) An organism that has better characteristics is more likely to survive to adulthood and have
many offspring. This statement describes the process of _______________
a. natural selection
b. traits
c. characteristics
d. artificial selection
25. (3.a.3) Which of the following characteristics would not aid in the survival of a deer?
a. good sense of hearing
b. good sense of smell
c. ability to run quickly
d. ability to swim great distances
Use the diagram to answer the questions below:
A
B
C
D
26. Which of these birds is best adapted to drinking nectar out of long, thin flowers?
a. Bird A
b. Bird B
c. Bird C
d. Bird D
27. Which of these birds is best adapted for hunting rodents such as mice and rats?
a. Bird A
b. Bird B
c. Bird C
d. Bird D
28. (3.a.3) Which type of tooth is best adapted for eating grass?
A
B
C
D
29. (3.a.3) Zebras are animals that live in the grasslands of Africa. One adaptation of the zebra is its
vertical stripes. How does this adaptation help the zebra survive?
a. It helps them run faster
b. It helps them recognize other zebras
c. It makes it harder for predators to see them
d. None of the above
30. (3.a.3) Northern garter snakes exhibit a unique behavior in which they gather in underground caves
by the hundreds of thousands during the winter months. They then coil together in a huge ball. This
adaptation could help to –
a. increase camouflage since there are more predators
b. locate food sources during the winter months
c. reduce heat loss
d. increase oxygen consumption to stay healthy during the winter
31. (3.a.3) The pictures below show the change in the fur color of an arctic seal from summer to
winter:
Which of the following statements best describes how this change helps arctic seals survive?
a. It lowers their body temperature
b. It protects their eyes from sunlight
c. It helps them move on slippery ice
d. It makes them less visible to predators
32. (3.a.3) Animals that live in the desert must be able to survive in very hot temperatures. Which of
the following is an adaptation that helps desert animals survive in hot temperatures?
a. Being active at night
b. Being active day and night
c. Being active during the day
d. Being active in the middle of the day
Use this description to answer the questions below
The Ridge Lake is filled with seaweed which makes the water look green. There are three types of
colored fish in the lake, Red, Green, and Orange.
33. (3.a.3) Which fish will Natural Selection favor?
a. Red fish
b. Green fish
c. Orange fish
d. Each fish has an equal chance of survival
34. (3.a.3) What would happen to the fish population if the seaweed turned orange?
a. The Red and Green fish will adapt and change colors to become orange
b. The Orange fish population will increase because Natural Selection will favor the Orange fish
c. The fish population would not change
d. The Green fish population will be the greatest because seaweed color has not effect
35. (3.a.3) An Elephant’s ears are its cooling system. If an Elephant has bigger ears, it can cool itself
down easier. If the temperature suddenly became extremely hot, how would the Elephant population
adapt to this new temperature and environment?
a. Elephants would lose their ears
b. Elephants would get larger ears after several generations
c. Elephants would not change and become extinct
d. Natural selection would favor smaller ear elephants
36. (3.a.3) Porcupines have sharp spines that they use to protect themselves against predators.
A porcupine is born with longer, sharper spines. What do you expect will happen to the frequency of
this trait in the next generation?
a. the trait will increase in frequency
b. the trait will decrease in frequency
c. the trait will not change frequency
d. the trait will become widespread
37. Which of the following is NOT an example of a vascular plant?
a. mosses
b. grass
c. tree
d. fern
38. Flowering plants are also called:
a. gymnosperms
b. angiosperms
c. mosses
d. swordtails
Use the diagram to answer the question below:
39. What is the function of A in the flower shown above?
a. it is the site of the egg cells in the flower
b. it is the site of the petals in the flower
c. it is the site of the sepals in the flower
d. it is the site of the pollen in the flower
40. (4.a) List the order of the layers of the Earth from the center to the outside.
a. Crust, Solid Core, Mantle, Liquid Core
b. Crust, Atmosphere, Liquid Core, Ocean
c. Solid Core, Liquid Core, Mantle, Crust
d. Core, Hydrogen, Nitrogen
41. (4.a) Which part of earth is hottest?
a. Core
b. Crust
c. Mantle
d. Surface
42. (4.a) Jamal makes a scale model of earth for a school project. In his model he uses different
materials to show each layer of the Earth. Which layer in his model should be thinnest?
a. Mantle
b. Crust
c. Solid core
d. Liquid core
43. (4.a) What is the main difference between the core and the mantle of the Earth?
a. The core contains liquid metal and the mantle is solid metal
b. The core is composed of granite and the mantle is composed of iron and nickel
c. The core is made of metal and the mantle is made of rock
d. The core contains solid iron and nickel while the mantle contains liquid iron and nickel.
44. (4.a) Which of the following is a major difference between the solid core and the liquid core?
a. the solid core is actually not solid, both are liquid
b. they are made of different kinds of metals
c. the solid core is solid and the liquid core is liquid
d. the liquid core is much hotter than the solid core
Short answer:
45. (3.a.3) A cheetah is born with a slightly modified femur that allows it to run faster.
a. What do you predict will happen to the frequency of this trait in the next generation of cheetahs?
b. How would this trait aid a cheetah in its natural environment?
46. Explain why vascular plants can grow much taller than nonvascular plants.