Environmental Science 9 Weeks Test B
 
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Environmental Science 9 Weeks Test B

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 
 
Section 1  -  Understanding Our Environment
 

 1. 
Because environmental science encompasses so many different fields of study, it is said to be a(n) ____________ science.
a.
ecological
b.
interdisciplinary
c.
social
d.
human
 

 2. 
The ____________ was not a direct result of the Industrial Revolution.
a.
over hunting of large mammals
b.
shift to the use of fossil fuels
c.
improvement in quality of life
d.
growth of cities
 
 
Section 2  -  The Environment and Society
 

 3. 
An ecological footprint is the
a.
mark a person’s shoe makes in soft earth.
b.
number of animals a person has killed.
c.
amount of land and ocean area needed to support one person.
d.
number of trees people cut down.
 

 4. 
Which of the following is a “developing” nation?
a.
the United States
b.
France
c.
Canada
d.
Ethiopia
 
 
Section 1  -  Scientific Methods
 

 5. 
In an experiment, the factor of interest is called the
a.
control group.
b.
experimental group.
c.
hypothesis.
d.
variable.
 

 6. 
The group that does not receive the experimental treatment in an experiment is the
a.
control group.
b.
experimental group.
c.
data.
d.
variable.
 
 
Section 2  -  Statistics and Models
 

 7. 
To get an accurate result, a sample size must be
a.
small enough to give an accurate estimate for two or more populations.
b.
large enough to give an accurate estimate for a whole population.
c.
equal to the mean.
d.
greater than the mean.
 

 8. 
Which model is particularly useful in scientific cases with many variables?
a.
physical
b.
graphical
c.
conceptual
d.
mathematical
 
 
Section 1  -  The Geosphere
 

 9. 
What often occurs at tectonic plate boundaries?
a.
increasing air pressure
b.
thinning of the biosphere
c.
mountain building
d.
increased erosion
 

 10. 
What is the estimated temperature of Earth’s inner core?
a.
4,000°C to 5,000°C
b.
3,000°C to 4,000°C
c.
400°C to 500°C
d.
300°C to 400°C
 
 
Section 2  -  The Atmosphere
 

 11. 
What gas do animals exhale?
a.
methane
b.
oxygen
c.
carbon dioxide
d.
nitrogen
 

 12. 
How many oxygen atoms are in an ozone molecule?
a.
two
b.
three
c.
four
d.
one
 
 
Section 1  -  Ecosystems: Everything Is Connected
 

 13. 
Which of the following is an ecosystem?
a.
vacant lot
b.
oak forest
c.
coral reef
d.
all of the above
 

 14. 
The community of a pond is made up of all the
a.
biotic and abiotic factors.
b.
resources organisms need.
c.
habitats in and around the water.
d.
populations of fish, insects, and other living organisms.
 
 
Section 2  -  Evolution
 

 15. 
Organisms can adapt
a.
to their physical surroundings.
b.
to other organisms.
c.
to selective breeding.
d.
Both a and b
 

 16. 
The process of two species changing genetically in response to long-term interactions with each other is
a.
artificial selection.
b.
coevolution.
c.
selective breeding.
d.
resistance.
 
 
Section 1  -  Energy Flow in Ecosystems
 

 17. 
What is the ultimate source of energy for almost all organisms?
a.
producers
b.
consumers
c.
the sun
d.
bacteria
 

 18. 
What are organisms that eat both plants and animals called?
a.
herbivores
b.
carnivores
c.
omnivores
d.
autotrophs
 
 
Section 2  -  The Cycling of Matter
 

 19. 
Which of the following is not part of the nitrogen cycle?
a.
nitrogen gas in rock
b.
nitrogen in the atmosphere
c.
nitrogen compounds in animal waste
d.
nitrogen compounds in the soil
 
 
Section 3  -  How Ecosystems Change
 

 20. 
What type of vegetation would you expect to find on newly formed volcanic islands?
a.
lichens
b.
short grasses
c.
shrubs
d.
young trees
 
 
Section 1  -  What Is a Biome?
 

 21. 
The distance north or south of the equator, as measured in degrees, is called
a.
altitude.
b.
latitude.
c.
longitude.
d.
magnitude.
 

 22. 
The main factor that determines what type of plants grow in a biome is
a.
temperature.
b.
precipitation.
c.
altitude.
d.
Both (a) and (b)
 
 
Section 3  -  Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes
 

 23. 
Which of the following biomes has been affected by human activity?
a.
tundra
b.
chaparral
c.
temperate grasslands
d.
all of the above
 
 
Section 1  -  Freshwater Ecosystems
 

 24. 
In which aquatic zone would you be likely to find cattails and reeds?
a.
littoral
b.
eutrophic
c.
benthic
d.
none of the above
 

 25. 
What are the two main types of freshwater wetlands?
a.
lakes and ponds
b.
rivers and streams
c.
littoral zones and benthic zones
d.
marshes and swamps
 
 
Section 2  -  Marine Ecosystems
 

 26. 
In estuaries, fresh water and salt water mix, forming a(n)
a.
algal bloom.
b.
habitat for shellfish.
c.
coastal boundary.
d.
nutrient trap.
 

 27. 
Most of the nutrients in an arctic ecosystem come from
a.
melting ice.
b.
the ocean.
c.
sunlight.
d.
lakes.
 
 
Section 1  -  How Populations Change in Size
 

 28. 
Which of the following is one of the main properties used to describe a population?
a.
number of individuals
b.
color of individuals
c.
number of species
d.
kind of adaptations
 

 29. 
For a population’s growth rate to be zero
a.
more deaths than births must occur.
b.
more births than deaths must occur.
c.
no births can occur.
d.
the average number of births and deaths must be the same.
 
 
Section 2  -  How Species Interact with Each Other
 

 30. 
Which of the following statements is correct?
a.
An organism’s niche is only the part of its habitat that it eats.
b.
An organism’s habitat is a location.
c.
Habitat and niche are the same thing.
d.
An organism’s niche is outside its habitat.
 

 31. 
When two species in an area eat the same type of food but eat at different times of the day, their niches
a.
are the same.
b.
are examples of commensalism.
c.
overlap.
d.
eliminate competition.
 
 
Section 1  -  Studying Human Populations
 

 32. 
Professionals who study and make predictions about human populations are called
a.
stenographers.
b.
demographers.
c.
geologists.
d.
populists.
 

 33. 
Which factor contributed most to exponential human population growth?
a.
more food, better hygiene
b.
higher birth rates
c.
higher fertility rates
d.
increased immigration
 
 
Section 2  -  Changing Population Trends
 

 34. 
Because birth rates have begun to fall Earth’s population will
a.
soon stabilize at the level it is today—more than 7 billion.
b.
begin to decrease until it reaches 5 billion.
c.
increase for a short time and then decrease to current levels.
d.
stabilize somewhere around 9 billion by 2300.
 
 
Section 1  -  What Is Biodiversity?
 

 35. 
A crop that results from combining genetic materials is called
a.
a hybrid variety.
b.
a keystone species.
c.
a bottleneck offspring.
d.
a wildflower species.
 

 36. 
Which level of biodiversity may still be reduced after a species recovers from a threat to its survival?
a.
ecosystem diversity
b.
genetic diversity
c.
population diversity
d.
species diversity
 
 
Section 2  -  Biodiversity at Risk
 

 37. 
Madagascar is the only home of which primate species?
a.
baboons
b.
chimpanzees
c.
lemurs
d.
gibbons
 
 
Section 1  -  Water Resources
 

 38. 
How much of Earth’s water is fresh water?
a.
1 percent
b.
3 percent
c.
77 percent
d.
97 percent
 

 39. 
A rock’s ability to allow the flow of water through it is called
a.
permeability.
b.
porosity.
c.
recharge.
d.
distribution.
 
 
Section 3  -  Water Pollution
 

 40. 
Which Act strengthened the laws against dumping waste in U.S. waters?
a.
Marine Protection, Research
b.
Clean Water Act and Sanctuaries Act
c.
Water Quality Act
d.
both (a) and (b)
 



 
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