Bio Midterm Practice Test

What is an emergent property?

A trait found in every individual organism

A behavior learned through experience

A structure found only in multicellular organisms

A characteristic that appears when parts interact together

A characteristic that appears when parts interact together

Which list shows the correct order from smallest to largest level of organization?

Molecule → cell → tissue → organ → organism → population

Cell → tissue → organ → molecule → organism

Atom → cell → tissue → population → ecosystem

Cell → molecule → tissue → organ system

. Molecule → cell → tissue → organ → organism → population

Why is the cell considered the smallest unit of life?

Cells are microscopic

Cells contain DNA

Cells can perform all life processes

Cells are found in all organisms

Cells can perform all life processes

Which of the following is a key feature of life?

Ability to move

Requirement for energy

Ability to think

Ability to reproduce sexually

Requirement for energy

Homeostasis refers to an organism's ability to:

Maintain stable internal conditions

Grow and reproduce

Adapt through evolution

Increase population size

Maintain stable internal conditions

Which variable is intentionally changed by the experimenter?

Dependent variable

Independent variable

Control group

Constant

Independent variable

Which variable is measured in an experiment?

Independent variable

Dependent variable

Control group

Constant

Dependent variable

Why is a control group important?

It receives the treatment

It increases accuracy

It changes the dependent variable

It provides a comparison

It provides a comparison

In a heart rate lab measuring exercise intensity, what is the dependent variable?

Heart rate

Type of exercise

Time spent exercising

Number of participants

Heart rate

A population is best defined as:

All organisms on Earth

Members of the same species in one area

Different species living together

Living and nonliving factors combined

Members of the same species in one area

A community consists of:

One species in an ecosystem

Only producers and consumers

Abiotic factors only

Multiple populations in the same area

Multiple populations in the same area

An ecosystem includes:

Only living organisms

A community and its environment

Only abiotic factors

All populations of one species

A community and its environment

Which organism is a producer?

Hawk

Mushroom

Grass

Snake

Grass

In the food chain grass → grasshopper → sparrow, the grasshopper is a:

Producer

Secondary consumer

Decomposer

Primary consumer

Primary consumer

What is the main role of decomposers?

Break down organic matter

Produce energy

Consume producers

Increase biomass

Break down organic matter

A trophic level describes an organism's:

Habitat

Position in a food chain

Size

Reproductive rate

Position in a food chain

According to the 10% rule, how much energy is transferred to the next trophic level?

1%

5%

10%

90%

C. 10%

Most energy is lost between trophic levels as:

Biomass

Waste only

Movement

Heat during cellular respiration

Heat during cellular respiration

Why are there more producers than consumers in ecosystems?

Energy decreases up the food chain

Producers reproduce faster

Consumers require less energy

Producers are larger

Energy decreases up the food chain

Exponential growth occurs when a population:

Levels off at carrying capacity

Grows by a constant number

Grows by a fixed percentage

Declines rapidly

C. Grows by a fixed percentage

Biotic potential refers to:

Actual population size

Maximum growth rate under ideal conditions

Carrying capacity

Density-dependent factors

B. Maximum growth rate under ideal conditions

Logistic growth differs from exponential growth because it:

Has no limiting factors

Occurs only in plants

Levels off at carrying capacity

Happens very slowly

C. Levels off at carrying capacity

Carrying capacity (K) is the:

Minimum population size

Maximum population growth rate

Maximum number the environment can support

Population density

C. Maximum number the environment can support

Population density is defined as:

Population size over time

Number of individuals per unit area

Maximum population size

Growth rate

B. Number of individuals per unit area

Which is a density-dependent limiting factor?

Earthquake

Drought

Disease

Hurricane

C. Disease

Which is a density-independent limiting factor?

Competition

Disease

Predation

Flood

D. Flood

Intraspecific competition occurs between:

Different species

Predator and prey

Members of the same species

Producers and consumers

C. Members of the same species

In predator-prey cycles, predator population changes usually:

Occur before prey changes

Are unrelated to prey

Follow changes in prey population

Remain constant

C. Follow changes in prey population

When predator numbers increase, the prey population usually:

Increases

Decreases

Stays the same

Evolves immediately

B. Decreases

A pioneer species is one that:

Dominates a climax community

Cannot survive harsh environments

Colonizes a new or disturbed area first

Requires deep soil

C. Colonizes a new or disturbed area first

Primary succession occurs in areas where:

Soil is present

A community existed before

No soil previously existed

Only animals live

C. No soil previously existed

Secondary succession occurs after:

Volcanic eruptions

Glacier retreat

Forest fires or floods

Formation of new land

C. Forest fires or floods

A keystone species is one that:

Is most abundant

Has little effect on ecosystems

Has a disproportionately large impact

Is always a predator

C. Has a disproportionately large impact

Removing a keystone species often results in:

Increased biodiversity

No change

Decreased species richness

Increased population growth

C. Decreased species richness

An exotic species is one that:

Is harmful

Evolves in one area and spreads naturally

Is introduced to a new area

Is found only in one location

C. Is introduced to a new area

An exotic species becomes invasive when it:

A. Reproduces slowly

B. Benefits native species

C. Harms the new community

D. Becomes endangered

C. Harms the new community

Biological pest control involves using:

A. Chemicals

B. Mechanical traps

C. Natural enemies

D. Fertilizers

C. Natural enemies

Why is biological pest control often preferred?

A. It works instantly

B. It kills all insects

C. It targets specific pests

D. It is always risk-free

C. It targets specific pests

A potential risk of biological pest control is that the control organism may:

A. Die out

B. Attack non-target species

C. Stop reproducing

D. Become a producer

B. Attack non-target species

1. In a biogeochemical cycle, matter:

A. Is created and destroyed

B. Moves through ecosystems and returns to reservoirs

C. Flows one-way only

D. Escapes the biosphere

B. Moves through ecosystems and returns to reservoirs

2. Which cycle involves evaporation, transpiration, and precipitation?

A. Carbon cycle

B. Nitrogen cycle

C. Water cycle

D. Phosphorus cycle

C. Water cycle

3. Water enters the biosphere primarily through:

A. Respiration

B. Consumption and absorption

C. Combustion

D. Erosion

B. Consumption and absorption

4. Water evaporating from plants is called:

A. Condensation

B. Respiration

C. Transpiration

D. Fixation

C. Transpiration

5. In the atmosphere, carbon is primarily found as:

A. Methane

B. Carbon monoxide

C. Carbon dioxide

D. Glucose

C. Carbon dioxide

6. Autotrophs acquire carbon through:

A. Respiration

B. Photosynthesis

C. Decomposition

D. Consumption

B. Photosynthesis

7. Heterotrophs obtain carbon by:

A. Fixing CO2

B. Photosynthesis

C. Consuming other organisms

D. Evaporation

C. Consuming other organisms

8. Carbon exits living organisms through:

A. Photosynthesis

B. Aerobic respiration

C. Nitrogen fixation

D. Transpiration

B. Aerobic respiration

9. Burning fossil fuels primarily adds what to the atmosphere?

A. Oxygen

B. Nitrogen

C. Carbon dioxide

D. Phosphorus

C. Carbon dioxide

10. The greenhouse effect refers to:

A. Cooling of Earth's surface

B. Trapping of heat by gases

C. Loss of atmospheric gases

D. Reflection of sunlight

B. Trapping of heat by gases

11. Deforestation increases atmospheric carbon because:

A. Plants absorb more CO2

B. Stored carbon is released

C. Soil fixes nitrogen

D. Evaporation increases

B. Stored carbon is released

12. Why does water stabilize temperature?

A. Low density

B. High specific heat

C. Low polarity

D. Hydrophobicity

B. High specific heat

13. Carbon is versatile because it can form:

A. Two covalent bonds

B. Four covalent bonds

C. Ionic bonds only

D. Hydrogen bonds only

B. Four covalent bonds

14. Monomers are best described as:

A. Large molecules

B. Subunits of polymers

C. Energy storage units

D. Inorganic compounds

B. Subunits of polymers

15. Hydrolysis reactions:

A. Remove water to bond monomers

B. Add water to break bonds

C. Create polymers

D. Form covalent bonds

B. Add water to break bonds

16. Condensation reactions:

A. Break polymers

B. Add water

C. Remove water to bond monomers

D. Release energy

C. Remove water to bond monomers

17. Which macromolecule stores genetic information?

A. Proteins

B. Lipids

C. Carbohydrates

D. Nucleic acids

D. Nucleic acids

18. The monomers of proteins are:

A. Fatty acids

B. Nucleotides

C. Amino acids

D. Monosaccharides

C. Amino acids

19. Triglycerides are an example of:

A. Proteins

B. Carbohydrates

C. Lipids

D. Nucleic acids

C. Lipids

20. Survivorship curves describe:

A. Birth rate only

B. Death rate over lifespan

C. Population density

D. Species richness

B. Death rate over lifespan

21. Type I survivorship curves are typical of:

A. Flies

B. Oysters

C. Whales

D. Plants

C. Whales

22. R-selected species generally:

A. Have few offspring

B. Provide high parental care

C. Have many offspring

D. Live long lives

C. Have many offspring

23. K-selected species usually:

A. Reproduce quickly

B. Have short lifespans

C. Invest heavily in offspring

D. Experience high juvenile mortality

C. Invest heavily in offspring

24. The demographic transition model describes:

A. Species extinction

B. Population growth stages

C. Energy flow

D. Nutrient cycling

B. Population growth stages

25. An ecological footprint measures:

A. Population size

B. Earth's carrying capacity

C. Resource use

D. Species diversity

C. Resource use

26. Species richness refers to:

A. Number of individuals

B. Number of species

C. Population density

D. Niche overlap

B. Number of species

27. Species evenness measures:

A. Habitat size

B. Relative abundance

C. Energy flow

D. Reproductive rate

B. Relative abundance

28. Commensalism is a relationship where:

A. Both species benefit

B. One benefits, one is harmed

C. One benefits, one is unaffected

D. Both are harmed

C. One benefits, one is unaffected

29. Parasitism involves:

A. Two species benefiting

B. One species benefiting at the expense of another

C. No effect on either species

D. Shared resources

B. One species benefiting at the expense of another

30. Interspecific competition occurs between:

A. Same species

B. Different species

C. Producers only

D. Predators only

B. Different species

31. A species' ecological niche includes:

A. Only its habitat

B. Only its diet

C. Its role and requirements

D. Population size

C. Its role and requirements

32. Competitive exclusion means:

A. Species share resources

B. One species outcompetes another

C. Resources increase

D. Competition stops

B. One species outcompetes another

33. Resource partitioning reduces competition by:

A. Increasing overlap

B. Eliminating species

C. Dividing resources

D. Reducing reproduction

C. Dividing resources

34. Nitrogen fixation is performed primarily by:

A. Plants

B. Animals

C. Bacteria

D. Fungi

C. Bacteria

35. The phosphorus cycle differs because it:

A. Includes the atmosphere

B. Moves rapidly

C. Does not include the atmosphere

D. Involves photosynthesis

C. Does not include the atmosphere

36. A solvent is defined as:

A. A dissolved substance

B. A liquid that dissolves substances

C. A solid mixture

D. An enzyme

B. A liquid that dissolves substances

37. A solute is:

A. The dissolving liquid

B. The dissolved substance

C. A gas only

D. Always water

B. The dissolved substance

38. Water is a universal solvent because:

A. It is nonpolar

B. It forms hydrogen bonds

C. It is dense

D. It is hydrophobic

B. It forms hydrogen bonds

39. Hydrogen bonds are attractions between:

A. Two carbons

B. Oppositely charged ions

C. Polar molecules

D. Covalently bonded hydrogens and other polar atoms

D. Covalently bonded hydrogens and other polar atoms