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Name: practice test
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The Biosphere Practice Test
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
The branch of biology dealing with interactions among organisms and between
organisms and their environment is called
a. economy. c. recycling.
b. modeling. d. ecology.
ANSWER: D
The combined portions of Earth in which all living things exist is called the
a. biome. c. ecosystem.
b. community. d. biosphere.
ANSWER: D
All of the members of a particular species that live in one area are called a(an)
a. biome. c. community.
b. population. d. ecosystem.
ANSWER: B
Which of the following descriptions about the organization of an ecosystem is
correct?
a. Communities make up species, which make up populations.
b. Populations make up species, which make up communities.
c. Species make up communities, which make up populations.
d. Species make up populations, which make up communities.
ANSWER: D
The simplest grouping of more than one kind of organism in the biosphere is
a. a population. c. an ecosystem.
b. a community. d. a species.
ANSWER: B
The lowest level of environmental complexity that includes living and nonliving
factors is the
a. biome. c. ecosystem.
b. community. d. biosphere.
ANSWER: C
Plants are
a. producers. c. herbivores.
b. consumers. d. omnivores.
ANSWER: A
What is the original source of almost all the energy in most ecosystems?
a. carbohydrates c. water
b. sunlight d. carbon
ANSWER: B
Figure 3– 1
The algae at the beginning of the food chain in Figure 3–1 are
a. consumers. c. producers.
b. decomposers. d. heterotrophs.
ANSWER: C
An organism that uses energy to produce its own food supply from inorganic
compounds is called a(an)
a. heterotroph. c. detritivore.
b. consumer. d. autotroph.
ANSWER: D
An organism that cannot make its own food is called a(an)
a. heterotroph. c. autotroph.
b. chemotroph. d. producer.
ANSWER: A
A snake that eats a frog that has eaten an insect that fed on a plant is a
a. first-level producer. c. second-level producer.
b. first-level consumer. d. third-level consumer.
ANSWER: D
Figure 3– 2
The trophic levels in Figure 3–2 illustrate
a. the relative amount of energy at each level.
b. the amount of living organic matter at each level.
c. the relative number of individual organisms at each level.
d. that the producers outnumber first-level consumers.
ANSWER: C
In which way does Figure 3–2 differ from a typical model of trophic levels?
a. Second-level consumers outnumber first-level consumers.
b.c.d. ThirdFirstFirst--level consumers outnumber producers.level consumers outnumber second-level consumers outnumber second-level consumers.-level consumers.
d. First-level consumers outnumber second-level consumers.
ANSWER: C
Only 10 percent of the energy stored in an organism can be passed on to the next
trophic level. Of the remaining energy, some is used for the organism’s life
processes, and the rest is
a. used in reproduction. c. stored as fat.
b. stored as body tissue. d. eliminated as heat.
ANSWER: D
Most of the energy available to a consumer trophic level is used by organisms for
a. transfer to the next trophic level.
b. respiration, movement, and reproduction.
c. producing inorganic chemical compounds.
d. performing photosynthesis.
ANSWER: B
Which type of pyramid shows the amount of living tissue at each trophic level in an
ecosystem?
a. a numbers pyramid c. a biomass pyramid
b. an energy pyramid d. a food pyramid
ANSWER: C
Matter can recycle through the biosphere because
a. matter is passed out of the body as waste.
b. matter is assembled into chemical compounds.
c. biological systems do not use up matter, they transform it.
d. biological systems use only carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and
nitrogen.
ANSWER: C
The repeated movement of water between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere is
called
a. the water cycle. c. precipitation.
b. the condensation cycle. d. evaporation.
ANSWER: A
What is the process by which bacteria convert nitrogen gas in the air to ammonia?
a. nitrogen fixation c. decomposition
b. excretion d. denitrification
c. nutrients will be circulated throughout the biosphere.
d. many nutrients will not reach toxic concentrations in the
biosphere.
ANSWER: C
Completion
Complete each sentence or statement.
Figure 3– 3
In the water cycle shown in Figure 3–3, the process of
_________________________ occurs between evaporation and precipitation.
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: condensation
The water shown flowing over land in Figure 3–3 is called ____________________.
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: runoff
Short Answer
Describe the flow of energy among the following members of an ecosystem:
decomposers, autotrophs, heterotrophs, and the sun.
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: Energy flows from the sun to the autotrophs, and from the autotrophs to
the heterotrophs. Energy also flows from the autotrophs and the
Describe the flow of energy among the following members of an ecosystem:
decomposers, autotrophs, heterotrophs, and the sun.
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: heterotrophs to the decomposers.
Figure 3– 3
Using Figure 3–3, trace the path of water that leaves a lake through evaporation, and
describe how it might return to the lake.
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: Water evaporates from the lake, condenses in the atmosphere, and falls
as precipitation. Some rain may fall directly on the lake and some water
may return to the lake as runoff.
What and where is the biosphere?
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: The biosphere is the combined portions of the planet in which all of life
exists, including land, air, and water. It extends from about 8 kilometers
above Earth’s surface to about 11 kilometers below the surface of the
ocean.
Figure 3– 1
Figure 3– 4
Inferring Figure 3–4 shows a food web arranged into trophic levels. How many
energy-transferring steps away from the sun is the deer? How do you know?
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: The deer is on the second trophic level, so it is two steps away from the
sun.
Inferring A food web, such as the one in Figure 3–4, is a model of the feeding
relationships in an ecosystem. What makes this model representative of an
ecosystem?
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: An ecosystem is a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular
place, together with their nonliving, or physical, environment. A food
web represents relationships among all the organisms and their
environment.
Interpreting Graphics In Figure 3–4, how many first-level consumers are there for
each producer?
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: There is one first-level consumer for corn, three for carrots, four for
flowering shrubs, and one for trees.
Interpreting Graphics In Figure 3–4, how many first-level consumers are there for
each producer?
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: There is one first-level consumer for corn, three for carrots, four for
flowering shrubs, and one for trees.
Comparing and Contrasting In Figure 3–4, compare the amount of energy
available to the wolf if it eats only first-level consumers with the amount of energy
available to the wolf if it eats only second-level consumers.
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: There is more energy available to the wolf if it eats only first-level
consumers.
How does a food web differ from a food chain?
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: A food chain is a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by
eating and being eaten. A food web is a feeding relationship among the
various organisms in an ecosystem that forms a network of complex
interactions. A food web links all the food chains in an ecosystem
together.
Describe the three types of ecological pyramids.
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: An energy pyramid is a diagram that shows the relative amounts of
energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or
web. A biomass pyramid represents the amount of living tissue within
each trophic level. A pyramid of numbers shows the relative number of
organisms at each trophic level.
Describe the biological significance of the carbon cycle. Where is carbon found in
the biosphere?
RESPONSE:
ANSWER: Carbon is biologically significant because it is the key ingredient of all
living organisms. Carbon is found in several reservoirs within the
biosphere. Carbon occurs in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas, in
the oceans as dissolved carbon dioxide, and in organisms, rocks, soil,
and underground as coal, petroleum, and calcium carbonate rock.
