SB4a/SCSh8/SCSh2 Summative Assessment

PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS SHEET.

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

SB4a
1. The five levels of organization in the environment, from first to fifth level are
A. organism, population, biosphere, ecosystem, community
B. organism, population, biotic elements, abiotic elements, community
C. organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere
D. organism, population, biosphere, abiotic elements, ecology

2. Which of the following describes a single population?

A. A group of bacteria all of the species Bacillis subtilis
B. All insects occupying three hectares of farmland
C. An exact count of 315 animals in a fenced plot of land
D. All the animals and plants on an isolated island

3. An environmental study reporting on the way temperature, water quality, and

minerals affect the animals in a salt marsh would be considering which level of
organization?
A. individual organism C. community
B. population D. ecosystem

4. A scientist studying the way egrets (birds), herons (birds), and crabs interact,
who is not interested in abiotic factors such as the rocks, water, and temperature, is
studying what level of environmental organization?
A. population C. community
B. ecosystem D. biosphere

5. Two lionesses are fighting over a fresh kill. What type of competition is this?
A. predator/prey C. competition between species in a
community
B. competition within a population D. competition between a parasite and
a host

6. Young wasps are destroying the tissue of the tomato hornworm that is their host.
What is this an example of?
A. commensalism C. parasitism
B. mutualism D. competition

7. Cougars are predators that often eat weakened or diseased animals. This is a
description of the _____________ of cougars.
A. habitat C. niche
B. community D. none of the above
Figure 2-2

8. The group of animals in Figure 2-2 is an example of what?

A. community C. population
B. ecosystem D. biosphere

flea
Figure 2-3

9. The organism shown in Figure 2-3 is involved in which type of symbiosis?

A. mutualism C. parasitism
B. commensalism D. predation

10. Which of the following information could be included in the description of a

grasshopper’s niche, but not in a description of its habitat?
A. continent where it lives C. plant species it eats
B. locations where it shelters D. temperatures it experiences

11. Organisms with overlapping niches probably have what type of relationship?
A. commensal C. mutualistic
B. competitive D. parasitic

12. Some birds are known as honey guides because they may be followed by
humans to wild beehives. When the humans take honey from the hives, the birds
are able to feast on the honey and bees, too. This type of relationship can best be
described as _______.
A. parasitism C. mutualism
B. commensalism D. symbiosis

13. When there is a lot of pollution, rain can be acidic, harming plants and animals.
What is this an example of?
A. competition between a population and community C. an abiotic factor
affecting an ecosystem
B. a mutualistic type of symbiosis D. an individual affecting
a community
14. In which type of symbiosis do organisms help each other?
A. parasitism C. community
B. mutualism D. commensalism

SCSh8
15. Students in a biology class ran an experiment on a type of flowering plant.
Their goal was to find the optimal time in the plant’s life for flowering. What time
period will provide the most flowering plants? Use Table 1-1 to determine your
answer.

Table 1-1
Number of Plants
Day Flowering
2 6
4 12
6 18
8 22
10 8

A. 5-6 days C. 7-8 days

B. 6-7 days D. 8-9 days

16. Which topic falls under the study of biology?

A. the chemicals in fuel C. rocks found in a riverbed
B. the makeup of the atmosphere D. the digestive system of an
earthworm

17. Which of the following is an observation?

A. You record the air temperature every day for a week
B. You propose that a cold front is approaching
C. You hypothesize that the temperature will increase tomorrow
D. You conclude that the season is changing

18. Which is an inference?

A. You measure a plant’s height every day for a week
B. You give a plant the same amount of water every day
C. Every day for a week, you collect data on a plant’s movement
D. After watching a plant for a week, you determine it needs more sunlight

19. Which best describes the difference between an observation and an inference?
A. You can record an observation, an inference is an idea
B. You make an inference before you make observations
C. An observation is a conclusion, an inference is a hypothesis
D. An observation is based on evidence, an inference is not

20. Tasha is testing the effect of blue-colored light on the growth of tomato plants.
Which is the independent variable in this experiment?
A. light color C. amount of light
B. light intensity D. temperature of light

21. A researcher is interested in the effects of nitrate and phosphate on plant

growth, and sets up an experiment in which groups of five plants are given 1, 2, and
3 grams of nitrate and 1, 2, and 3 grams of phosphate in all combinations over a
period of one month. All other possible variables are kept the same. The
researcher measures plant height and weight at the end of the experiment. What is
missing in this experimental design?
A. a control C. a dependent variable
B. an independent variable D. a constant

22. A researcher is studying the reproduction in Taraxacum officinale, the

dandelion. She decides to measure only soil temperature. You think her study is
poorly designed. Why?
A. biotic factors probably play a large role in dandelion reproduction
B. dandelions are not affected by soil temperature
C. it is hard to measure soil temperature accurately
D. soil temperature varies too much

Figure 3-4

23. Look at the graph in Figure 3-4. What does the graph tell us about this species
of plant?
A. Too much sunlight can hurt them
B. They thrive in a lot of sun
C. Heat is damaging to them
D. They need plenty of water

24. Students hypothesized that water pollution affects the growth of fish. In an
experiment, they added the same amount of food to ponds polluted by fertilizers
and industrial waste. They measured fish growth and found that most fish grow
slowly in each of these environments. What part of their experiment did they forget
to include?
A. a group to serve as the control C. a theory to
explain their results
B. a hypothesis to test D. a procedure to follow
A team of ecologists measured the salinity (amount of salt) of the water in an
estuary at various distances from the river mouth. They also sampled populations
of two species of clam worm, Nereis occidentalis and Neanthes succinea, at each
point. The results are tabulated below.

Table 3-1

25. Which of the following hypotheses is most valuable in explaining the trends
seen in the data?
A. Nereis occidentalis outcompetes Neanthes succinea in salinities under 14%.
B. Neanthes succinea reproduces most rapidly in areas at least 20 meters from the
river mouth.
C. Both Neanthes succinea and Nereis occidentalis can survive at any salinity.
D. Nereis occidentalis is more resistant to salinity than Neanthes succinea.

SCSh2
26. When smelling a liquid, you should
A. inhale deeply. C. waft it towards you.
B. use a fume hood. D. pour it on the table.

27. What should be used to put out a fire in a person’s hair or clothing?
A. Your hands C. Fire extinguisher
B. A fire blanket D. Water from the sink

28. If a laboratory fire erupts, immediately

A. notify your instructor C. throw water on the fire
B. run for the fire extinguisher D. open the windows

29. A student spills a chemical in the lab. What should be done immediately?
A. Clean it up
B. Tell the teacher so they can determine the proper clean-up procedure
C. Let it evaporate
D. Pour water on it
30. Which is the best reason to keep all classroom aisles clear?
A. To allow the room to be cleaned
B. To allow safe exit in an emergency
C. To make it easier to find your homework
D. To make the classroom more eye appealing

31. Eating and drinking in the laboratory

A. is not permitted C. is permitted if the laboratory activity is
completed
B. is permitted if it is a healthy snack D. is permitted with a parent’s
permission

32. A student’s hand is cut during the laboratory experiment. What should the
student do immediately?
A. See a doctor C. Tell only his/her lab partner
B. Tell the science teacher D. Tell no one

33. If you do not understand a direction or part of a lab safety procedure, you
should
A. figure it out as you do the lab
B. try several methods until something works
C. ask the instructor before proceeding
D. skip it and go on to the next part

34. In a laboratory, the following should not be worn

A. loose clothing C. sandals
B. dangling jewelry D. all of the above

35. If a fire or tornado drill occurs during a laboratory, you should

A. close containers and turn off any electrical equipment
B. run out of the room screaming
C. leave the experiment as it is and leave the room
D. ignore it, you are in the middle of an experiment

36. Horseplay or practical jokes in the laboratory are

A. always against the rules C. not dangerous
B. okay D. okay if you are working alone

37. Approved eye protection devices are worn in the laboratory

A. to avoid eye strain
B. to improve your vision
C. only if you don’t have corrective glasses
D. any time chemicals, heat, or glassware are used

38. Students complete a laboratory investigation. Who is responsible for returning

materials to the proper place?
A. Students who did the investigation.
B. Students entering the laboratory.
C. Building services personnel.
D. The science teacher.
39. You are heating a substance in a test tube. Always point the open end of the
tube
A. toward yourself
B. toward your lab partner
C. toward another classmate
D. away from all people
40. What should students do before inserting the plug of an electrical device into a
socket?
A. Wash their hands. C. Put on safety goggles.
B. Turn on the device. D. Make sure the area and their hands
are dry.

SCSh2/SCSh8

Modified True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false. If false, change the identified word
or phrase to make the statement true.

41. A hypothesis can be described as a possible proof.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

42. Safety is the first priority in any science lab.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Completion
Complete each statement/Write the complete answer.

43. In an investigation on the effect of exercise on breathing rate, the breathing

rate is the _______________________________ variable.

44. An electromagnet can be made by wrapping insulated wire around an iron nail
and connecting the ends of the wire to a 6-volt battery. HYPOTHESIS: Increasing
the number of coils of wire around the nail increases the strength of the
electromagnet, as measured by the number of paper clips the magnet can pick up.
Identify the independent and dependent variables.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

45. Draw a diagram of your science room and label the following:
Fire extinguisher
Exits
Eyewash Station
Emergency Shower
First Aid Kit