First Semester Exam Review
1. Match the following organisms to the type of environment they are most fit for:
a. Desert
b. Taiga
D
C
c. Marsh
d. Tundra
B
A
2. Sort these common biotic factors into the most likely biomes/ecosystems: lions, scorpions, conifer
trees, alligator, giraffes, yucca cactus, canopy tree, egrets, rattlesnake, tall grasses, toucan, beaver,
monkeys, jackrabbit
Notes: biotic factors are living (or once-living) parts of the environment; abiotic factors are
non-living parts of the environment.
Also, some of these organisms can be found in more than one of the listed biomes, and a
perfectly valid argument could be made for listing them in multiple ones. For the purposes
of this review, we are looking at where they are considered to be best adapted or most
common.
a. Tropical rainforests canopy tree, toucan, monkeys
b. Temperate deciduous forests beavers, some conifer trees may appear but they are most
adapted to taiga; note: other common organisms you need to know for this one are lichens,
maple trees, mosses, deer
c. African Savanna lions, tall grasses (could be equally adapted to marshes), giraffes
d. Desert (Hot & Dry) scorpions, yucca cactus, rattlesnake, jackrabbit
e. Marshes or swamps alligators, egrets (possibly tall grasses)
3. How do the following adaptations help increase fitness in these environments? (adaptations
often have more than one purpose, but these are the ones we need to know)
a. Giraffes in the savanna have long necks to reach high branches for feeding
b. Rabbits and other furred animals in the desert have large ears with thin tissue to cool the body
by allowing heat to escape into the air from the blood flowing through the thin tissues in
the ears
c. Moose and bear in the tundra quickly develop fat layers in the spring to insulate for warmth in
cold winters and provide energy when food is hard to find in winter; the spring and
summer is very short, so the fat layer has to develop quickly
d. Pine trees in the taiga have needle-like leaves to help reduce water loss or weighing down by
snow/ice in dry, cold environments
e. Plants in the tropical rainforest have large, broad leaves to compete for sunlight and allow
water to flow off; they don’t have to worry about water loss, since they are in warm, wet
climates. Drip tips also allow water to flow quickly off the leaves, since it rains frequently.
First Semester Exam Review
4. This picture describes primary succession (look for the development topsoil, and colonisers).
What is happening at each stage?
0- No top soil, no organisms
1- Top soil is developing as colonisers like mosses and lichens move in and decompose after
death
2- Low plants like grasses and ferns begin to settle as topsoil becomes deep enough and
nutrient-rich enough; some insects, snakes, rodents, etc may also settle
3- Slightly larger plants and flowers begin to settle
4- Shrubs, small trees, and bushes; larger animals continue to move in as prey organisms
develop stable populations
5- A stable final stage of young trees, and later mature trees, and larger animals establish
populations
5. How is secondary succession different from primary succession?
The main difference between primary and secondary succession is that secondary succession occurs on
soil that already exists—that is, in areas where a previously existing community has been removed, most
often by disturbances that are relatively smaller in scale and that do not eliminate all life and nutrients
from the environment. Primary succession begins with bare ground and no topsoil layer.
6. What is a climax community? A climax community is a complex final or stable stage in
succession with greater levels of biodiversity and variation than stages before it.
7. The moon has one-sixth the gravitational pull of the Earth. If someone weighing 120 pounds on
Earth went to the moon, how much would they weigh there?
20 pounds (120/6)
8. Which of Newton’s Laws (Inertia, F=m x a, or Action-Reaction) are best demonstrated by the
following: (note: more than one can be demonstrated by each one, depending on the
argument made to support it. These are the ones we need to know)
a. A rocket engine is fired to launch a spacecraft into outer space
action-reaction
b. A book sitting on a shelf doesn’t move until pushed
inertia
c. Two football players collide, and the smaller one is thrown backwards F=mxa
First Semester Exam Review
9. What are the advantages of using space shuttles? They are reusable
What are the advantages of the International Space Station? Long term living in space, shared
expense with other countries
10. Why do materials used in space vehicles need to be lightweight? It takes a huge volume of
rocket fuel to launch a vehicle into space and travel, and the amount of fuel rockets can
hold are limited. The more weight, the more thrust it takes to launch, and the more fuel it
requires. Less weight means less fuel and less thrust needed.
11. Leaving or entering the atmosphere produces a tremendous amount of friction that often causes
objects to burn up. Insulating materials used on the outside of shuttles and other space vehicles
must therefore be heat resistant.
12. The atmosphere on the moon, Mars, and other planets is often very thin. How would this affect
sound waves? Sound waves travel through the movement of particles in the atmosphere;
thinner atmospheres (or no atmosphere) means sound waves don’t travel well (or at all).
Astronauts were helmets that use radio waves to communicate, because radio waves don’t
require atmosphere to travel. If astronauts tried to use sound waves, they wouldn’t be able
to talk.
13. How do the following factors limit how far we can explore space with our current technology?
a. Speed The distances in space are very large, and our current technology means it
would take too long to travel at speeds we can reach now.
b. Fuel Space vehicles are limited to the fuel they can carry in the space they have, and
no way to fuel back up far from Earth.
Telescopes like the Hubble Telescope can be used from Earth or in space to look at objects in space
without using astronauts, but NASA has used different mechanisms to help humans to travel and/or live
in space. Skylab (launched 1973) and the International Space Station (launched 1998) were designed for
living in space, while the Space Shuttle Discovery (launched 1984) and the Apollo Missions (launched
1961-1975) were a series manned flights to the Earth’s atmosphere and moon.
14. Which of the following were/are space stations, designed for humans to live in for extended periods
in space (there are more than one):
International Space Station
Skylab
15. Put the space stations from problem 14 in chronological order from oldest to newest:
Skylab, International Space Station
First Semester Exam Review
16. Flooding of rivers has long been a problem for people. Floods can cause severe damage or even
complete destruction to an area. What are some positive effects of flooding? Deposition from flooding
can leave layers of rich soil in an area after the water goes down. This rich soil is very good for
growing plants/crops.
17. What are some long term effects of flooding on animal habitats?
Habitats can be washed away, or buried in deposited silt.
18. The 7th grade Science class recently participated in a lab activity that simulated the effects of rainfall
on different types of soil samples. How did vegetation affect the erosion of soil?
Plants held soil in place and helped to prevent or slow down the rate of erosion.
19. What can happen to erosion rates when fire, construction, or other events cause loss of vegetation?
Without vegetation to help soil in place, erosion can worsen or happen faster.
20. What causes ocean tides? The gravity of the moon and Sun (mostly moon) pulls on the water on
Earth, causing it to bulge and creating tides.
21. How can volcanic eruptions affect the following?
Amount of light reaching Earth for plants dust, ash, smoke, etc can block sunlight from reaching
plants, making it harder for them to perform photosynthesis
Climate the dust, smoke, ash, etc blocking out sunlight can have an effect on temperatures and
rainfall
Acid rain sulfur and other gases erupted into the atmosphere can mix with water in the
atmosphere and cause rain to become more acidic, increasing the effects of acid rain
22. What causes river deltas to form? Sediment carried by rivers is often deposited as the water
slows down when it meets a larger body of water. The sediment builds up over time, creating
deltas.
How can hurricanes increase delta formation? Hurricanes can increase sediment in rivers,
increasing the sediment deposited on deltas when the river enters another river, gulf, ocean, etc.
23. Sort the following terms into the correct column in the table: aquifer, rivers, lakes, streams
Ground water
aquifer
Surface water
Rivers
Lakes
Streams
24. Plants do not have a skeletal system to support their mass like animals. What force allows plants to
grow upright?
Turgor pressure in stems provides the force to keep them up-right
25. What is the purpose of composting?
The purpose of composting is to return nutrients back to the soil as organic material decomposes.
First Semester Exam Review
26. In photosynthesis, solar/radiant energy is converted to chemical energy.
What do plants get from the Sun, energy or nutrients? energy
27. Is work being done if a 5n box is moved 5m? Record your answer:
work = force x distance = 5N x 5m = 25.0 Joules
28. If the same 5n box does not move when you apply force, how much work is being done? Record your
answer:
No movement, no work done. 0 joules
29. Explain the types of energy transfer happening in the image below.
Light/radiant energy is converted to chemical energy.
First Semester Exam Review
30. Complete the following statement:
Through the process of photosynthesis, plants take in light energy from the Sun and convert that
energy into glucose for their own use. During this process, plants also absorb carbon dioxide and
water and release oxygen for us to breath.
Word Bank: photosynthesis, carbon dioxide, water, light energy, oxygen, glucose
31. Prior to a catastrophic event such as a tornado or hurricane, we sometimes have advanced warning
and we can seek shelter or try to leave the area. What types of organisms are more likely to be damaged
from a tornado moving through the area, animals or plants? Why? Plants are more likely to be
damaged, because they cannot seek shelter or leave the area.
32. Acid rain is caused by man-made pollution mixing with water in the atmosphere and falling back in
the form of precipitation. What would be the first step in reducing acid rain?
Reducing the pollution entering the atmosphere is the first step in reducing acid rain.
33. All organic compounds must contain which element?: carbon
34.
a. Chewing is an example of what type of change?
Physical change
b. After chewing, food is mixed with saliva in the mouth and later with stomach acid. Acid breaks food
down into smaller molecules. This is an example of what type of change? Chemical change
c. When food is broken down, some of the energy is released as heat.
35. What type of energy is contained in the molecules of food?
Food molecules are a source of chemical energy. The energy is released when the chemical bonds
holding the molecules together are broken.