Pre-AP Biology SAMPLE QUIZ QUESTIONS Unit 1 This set of sample questions is similar to what your students will see on the Unit 1 Quizzes. The questions are representative of the types and style of questions; however, they do not necessarily span the content of Unit 1 nor do they encompass the spread of difficulty on the full quiz. Refer to the Pre-AP Biology Assessments section of the course guide for information on the key concepts assessed on each quiz. Each question in the sample set includes information about how it connects to the Course Framework as well as explanations for each option. Your students will not see this information attached to questions while they are taking the quiz. Questions 1–3 are based on the passage and food web below. Consider the passage and food web, and then choose the best answer to each question. The gopher tortoise is the only tortoise found in the southeastern United States. Gopher tortoises have shovel-like front legs that help them dig large burrows, where they spend most of their time. Many other species in the gopher tortoise’s ecosystem, including burrowing owls, indigo snakes, and gopher frogs, also depend on these burrows. However, other species such as moles, which are small rodent-like insectivores, can create their own burrows. 1. There are approximately 10,000 kilojoules (kJ) of energy available at the primary producer level of this ecosystem. Which ratio represents the available energy of gopher frogs to grasshoppers in the food web? A. 1 kJ : 10 kJ B. 10 kJ : 1 kJ C. 1 kJ : 100 kJ D. 100 kJ : 1kJ 2. Gopher tortoises are listed as a vulnerable species since human activities are causing their populations to decline. Which of the following diagrams best models what is likely to happen to other species populations if gopher tortoises were to disappear from the ecosystem? (Note: ↑ means the population increases; ↓ means the population declines; – means no change in population) A. Indigo Burrowing Mole Snake Owl ↑ ↑ ↑ B. Indigo Snake ↓ Mole ↑ Burrowing Owl – C. Indigo Snake ↓ Mole ↑ Burrowing Owl ↓ D. Indigo Snake ↓ Pre-AP Biology Unit 1 Sample Quiz Questions Mole – Burrowing Owl ↓ © 2018 The College Board 3. Which of the following organisms serves a role similar to the gopher tortoise in their ecosystem? Pre-AP Biology A. Leopard seals of Antarctica, which are fierce predators, will eat the pups of other seal species and have been known to be aggressive toward humans. B. Bluestreak cleaner wrasse, a fish found in coral reefs in Eastern Africa, eat dead tissue off larger fish. C. Galapagos tortoises, which sometimes trap birds underneath their bodies, crush them by dropping their bodies on the bird and then eating the dead bird. D. Hippos of Gorongosa National Park, which are massive in size, move soil around and create channels that redirect water as they walk. This creates habitat and shelter for a diversity of many smaller organisms. Unit 1 Sample Quiz Questions © 2018 The College Board About the Unit 1 Sample Quiz Questions Question 1 Question Type Multiple Choice Key Concept Population Dynamics Learning Objective ECO 2.3(a) Create and/or use models to explain the energy flow through the food web of a community Area of Focus Applying mathematics A. Correct. Approximately 10 percent of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next. The gopher frog is two trophic levels away, so the amount of energy available is 100 kJ. The grasshopper is only one trophic level from the grasses, so the amount of energy available is 1,000 kJ. The ratio that best expresses this is 100 kJ : 1,000 kJ or 1 kJ : 10 kJ. B. Incorrect. This option is the result of reversing the ratio. C. Incorrect. This option is the ratio of energy available for a two-trophic-level difference. D. Incorrect. This option is the result of reversing the ratio of energy available for a two-trophic-level difference. Question 2 Question Type Multiple Choice Key Concept Ecological Community Dynamics Learning Objective ECO 2.3(a) Create and/or use models to explain the energy flow through the food web of a community ECO 4.1(c) Create and/or use models to explain predictions about the possible effects of changes in the availability of resources on the interactions between species Area of Focus Analytical reading and writing A. Incorrect. Indigo snakes and burrowing owls depend on using the gopher tortoise’s burrows and therefore would likely decline. B. Incorrect. The indigo snake depends on using the gopher tortoise’s burrows, so it would likely decline, which could cause the mole population to increase. Pre-AP Biology Unit 1 Sample Quiz Questions © 2018 The College Board However, the burrowing owl population also depends on using these burrows and would also likely decline. C. Correct. Both the indigo snake and the burrowing owl depend on using the gopher tortoise’s burrows and would likely decline if the tortoise was removed from the ecosystem. Since they both prey on moles, the mole population would likely increase. D. Incorrect. The indigo snake and the burrowing owl would likely decline since they both depend on using the gopher tortoise’s burrows. However, if those predators in the ecosystem decline, the mole population would likely increase rather than stay the same. Question 3 Question Type Multiple Choice Key Concept Ecological Community Dynamics Learning Objective ECO 4.1(c) Create and/or use models to explain predictions about the possible effects of changes in the availability of resources on the interactions between species Area of Focus Analytical reading and writing A. Incorrect. The top predatory behavior of the leopard seal is not analogous to the beneficial impact of the gopher tortoise. Keystone species, such as the gopher tortoise, are not necessarily the top predator. B. Incorrect. The mutualistic relationship of the wrasse and other fish is not as significant for the entire ecosystem as the behavior of the gopher tortoise, which is both a keystone species and an ecosystem engineer. C. Incorrect. Even though both species are tortoises, the predatory behavior of the Galapagos tortoise is not analogous to the beneficial impact of the gopher tortoise. D. Correct. Both gopher tortoises and hippos serve as ecosystem engineers for the benefit of other species in their ecosystem. The hippo creates habitat and shelter for smaller organisms in much the same way as the gopher tortoise creates habitat and shelter for other organisms with its burrows. While the gopher tortoise is also considered a keystone species, both species show evidence of being critical players in their ecosystems because of their ability to cultivate the environment for the benefit of many different organisms. Pre-AP Biology Unit 1 Sample Quiz Questions © 2018 The College Board