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