Seventh Grade Science
Standards S7L3, S7L4 and S7L5
S7L3.a Explain the role of genes and chromosomes in the process of inheriting a
specific trait
1. Which of the following traits of a corn plant is LEAST influenced by the
environment?
A. Height
B. Color of kernels
C. Number of ears produced
D. Root structure
2. Traits such as an individual’s skin, hair, and eye color result from ______.
A. One gene acting alone
B. One allele from each parent acting together
C. Several genes acting together
D. One dominant allele
3. Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of the chromosomes in the
nucleus of a cell?
A. To store genetic instructions needed to specify traits
B. To release energy by breaking down food molecules
C. To transport nutrients into and out of the cell
D. To protect the cell from microorganisms
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4. The figures below represent two chromosomes from an animal.
Using the table below that describes the traits carried on Chromosome #6,
which trait can the animal inherit only from its mother?
A. Long hair
B. Black hair
C. White hair
D. Short hair
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S7L3.b Compare and contrast sexual and asexual reproduction in organisms
(bacteria, protists, fungi, plants & animals)
5. Asexual reproduction involves only one parent. The offspring of this type of
reproduction have _____.
A. DNA that is different from the parent
B. DNA that is identical to the DNA of the parent
C. DNA that is incomplete
D. One-half of the DNA of the parent
6. Which of the following processes is the main way by which bacteria reproduce?
A. Sexually, by fertilization
B. Sexually, by binary fission
C. Asexually, by fertilization
D. Asexually, by binary fission
7. Single-celled organisms can reproduce and create cells exactly like themselves
without combining genes from two different parent cells. When they do this,
they use a type of _____.
A. Asexual reproduction
B. Mutation
C. Successive generations
D. Sexual reproduction
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8. The diagrams below represent forms of reproduction. In which form of
reproduction will the offspring differ MOST from the parent?
A.
B.
C.
D.
9. Spirogyra is a green algae that can reproduce sexually. Which of the following
features identifies reproduction in Spirogyra as sexual reproduction?
A. The cells of parent algae have nuclei
B. Each offspring contains chloroplasts
C. Several offspring may be produced at once
D. Genetic material is contributed by two parent cells
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S7L3.c Recognize that selective breeding can produce plants or animals with
desired traits
10.The cows in a rancher’s herd of cattle have been selectively bred to produce
milk. Which of the following will cause the next generation of cows to receive the
trait for producing large quantities of milk?
A. Nutrients in the cows’ food
B. Essential minerals in the cows’ water
C. Electrical impulses in the cows’ brains
D. Information in the cows’ chromosomes
11.Which of the following is a process in which humans choose specific mates for
organisms, such as dogs or roses, to produce organisms that have desirable
traits?
A. Selective breeding
B. Sexual reproduction
C. Genetic typing
D. Genetic counseling
12.The Jonagold apple is a sweet, plump apple produced from a cross between
Jonathan apples and Golden Delicious apples. What is this process called?
A. Cloning
B. Inbreeding
C. Hybridization
D. Recombination
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13.What happens during selective breeding?
A. Humans cause the extinction of an organism
B. Humans cross organisms to obtain desirable traits
C. Humans bring an extinct organism back into existence
D. Humans insert the genetic material from one organism into another
14.Farmers often make observations about the traits of their plants as they
practice selective breeding. A farmer might practice selective breeding to
produce corn plants that _____.
A. Use more water
B. All look the same
C. Are resistant to disease
D. Can grow human proteins
S7L4.a Demonstrate in a food web that matter is transferred from one organism to
another and can recycle between organisms and their environments
15.How are humans classified within a food chain?
A. Decomposers
B. Manufacturers
C. Consumers
D. Producers
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16.The population of which of the following organisms would MOST likely decline
if small animals like rats, rabbits, and snakes were eliminated from the
ecosystem?
A. Earthworms
B. Grasses
C. Hawks
D. Mushrooms
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17.Which pathway listed below shows how energy flows to birds in this food web?
A. Snakes  Rodents  Birds
B. Rodents  Insects  Birds
C. Insects  Plants  Birds
D. Plants  Rodents  Birds
18.In a food chain, the numbers of each type of population are usually in a
relatively stable combination. A diagram of a food chain is shown above. If
humans interfered by spraying an insecticide to kill the insects, what would be
the next thing that would happen?
A. The number of snakes would increase
B. The number of grass plants would decrease
C. The number of hawks would increase
D. The number of songbirds would decrease
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19.Which of the following organisms provides energy for more than one organism
in this food web?
A. Bird
B. Fox
C. Mouse
D. Plant
20.The primary producer in the ecosystem below is the _____.
A. Rabbit
B. Plant
C. Hawk
D. Fox
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21.Which concept is best illustrated by the diagram above?
A. The effect of limiting factors in a biome
B. The exchange of CO2 and O2 in an ecosystem
C. Cycling of nutrients in a community
D. Environmental pressures on a population
22.What is the role of the Orca in the marine food chain above?
A. Producer
B. First-order consumer
C. Second-order consumer
D. Third-order consumer
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23.The diagram below shows a food web.
Members of this forest community get materials they need to survive from the
ecosystem. These materials are constantly being recycled. What would happen to
the population of snakes if the rabbits were suddenly removed from this
ecosystem?
A. The snake population would increase
B. The snake population would not change
C. The snake population would decrease
D. The snake population would find more rabbits
24.If elements are to be recycled between organisms and their environment, which
organisms must be present?
A. Predators
B. Parasites
C. Herbivores
D. Decomposers
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S7L4.b Explain in a food web that sunlight is the source of energy and that this
energy moves from organism to organism
25.Which process is the foundation for the food web?
A. Evaporation
B. Movement
C. Photosynthesis
D. Condensation
26.Chloroplasts are found only in organisms that are able to _____.
A. Hunt for prey
B. Grow to a larger size
C. Migrate to other ecosystems
D. Generate their own energy
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27.What is the primary source of energy for this ocean food chain?
A. Whales
B. The sun
C. Salt
D. Ocean waves
28.Why is photosynthesis important for plants?
A. It changes plant sugar into stronger chemicals
B. It collects sunlight which is used to make food for plants
C. It gets rid of plant waste products
D. It helps attract insects to plant flowers
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29.In order for energy to flow through this food web from the sun to the yellow
perch, the perch must _____.
A. Go through the process of photosynthesis
B. Eat the valve snail or the mosquito larva
C. Live in warmer areas of its habitat
D. Eat pond grass and algae
30.What is the primary source of the energy that flows through food webs on land?
A. Producers
B. Sunlight
C. Oxygen
D. Photosynthesis
31. Producers are single and multi-cellular organisms such as algae and flowering
plants that make their own food. How do these organisms produce their own
food?
A.
B.
C.
D.
They fix nitrogen from the atmosphere
They consume other producers
They exchange DNA with other organisms
They convert sunlight into chemical energy
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S7L4.c Recognize that changes in environmental conditions can affect the survival
of both individuals and entire species
32.Which of these situations could cause a decrease in the number of squirrels in a
population?
A. An increase in competition with other nut-eating animals
B. An increase in the squirrels’ food supply
C. An increase in cooperation with birds in the area
D. An increase in the squirrels’ territory
33.An open-air waste water treatment plant is flooded by rain. The rainwater and
the waste run into a nearby creek. The organic wastes are very high in
Biological Oxidation Demand (BOD) which means the bacteria in the waste
need a lot of oxygen. What is the BEST hypothesis to explain why many fish
might die as a result of this event?
A. The bacteria are eaten by the fish and are toxic
B. The bacteria remove the oxygen from the water
C. The bacteria create toxic wastes
D. The bacteria eat all the food in the creek
34.Black bears roam over large territories. What effect would building shopping
centers in these territories have on the bears?
A. Stabilize the black bear population
B. Promote an increase in black bear reproduction
C. Introduce a new bear population to the area
D. Reduce the black bears’ habitat
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35.A coal-burning facility is constructed in an area containing several pond
ecosystems. How will this human activity MOST likely affect the pond
ecosystems?
A. Organism diversity will increase
B. Water quality will be reduced
C. Disease will become less common
D. More nutrients will be available
36. If fish in a river begin to die because of pollution, what may happen to the river
ecosystem?
A. All organisms in the ecosystem will be affected in some way
B. All species of organisms in the ecosystem that rely on fish for food will
starve and die
C. The organisms that eat fish will reproduce faster
D. The abiotic factors, but not the biotic factors, in the ecosystem will change
37.All the ponds in an area dried up during a drought. Which population of
animals that live in the area is MOST affected by the drought?
A. Deer
B. Frog
C. Hawk
D. Squirrel
38.From year to year, farmers rotate different crops in the fields to improve soil
nutrients. Why is crop rotation also an effective pest management method?
A. It allows chemicals to kill more pests
B. It creates crops that are pest-resistant
C. It interrupts the life cycles of pests
D. It allows pests to over populate
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39.A strip of land is cleared of trees and bushes to make space for a power line.
What impact might this have on birds living in the area?
A. The rate of erosion will decrease
B. Weather conditions may change
C. The natural enemies of birds will be eliminated
D. There will be less food and shelter
40.Which of these is MOST likely harmful to an ecosystem?
A. Planting trees in an orchard
B. Adding floors to an office building
C. Building new homes in a wetland
D. Taking away airplanes from an airport
41.In 1500, there were between 60 million and 125 million American bison
roaming the plains. These bison were used by Native Americans as a primary
food source, but this did not have much effect on the bison population. A few
hundred years later, railroad crews and settlers moving west also depended on
the bison for food. By 1892, it is estimated that less than 1,000 bison were left.
What were the two main causes of the near-extinction of the bison?
A. Loss of habitat and disease
B. Disease and overhunting
C. Overhunting and loss of habitat
D. Loss of habitat and starvation
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42. The marsh willow herb is a plant native to the northeastern United States. It
grows best in damp habitats. Which of the following environmental changes
would MOST LIKELY cause a decrease in the marsh willow herb population in
an area?
A. A rainstorm lasting several weeks
B. A drought lasting twelve months
C. Unusually low temperatures during the month of July
D. Unusually high temperatures during the month of January
S7L4.d Categorize relationships between organisms that are competitive or
mutually beneficial
43.The relationship between the algae and the frog may be described as _____.
A. Producer  Consumer
B. Producer  Decomposer
C. Consumer  Producer
D. Consumer  Decomposer
44.All of these are consumers EXCEPT _____.
A. Butterfly
B. Tree
C. Wasp
D. Bullfrog
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45.The characteristics of a praying mantis allow it to be camouflaged by the green
stems of plants. While camouflaged, a praying mantis can feed on other insects
that inhabit or feed on a plant. If a praying mantis feeds on natural predators of
a plant, what type of relationship is occurring between the praying mantis and
the plant?
A. Camouflage
B. Competition
C. Mutualism
D. Parasitism
46.Which of the following symbiotic relationships is considered parasitic?
A. Ticks feeding on a dog
B. Bees transforming pollen from flowers
C. Pilot fish swimming under sharks
D. Birds eating the insects from the back of a hippopotamus
S7L4.e Describe the characteristics of Earth’s major terrestrial biomes (i.e. tropical
rain forest, savannah, temperate, desert, taiga, tundra, and mountain) and
aquatic communities (i.e. freshwater, estuaries, and marine)
47.In which of the following environments would you expect to find the greatest
number of different species of plants and animals per square mile?
A. A wheat field in North Dakota
B. An island near the South Pole
C. A pasture on a Georgia farm
D. A tropical rain forest in Panama
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48.Corals are small marine organisms that live in groups and make hard outer
skeletons to protect their bodies. Over time, these outer skeletons can build up
to make large coral reefs. Which of the following statements BEST describes one
way the formation of a coral reef changes the ocean ecosystem?
A. It makes the ocean water saltier
B. It removes sand from the ocean floor
C. It causes ocean waves to become stronger
D. It creates a habitat for some ocean animals
49.Which of these BEST enables this animal to rid its body of excess heat in a hot
desert environment?
A. Its fur
B. Its flexible feet
C. Its large ears
D. Its dark color
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50.In which biome is this food web MOST LIKELY to be found?
A. Forest
B. Desert
C. Grassland
D. Tropical Rain Forest
51.In which area are you most likely to find plants that can tolerate water that has
a constantly changing salt content?
A. A freshwater stream
B. An estuary
C. A pond
D. A coral reef
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S7L5.a Explain that physical characteristics of organisms have changed over
successive generations (e.g. Darwin’s finches and peppered moths of
Manchester)
52.Finches found on the isolated Galapagos Island are different species with
different beak sizes and shapes, but are otherwise similar to a finch species
found on the South American mainland. What might be the cause of the
differences in the development of the beaks of these Galapagos finches?
A. The different types of food available on the islands
B. The type of predators found on the islands
C. The original source of the finches
D. The differences in the types of nests the birds built
53.Changes in DNA are known as mutations and can sometimes produce beneficial
changes in populations. A mutant form of the normally light-colored peppered
moth is dark colored. The dark-colored moth blends in with soot-covered trees in
heavily polluted areas. Why would the dark-colored mutation be beneficial in a
polluted area?
A. Dark-colored moths produce more young than light-colored moths
B. Dark-colored moths taste bad to most of their predators
C. Dark-colored moths can’t be seen well by predators
D. Dark-colored moths have a shorter life span than light-colored moths
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54. Charles Darwin noticed that finches on different islands of the Galapagos
Islands were similar but that their beaks differed. What explanation for these
differences did he propose?
A. The beaks of the finches are adapted to the way the bird usually gets food
B. Specific genetic mutations occur that make beak size change in response to
random selection factors
C. The different beaks of the finches would one day evolve into identical beaks
D. Beak size is related to the size of the finch
55. There are three species of birds on an island. Bird A has a heavy bill for eating
seeds. Bird B has a pointed bill for eating insects. Bird C has a sharp bill for
eating insects and seeds. If all insects suddenly disappeared, which bird or birds
would be the LEAST affected?
A. Bird A
B. Bird B
C. Bird C
D. Bird A and Bird B
S7L5.b Describe ways in which species on earth have evolved due to natural
selection
56.In winter, the arctic fox has white fur. In summer, its fur changes color to
brown and gray. The change in fur color helps the arctic fox to _____.
A. Mate
B. Hibernate
C. Hide
D. Run
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57.The ermine is a small animal that lives along riverbanks and in forests. During
the spring and summer, it grows a brown coat. It sheds the brown coat during
the autumn and grows a white one. This change of color in the ermine’s coat
allows it to _____.
A. Hide from predators
B. Find food more easily
C. Attract a mate
D. Locate a water supply
58.Which of the following is an example of natural selection?
A. Bears moving into a new part of a forest over many generations
B. A tree growing towards sunlight
C. Shrubs growing longer thorns over many generations
D. A plant growing between rocks
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59.Which of the seeds shown above is probably carried by animals?
A. Milkweed
B. Maple
C. Dandelion
D. Cocklebur
60. Which of the following factors is necessary in order for natural selection to
occur in a species?
A. Genetic variation within a population
B. An abundance of food resources
C. A hospitable environment
D. A strong family structure
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61.The picture above shows some caddis fly larvae. These larvae cover themselves
with small twigs and pebbles. What is the advantage of this behavior?
A. They can eat the twigs
B. They are able to keep warm
C. They can crawl on the bottom of creeks
D. They are hidden from predators
62.Which of the following characteristics will BEST prevent a tree from being
blown over by high winds during a storm?
A. Deep roots
B. Long branches
C. Thick bark
D. Wide leaves
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63.The picture below shows a flower with a long, slender bloom.
The size and shape of a bird’s beak are related to the type of food that the bird
eats. Which of the following beaks is suitable for drinking nectar located deep
within flowers such as the one shown above?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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64.The eyespots on this butterfly’s wings allow it to _____.
A. Stay warm
B. Locate nectar-filled flowers
C. Fly away quickly
D. Frighten or confuse enemies
65.Two populations have evolved into two species when _____.
A. The populations adapt
B. The populations are separated
C. The populations look different
D. The populations can no longer interbreed
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S7L5.c Explain how the fossil record found in sedimentary rock provides evidence
for the long history of changing life forms
66. A researcher found shark fossils on top of a mountain. This evidence suggests
which of the following about this region?
A. It was once below a waterfall
B. It was once part of a riverbed
C. It was once covered by an ocean
D. It was once near a freshwater lake
67.The diagram above shows the changes over time in the horse. Evidence for
these changes MOST likely came from _____.
A. Modern horses
B. Hypotheses of scientists
C. Carbon dating
D. The fossil record
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68.What MOST likely happened to species that are found in the fossil record but
have no living members?
A. They had offspring of a different species
B. They never really existed
C. They became extinct
D. They mutated into another species
69. A scientist is studying fossils from different layers of sedimentary rock. Which
rock layer will contain fossils that most closely resemble present-day
organisms?
A. Older rock layers
B. Newer rock layers
C. All of the rock layers
D. None of the rock layers
70.Why do scientists compare fossils with living organisms?
A. To support the idea that organisms do not share ancestors
B. To support the idea that organisms have changed over time
C. To support the idea that organisms do not change over time
D. To support the idea that there are no new organisms to discover
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