Multiple Choice Practice
Name: ________________________________
PSI Biology
Questions #1-3 refer to the following experiment:
Different plants have varying nutrient needs. Three nutrients that are important to most plants are
nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. The needs of plants vary depending on the availability of
nutrients of the soil in which they are grown. You design an experiment to determine the limiting
nutrient of gerbera daisies grown in local soil. You plant 16 gerbera daisies in individual pots. Each pot
contains soil collected from the same plot of land in your area. Four of the pots are fertilized with excess
phosphorous; four are fertilized with excess nitrogen; four are fertilized with excess potassium; and four
are not fertilized. The growth is recorded over a period of 21 days with the results shown below.
Growth
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Nitrogen
Phosphorous
Potassium
Unfertilized
1. In relation to the purpose of the experiment, what can be concluded from these results?
a. Unfertilized flowers never grow as well as fertilized flowers.
b. Nitrogen is the limiting nutrient for gerbera daisies in local soil.
c. Phosphorous is the limiting nutrient for gerbera daisies in local soil.
d. Gerbera daisies do not benefit from additional potassium.
2. Every experiment should have a group that is used as a comparison for what would happen in a
normal setting. What is the control group in this experiment?
a. Nitrogen
b. Phosphorous
c. Potassium
d. Unfertilized
3. What is the independent variable in this experiment?
a. Plant growth
b. Number of daisies
c. Type of soil
d. Type of nutrient
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Questions #4-7 refer use the following terms:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Denitrification
Evaporation
Geochemical processes
Rock
Transpiration
4. Which process is a source of water for the formation of clouds?
a. II
b. V
c. III and V
d. II and V
5. Which process releases carbon into the atmosphere?
a. I
b. III
c. V
d. I and III
6. What provides a source of natural phosphorous?
a. I
b. III
c. IV
d. None of the above.
7. Which process releases gaseous nitrogen, N2, into the atmosphere?
a. I
b. II
c. III
d. V
8. Predation often results in the coevolution of predator/prey species. Which of the following is
not an example of this process?
a. Bobcats have special tufts of hair on their ears that help them to hear the movement of
hares while hares are able to run at high speeds in order to evade the bobcat.
b. The polar bear is white in order to blend in with its environment while it hunts seals.
Baby seals are also white in order to blend in with their environment to avoid being
seen by polar bears.
c. On islands where long-necked Galapagos turtles live, the branches of cactus trees grow
higher off the ground to avoid being eaten by the turtles.
d. Some flowers have nectar tubes that can only be accessed by the beaks of specific
hummingbirds, making pollination an exclusive event.
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Questions #9-10 refer to the following information:
Farmers often use fertilizers to increase the growth of crops. Suppose that a farmer applies excess
fertilizer on one of his fields. The fertilizer contains a mixture of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
During a heavy rainstorm, water that runs off of the field is collected and analyzed. It is found that the
water contained large amounts of nitrogen and potassium.
9. What was the limiting nutrient for this particular field of crops?
a. Nitrogen
b. Phosphorous
c. Potassium
d. Nitrogen and phosphorous
10. If the water had not been collected but allowed to run off into local waterways, what would be a
possible result?
a. Decrease in algae.
b. Exponential growth of fish populations.
c. Hypoxia – the decrease of oxygen levels in aquatic ecosystems
d. Increase in aquatic biodiversity.
11. Logistic growth refers to a specific pattern of population growth. Which of the following is
something that occurs during logistic growth?
a. Food supplies are unlimited.
b. The population size departs from the carrying capacity.
c. The population growth rate approaches zero.
d. Reproduction always exceeds deaths.
12. Schistosomiasis is a disease characterized by pain, anemia and diarrhea. It is caused by blood
flukes, a type of trematode that lives in the blood vessels of human intestines. While it receives
nutrients and habitat from humans, it causes sickness in return. What type of ecological
interaction is this?
a. Commensalism
b. Mutualism
c. Parasitism
d. Neutralism
13. What is not true about a niche?
a. It is a description of the role an organism plays in an ecosystem.
b. An organism’s niche includes biotic and abiotic interactions.
c. A niche includes how an organism reproduces.
d. More than one organism can inhabit the same niche.
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14. Which of the following organisms would not be considered a consumer?
a. Fungus
b. Earthworm
c. Mosquito
d. Seaweed
15. Human activities have led to vast environmental degradation. An example of this is the clearing
of land for agriculture or urban purposes. Which of the following is not a result of this practice?
a. Reduces primary production
b. Increases air quality
c. Destroys habitat
d. Displaces populations
16. Artic plants have several adaptations that allow them to thrive in the cold temperatures of this
biome. Plants in the arctic have dark pigments without reflective surfaces that allow them to
absorb sunlight. Some plants orient their leaves perpendicular to the sun’s ray in order to
maximize the amount of heat gained. Many arctic plants grow close to the ground. This growth
pattern allows the plants to absorb infrared light that radiates upwards from the ground. As
global climate continues to increase, how will this affect arctic plants?
a. They will need to evolve adaptations that allow them to grow closer to the ground.
b. Their current adaptations will cause them to overheat.
c. They will need to evolve adaptations that allow them to transpire faster.
d. Their current adaptations will cause them to freeze.
17. Photoblepharon palpebratus, also known as the flashlight fish, has an oval organ below its eye.
Filled with bioluminescent bacteria, this organ glows allowing the fish to attract prey. In
exchange, the bacteria that live in the organ receive nutrients from the fish. What type of
interaction is this?
a. Predation
b. Competition
c. Coevolution
d. Symbiosis
18. The Industrial Revolution dramatically altered how humans impacted their environments. Which
of the following incorrectly describes a result from the Industrial Revolution?
a. Increased use of renewable resources
b. People left agrarian societies
c. Increased human population growth
d. Decreased use of nonrenewable resources
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19. Biodiversity is an important topic in conservation biology. If an area has high biodiversity, what
does this mean?
a. It has a lot of different ecosystems.
b. It is resilient to disturbances.
c. It has a large variety of species.
d. It has several abiotic components.
20. Green building strives to use environmentally responsible practices and resources throughout
the building process. Which of the following would not be a green building practice?
a. Recycling construction debris instead of dumping them in landfills
b. Using energy efficient appliances and light bulbs in all rooms
c. Solar panels on the roof as a source of energy
d. Using hardwood, which grows slowly, instead of bamboo, which grows quickly, as a
flooring material
21. What prevents two species from inhabiting the same niche at the same time?
a. Predation
b. Competition
c. Carrying capacity
d. Co-evolution
Questions #22-24 refer to the following terms:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Biome
Community
Ecosystem
Population
22. Includes the biotic components of an area.
a. I and III
b. II
c. II, III and IV
d. I, II, III and IV
23. Includes only one species.
a. I
b. II
c. III
d. IV
24. Composed of several similar locations around the world.
a. I
b. II
c. III
d. IV
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25. Finding alternate sources of energy is essential if humans are going to meet the increasing
energy demand. Nuclear energy is one way to meet this demand. What is true of nuclear
energy?
a. It reduces carbon emissions.
b. It poses no health threats for humans.
c. It only produces small amounts of energy.
d. Nuclear waste is quickly degraded.
Questions #26-29 refer to the following information:
Lionfish are venomous marine fish that are native to the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. In 1985, a
lionfish was spotted off the coast of Florida. Since that time, lionfish populations have spread and are
now found along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and as far north as Cape Hatteras, North
Carolina. Lionfish are predatory reef fish that grow to be an average of 15 inches. They are covered in 18
venomous spines that are used in defense. They are able to reproduce quickly as they have no natural
predators and are able to produce up to 40,000 eggs every few days. Lionfish prefer warm waters but
are able to survive in water as low as 10⁰C. Lionfish have negative impacts on the reef ecosystems of the
eastern United States. They consume more than 70 different species of fish and invertebrates.
26. The lionfish would be considered what type of species?
a. Parasitic
b. Symbiotic
c. Exponential
d. Invasive
27. What is the effect of lionfish on eastern Atlantic reef ecosystems?
a. They create toxins that spread in the water.
b. They destroy important species in the local ecosystem.
c. They reproduce quickly but do not disperse along the coast.
d. They eat harmful coral predators, thereby maintain coral health.
28. Which of the following is not part of the niche of the lionfish?
a. Allergic reaction to lionfish venom includes chest pain and a swollen tongue.
b. They produce 40,000 eggs every few days.
c. They use venomous spines as a defensive mechanism.
d. They can live in water as cold as 10⁰C.
29. As sea temperatures warm in response to global climate change, how will lionfish be affected?
a. Their range will expand northward along the Atlantic coast of the US.
b. Population size will decrease in response to change in temperature.
c. Their range will expand southward towards South America.
d. Competition will drive further range expansion into freshwater ecosystems.
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30. Which of the following is not a condition for exponential growth?
a. Absence of predation
b. Absence of prey
c. Unlimited resources
d. Absence of disease
31. There are a variety of different ecological interactions. One type of interaction has proven very
difficult to document. It involves one species benefitting while the other species is neither
harmed nor helped. This is a difficult interaction to observe because it is often impossible to
prove that the one species remains completely unaffected by the relationship. What type of
interaction is this describing?
a. Coevolution
b. Commensalism
c. Parasitism
d. Mutualism
32. How does the practice of hunting and overfishing relate to biodiversity?
a. Hunting decreases biodiversity.
b. Hunting increases biodiversity.
c. The two are unrelated.
d. Biodiversity decreases hunting.
33. What is not a method of land conservation?
a. Replant forests.
b. Leave roots and stems in the ground.
c. Plant windbreaks.
d. Continually grow the same plants in the same fields.
34. Biofuels are derived from biomass, such as corn, sugarcane and soybean. Which of the following
is incorrect concerning the use of biofuels?
a. Biofuels are renewable.
b. Producing biofuels requires very little energy.
c. Biofuels emit less CO2 than fossil fuels.
d. Growing crops for biofuel reduces global food supplies.
35. What is not true about ecological succession?
a. Pioneer species are the final species to grow during secondary succession.
b. Primary succession occurs on areas where life does not exist.
c. An old growth pine forest would be considered a climax community.
d. When humans destroy and then abandon habitats, secondary succession occurs.
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36. Rinder pest is a disease that afflicts cattle. Suppose that rinder pest is eliminated from a
population of buffalo. Which of the following would result?
a. The buffalo population would decrease exponentially.
b. The growth rate of the buffalo population would remain constant.
c. The buffalo population would grow exponentially until resources became limited.
d. Populations of the grass that buffalo feed upon would increase.
37. Bioplastics are derived from biomass. What is the benefit of using bioplastics instead of common
plastics?
a. Bioplastics are biodegradable.
b. Bioplastics are inexpensive.
c. Bioplastics produce more greenhouse gases.
d. Bioplastics are derived from petroleum.
Questions #38-40 refer to the following information:
Coral reef ecosystems provide habitat and food to a variety of organisms. Two common organisms that
live on reefs are pistol shrimp and crabs. These species are protective of their reefs and will attack sea
stars that attempt to prey on the reef. To determine the effect of pistol shrimp and crabs on sea star
behavior, an exclusion experiment is run. Two group of corals are used in the experiment. Coral A is left
alone and observed. On Coral B, all pistol shrimps and crabs are removed. The predation rate by sea
stars is measured on each coral group. The results are below:
100
90
Predation Rate (%)
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Coral A
Coral B
38. What can be concluded from this experiment?
a. The presence of pistol shrimp and crabs has a negative correlation with sea star
predation on corals.
b. Pistol shrimp and crabs will only eat corals in the absence of sea stars.
c. The presence of pistol shrimp and crabs has a positive correlation with sea star
predation on corals.
d. Sea stars avoid corals that lack pistol shrimp and crabs.
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39. What type of relationship exists between pistol shrimp and corals?
a. Predation
b. Mutualism
c. Commensalism
d. Parasitism
40. Suppose that a coral is heavily preyed upon by several different sea star populations. If pistol
shrimp and crabs are introduced into the ecosystem, what is a possible result?
a. The pistol shrimp and crab populations will decrease while the coral population
increases.
b. The sea star populations will increase.
c. Competition between the pistol shrimp and crabs will force one population to increase
while the other decreases.
d. The coral will experience exponential growth.
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Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
B
D
D
D
B
B
A
D
B
C
C
C
D
D
B
B
D
D
C
D
B
D
D
A
A
D
B
A
A
B
B
A
D
B
A
C
A
A
B
D
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