Biomes Quiz
Part 1- Vocabulary
Match each term in Column B with its meaning in Column A.
Column A
1. Region where annual patterns of rainfall, temperature,
and sunlight are similar throughout.
2. Area of deep water where most animal and plant organisms
live at the surface.
3. Area of calm water, constant temperature, and most algae
growth.
4. Place where a freshwater rive empties into the ocean.
5. Large-scale ecosystem defined by the plants and animals
adapted to live in its climate.
6. Area where waves and tides reach the shore.
Column B
A. open-ocean zone
B. biome
C. estuary
D. intertidal zone
E. climate zone
F. near-shore zone
Part 2- Science Concepts and Understanding
Select the best answer
7. Desert biomes have all of the following EXCEPT –
a. Hot and sunny days
b. Usually cold night temperatures
c. Very dry soil and air
d. Animals active in the daytime
8. The tiaga has –
a. Grasses with long slender leaves
b. Frozen soil with few plants
c. Pine, fir, and spruce trees
d. Oak, maple, and hickory trees
9. The floor of the rain forest has little plant life because –
a. The vines and ferns choke off the other plants
b. The rain forest gets too much sunlight
c. Very little sunlight gets through the canopy
d. Toads and salamanders eat the plants on the forest floor
10. Evergreens are adapted to life in the tiaga because they –
a. Shed needles that form a thick mat on the forest floor
b. Have a waxy covering over their needles
c. Grow taller than most deciduous trees
d. Have roots that spread out near the surface
11. What is the correct order of the ocean zones from shallowest to deepest?
a. Intertidal zone, near-shore zone, open-ocean zone
b. Near-shore zone, open-ocean zone, intertidal zone
c. Near-shore zone, intertidal zone, open-ocean zone
d. Intertidal zone, open-ocean zone, near-shore zone
12. Freshwater ecosystems occur in –
a. Swamps and marshes
b. Oceans and seas
c. Estuaries
d. The intertidal zone
13. Permafrost is found in the _____ biome.
a. Grassland
b. Taiga
c. Tundra
d. Desert
14. The biome with the greatest diversity of life is the –
a. Tiaga
b. Grassland
c. Deciduous forest
d. Tropical rain forest
15. Which is NOT true of estuaries?
a. Their waters are calm and still.
b. They have the fewest number of species of any biome.
c. They help prevent coastal flooding and erosion.
d. They are the most productive ecosystems on Earth.
16. In an ocean ecosystem, the deeper the water the –
a. Greater the number of animals
b. Warmer the temperature
c. Less the amount of sunlight
d. Greater the number of plants
Part 3- Critical Thinking
17. Why do plants of the tundra grow low to the ground and have a thick mat of shallow roots?
18. Justin made a freshwater pond in his back yard and stocked it with goldfish. He might want to add
some water lilies and cattails to make the pond beautiful. Give other reasons why Justin might add
these plants.
Part 4- Process Skills Application
Fill in the blanks in the chart below to compare the six biomes.
Biome
Plant Example
Tropical Rain Forest
Deciduous forest
Grassland
Animal Example
Rainfall (high,
moderate, or low)
Very high
Rabbits, skunks, deer,
chipmunks
Grasses, grains
Cactus, mesquite,
creosote
Tiaga
Mosses, lichens, dwarf
willow
Very low
Moderate to low
low