Life Science Assessment SF
Student Name _________________________________________________________________
School Name __________________________________________________________________
Print your name and the name of your school on the lines above.
The questions on this test measure your knowledge and understanding of science. The test has two parts.
Both parts are contained in this test.
Part I [33 pts] consists of 33 multiple-choice questions. Record your answers to these questions on the
separate answer sheet. Use only a No. 2 pencil on your answer sheet.
Part II [22 pts] consists of 18 short answer questions. Write your answers to these questions in the spaces
provided.
You will have one class period to answer the questions on this test.
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PART I
DIRECTIONS
There are 33 questions on Part I of the test. Each question is followed by three or four choices, numbered
1 through 4. Read each question carefully. Decide which choice is the best answer. On the separate
answer sheet, mark your answer in the row of circles for each question by filing in the circle that has the
same number as the answer you have chosen.
Read the sample question below.
The correct answer is the Sun, which is choice number 2. On your answer sheet, look at the box showing
the row of answer circles for the sample question. Since choice number 2 is the correct answer for the
sample question, the circle with the number 2 has been filled in.
Answer all of the questions in Part I in the same way. Mark only one answer for each question. If you
want to change an answer, be sure to erase your first mark completely. Then mark the answer you want.
You will not need scrap paper. You may use the pages of this test booklet to work out your answers to
the question.
When you are told to start working, turn the page and begin with question 1. Work carefully and answer
all of the questions in Part I.
When you have finished Part I, go right on to Part II. There are 18 questions in Part II; answer all of the
questions in Part II in this test booklet.
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DIRECTIONS: PART I
In Part I each question is followed by four
choices, numbered 1 through 4. Read each
question carefully. Decide which choice is the
best answer.
5. The diagram below shows a green plant.
1. Cancer is most often the result of
1) abnormal cell division
2) natural selection
3) bacterial infection
4) biological adaptation
What is the main function of the plant
structure labeled A?
1) reproduction
2) release of minerals
3) absorption of water
4) support
2. Which sequence correctly shows the
levels of increasing organization in the
human body?
1) tissues--> cells--> organ systems--> organs
2) cells--> tissues--> organs--> organ systems
3) organs--> organ system--> cells--> tissues
4) organ systems--> organs--> tissues--> cells
6. The diagram below shows a life process
taking place within a cell.
3. Four different living organisms are
shown below.
Which life process is shown?
1) reproduction
2) digestion
3) cellular respiration
4) locomotion
Which statement is true for all of the
organisms shown?
1) They carry out photosynthesis.
2) They are multicellular.
3) They contain at least one cell.
4) They are consumers.
7. The diagrams below show changes in a
natural community over a period of 200
years.
4. Which factor contributes to global
warming?
1) increased use of solar-powered cars
2) increased burning of fossil fuels
3) better long-term weather forecasts
4) changing distance between Earth and
the Sun
Which process is illustrated in the diagrams?
1) ozone depletion
2) global warming
3) recycling resources
4) ecological succession
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8. A new yeast cell is sometimes produced
from a single parent by a process called
budding. The process of budding is best
described as
1) sexual reproduction, with genetically
identical offspring
2) sexual reproduction, with genetically
different offspring
3) asexual reproduction, with genetically
identical offspring
4) asexual reproduction, with genetically
different offspring
12. Growth and repair in multicellular
organisms are the result of
1) excretion
2) locomotion
3) cell division
4) decomposition
13. All living organisms are dependent on
plants because plants
1) produce carbon dioxide
2) remove oxygen from the air
3) are producers
4) are consumers
9. The vast variety of different traits found
in humans result from
1) intensive training and education
2) sexual reproduction and mutations
3) exercise and conditioning
4) birth defects and recessive genes
14. The main function of the human
digestive system is to
1) break down foods for absorption into
the blood
2) exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide
in the lungs
3) release energy from sugars within the
cells
4) carry nutrients to all parts of the body
10. Infections may be caused by
1) mutations
2) bacteria and virsuses
3) toxic substances
4) climate changes
15. The diagram below shows a rabbit
population at two different times.
11. Which process is shown in the diagram
below?
Which environmental factor may have
contributed to the increase in the rabbit
population?
1) decrease in resources
2) decrease in predators
3) increase in disease
4) increase in pollution
16. Different species of carnivorous animals
that share the same habitat in an ecosystem
may
1) become decomposers
2) compete for food
3) produce their own food
4) mate with each other
1) evolution
2) migration
3) photosynthesis
4) metamorphosis
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17. What is the main function of the
circulatory system?
1) secrete enzymes
2) digest proteins
3) produce hormones
4) transport materials
21. In humans, a fertilized egg contains 46
chromosomes. Which bar graph best
represents the number of chromosomes
contained in the sperm and egg before they
united to make the fertilized egg?
18. When the environment changes more
quickly than a species can adapt, the species
may become
1) extinct
2) dominant
3) diverse
4) overpopulated
19. The sum of all chemical reactions in the
human body is known as
1) feedback
2) metabolism
3) dynamic equilibrium
4) biological adaptation
22. Living things are classified as producers
or consumers according to
1) their speed of movement
2) the size of their communities
3) how they obtain energy
4) how they reproduce
20. The diagram below shows a human arm
bending at the elbow.
23. In order to survive, all organisms must
have
1) chlorophyll
2) carbon dioxide
3) energy
4) blood
24. The endocrine system produces
chemicals that affect organ functions. These
chemicals are called
1) nutrients
2) hormones
3) microbes
4) wastes
Which two body systems most directly
cause the arm to bend?
1) skeletal and muscular
2) reproductive and endocrine
3) respiratory and excretory
4) nervous and digestive
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25. Although change in multicellular
species usually takes thousands of years,
some species of bacteria undergo major
changes in just a few years. One reason for
this difference is that these bacteria
1) are microscopic
2) do not contain DNA
3) reproduce very quickly
4) cause infectious diseases
28. The diagram below shows a population
of adult giraffes over time. Letters A, B, and
C represent three time periods.
Which process does this diagram best
represent?
1) ecological succession
2) genetic engineering
3) natural selection
4) asexual reproduction
26. What advantage does a species that
reproduces sexually have over a species that
reproduces asexually?
1) There is greater variation among the
offspring.
2) The offspring are identical to the
parents.
3) Only one parent is necessary for
reproduction.
4) No sex cells are needed for
reproduction.
The diagram shows a model of human
inheritance. Base your answers to question
29 on the diagram below and on your
knowledge of science.
27. The drawing below represents a pair of
chromosomes.
The area labeled “bands” shows the location
of
1) egg cells
2) sperm cells
3) reproductive hormones
4) specific genes
29. Why are Aa individuals have a straight
hairline rather than a peaked hairline?
1) The peaked hairline occurs only in
females.
2) The peaked hairline is a mutation.
3) The straight hairline is recessive.
4) The straight hairline is dominant.
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30. The illustration below traces the
development of the corgi dog over several
generations as a result of human activity.
32. The diagram below shows a food chain.
What do the arrows in the diagram
represent?
1) flow of energy
2) life cycle stages
3) one community replacing another
4) renewable resource depletion
Use the chart below to answer question 36.
The chart shows the inferred evolution of
some dinosaurs during three time periods in
Earth’s history.
This is an example of the human activity
called
1) mutation
2) genetic engineering
3) selective breeding
4) natural selection
31. The diagram below shows the head
structure of four different birds.
The birds’ beaks show how the birds
1) compete for the same food in their
community
2) require different amounts of food for
survival
3) store food for the winter months
4) are adapted to get food from different
sources
33. Which dinosaur most likely evolved
from Coelophysis?
1) Theodont
2) Tyrannosaurus
3) Triceratops
4) Camptosaurus
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DIRECTIONS: PART II
Record your answers in the space provided below each question.
Base your answers to questions 34 - 36 on the diagram below.
The diagram below represents the sexual reproduction of rabbits.
B
34. Identify the sex cell labeled A and the sex of the rabbit that produced cell A. [1]
Cell A: _____________________
Sex of rabbit: _________________
35. Explain why the offspring is not genetically identical to either parent. [1]
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
36. Describe the process that is occurring at B. [1]
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
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Base your answers to questions 37 and 38 on the diagrams below.
Letters A, B, C, and D represent different energy levels in the energy pyramid below.
37. Identify one organism labeled in the food web that could be placed on the energy pyramid at level B.
____________________________________[1]
38. Identify the producer in the food web. _________________________________________[1]
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Base your answers to questions 39 through 41 on the diagram below and on your knowledge of science.
The diagram shows a portion of an ecosystem.
39. Identify the original source of energy in this ecosystem. [1]
_______________________________
40. Explain why bacteria in the soil are necessary in this ecosystem. [1]
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
41. Identify one predatory-prey relationship in this diagram. [1]
Predator: ______________________
Prey: _____________________
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Base your answers to questions 42 and 43 on the diagram below and on your knowledge of science. The
diagram shows a dam and an electric power plant build next to a river. The power plant uses the water
from the dam to generate electricity.
42. Describe one positive impact of this type of power plant on the environment. [1]
____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
43. Describe one negative impact of this type of power plant on the environment. [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
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44. The diagram below shows a green plant carrying out photosynthesis.
Identify two things the plant needs for photosynthesis to occur.
a. ______________________________________________________________________________ [1]
b._______________________________________________________________________________ [1]
45. The diagrams in the first column of the chart below show various forms of reproduction. In the
second column, circle the form of reproduction (asexual or sexual) shown by each of the diagrams. [2pts]
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Base your answers to question 46 on the diagram below and on your knowledge of science.
The diagram represents an ecosystem.
46. Circle the symbol below that shows a community in this model. [1]
47. The diagram below represents gas exchange between several different organisms.
The animals in the diagram are dependent on the plants for oxygen. Identify one other way in which
animals are dependent on plants. [1]
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
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Base your answers to questions 48 through 50 on the diagram below.
48. In pea plants, the green-pod gene (G) is dominant over the yellow-pod gene (g). Two pea
plants with green pods, Gg x GG, were crossed. Complete the Punnett square below to show the
results of this cross.
49. What percentage of the offspring produced by this cross will most likely have green pods?
___________________% [1]
50. Show the genetic makeup of two parent pea plants whose offspring would all have yellow
pods.
________________ X ____________________ [1]
Base your answers to question 51 on the diagram below
51. Which two cell structures that are found only in plant cells.
___________________________________________ [1]
___________________________________________ [1]
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Base your answer to question 52 on the diagram below.
The diagram below shows fossils found within layers of rock.
52. Explain why the trilobites are considered to be the oldest fossil in this diagram. [1]
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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