Content Benchmark L.12.C.1
Students know relationships of organisms and their physical environment. E/S
1st Item Specification: Identify the energy relationships in an ecosystem.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
1. Use the desert food web below to answer the following question.
Hawk
Lizard
Roadrunner
Coyote
Rattlesnake
Rabbit
Grasshopper
Grass
Scorpion
Cactus
Which of the following organisms have the greatest amount of stored energy in the
food web?
A. Hawk and Coyote
B. Grass and Cactus
C. Roadrunner and Rabbit
D. Grasshopper and Scorpion
2. Use the food chain below to answer the following question.
grass
rabbit
coyote
What do the arrows in the diagram above indicate?
A. Flow of energy
B. Who consumes whom
C. A common food chain
D. Trophic levels
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
3. An energy pyramid is represented below.
(From: Examgen Test Generator)
Which of the following number sequence represents the flow of available energy
from the base of the pyramid to the top of the pyramid in the ecosystem
represented above?
A. 100-100-100-100
B. 100-75-50-25
C. 100-50-25-0
D. 100-20-5-1
4. Which one of the following does NOT explain why there is a decrease in energy
through the trophic levels in an ecosystem?
A. There is an increase in biomass as trophic levels decrease.
B. Energy is lost as organisms grow older over time.
C. There is an increase in the number of individuals as trophic levels
decrease.
D. Energy is lost from the processes of respiration and metabolism.
2nd Item Specification: Classify an organism by the manner in which it obtains
energy.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
5. Use the desert food web below to answer the following question.
Hawk
Lizard
Roadrunner
Coyote
Rattlesnake
Rabbit
Grasshopper
Grass
Scorpion
Cactus
Two of the primary consumers in the food web are the
A. coyote, rattlesnake, and hawk.
B. grass and cactus.
C. rabbit and grasshopper.
D. rabbit, grasshopper, and scorpion.
6. Use the desert food web below to answer the following question.
Hawk
Lizard
Roadrunner
Coyote
Rattlesnake
Rabbit
Grass
Grasshopper
Scorpion
Cactus
Two of the secondary consumers in the desert environment are
A. coyote and rattlesnake.
B. grass and cactus.
C. rabbit and grasshopper.
D. hawk and coyote.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
7. Use the description below to answer the following question.
In a marine ecosystem, a disease killed most of the sea otters. As a result, the sea
urchins and clams increased in number which in turn caused the sea gull
population to increase and the seaweed population to decrease.
Identify a secondary consumer in this marine ecosystem.
A. Seaweed
B. Clam
C. Sea urchin
D. Sea gull
8. During a visit to a desert ecosystem, a student observes the following:
 A hawk eats a snake.
 A lizard eats a fly.
 A tortoise eats small patches of grass.
 A snake eats a mouse.
Based on student’s observations of how each of these organisms obtains energy,
which of the following statements is the best conclusion?
A. The hawk is a primary consumer.
B. The grass and the desert tortoise are both primary consumers.
C. The lizard is a tertiary consumer.
D. The lizard and the snake are secondary consumers.
3rd Item Specification: Describe how an organism’s needs are met by aspects of its
physical environment.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
9. Which statement illustrates a biotic factor interacting with an abiotic factor?
A. A sea turtle transporting a pilot fish to a source of food.
B. A rock moving during an earthquake.
C. A plant absorbs sunlight, which is used for photosynthesis.
D. Wind cause waves to form on a lake.
10. Identify an organism’s need that is met by an abiotic factor.
A. A wolf’s need for warmth; fur coat
B. A fish’s need for food; water
C. A lizard’s need for warmth; sun
D. A rabbit’s need for food; grass
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
11. A student observes a bear over a year. In the spring the bear comes out of its cave
and eats continuously throughout the spring, summer, and fall building up energy
reserves for the long winter hibernation. As winter approaches the bear settles
down in its cave for the long winter sleep. Which of the following statements is a
conclusion specific to how an abiotic factor met the needs of an organism?
A. The cave provided shelter for the bear throughout the winter.
B. The bear had food throughout the spring, summer and fall.
C. Throughout the winter months the bear hibernated.
D. In the winter, the bear obtains energy from stored fat.
12. A student observes a rocky coastal ecosystem over a period of a month. As the
water begins to go out due to the tides, the animals change behaviors. The clams
and mussels close up to prevent water loss and drying out, the crabs move under
rocks or into small pools of water in the rocks for shelter, sea birds walk along the
rocks eating small organisms, and a raccoon comes down to the shore to eat the
exposed mussels and clams. Which of the following statements is a conclusion
specific to how an abiotic factor met the needs of an organism?
A. The clams and mussels closing up to prevent losing water.
B. The raccoon eating the clams and mussels.
C. The sea birds eating organisms off the rocks.
D. The crab finding shelter under rocks or in pools of water.
Content Benchmark L.12.C.1
Students know relationships of organisms and their physical environment. E/S
Answers to Sample Test Questions
1. B, DOK Level 1
2. A, DOK Level 1
3. D, DOK Level 2
4. B, DOK Level 2
5. C, DOK Level 1
6. A, DOK Level 1
7. D, DOK Level 2
8. D, DOK Level 2
9. C, DOK Level 1
10. C, DOK Level 1
11. A, DOK Level 2
12. D, DOK Level 2