Ohio Graduation Test for Science] – March 2006
Annotated Item 29
Standard and Benchmark Assessed:
Standard:
Benchmark:
Earth and Space Sciences
B. Explain that many processes occur in patterns within the Earth’s systems.
Multiple Choice Question:
Use the information and graph to answer questions 29 and 30.
Biomes
The following graph shows the ranges of temperature and precipitation for six American
biomes, two of which are identified by name.
Source: Ohio Department of Education
July 05
Ohio Graduation Test for Science] – March 2006
Annotated Item 29
29.
Tropical forests typically have a narrow range of temperatures but a wide variation in the
amount of rain that falls per year. Additionally, some tropical forests receive nearly twice
as much precipitation as other wet biomes.
Which biome represents the tropical forests?
A.
W
B.
X
C. Y
D. Z
Commentary:
This multiple choice question asks students to select which biome in a graph of selected North
American Biomes represents the tropical forests. Students are given information about the
temperature and precipitation ranges of a tropical forest. Students must compare these
expected ranges to information presented on the graph to determine which biome region fits the
description. Answer choice C is correct because biome Y represents a wide precipitation range
(from approximately 160 cm to 470 cm) and a narrow temperature range (from approximately
20oC to 30 oC). Answer choices A and B are incorrect because biomes W and X receive less
precipitation (approximately 2 cm to 100 cm) and have wider temperature ranges (5 oC to 32.2
o
C) than the tropical forest. Answer choice D is incorrect because biome Z does not have a
wide precipitation range and experiences lower temperatures than would be expected in a
tropical forest.
This question is classified as Communicating Understanding / Analyzing Science Information
because the task requires students to analyze a graph depicting the precipitation and
temperature ranges of biomes and select the one that represents the tropical forests.
Performance Data:
The percent of public school students selecting answer choice C for question 29 on the March
2006 Ohio Graduation Test was 79%.
Keywords:
biome, precipitation, temperature
Source: Ohio Department of Education
July 05