Unit 1 and Unit 2 Pre-test review
Disease-causing microorganism, such as a bacterium or virus.
pathogen
Which of the following functions of biological macromolecules can be carried out by both lipids and proteins?
function as chemical messengers
After a forest fire, the forest gradually returns through the process of ecological succession. Which of these events is most likely to occur during this process?
As young trees grow taller, they shade the shorter plants beneath them, causing the shorter plants to die off.
These cells are responsible for making antibodies.
B Cells
Scientists share findings with other scientists by publishing their hypotheses, experimental methods, results, and analyses in peer-reviewed scientific journals. What is the importance of this step in scientific investigations?
It allows researchers to share ideas and certifies that the work meets standards of the scientific community.
Which of these ecosystems is likely to be the most resilient?
a tropical rain forest, because it has a high degree of biodiversity
Each year after harvesting the crop, a farm is cleared to prepare for the next year's harvest. One year, the farm is abandoned instead of planting new seeds. This illustration shows what happened to the farm after it was abandoned. Suppose the climate was cooler and wetter when the farm was active than it was when abandoned. Which is the most likely way this would affect succession on the abandoned field?
Instead of a temperate forest, the climax community would be a grassland or shrubland better suited for hotter, drier conditions.
How does the phosphorus cycle differ from the biogeochemical cycles of other elements, including carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen?
Phosphorus cycles through the biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere, but not the atmosphere.
The disease polio once sickened thousands of children every year. The graph depicts the number of polio cases that occurred between 1952 and 1973, based on information from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the Centers for Disease Control. The data best support which of these statements?
The polio vaccine was effective in protecting thousands of people from this disease.
How would an increase in the concentrations of greenhouse gases most likely affect ecosystems worldwide?
by warming global climate
The illustration below shows the zones of the ocean.Waters in the coastal ocean tend to be more productive than waters of similar depth in the open ocean. What is the main reason for the productivity difference?
nutrient-rich runoff from the land
A hotel developer plans to level the sand dunes on a barrier island to build a luxury resort. Which ecosystem service will be damaged the most by the new development?
preventing erosion
A variety of potato species grow in the wild in South America. Which would be the most likely consequence if these wild potato species were lost?
the loss of useful genes that could be transferred to the potatoes raised for food today
The graphs show the patterns of population change for Niger, the United States, and Japan. Which feature of the graph indicates the United States has slow population growth?
the similarity in the sizes of the bars for ages 59 and younger
Carla is studying the relationships among the organisms in a Florida nature preserve. Carla has made a drawing showing how the organisms in the nature preserve interact. To represent land plants, she has drawn a tuft of grass in her diagram. To represent water plants, she has drawn a type of algae. The organisms are not drawn to scale. Which of these is a relationship shown in Carla's food web?
Bobcats consume raccoons.
arla is studying the relationships among the organisms in a Florida nature preserve. Carla has made a drawing showing how the organisms in the nature preserve interact. To represent land plants, she has drawn a tuft of grass in her diagram. To represent water plants, she has drawn a type of algae. The organisms are not drawn to scale Like many food webs, Carla's web does not show decomposers. Why would the food web be difficult to read if decomposers were included?
Decomposers consume all of the other organisms shown in a food web.
Water cycles among the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere. The illustration shows the main processes involved in the water cycle. Which of the following is a process that is part of the water cycle?
Groundwater is taken up by plant roots.
A population of 50 goats is stranded on a large island. Which statement accurately relates birthrate, death rate, and changes to the size of the goat population?
When death rate is greater than birthrate, the population size will decrease.
Megan is talking with her brother about a scientific theory that she is studying. "I don't believe what the scientists say, because that's just a theory," her brother says. "If those scientists were certain, then it would be a law, not just a theory."Which statement explains their misunderstanding?
Her brother has a misconception that theories become laws and is confusing the scientific use of theory with the everyday use.
Human activities are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. What is one effect of these increasing carbon dioxide levels?
Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes an increase in the greenhouse effect.
Which of these events that involve carrying capacity will cause a species to become extinct?
Limiting factors change significantly enough to reduce carrying capacity to near zero.
What type of cells are responsible for the secondary immune response?
Memory B, Memory T, Memory Helper T cells
he graph shows the rabbit population in South Australia over time. It also shows the measures that were used to control the size of the population.Myxomatosis is a disease of rabbits that is caused by a virus. Which of the following best describes myxomatosis and its effect on the rabbit population?
Myxomatosis is a density-dependent limiting factor that drastically and permanently reduced the rabbit population.
To support an argument for the importance of preserving biodiversity, a scientist cites a flowering plant called the Madagascar periwinkle. Which of the following statements about the plant provides the strongest evidence in support of the argument?
The Madagascar periwinkle is a source of two chemicals used to fight several different types of cancer.
Maya is researching information for a report about the effects of vaccinations. She has found a large number of references online, but she is unsure which ones she should trust. Choose the source Maya should be most skeptical of its credibility, accuracy, and possible bias.
The crowd-sourced entry on vaccine effectiveness on a site sponsored by the general public
Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down lactose, a type of sugar found in milk. Lactase functions best between 21°C and 48°C, and at a pH between 2 and 7. Which of the following would happen to lactase and lactose if the temperature and pH fell far outside of these ranges?
The lactase would be unable to breakdown the lactose.
Carla is studying the relationships among the organisms in a Florida nature preserve. Carla has made a drawing showing how the organisms in the nature preserve interact. To represent land plants, she has drawn a tuft of grass in her diagram. To represent water plants, she has drawn a type of algae. The organisms are not drawn to scale.Recently, a plant disease was accidentally introduced into the area via a shipment of garden flowers from Southeast Asia. This disease is killing many different kinds of land plants. Based on Carla's diagram, what can you predict will happen to the ecosystem in the nature preserve as a result of the plant disease?
The muskrat population will decrease, which will in turn cause the raccoon and bobcat populations to decrease.
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described as resembling a horse, with a single, spiraling horn in the center of its forehead. What role, if any, could the unicorn have in the science of biology?
The unicorn is not a real animal and, therefore, has no role in biological investigations.
he diagram shows the structure of glucose, a molecule that organisms make and use.What function in living things do glucose and similar molecules fulfill?
They store and release energy.
Resilience is defined as a system's ability to recover after a disturbance. Which example describes a consequence to the resilience of a population if some of the population's biodiversity is lost?
When the climate becomes warmer, almost all members of an animal population die off.
The graph shows the birth rate and death rate in China from 1950-2010. Assume that immigration and emigration had a minimal effect on China's population. As shown by the graph, both the birthrate and death rate changed significantly around 1960. Which of these events was most likely the main cause of these changes?
a severe drought that greatly reduced the food supply
What are two parts of the innate immune system?
barriers and phagocytes
Rabbits eat grasses and other plants. Suppose that a population of rabbits in a meadow increases over a period of time. Which of the following events is most likely to be the cause of this increase?
emigration of rabbit predators from the meadow
What type of reaction is shown in the graph?
energy-releasing reaction
Plants that thrive in estuaries include mangroves and many grasses. Compared to plants that grow on dry land, or in rivers and lakes, the estuary plants have a higher tolerance for which of these conditions?
salty water
A mixture is a material composed of two or more elements or compounds that are physically mixed together but not chemically combined. If table salt is placed in a glass of warm water, sodium and chloride ions are attracted to the polar water molecules.What is this type of mixture called?
solution
An Rh- mother gives birth to an Rh+ child. In the process, some of the child's blood mixes with the mother's blood. The mother develops antibodies against the Rh antigen. A second pregnancy ends in a miscarriage. What type of immunity is this an example of?
specific immunity
Jules is designing an experiment to find out at which temperature and pH the human enzyme pepsin, which acts in the stomach, works best. At which temperatures and acidities is pepsin likely to be most effective at catalyzing chemical reactions?
temperatures close to 37°C and under acidic conditions
Marissa is investigating a biochemical reaction involving carbon compounds. The reaction requires a specific enzyme.What is the role of the enzyme in this reaction?
to increase the speed of the reaction
When the climate changes, what generally determines whether it causes a mass extinction?
whether the climate changes gradually or rapidly
When a cell begins to secrete interferon, it indicates that ____________________ are inside the cell.
viruses
Which statement describes the role of consumers in food webs?
Consumers take in food that is made by other organisms.
How is the word theory used in science?
Scientists use the word theory when it applies to a tested, highly reliable scientific explanation of events in the natural world.
Phrenology was the study of the bumps on the human head, and the use of those bumps to determine a person's character traits, such as wit or combativeness. It was developed by a German doctor who noted features on people's skulls and then studied other people to find similar features. Although it was popular at the time, phrenology has been discredited and is now considered a pseudoscience. What is the most likely reason that phrenology would not have been scientifically valid?
The results are not verifiable and repeatable, so they cannot predict future behavior.
The graph shows the S-shaped curve that represents logistic growth of a population. What happens when the population reaches carrying capacity?
The size of the population remains at or near its maximum.
Which of the following is an example of how a density-independent limiting factor could affect a population?
A hurricane blows down most of the palm trees on an island.
A group of students conducted a science fair experiment to find out how the amount of fertilizer used will affect the growth of radish plants. The experiment was done using amounts of fertilizer that were less than and greater than the manufacturer's recommendation. The table shows the average plant height in each test group after 10 days.Plant GroupFertilizer concentration -100% = recommended amount Average plant height (mm) A 50 % 465 B 100% 550 C 150% 476 Which inference is supported by the data?
Giving radish plants too little or too much fertilizer will slow down plant growth.
Which statement best describes one of the changes that the area experienced after the ice age ended?
As sediments and dead vegetation slowly filled up the pond, the types of plants in the community changed.
The illustration below shows the zones of the ocean.Phytoplankton and other organisms that perform photosynthesis live in ocean waters near the surface, but not in the deepest ocean waters. Which statement about surface water is most useful for explaining this observation?
Only surface water receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis.
The diagram shows the structure of alanine, an amino acid.Evelyn is researching a procedure to synthesize alanine from glucose and other compounds. The procedure involves several chemical reactions. Most likely, one of the reactions will accomplish which of the following tasks?
adding an amino group (-NH2) to a carbon compound
A nonspecific defensive response of the body to tissue injury (splinter or bee sting) characterized by dilation of blood vessels and swelling.
inflammation
Global climate has changed many times throughout Earth's long history. What kinds of changes to ecosystems have been caused by the changing climate?
a wide variety of gradual and sudden changes to ecosystems
he diagram shows the structure of glucose, a molecule that organisms make and use. Glucose and similar molecules can be joined together to form polymers called polysaccharides. There are several types of polysaccharides, and each performs different functions in living organisms. Which of the following is not a type and function of polysaccharides?
wax,for structure
The graph represents the growth of a population of bacteria over time.The population is most likely growing under which set of conditions?
unlimited resources and no competition
Each year after harvesting the crop, a farm is cleared to prepare for the next year's harvest. One year, the farm is abandoned instead of planting new seeds. This illustration shows what happened to the farm after it was abandoned. Which of the following statements best describes the succession that occurred on the farmland?
Secondary succession occurred because the land contained soil suitable for plant growth.
A popular science experiment involves placing a celery stalk into a glass of water and food coloring. After some time, the food coloring appears in the celery. What chemical principle is modeled by this experiment?
The food coloring dissolves in the water in the glass. The water rises through vessels in the celery stem by capillary action, carrying the dissolved food coloring along with it.
For many years, scientists thought that the universe was static—that it had always existed and been the same, and it was neither expanding nor contracting. Then, in the late 1920s, Edwin Hubble recognized that the shift in light from distant objects toward the red end of the spectrum meant that those objects were moving away from Earth. The best explanation for these observations was that the universe was not static but was expanding. More recent observations, such as cosmic background radiation, are also better explained by an expanding universe rather than a static universe.What aspect of scientific methodology best explains the replacement of the static universe theory with the expanding universe theory?
The new theory explained Hubble's observations, and it was tested and supported by additional observations. The theory was accepted because it was the most powerful explanation available for many observations.
The graph shows the birth rate and death rate in China from 1950-2010. Assume that immigration and emigration had a minimal effect on China's population.Which of the following best describes the changes to China's population for the years 1975 to 2010?
The population was increasing due to a greater birth rate than death rate.
In 1989, two scientists claimed to have succeeded in causing a nuclear fusion reaction to take place at room temperature. Their report was met with tremendous excitement, because cold fusion, as it was called, could revolutionize power generation and make dangerous nuclear waste a thing of the past. After they published their paper, other scientists attempted to re-create their experiment, which involved running an electric current through seawater and a metal called palladium. However, they could not replicate the results. After the published paper was examined closely, the scientists were found to have made experimental errors. Which of the following statements best describes this scenario?
The scientific community evaluates the strength of scientific claims, and the claims are dismissed if they are found to be invalid.
The last ice age ended about 10,000 years ago. The glaciers retreated, leaving behind bare gravel, rocks, and sand. Huge chunks of ice were also left where the glaciers had been for many thousands of years. These chunks of ice melted, creating small lakes and ponds. Similar to the one shown in the following illustration.What are the first organisms that are most likely to have begun growing on the bare rock?
pioneer species such as lichens
