Life Science Assessment SF
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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.
1. Cancer is most often the result of
1) abnormal cell division
2) natural selection
3) bacterial infection
4) biological adaptation
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
3. Four different living organisms are shown below.
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.
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
5. The diagram below shows a green plant.
What is the main function of the plant structure labeled A?
1) reproduction
2) release of minerals
3) absorption of water
4) support
6. The diagram below shows a life process taking place within a cell.
Which life process is shown?
1) reproduction
2) digestion
3) cellular respiration
4) locomotion
7. The diagrams below show changes in a natural community over a period of 200 years.
Which process is illustrated in the diagrams?
1) ozone depletion
2) global warming
3) recycling resources
4) ecological succession
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
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
10. Infections may be caused by
1) mutations
2) bacteria and virsuses
3) toxic substances
4) climate changes
11. Which process is shown in the diagram below?
1) evolution
2) migration
3) photosynthesis
4) metamorphosis
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
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
15. The diagram below shows a rabbit population at two different times.
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
17. What is the main function of the circulatory system?
1) secrete enzymes
2) digest proteins
3) produce hormones
4) transport materials
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
20. The diagram below shows a human arm bending at the elbow.
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
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?
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
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
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
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.
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
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
The diagram shows a model of human inheritance. Base your answers to question 29 on the diagram below and on your knowledge of science.
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.
30. The illustration below traces the development of the corgi dog over several generations as a result of human activity.
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
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.
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.
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]
______
______
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]
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]
______
______
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41. Identify one predatory-prey relationship in this diagram. [1]
Predator: ______
Prey: ______
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]
______
______
______
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]
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]
______
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]
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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