RESEARCH & ECOLOGY 2016 SUMMER PACKET

Student Name:

2015-2016 Teacher:

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A national park is home to large populations of mountain lions, deer, rabbits, and grass. Recently,park rangers decided to introduce wolves to the park.

Mountain lions and wolves both eat deer and rabbits. Deer and rabbits both eat grass.

If the number of deer and rabbits eaten by mountain lions stays the same, what will happen to thegrass after the wolves are introduced? Use only the relationships between the plants and animalsdescribed above.

A. The amount of grass will increase.

B. The amount of grass will stay the same.

C. The amount of grass will decrease until it is all gone.

D. The amount of grass will decrease, but some will remain.

How long would it take for rain falling on the solid rock of a cliff to wear away the rock, even byamounts so small that they cannot be seen?

A. It takes at least a million years to wear away even very small amounts of the rock.

B. It takes about a year to wear away even very small amounts of the rock.

C. Rain wears away very small amounts of the rock of a cliff whenever the rain falls.

D. Rain is not strong enough to wear away even a very small amount of the rock of a cliff.

RESEARCH AND ECOLOGY - SUMMER PACKET

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The diagram below shows the feeding relationships between populations of organisms in an area.The arrows point from the organisms being eaten to the organisms that eat them.

Using only the relationships between the organisms shown in the diagram, which of the followingstatements describes what will happen to the number of foxes if most of the worms are killed andwhy?

A. The number of foxes will decrease because there are more robins to eat them.

B. The number of foxes will decrease because there will be fewer robins for them to eat.

C. The number of foxes will not change because they are not connected to worms in thediagram.

D. More information is needed to tell what will happen to the number of foxes.

Can the direction air is moving and the speed at which it is moving be measured?

A. Both the direction air is moving and the speed at which air is moving can be measured.

B. The direction air is moving can be measured but the speed at which air is moving cannot bemeasured.

C. The speed at which air is moving can be measured but the direction air is moving cannot bemeasured.

D. Neither the speed at which air is moving nor the direction air is moving can be measured.

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A girl who often plays with her friends in front of her house notices that the concrete sidewalk tendsto be much warmer in the middle of day in the summer than it is in the middle of the day in thewinter. Other than the ground and air being colder in the winter, what else explains why the sidewalkis colder in the winter than in the summer?

A. The sun is cooler in the winter, so sunlight transfers less energy to the concrete in the middleof the day in the winter and does not warm the concrete as much as it does in the summer.

B. The angle at which sunlight reaches the concrete in the middle of the day is smaller in thewinter, so sunlight transfers less energy to the concrete during the winter and does not warmthe concrete as much as it does in the summer.

C. The sun is farther from the earth in the winter, so less energy from sunlight reaches theconcrete in the middle of the day in the winter and does not warm the concrete as much as itdoes in the summer.

D. The amount of energy that sunlight transfers to the concrete does not change throughout theyear. The only way the concrete could be colder in the winter than in the summer is if moreclouds blocked the sunlight so the sunlight could not warm the concrete as much as it does inthe summer.

When air moves over a lake, what will happen to the humidity of the air?

A. If the air moving across the lake is warm, its humidity will increase no matter how humid italready is.

B. The humidity of the air moving across the lake will increase no matter how warm it is or howhumid it already is.

C. The humidity of the air moving across the lake will stay the same no matter how warm it is orhow humid it already is.

D. You need more information to predict what will happen to the humidity of the air movingacross the lake because it already may be as humid as it can get.

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A student lives by the ocean at a place where the ocean water comes from near the North Pole andwind blows from the ocean over the land. Would the air temperature where she lives change if theocean water came from a warmer place than the North Pole?

A. Yes, because the warmer water would transfer more thermal energy to the air, so the airwould become warmer.

B. No, because the temperature of the water does not affect the temperature of the air above it.

C. No, because the temperature of the water does not affect the amount of thermal energy ithas, so it does not affect how much thermal energy it can transfer to the air above it.

D. No, because even if the water came from a warmer place, it would not have any thermalenergy by the time it reached the place where the student lives.

Could individuals of a species look different today than individuals of the same species did manygenerations ago? Why or why not?

A. Yes, all individuals can change a little and pass those changes on to their offspring.

B. Yes, some individuals can change a little and pass those changes on to their offspring.

C. Yes, some individuals with certain traits are more likely to survive and pass those traits on totheir offspring.

D. No, species do not change even after many generations, so individuals of the same specieswould not look different.

Does the amount of energy that is transferred from the sun to a given place on earth’s surfacechange during the course of a day?

A. The amount of energy transferred to a given place changes depending on where the sun is inthe sky.

B. The amount of energy transferred to a given place only changes when the sun is blocked byclouds.

C. The amount of the energy transferred to a given place does not change as long as the sun isabove the horizon.

D. Sunlight does not transfer energy to the earth’s surface at any time during the course of a day.

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Fossils can be used for which of the following?

A. To study the anatomical features of extinct species and to compare the features of the extinctspecies with those of existing species.

B. To study the anatomical features of extinct species, but not to compare the features of extinctspecies with those of existing species.

C. To compare the features of extinct species with those of existing species, but not to study theanatomical features of extinct species.

D. Neither to compare the features of extinct species with those of existing species nor to studythe anatomical feature of extinct species.

When ocean water moves to a place where the air above it is colder than the water, what happensto the water and the air?

A. The warmer water transfers thermal energy to the air, and they both become warmer.

B. The colder air transfers thermal energy to the water, and they both become colder.

C. The warmer water transfers thermal energy to the air, making the air warmer and the watercolder.

D. Nothing happens because thermal energy cannot be transferred between air and water.

Which of the following is a source of food for animals?

A. Fat

B. Water

C. Oxygen

D. Minerals

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According to the theory of natural selection, what would happen to a species of lizards when a newpredator is introduced into the environment where the lizards live?

A. The lizards that already have the physical traits needed to avoid the new predator would bemore likely to survive and reproduce, and the ones that do not would be less likely to surviveand reproduce.

B. All of the lizards would try to develop new physical traits to avoid the new predator.

C. Some of the lizards would try to develop new physical traits to avoid the new predator, andthe other lizards would die.

D. Because all lizards of the same species have the same physical traits, one lizard would nothave an advantage over another lizard. They would either all survive or all die.

Which of the following affects the amount of water vapor in the air as air moves over the surface ofthe earth?

A. Both the amount of liquid water beneath the air and the temperature of the air affect theamount of water vapor in the air.

B. The amount of liquid water beneath the air affects the amount of water vapor in the air, butthe temperature of the air does not.

C. The temperature of the air affects the amount of water vapor in the air, but the amount ofliquid water beneath the air does not.

D. Neither the amount of liquid water beneath the air nor the temperature of the air affects theamount of water vapor in the air.

What is TRUE about the relationship between cells and the organism they are part of?

A. Cells are organized into body structures, and they perform basic life functions for theorganism.

B. Cells are organized into body structures, but they do not perform basic life functions for theorganism.

C. Cells perform basic life functions for the organism, but they are not organized into bodystructures.

D. Cells are not organized into body structures, and they do not perform basic life functions forthe organism.

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The diagram below shows the feeding relationships between populations of organisms in an area.The arrows point from the organisms being eaten to the organisms that eat them.

Using only the relationships between the organisms shown in the diagram, what will happen to thenumber of mice if most of the frogs are killed and why?

A. The number of mice will decrease because the number of individuals in all of the populationsof organisms in this diagram will decrease.

B. The number of mice will decrease because there will be more grasshoppers to eat the grass,so there will be less grass available for the mice to eat.

C. The number of mice will stay the same because there will be no effect on the number ofindividuals in the populations of organisms below the frogs in the diagram.

D. The number of mice will stay the same because frogs and mice are not connected by anarrow in the diagram.

Bacteria are single-celled, microscopically small organisms. What do they need to function?

A. Bacteria need water and a way to eliminate wastes.

B. Bacteria need water, but they do not need a way to eliminate wastes.

C. Bacteria need a way to eliminate wastes, but they do not need water.

D. Bacteria do not need a way to eliminate wastes, and they do not need water.

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Which of the following statements is TRUE about increases in the size of populations of squirrels?

A. The size of populations of squirrels can increase to be infinitely large.

B. The size of populations of squirrels always increases at about the same rate.

C. The size of populations of squirrels always stays about the same because the number ofdeaths is always about the same as the number of births.

D. The size of populations of squirrels can increase when there is an increase in the foodavailable and a decrease in the number of predators.

What makes air become more humid one day than it was the day before?

A. The only way the air can become more humid is if the temperature of the air increases.

B. The only way the air can become more humid is if the amount of liquid water in contact withthe air increases.

C. The only way the air can become more humid is if both the temperature of the air and theamount of liquid water in contact with the air increase.

D. Either increasing the temperature of the air or increasing the amount of liquid water in contactwith the air can make the air more humid, but both do not need to increase to make the airmore humid.

What is TRUE about the inside of an animal cell?

A. The inside of an animal cell is completely solid.

B. The inside of an animal cell is completely filled with air.

C. The inside of an animal cell is completely filled with liquid water.

D. The inside of an animal cell contains liquid water and solid structures.

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A student notices that sunlight feels warmer in the middle of the day than in the morning. She asksher friends why the sunlight feels warmer in the middle of the day, and she gets four differentexplanations. Which of the following explanations is TRUE?

A. The sunlight is traveling a shorter distance in the middle of the day, and sunlight can warmthings on the earth more when it does not travel as far.

B. The sun itself is hotter in the middle of the day, and sunlight can warm things on the earthmore when the sun is hotter.

C. The sun is higher in the sky in the middle of the day, and sunlight can warm things on the earthmore when the sun is higher in the sky.

D. Clouds block some of the sunlight in the morning, and that is the only thing that would causethe sun to warm her more in the middle of the day than in the morning.

Which of the following is TRUE about individuals of the same species?

A. Individuals of the same species may have different inherited traits. These different inheritedtraits may cause differences in each individual’s chances of survival and reproduction.

B. Individuals of the same species have the same inherited traits, therefore each individual has anequal chance of surviving and reproducing as any other individual of the same age andgender.

C. Individuals of the same species have the same inherited traits but different acquired traits,such as what they have learned and skills they have developed. Only these different acquiredtraits can cause differences in each individual’s chances of survival and reproduction.

D. Individuals of the same species may have different inherited traits, but these different traits donot cause differences in each individual’s chances of survival and reproduction.

Which of the following is TRUE of muscle cells?

A. Muscle cells make molecules for growth, and they eliminate their own waste material.

B. Muscle cells make molecules for growth, but they do not eliminate their own waste material.

C. Muscle cells eliminate their own waste material, but they do not make molecules for growth.

D. Muscle cells do not eliminate their own waste material, and they do not make molecules forgrowth.

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The photographs below show the sun at two different positions in the sky above a lake: One showsthe sun high in the sky and one shows the sun lower in the sky. In both positions, nothing blocks thesunlight from reaching the whole lake.

Sun high in the sky Sun low in the sky

Would sunlight warm the lake by different amounts when the sun is at different positions in the sky?

A. Yes, because the position of the sun changes the angle at which sunlight hits the lake, whichdetermines how much the lake is warmed by sunlight

B. Yes, because the position of the sun changes the distance that sunlight must travel to reach thelake, which determines how much the lake is warmed by sunlight

C. No, because how much the lake is warmed by sunlight does not depend on where the sun isin the sky or on the angle at which sunlight hits the lake

D. No, because a lake cannot be warmed by sunlight

A student wants to move to a place where the air temperature tends to be warmer than it is wherehe lives now. Which of the following factors would be useful for him to consider if he wants to knowif a place is warmer or colder than where he lives?

A. Both the distance of the place from the equator and its height above sea level

B. The height of the place above sea level, but not its distance from the equator

C. The distance of the place from the equator, but not its height above sea level

D. Neither the distance of the place from the equator nor its height above sea level

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A national park is home to large populations of mountain lions, deer, rabbits, and grass. Recently,park rangers decided to introduce wolves to the park.

Mountain lions and wolves both eat deer and rabbits. Deer and rabbits both eat grass.

If the number of deer and rabbits eaten by the mountain lions stays the same, what will happen tothe grass after wolves are introduced? Use only the relationships between the plants and animalsdescribed above.

A. The amount of grass will increase.

B. The amount of grass will stay the same.

C. The amount of grass will decrease until it is all gone.

D. The amount of grass will decrease, but some will remain.

Can the amount of water vapor in air above a lake increase?

A. Yes, the amount of water vapor in the air above a lake can increase when the temperature ofthe air decreases.

B. Yes, the amount of water vapor in the air above a lake can increase when the temperature ofthe air increases.

C. Yes, the amount of water vapor in the air above a lake can increase, but it would onlyincrease if the amount of water in the lake increased, not if the temperature of the airchanged.

D. No, the amount of water vapor in the air above a lake cannot increase.

Which of the following structures are used to store molecules from food?

A. Fat tissue in animals, bulbs in plants, and seeds in plants

B. Seeds in plants but not fat tissue in animals and not bulbs in plants

C. Fat tissue in animals and seeds in plants but not bulbs in plants

D. None of these structures are used to store molecules from food.

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Which of the following could be food for plants?

A. Molecules made of two oxygen atoms linked to each other

B. Molecules made of a single oxygen atom linked to two hydrogen atoms

C. Molecules made of a single carbon atom linked to two oxygen atoms

D. Molecules made of several carbon atoms linked to each other and to hydrogen and oxygenatoms

A population is a group of individuals of the same species. Could a population living today differfrom their ancestors from many generations ago? Why or why not?

A. Yes, they could differ after many generations because an environmental change can causeindividuals in each generation to try to change some of their inherited traits to ones that arebetter suited to the new environment.

B. Yes, they could differ after many generations because an environmental change can affectwhich inherited traits are most helpful, and therefore which individuals are more likely tosurvive and reproduce.

C. Yes, they could differ after many generations because an environmental change can causeindividuals to use some of their inherited traits more than before and pass down betterversions of those traits to their offspring.

D. No, they could not differ after many generations because all members of a population are thesame species and therefore have the same set of inherited traits.

Convection currents are one way that thermal energy can be transferred. In which of the followingcan a convection current occur?

A. In gases but not in liquids or solids

B. In liquids but not in solids or gases

C. In liquids and gases but not in solids

D. In liquids, solids, and in gases

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Different types of organisms are made of different numbers of cells. What is the range in the numberof cells that organisms can be made of, from the very smallest organism to the very largest?

A. From 1 cell to about 100 cells

B. From 1 cell to many millions of cells

C. From about 100 cells to about 1,000 cells

D. From about 100 cells to many millions of cells

In 1893, a large area of a national forest was home to mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats as wellas about 3,000 deer.

The deer ate grass, and the mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats ate deer.

Around 1900, hunters began killing large numbers of mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats. By1923, there were 100,000 deer in this population.

Using only the relationships between the plants and animals described above, which of the followingstatements could explain why the population of deer increased so much?

A. The number of deer increased because without predators, the deer lived longer and had moreoffspring that also lived longer.

B. The number of deer increased because populations are always increasing.

C. The number of deer increased because with fewer mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats, thedeer had more food to eat.

D. There is not enough information to tell why the deer population increased.

What would a biologist see if she examined a small piece of a leaf from a plant and a small piece ofa root from the same plant through a microscope?

A. Both the leaf and the root would be made up of cells.

B. The leaf would be made up of cells, but the root would not be made up of cells.

C. The root would be made up of cells, but the leaf would not be made up of cells.

D. Neither the root nor the leaf would be made up of cells because plants are not made up ofcells.

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The heater in the room shown below is continuously warming the air around it so that the air near theheater is much warmer than the air in the rest of the room.

What happens to the air around the heater as it is warmed?

A. It rises toward the ceiling and stays there.

B. It rises toward the ceiling, but it does not stay there. It moves toward the walls before iteventually sinks back down to the floor.

C. It rises toward the ceiling, but it does not stay there or move toward the walls. Instead, itsinks back down to the floor.

D. It moves away from the heater in all directions until it fills the room.

Which of the following is TRUE about the wearing away of the solid rock of mountains by windand water over time?

A. The solid rock of mountains was being worn down by wind and water millions of years ago,and is being worn down today.

B. The solid rock of mountains was being worn down by wind and water millions of years ago,but is no longer being worn down today.

C. The solid rock of mountains is currently being worn down by wind and water, but was notbeing worn down millions of years ago.

D. The solid rock of mountains was not being worn down by wind and water millions of yearsago, and is not being worn down today.

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Which of the following statements describes how wind can change valleys?

A. Wind can gradually wear away the solid rock of river valleys as much as thousands of feetover millions of years.

B. Wind can wear away the solid rock of river valleys no more than several feet over manymillions of years.

C. Wind can wear away the solid rock of river valleys no more than several inches over manymillions of years.

D. Wind cannot wear away the solid rock of river valleys, even over many millions of years.

Which of the following can break the rock layer that makes up the sides of a valley so that thevalley becomes wider?

A. Wind, water, and the roots of plants can break the rock layer.

B. Water and wind can break the rock layer, but the roots of plants cannot.

C. Water can break the rock layer, but wind and the roots of plants cannot.

D. Neither wind, water, nor the roots of plants can break the rock layer.

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Two students who live in different states measure the temperature and the humidity of the air outsidetheir homes at the same time, and they compare their results. Could the temperature and humidity ofthe air at the two different places be different?

A. Yes, both the temperature and the humidity at the two places could be different.

B. The temperature of the air at the two places could be different, but the humidity of the air atboth places must be the same because the humidity of air is the same everywhere at theearth’s surface.

C. The humidity of the air at the two places could be different, but the temperature of the air atboth places must be the same because the temperature of air is the same everywhere at theearth’s surface.

D. The temperature and humidity of the air at the two places must be the same because thetemperature and humidity of air is the same everywhere at the earth’s surface.

Moths are a type of insect similar to butterflies. A species of moth lived in a forest made up of amixture of dark- and light-colored trees. Some of the moths were dark-colored and some werelight-colored. The coloring of these moths is inherited from parent to offspring. The dark mothswere hidden from predators on the dark trees, and the light moths were hidden on the light trees.

When the light-colored trees were killed by a disease, the forest was suddenly made up almostentirely of dark-colored trees. Generations later, almost all the moths had the dark coloring. Whichof the following gives a correct explanation?

A. The light moths that survived did not mate and have offspring because they saw that theiroffspring would easily be seen and eaten by predators.

B. The light moths that survived had dark offspring because the change in the environmentcaused the parents to have offspring that would do better in the changed environment.

C. The light moths saw that the dark moths were less likely to be eaten by predators, so theymade themselves dark as well.

D. The dark moths were better hidden from predators, so more of them survived. Because darkparents outnumbered light parents, there were many more dark offspring than light offspring inthe next generation.

41. A science class wants to find out if the shape and the mass of objects made of the same metal affecthow fast these objects sink in water. One group tests the effect of the shape, and another grouptests the effect of the mass.

The students who test the effect of the shape use three objects that have the same mass but differentshapes. The students drop each object into a large water tank and measure how long it takes foreach object to reach the bottom of the tank.

Why is it important that the students use objects of the same mass?

A. By using objects of the same mass, the students can learn about both the effect of the massand the effect of the shape.

B. By using objects of the same mass, the students can learn about the effect of the mass.

C. If they do not use objects of the same mass, the students cannot learn about the effect of theshape.

D. It is NOT important for all the objects to have the same mass because the students are nottesting the effect of the mass.

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A student is interested in the behavior of fish. He has 4 fish bowls and 20 goldfish. He puts 8 fish inthe first bowl, 6 fish in the second bowl, 4 fish in the third bowl and 2 fish in the fourth bowl.Heplaces each fish bowl under light, he keeps the temperature at 75°F for all four bowls, and heobserves the behavior of the fish.

What can the student find out from doing just this experiment?

A. If the number of fish in the fish bowl affects the behavior of the fish.

B. If the temperature of the fish bowl affects the behavior of the fish.

C. If the temperature of the fish bowl and the amount of light affect the behavior of the fish.

D. If the number of fish, the temperature, and the amount of light affect the behavior of the fish.

A student thinks that there are three variables (X, Y and Z) that may affect the result of herexperiment.

What should the student do to find the effect of variable X on the result of the experiment?

A. Change variable X and keep variables Y and Z the same.

B. Change variables Y and Z at the same time and keep variable X the same.

C. Change variable X and Y at the same time and keep variable Z the same.

D. Change variables X, Y, and Z at the same time.

44. A swimming team wants to select one of three fabrics for their new swimsuits. Each fabric is madeof a different material. The team decides to do the following experiment:

They cut the same size pieces from each fabric and wet each piece with the same amount of water.They hang the pieces in the sunlight and they check every two minutes to see if any of the piecesare dry.

What can the team find out about the different fabrics from doing just this experiment?

A. If the amount of water affects how long it takes the pieces of fabric to dry.

B. If the type of fabric affects how long it takes the pieces of fabric to dry.

C. If the amount of water and the amount of light affect how long it takes the pieces of fabric todry.

D. If the type of fabric, the amount of water, and the amount of light affect how long it takes thepieces of fabric to dry.

45. A farmer thinks that type of soil and amount of water affect the growth of his carrot plants, and hewants to find out if he is right.

The farmer first tests if the type of soil affects the growth of the carrot plants. He uses three differenttypes of soil, and he places 10 carrot plants in each type of soil. He uses the same amount of waterfor all the plants.

Why is it important to use the same amount of water for all the plants?

A. By using the same amount of water, the farmer can learn about both the effect of the amountof water and the effect of the type of soil.

B. By using the same amount of water, the farmer can learn about the effect of the amount ofwater.

C. If he does not use the same amount of water, the farmer cannot learn about the effect of thetype of soil.

D. It is NOT important to use the same amount of water because the farmer is not testing theeffect of the amount of water.

Answer Sheet

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