Name: practice test
Score: 0 / 35 (0%) [12 subjective questions not graded]
The Biosphere Practice Test
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. The branch of biology dealing with interactions among organisms and between
organisms and their environment is called
a. economy. c. recycling.
b. modeling. d. ecology.
ANSWER: D
2. The combined portions of Earth in which all living things exist is called the
a. biome. c. ecosystem.
b. community. d. biosphere.
ANSWER: D
3. All of the members of a particular species that live in one area are called a(an)
a. biome. c. community.
b. population. d. ecosystem.
ANSWER: B
4. Which of the following descriptions about the organization of an ecosystem is
correct?
a. Communities make up species, which make up populations.
b. Populations make up species, which make up communities.
c. Species make up communities, which make up populations.
d. Species make up populations, which make up communities.
ANSWER: D
5. The simplest grouping of more than one kind of organism in the biosphere is
a. a population. c. an ecosystem.
b. a community. d. a species.
ANSWER: B
6. The lowest level of environmental complexity that includes living and nonliving
factors is the
a. biome. c. ecosystem.
b. community. d. biosphere.
ANSWER: C
7. Plants are
a. producers. c. herbivores.
b. consumers. d. omnivores.
ANSWER: A
8. What is the original source of almost all the energy in most ecosystems?
a. carbohydrates c. water
b. sunlight d. carbon
ANSWER: B
Figure 3–1
9. The algae at the beginning of the food chain in Figure 3–1 are
a. consumers. c. producers.
b. decomposers. d. heterotrophs.
ANSWER: C
10. An organism that uses energy to produce its own food supply from inorganic
compounds is called a(an)
a. heterotroph. c. detritivore.
b. consumer. d. autotroph.
ANSWER: D
11. An organism that cannot make its own food is called a(an)
a. heterotroph. c. autotroph.
b. chemotroph. d. producer.
ANSWER: A
12. Organisms that obtain nutrients by breaking down dead and decaying plants and
animals are called
a. decomposers. c. autotrophs.
b. omnivores. d. producers.
ANSWER: A
13. What is an organism that feeds only on plants called?
a. carnivore c. omnivore
b. herbivore d. detritivore
ANSWER: B
14. All the interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem make up a food
a. interaction. c. network.
b. chain. d. web.
ANSWER: D
15. The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level is called the
a. organic mass. c. energy mass.
b. trophic mass. d. biomass.
ANSWER: D
16. What is an ecological model of the relationships that form a network of complex
interactions among organisms in a community from producers to decomposers?
a. food web c. food chain
b. an ecosystem d. a population
ANSWER: A
17. What is the term for each step in the transfer of energy and matter within a food
web?
a. energy path c. trophic level
b. food chain d. food pyra...
