Biology 9 GT Midterm Study Guide

A visually engaging illustration representing ecosystem interaction, including water bodies, plants, animals, and humans with a natural landscape background.

Biology 9 GT Midterm Study Guide Quiz

Prepare for your upcoming Biology midterm with our comprehensive quiz designed for 9th-grade students. This quiz features 89 questions covering essential topics in environmental science, ecology, and biology.

Test your knowledge and understanding of key concepts, including:

  • Impact of human activities on the environment
  • Water cycles and quality
  • Nutrient cycles and plant growth
89 Questions22 MinutesCreated by LearningTree457
The graduating class of a high school would like to give the school a gift that would have a positive impact on the environment. Which plan would be the best choice?
Introducing a new population of foxes to school grounds
Planting native trees along the border of the school property
Clearing an area to make room for additional student parking
Making wooden benches by harvesting trees from school property
Slowing the flow of stormwater is important because increased stormwater rates lead to
Higher infiltration of water into local aquifers
Higher water quality in local streams
Higher biodiversity in local watersheds
Higher number of flooding events
Before a new shopping center can be built on previously undeveloped land, the builders must submit a proposal to the local government for approval. Which statement identifies an environmental concern associated with the development of the shopping center?
The new shopping center would increase competition with already existing businesses.
Building the center would decrease the amount of pollution in the area.
Building the center would decrease resources needed by local organisms.
The new shopping center would increase the biodiversity of the area
Which row in the chart below correctly pairs a human activity with its impact on the environment?
Human activity: decrease in use of pesticides, impact: erosion of rock in the soil
Human activity: increase in housing developments, impact: improvement in air quality
Human activity: increase in human population, impact: reduction in water usage
Human activity: decrease in recycling, impact: reduction in amount of available resources
For centuries, humans have used resources from coastal areas and open ocean waters. An example of an activity that would promote the conservation of coastal areas and ocean resources is
Harvesting large numbers of different fish species
Creating protected zones of natural grasses and shrubs in beach areas
Encouraging the construction of factories along the ocean shoreline
allowing all-terrain vehicles access to beach areas
Which of the following is a major reason for eutrophication?
Runoff of nutrients from land
Contamination by pathogens
Soil erosion
Presence of heavy metals
Nitrogen accounts for nearly 79% of the air. Still nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient for plant growth because...
All of the above
N˘2 cannot be directly utilized by plants
High energy is required to break a triple bond
Nitrogen almost an inert gas, N involved reactions require extreme conditions such as high temperature
Denitrification, the process that returns N˘2 to the atmosphere occurs by.....
Evaporation
Biological organisms found in soils
Lightning
Haber-Bosch Process
It is usually desirable to manage soils in ways that maintain a high infiltration rate because this results in ____________________.
None of the answer choices are correct
More water flowing in rivers, especially during rainy weather
less leaching of chemicals applied to the soil surface
More water becoming available to sustain plant productivity
Negative impacts of sediments in our waterways include:
blocking available light for aquatic plant
Covering gills of aquatic organisms making gas exchange difficult
All of the answers are negative impacts of sediments
Covering up fish spawning areas
According to the climate chart below, which months have the greatest potential for contaminating groundwater or surface water in the watershed with pollutants in the soil?
June - July
Jan - Feb
Sept - Oct
March - April
Which of the following correctly explains what happens to the level of oxygen dissolved in water when organic waste is put in the water?
The levels would decrease because of the bacteria feeding off the waste and using the oxygen for cellular respiration
The levels would increase because of the availability of nutrients to animals that live in the water
The levels would remain the same because organic waste would get used by organisms in the water
The levels would decrease because of the higher temperatures of the water
What are the two types of land use most detrimental to the water quality in a watershed? A. B. C. D.
Urban Development and Agriculture
Reforestation and mining
Timber Production and Federal Grassland
Flood Control and Family Farms
Two sites, both covered with mowed grass were measured using a clinometer. The clinometer reading for site A was 30° while the clinometer reading for site B was 10°. You would expect
Less runoff at site A
Higher rates of water infiltration at site A
More evidence of erosion at site B
All of the answers are correct
Lower rates of water infiltration at site A
The major reservoir for phosphorus is/are
soil and rocks
Aquifers
Atmosphere
ocean
The process of converting nitrate to nitrogen gas and nitrous oxide is called:
Transpiration
Eutrophication
Nitrogen fixation
Ammonification
Denitrification
Stormwater flow increases with the following factor
Increase in rain gardens
Decrease in mowed grass fields
Increase in rain gutters linked and piped away from the building
Decrease in impervious surfaces
Which of the following elements enters terrestrial organisms primarily from the atmosphere rather than from absorption from the soil.
nitrogen
Sulfur
phosphorus
calcium
carbon
An experiment was carried out to answer the question “Does the pH of water affect the growth of radish plants?” Two groups of ten radish plants were set up. One group was watered with water having a pH of 3.0, and the other group was watered with water having a pH of 7.0. Both groups of plants received the same amount and intensity of light, the same amount of water, and they were grown in the same type of soil. The heights of the radish plants were measured every 2 days for a period of 2 weeks. Which activity might help to increase the validity of this experiment?
using two different types of radish seeds in each group
Having more groups to allow the use of more pH levels
Using the same pH for both groups of plants
Placing one set of plants in sunlight and one in darkness
Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide will cause which of the following changes in oceanic chemistry? (Check all that apply)
higher pH
Increased deposition of calcium carbonate
Decreased levels of H+
Increased level of carbonic acid
lower pH
How much of the Fresh Water on Earth is UNFROZEN and available for humans to use?
70%
less than 1%
2.5%
97%
3%
In the carbon cycle, the main way that carbon moves from the atmosphere to the geosphere is through
Terrestrial animals absorbing it from the soil forming cell parts that are buried when the organism dies
Terrestrial plants absorbing it for use in photosynthesis and making it into plant cells that never get decomposed
marine organisms taking it from the water to make into calcium carbonate shells which get deposited and buried on the bottom of the ocean
Decomposers breaking down terrestrial and marine organisms and releasing carbon dioxide and methane
An experiment was carried out to answer the question “Does the pH of water affect the growth of radish plants?” Two groups of ten radish plants were set up. One group was watered with water having a pH of 3.0, and the other group was watered with water having a pH of 7.0. Both groups of plants received the same amount and intensity of light, the same amount of water, and they were grown in the same type of soil. The heights of the radish plants were measured every 2 days for a period of 2 weeks. Which sentence is a possible hypothesis that was tested in this experiment?
The temperature of the water will affect the heights of the radish plants.
The further the pH is from 7 the less the plant will grow in height
Does the pH of water affect the growth of radish plants?
Will the amount of water alter the heights of the radish plants?
A benefit of animals living in a group include which of the following?
protection against predators
All of the the answer choices are correct
Helping to raise offspring
Finding and procuring food
none of the answer choices are correct
Desert temperature ranges between night and day may vary by as much as 50°C while temperatures ranges between night and day in temperature deciduous forest at the same latitude will only vary by approximately 15°C. This happens because water_______
is polar
Is cohesive
All of the answer choices are correct
Forms hydrogen bonds
has high specific heat
Ice wedging can break rocks apart, crack sidewalks, and cause potholes in roads. This happens because ________.
Water has a high specific heat
Water has a high surface tension
Water is less dense as a solid than as a liquid
water contracts when frozen
You are able to transport the atoms and molecules necessary for cell function to your cells because water is a _______________ meaning it can dissolve _________ and _________ molecules.
Universal solvent; oil and water
Cohesive substance; carbon and oxygen
Molecule with high specific heat; ice and water vapor
universal solvent; ionic and covalently bonded
One of the things that makes our planet special is the presence of liquid water. Water is fundamental for all life; without it every living thing would die. It covers about 70% of Earth's surface and it makes up 65-75% of our bodies (82% of our blood is water). Even though water seems boring – no color, taste, or smell – it has amazing properties that make it necessary for supporting life. The dissolving power of water is very important for life on Earth. Wherever water goes, it carries dissolved chemicals, minerals, and nutrients that are used to support living things. The molecules at the surface of the water “stick together” to form a type of 'skin' on the water, strong enough to support very light objects. Insects that walk on water are taking advantage of this surface tension. Surface tension causes water to clump in drops rather than spreading out in a thin layer. It also allows water to move through plant roots and stems and the smallest blood vessels in your body – as one molecule moves up the tree root or through the capillary, it 'pulls' the others with it. The gaseous state of water is present continually in our atmosphere as water vapor. The liquid state is found everywhere in rivers, lakes, and oceans. The solid state of water, ice, is unique. Most liquids contract as they are cooled, because the molecules move slower and have less energy to resist attraction to each other. When they freeze into solids they form tightly-packed crystals that are much denser than the liquid was originally. Water doesn't act this way. When it freezes, it expands: the molecules line up to form a very 'open' crystalline structure that is less dense than liquid water. This is why ice floats. And it's a good thing it does! If water acted like most other liquids, lakes and rivers would freeze solid and all life in them would die. All of these characteristics of water are due to the fact that water is
A hydrophobic molecule.
A polar molecule.
a hydrophilic molecule.
A nonpolar molecule.
Burmese pythons are large snakes that have been introduced into the Florida Everglades ecosystem. Burmese pythons and alligators hunt the same prey. One likely effect of the introduction of the pythons is that
Alligators will have more prey available
Pythons will become native to the Everglades
Alligator populations will decline
none of the answer choices are correct
pythons will become an endangered species
A researcher concludes from a 10-year study that the biodiversity of an ecosystem had increased. Which set of observations represents evidence for this claim?
There were more niches and less energy lost as heat in the ecosystem.
There were fewer niches for consumers and greater cycling of materials.
There were fewer niches for decomposers and less stability.
There were more niches and greater stability in the ecosystem.
In the formula for biotic potential (dN/dt = rmaxN), what does N stand for?
the change in time
The number of individuals in the population
the intrinsic rate of natural increase of the population
The age distribution of the population
the carrying capacity of the environment
What causes a logistic growth curve to level off?
The population shifts from a clumped to a uniformly spaced dispersion
Mortality decreases in the population
The reproduction rate decreases and the mortality rate increases
The logistic growth curve never levels off
the population stops reproducing
Which letter shows a population in unfavorable conditions? (The x axis is "Time", it was just was cut off in the image)
C
A
D
B
E
Which letter shows the carrying capacity (K) of a population? (Again, the x-axis represents time)
D
B
E
A
C
In 2011 and 2012, scientists working on the Banana River in Florida recorded a dramatic increase in the number of manatee deaths. Over the past 50 years, this area has also seen the human population increase by more than 500,000 people. It is believed that pollution from numerous sewage tanks leaked into the water, eliminating the manatees’ food source, replacing it with an alga that is toxic to the manatee. This is an example of
Human actions altering ecosystems with serious consequences
the effect of increased biodiversity on an ecosystem
None of the answer choices are correct
A natural cycle in an ecosystem
Direct harvesting in an ecosystem
Two organisms live in close association with one another. One benefits while the other is unaware of the first organism. The relationship is best described as
Commensalism
Mutualism
Parasitism
Competition
Predation
Which of the following would be most effective in slowing the loss of biodiversity?
Creating large parks/preserves in biodiversity hotspots
setting aside small plots of land in a variety of ecosystems, such as forests, grasslands, and marshes
Requiring every country to maintain a seed bank
Freezing fertilized eggs of endangered animals in case the species become extinct in the wild
Why is biodiversity important to ecosystems?
It helps populations adapt to ecological changes.
It reduces the number of insects in a given ecosystem.
It increases at each level of the food chain
It allows animals to feed exclusively from one type of plant.
Disadvantages to group living in animals include ___________.
All of the answer choices are correct
increased competition for resources
Interference with reproduction
None of the answer choices are correct
Increased chance of disease and parasites
When does the growth rate of a K selected (logistically growing) population equal zero?
When mortality is greater than natality
When N/K equals zero
When N nears the carrying capacity of the habitat
When N/K is exactly one
2018 has seen more acreage than ever destroyed by wildfires. We expect to see changes in the biodiversity of the forest ecosystem but also for the aquatic (river, lake and ocean) ecosystems in the area of the fires. The biodiversity of the aquatic ecosystems is expected to decrease due the .......
Density dependent limiting effect of increased competition for food on population size
Density dependent limiting effect of sediment input from erosion on population growth
Density independent limiting effect of increased competition for food on population size
Density independent limiting effect of sediment input from erosion on population growth
PH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a water source is. This is important when identifying the effect of a water source on living things in the habitat because....
a low pH has a higher amount of hydrogen for organisms to use to build cells and cell parts
a high pH has a higher amount of hydrogen for organisms to use to build cells and cell parts
a low or high pH water source will have more ions (charged particles) that can negatively affect an organism's ability for form cells and cell parts
Organisms are adapted to live in a certain pH, generally around 7
What does it mean when a molecule is said to be polar? Correct!
One end of the molecule is slightly negative while the other end is slightly positive
The difference in electronegativities is zero
the molecule is neutral
Both ends of the molecule are slightly positive
Both ends of the molecule is slightly negative
Which of the following occurs in a covalent bond?
Oppositely charged ions attract
Two atoms share two electrons
Two atoms share more than two electrons
A molecule is a smallest particle which can exist
In space
In combination
Independently
In gas form
Which diagram best represents the parts of an atom?
A
B
C
The smallest particle of a substance that is capable of independent chemical existence is _________.
Electron
Proton
Molecule
Nucleus
Atom
Choose the statement that is an appropriate hypothesis
Plants will grow better when given miracle grow
I don't eat chocolate because it makes my face break out.
Students who attend class get higher grades than students who do not attend class.
If the sun rises then the weather must be good
Which statement is false about science?
The conclusion of an experiment can never change.
Science helps us to understand the natural world.
Science is objective rather than subjective.
Science should be published in a journal.
Science has to be repeatable.
A hypothesis is _____
A tentative explanation of observed phenomena
a result of deductive reasoning
A conceptual scheme supported by many experiments
a tentative explanation of the results
Living things cannot maintain their organization or carry on life's activities without an:
Outside source of material
Outside source of materials and energy
Outside source of energy
Internal source of materials and energy
The body temperature of humans fluctuates only slightly during the day. This is an example of which characteristic of life?
Living things are homeostatic.
Living things reproduce.
Living things are organized.
Living things are adapted.
Living things grow and develop.
Which sequence correctly increases complexity in the level of biological organization?
atoms, molecules, tissues, organs, cells
atoms, molecules, cells, organs, tissues
atoms, molecules, cells, tissues, organs
Molecules, atoms, cells, organs, tissues
Atoms, molecules, organs, tissues, cells
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of life?
Living things grow and develop.
Living things respond to stimuli.
Living things reproduce.
Living things are adapted to a particular way of life.
Living things have an internal environment that stays absolutely constant.
The density of an object is
The same as the size of the object
The volume divided by the mass D = v/m
The mass divided by the volume D = m/v
The same as its weight
Weathering involves the
mechanical and chemical breakup of rocks.
Movement of rock fragments.
picking up of rock fragments.
formation of rocks by the action of weather.
What are igneous rocks made from?
Molten rock that has cooled
Mountains that have weathered away
Pieces of other rocks that have collected and cemented together
Carrying rock fragments to a new location is called transportation.
Erosion.
Mechanical weathering.
Chemical weathering.
The age of the seafloor is relatively young because:
It is neither being continuously generated or continuously destroyed
It is both being continuously generated and continuously destroyed
it is continuously destroyed at mid-ocean ridges.
it is continuously destroyed at subduction zones.
Which one of the following would you NOT associate with divergent plate margins?
Basaltic fissure eruptions
Highly explosive volcanic activity
Shallow focus earthquakes
Tensional/extensional forces
Sea floor spreading
The tectonic plates of Earth are part of Earth's:
asthenosphere.
Mantle.
Lithosphere.
Crust.
When two continental plates collide
Subduction occurs
All of the answers are correct (do not count "none of the answers are correct")
None of the answers are correct
mountain building occurs
Volcanoes occur
Which of the following features would you expect to find at an ocean-ocean convergent boundary?
All of these.
earthquakes.
Volcanic island arc.
ocean trench.
When a volcanic eruption spews gases and ash into the air, which two spheres are interacting?
Biosphere and geosphere
Geosphere and atmosphere
Biosphere and atmosphere
Hydrosphere and geosphere
Volcanic belts form along
The coast of Antarctica.
Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
North American mountain ranges.
The boundaries of Earth’s plates.
The volcanoes along converging oceanic plate boundaries may form
A hot spot.
an island arc.
A part of the mid-ocean ridge.
a subducting plate.
Which statement is TRUE about the rock cycle?
It involves heat, pressure and cooling
It starts with the formation of igneous rock
It starts with the formation of igneous rock
It stops after metamorphic rocks form
Weathering only occurs in igneous rocks
The overall equation for the aerobic cellular respiration of glucose is 
Carbon Dioxide + Water → Glucose + Oxygen + ATP + Heat
Carbon Dioxide → Lactic acid + ATP + Heat
Glucose + Oxygen → Carbon Dioxide + Water + ATP + Heat
Glucose → Carbon Dioxide + Ethyl alcohol + ATP + Heat 
The chemical process below occurs in which of the following? Carbon Dioxide + Water + RADIANT ENERGY ---> Glucose + Water + Oxygen
Consumers
The abiotic atmosphere
Scavengers
Producers
Decomposers
Cell membranes function to control the movement of substances in and out of cells it can do this because it contains mostly.
Nucleic Acids
Proteins
Phospholipids
Carbohydrates
Of all the building blocks of life, which is the smallest one that can still replicate by itself? In other words, what is the smallest unit of life?
Atoms
Organelles
Cells
Proteins
Muscle tissue provides body support, locomotion and heat production. It is made up primarily of
Carbohydrates
Nucleic Acids
Phospholipids
Proteins
Synthesizes proteins. It can float within the cytoplasm or be attached to an organelle.
Mitochondria
Nucleus
Ribosome
Cytoplasm
Chloroplast
Aerobic cellular respiration occurs in the
Nucleus
Chloroplast
Cytoplasm
Ribosome
Mitochondria
Small changes in DNA sequence lead to
Superpowers
Changes in traits
Death
Increased function
DNA is called the "blueprint of life" because:
it is like a fingerprint
It has a blue color
It contains the plans for building an organism
it can relay messages to other molecules
The five levels of organization in the environment, from first to fifth level are
Organism, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere.
Organism, population, biosphere, abiotic elements, ecology.
organism, population, biosphere, ecosystem, community.
organism, population, biosphere, ecosystem, community.
Organism, population, biotic elements, abiotic elements, community.
On earth, energy enters most ecosystems as ________.
ATP
Sunlight
Heat
Glucose
The movements of energy and nutrients through living systems are different because
Energy flows in one direction, and nutrients recycle.
Energy forms chemical compounds, and nutrients are lost as heat
Nutrients flow in two directions, and energy recycles.
Energy is limited in the biosphere, and nutrients are always available.
Choose the factor that is unlikely to limit population growth.
All of the answers limit population growth
harsh weather
High birth rate
Disease
Predation
Plants can transform the energy in sunlight into organic molecules such as sugars, in a process called ________.
Nitrogen fixation
Photosynthesis
Cellular respiration
Decomposition
Which of the following statements about ecological pyramids is true?
Ecological pyramids demonstrate a 90% loss in energy at each step up the pyramid.
Ecological pyramids show that carnivory is more efficient than herbivory.
Ecological pyramids depict the total biomass of an ecosystem minus the total energy stored.
Ecological pyramids are difficult to disrupt.
The process of cellular respiration
Breaks down food molecules to release stored energy.
Is performed only by organisms that are incapable of photosynthesis.
Occurs only in animals.
Occurs before plants are able to carry out photosynthesis.
Based on the cycle of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, one can say that the ultimate original source of energy for all living things on Earth is
Carbon dioxide.
Carbohydrates.
Water.
the sun.
Heterotrophs are organisms that can
Produce food from inorganic molecules and sunlight.
Carry out either photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
Consume other organisms for energy.
survive without energy.
Certain gases in the atmosphere – water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – help maintain the Earth’s temperatures and climate. These are called: __________ .
Ozone gases
Greenhouse gases
Solar gases
If Earth did not have an atmosphere the temperature of earth would become
Too hot to survive
Abnormally hot
Too cold to survive
Abnormally cold
A parent with the dominant trait of brown eyes (BB) has offspring with a parent that has the recessive trait of blue eyes (bb). What is the likelihood that the offspring will have blue eyes.
0%
25%
75%
50%
100%
It is usually desirable to manage soils in ways that maintain a high infiltration rate because this results in ____________________.
Less leaching of chemicals applied to the soil surface
More water flowing in rivers, especially during rainy weather
None of the answer choices are correct
more water becoming available to sustain plant productivity
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