8.11B- 8.11C

Snowshoe hares are related to rabbits and live in cold regions. In warm weather, they have a brown coat and spend many hours feeding on vegetation. To avoid predators they either remain still and try to blend into their habitat, or use their powerful hind legs to flee. What change brought about by the winter season would help these animals avoid predators in the snowy climate?

• Their bodies slow down and require less food.

• They spend more of the day sleeping.

• Their brown fur changes to white.

• They must search longer to find vegetation.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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Scientists are concerned about overfishing of shark populations. Sharks feed on rays and rays feed on scallops. Without sharks, rays consume all the scallop beds. This situation demonstrates that: 

• humans can improve an ecosystem by removing predators.
• humans can upset an ecosystem by removing species.
• reducing the shark population increases the quantity of scallops that can be taken.
• sharks are not important for the stability of the ecosystem.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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Raccoons eat aquatic animals. If chemicals entered the lake with rain water and destroyed the plants, how would this impact the raccoon population?

• Raccoons would have more aquatic animals to eat.
• Raccoons would begin eating land plants.
• Raccoons would have less aquatic animals to eat.
• Raccoons would only drink water.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Highways allow people to travel between towns and cities, but it also divides ecosystems into smaller pieces. Animals can become separated from lakes they use for food and shelter. For example, tiger salamanders use lakes for these reasons. How could the building of highways affect animals such as the tiger salamander?

• Tiger salamanders could improve lake ecosystems.
• Tiger salamanders may be cut off from important resources.
• Tiger salamander habitats may have less pollution.
• Tiger salamander habitats within ecosystems would become larger.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

If the grasshopper were to be removed completely from the food web, what organism would be most affected?

• The squirrel

• The shrew

• The deer

• The rabbit

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Copper compounds are used to control the growth of algae and other aquatic plants. Copper interferes with photosynthesis in these organisms. What would be the most likely result of an accidental spill of these compounds in an aquatic environment?

• Fish would grow larger than usual
• Zooplankton would increase
• Plants would increase in size and decrease in number
• The plant populations would be reduced

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NGSS.MS-LS1-6

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Due to several days of downpours the rivers have overflowed their banks causing localized flooding.

• This is a long term impact.
• This is a short term impact.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

A foreign insect is introduced into the Texas. It eats a lot of leaves, and trees start to become leafless. Many different animals feed on the new insect, but even they cannot control its numbers. Eventually, trees begin to die. Why would a rapid increase of the new insect population cause certain species of herbivores to vanish or be fewer in number?

• They would not have enough to eat. 
• They would not have enough space to live.
• They would not have tree bark to eat.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

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Forest fires and volcanic eruptions are examples of...

• Short term environmental changes

• Long term environmental changes

• Plastics polluting the ocean

• Humans helping restore marine life in the oceans

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

A living or once-living organisms in an ecosystem is a

• population
• biotic factor
• abiotic factor
• community

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NGSS.MS-LS1-1