Life Science MCA Review

Millions of years ago, a small population of birds lived on the Hawaiian Islands. Over time, this population evolved into more than 54 separate species, each with different colors, beak shapes, and food sources.

Which of the following best explains why the original population of birds evolved into so many different species?

•  Many of the birds were killed each time a volcano erupted on the Hawaiian Islands.

• The Hawaiian Islands had few predator species to decrease the lifespan of the birds.

• The bird population moved into and adapted to many different environments on the Hawaiian Islands.

• The climate of the Hawaiian Islands rarely changed, which helped the bird population to increase in size.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

The type of finch labeled W adapted different traits over a long period of time that resulted in the three different types of finches labeled X, Y, and Z. What is the most likely reason the finches labeled X, Y, and Z adapted different traits from the finch labeled W?

•  to look like other birds

• to change their environments

• to copy behaviors of other similar birds

• to help them survive in their environments

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

A change in the environment of an area caused the leaves of many plants to turn brown. Many of these plants died. Which of the following changes in the environment most likely caused the plants to die?

• a long drought

• an early spring

• a windy summer

• a large thunderstorm

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

• Chloroplast

• Cytoplasm

• Nucelus

• Cell Membrane

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NGSS.MS-LS1-2

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

When a person eats a sandwich, the person’s digestive system breaks down the sandwich into food molecules.

Select two statements that describe how the food molecules are used by the person’s body.

•  The food molecules deliver oxygen and remove wastes from cells.

• The food molecules are used to produce energy for cell processes.

•  The food molecules store genetic information that is used to direct cell division.

• The food molecules are assembled into larger molecules that are used for cell growth.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-3

NGSS.MS-LS1-7

Most of the sea stars have five arms, but two of the sea stars each have an arm that is much shorter than their other arms. A park ranger tells the students that the shorter arms were once missing because they were probably eaten by a fish or a crab, but the arms have started to grow back.

Which of the following best describes how sea stars are able to regrow their arms?

• Sea stars learn how to regrow their arms.

• Sea stars inherit the ability to regrow their arms.

• Sea stars have awesome brains

• Sea stars move to warmer water that causes their arms to regrow.

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

• A

• B

• C

• D

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NGSS.MS-LS1-2

NGSS.MS-LS1-3

NGSS.MS-LS1-1

Strawberry plants can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Strawberry farmers use both kinds of reproduction, depending on the desired outcome.  In which of the following situations would a farmer most likely want the strawberry plants to reproduce sexually?

• when developing new varieties of fruit

• when making identical copies of a plant

• when producing fruit that is all the same size

• when growing many new plants from cuttings

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NGSS.MS-LS3-2

The labeled arrows in the diagram below represent some of the ways that heat is transferred in an ecosystem. Which arrow represents heat being transferred mainly by convection?

• Arrow W

• Arrow X

• Arrow Y

• Arrow Z

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Hawks and owls are both birds of prey and often live in the same areas. Which of the following factors most likely limits competition for prey between hawks and owls living in the same area?

• Hawks and owls have different predators.

• Hawks have speckled eggs and owls have white eggs.

• Hawks and owls are camouflaged by different feather colors.

•  Hawks are active during the day and owls are active during the night.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2