GED Practice Test

Population Growth

In ecology, a population is defined as a group of organisms of the same species living together in a particular geographic area. Populations grow as new individuals are added. Under ideal conditions, where organisms have unlimited space and resources, populations will continually increase. The growth rate of a population under these conditions is described by the equation G=Rn where GG represents the growth rate of the population, rr represents the per capita rate of increase, and N represents the number of individuals in the population.

Escherichia coli (E.coli) is a bacterial species that is commonly grown in research laboratories. E.coli reproduce by a process called binary fission, where a single bacterial cell divides in two. The two resulting daughter cells are identical to one another and identical to the original parent cell. Under ideal conditions, E.coli will divide every 20 minutes.

But in nature, there are limitations on the growth rates of populations. A number of environmental factors limit population size, such as disease, predators, and drought, and availability of food and suitable habitat. The maximum number of individuals that an ecosystem can support is called the carrying capacity, represented by letter K. The value of K varies, depending on the species and the resources available in a particular ecosystem. The size of a population will generally stabilize once it reaches carrying capacity.

Which of the following graphs best represents a population that has reached carrying capacity?

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Which gas makes up the largest part of the atmosphere?

Composition of the Atmosphere

• argon

• carbon dioxide

• nitrogen

• oxygen

Solubility Terms

The solubility of a solution is determined by measuring the maximum amount of one substance (called the solute) that can dissolve in a given amount of a second substance (called the solvent).

Which of the locations on the graph best represents a saturated solution?

• point A

• point B

• point C

• point D

Which statement best describes the movement of heat energy in the global ocean?

• Heat energy is transported to the equator from the continents.

• Heat energy in deep currents is transported to the ocean’s surface.

• Heat energy in warm surface currents is transported to areas near Earth’s poles.

• Heat energy is transported from areas of lower temperature to areas of higher temperature.

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How do organisms get the energy they need?

• Plants get energy from fertilizers. Animals get energy from water.

• Plants get energy from the soil. Animals get energy directly from sunlight.

• Plants do not need energy because they do not move. Animals get energy from food.

• Plants use energy from sunlight to make sugar molecules. Animals get energy from eating other organisms.

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Dylan drew a diagram showing that certain organisms eat other organisms. The diagram included a caption stating that the amount of available energy decreases with each organism that is eaten. How is this explained by the law of conservation of energy?

• Living things change energy into matter.

• Some of the energy is used for life processes.

• Some energy disappears when living things are eaten.

• Only small amounts of energy can be destroyed at a time.

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Carbon exists in many forms on Earth. The diagram shows part of the carbon cycle. What does this diagram show?

• It shows how matter can pass through an ecosystem.

• It shows each step in the correct order that carbon must pass through.

• It shows how more carbon is constantly being formed and passed along.

• It shows how carbon is running out because it is all being used up by animals.

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Employees at GetWell research labs are analyzing mechanical waves, which require a medium to pass through, and electromagnetic waves, which travel through space. Jose Gonzalez IV is studying electromagnetic waves and their potential, realworld health and medical applications. He records the wavelengths of the various waves, noting that radio waves are the longest, while Gamma rays are the shortest. When calculating the frequency of the wave, or the number of wavelengths that occur in a distinct amount of time, Jose notes that there is an inverse relationship between the frequency of a wave and its period, which is the time it takes for a single wave to occur.

Based on the information provided, only ____ waves can pass through empty space. The relationship between waves of longer and shorter wavelengths is such that as the ____ of a wave increases, the period decreases.

• Electromagnetic ; frequency

• Electromagnetic ; amplitude

• Mechanical ; frequency

• Mechanical ; amplitude

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Adding salt to a pot of boiling water temporarily stops the water from boiling. Which of the following is the best explanation for this occurrence?

• The salt raises the boiling point of the water.

• Salt prevents water from ever boiling.

• Salt neutralizes the water.

• Salt water is easier to float in than freshwater.

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Geologists classify rocks in three main categories: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Igneous rock forms when melted rock cools and hardens. Below ground, igneous rock forms when melted rock known as magma cools in small pockets. Above ground, igneous rock forms when volcanoes erupt and spew lava that cools and hardens into igneous rock. Sedimentary rock forms when minerals or organic particles accumulate and settle in a specific place on the earth’s surface or within a body of water. Metamorphic rock forms when existing rocks are transformed by heat and pressure, and as a result experience profound chemical and physical changes.

A student discovers a rock that he hypothesizes may be igneous. Which of the following supports the student’s hypothesis?

• The rock has undergone profound chemical changes at some point in its history.

• The rock was found within an underground lake

• The rock was found near the site of a recent volcano eruption.

• The rock is composed of minerals.