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Cycles of Matter

Total questions: 19

Worksheet time: 15mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is another name for evaporation of water through the leaves of plants?

a)

Transpiration

b)

Condensation

c)

Precipitation

d)

Percolation

2.

Which of the following best explains why matter must travel through cycles?

a)

There is an unlimited amount of matter in the universe, so it can take on any form at any time

b)

There is a fixed amount of matter in the universe, so it must take on different forms at different times

3.
What is the process by which the surface of a liquid absorbs enough energy to change into a gas?
a)
Percolation
b)
Evaporation
c)
Condensation
d)
Precipitation
4.
What is the process by which a gas changes to a liquid?
a)
Percolation
b)
Evaporation
c)
Condensation
d)
Precipitation
5.
Rain, sleet, snow, and hail are all forms of _____.
a)
Percolation
b)
Evaporation
c)
Condensation
d)
Precipitation
6.
Ultimately, what drives the water cycle process?
a)
Solar (sun) energy
b)
Chemical energy
c)
Heat from the Earth's core
d)
Cold fronts and warm fronts
7.

Which of the following best explains why nitrogen fixation must take place?

a)

Atmospheric nitrogen is unusable to plants and animals

b)

Nitrogen must be returned to the atmosphere

c)

Animals must breathe in nitrogen

d)

Nitrogen gets "stuck" in the soil and must be untrapped

8.

Many nitrogen fixing bacteria are found in the roots of plants. The plants receive fixed nitrogen and the bacteria receive nutrients from the plant. This is an example of which type of symbiotic relationship?

a)

Competition

b)

Mutualism

c)

Parasitism

d)

Commensalism

9.
What process returns nitrogen back to the atmosphere?
a)
Nitrogen fixation
b)
Elimination
c)
Denitrification
d)
Digestion
10.
What is the overall purpose of photosynthesis?
a)
To use energy from the sun to produce food for the plant
b)
To use energy from the sun to produce oxygen for animals to breathe
c)
To break down food in order to produce energy (ATP)
d)
To break down food in order to produce carbon dioxide
11.
Using the image, how does carbon enter the biotic environment?
a)
Cellular Respiration
b)
Photosynthesis
c)
Decomposition
d)
Combustion of fossil fuels
12.

Which of the following best explains the idea behind "global warming"?

a)

There is not enough carbon being put back into the atmosphere, trapping solar heat.

b)

Photosynthesis is taking place more than ever, trapping solar heat.

c)

Humans have put too much carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, trapping solar heat

13.
How does matter move among the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem?
a)
matter is recycled within and between ecosystems
b)
one-way flow of energy
c)
two-way flow of energy only
d)
three-way flow of energy only
14.

What is our role in the carbon cycle?

a)

We are made of carbon.

b)

We release it into the atmosphere when we breathe.

c)

We release it into the atmosphere when using fossil fuels.

d)

All of the above.

15.
Where is the majority of nitrogen located?
a)
Most of the nitrogen on Earth is in the atmosphere.
b)
Most of the nitrogen on Earth is in the soil.
c)
Most of the nitrogen on Earth is in the water.
d)
None of the above.
16.

How plants and animals get nitrogen?

a)

Most plants get the nitrogen they need to grow from the soils or water in which they live.

b)

Animals get the nitrogen they need by eating plants or other animals that contain nitrogen.

c)

Bacteria alter the nitrogen into a form that plants are able to use.

d)

All of the above.

17.
Carbon is found in the atmosphere in the form of 
a)
carbohydrates
b)
carbon dioxide
c)
calcium carbonate
d)
ammonia
18.
Biologists describe nutrients as moving through cycles because the substances
a)
start as simple organic forms that plants need. 
b)
provide “building blocks” and energy that organisms need.         
c)
are passed between organisms and the environment and then back to organisms.       
d)
are needed by organisms to carry out life processes.
19.
The only organisms that can convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into a form useful to living things are nitrogen-fixing
a)
plants
b)
bacteria
c)
insectivores
d)
animals