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Nutrient Cycles Practice Quiz

Total questions: 30

Worksheet time: 16mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Cars and industry burning fossil fuels is an example of ____ that releases ____ into the air.

a)

Respiration; CO2

b)

Combustion; O2

c)

Transpiration; O2

d)

Combustion; CO2

2.

The release of water vapor from plants is called

a)

combustion

b)

transpiration

c)

evaporation

d)

condensation

3.

Matter cannot be created nor destroyed, it is converted from one form to another form is known as

a)

The Law of Conservation of Matter

b)

The Law of Saving the Ecosystem

c)

The Law of Conservation of Energy

d)

The Principle of Ecosystem Change

4.

The remains of ancient plants and animals that have been pressurized and buried for millions of years can be mined as

a)

limestone.

b)

calcium carbonate.

c)

wood.

d)

fossil fuels.

5.

Denitrifying bacteria are responsible for changing

a)

N2 gas into ammonia

b)

N2 gas into nitrates

c)

proteins and DNA into ammonia

d)

ammonia and nitrates into N2 gas

6.

Most of the nitrogen found on earth is in

a)

living things

b)

the ocean

c)

the atmosphere

d)

buried in rocks

7.

Legume plants are

a)

any green plant that does photosynthesis

b)

bean plants that contain nodules of bacteria on their roots

c)

an important plant in the water cycle

d)

plants that have become part of our fossil fuels

8.

Non-legume plants can only use nitrogen in the form of

a)

N2 gas

b)

ammonia (NH3)

c)

nitrates (NO3)

d)

they can use any of these

9.

The strong triple bond between N-N molecules can be broken by all of the following except

a)

lightning

b)

a chemical process used to make fertilizer

c)

nitrifying bacteria

d)

wearing down of rocks to create sand

10.

Phosphorus is important in living cells to make

a)

carbohydrates

b)

proteins

c)

DNA and RNA

d)

storage vacuoles

11.

Nitrogen is needed to make ______ in living organisms.

a)

saturated fatty acids.

b)

lipids and RNA.

c)

proteins and DNA.

d)

carbohydrates.

12.

Plants, fungi and animals give off CO2 gas into the air when they do

a)

photosynthesis.

b)

cell respiration.

c)

transpiration.

d)

evaporation.

13.

The process of water seeping into the ground is called

a)

infiltration.

b)

percolation.

c)

condensation.

d)

seepage.

14.

Clouds are formed from

a)

precipitation and evaporation.

b)

evaporation and condensation.

c)

transpiration and evaporation.

d)

infiltration and condensation.

15.

Water moving deeper into the ground to become part of our ground water supply is

a)

infiltration.

b)

percolation.

c)

fossil fuels.

d)

precipitation.

16.

Water flowing over the land, carrying nutrients and pollution as it drains into larger rivers and the ocean is called

a)

condensation.

b)

evaporation.

c)

runoff.

d)

percolation.

17.

A storage area for underground water is known as a(n)

a)

aquifer.

b)

reservoir.

c)

underground river.

d)

sink.

18.

When excess nitrates and phosphates from surface runoff get into water and they cause an over-production of algae and cyanobacteria that pollute water. This is called

a)

evaporation.

b)

nitrogen-fixation.

c)

infiltration.

d)

eutrophication.

19.

Most of the phosphorus cycle takes place

a)

in the air.

b)

in bacteria nodules on plant roots.

c)

at or below ground level.

d)

in a desert.

20.

The reactants/starting molecules of photosynthesis are

a)

CO2 and O2

b)

CO2 and H2O

c)

O2 and Sugars

d)

Sugars and H2O

21.

The products of photosynthesis, which are are the starting molecules of cell respiration are

a)

CO2 and H2O

b)

H2O and O2

c)

O2 and Sugar

d)

Sugar and CO2

22.

The process that involves bacteria and fungi breaking down large compounds to return smaller molecules to the environment is called

a)

nitrification.

b)

decomposition.

c)

erosion.

d)

photosynthesis.

23.

The hydrologic cycle is also known as the

a)

nitrogen cycle.

b)

water cycle.

c)

carbon cycle.

d)

phosphorus cycle.

24.

Which of the following is not part of the carbon cycle?

a)

burning of fossil fuels which release CO2 into the air

b)

transpiration by plants

c)

cell respiration by plants, animals and fungi

d)

conversion of sunlight energy into chemical energy by photosynthesis

25.

The process where bacteria that convert nitrogen gas into ammonia and nitrites & nitrates compounds is called

a)

nitrogen fixation.

b)

denitrification.

c)

infiltration.

d)

nodule formation.

26.

Most nitrogen fixing bacteria live

a)

inside the stomachs of cows.

b)

in the atmosphere.

c)

in soil and the roots of plants.

d)

in animal intestines.

27.

All of the nutrient cycles contain a pathway where molecules enter the atmosphere EXCEPT the

a)

nitrogen cycle.

b)

phosphorus cycle.

c)

carbon cycle.

d)

water cycle.

28.

Plants convert CO2 in the air into carbohydrates and O2 gas during the process of

a)

cell respiration.

b)

decomposition.

c)

photosynthesis.

d)

fermentation.

29.

Water falling to the earth from a cloud is

a)

condensation.

b)

precipitation.

c)

evaporation.

d)

infiltration.

30.

Which of the following is least likely true of our atmosphere?

a)

The atmosphere is over 75% a gas that only bacteria can convert into other compounds

b)

Water vapor and carbon dioxide are greenhouse gases that help keep Earth warm

c)

Carbon dioxide and oxygen gas exist in the atmosphere because of photosynthesis and respiration

d)

The atmosphere is made of 70% oxygen, 25% nitrogen and less than 1% CO2 and water vapor