wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Water Cycle and Nutrients

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 36mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What cycle moves water around the environment?

a)

Aquifer Cycle

b)

Hydrologic Cycle

c)

Nutrient Cycle

d)

Lithospheric Cycle

2.

Which cycle moves molecular matter around the environment?

a)

Aquifer cycle

b)

Hydrologic cycle

c)

Nutrient cycle

d)

Lithospheric cycle

3.

Hail, sleet, and snow are all examples of:

a)

Evaporation

b)

Condensation

c)

Transpiration

d)

Precipitation

4.

Which sphere is involved in the hydrologic cycle?

a)

Atmosphere

b)

Hydrosphere

c)

Lithosphere

d)

None of the above

5.

Where does the majority of evaporation on the planet occur?

a)

Over large continents

b)

At the poles over the ice

c)

At the equator over the ocean

d)

At the equator over land

6.

Evaporation changes water from a:

a)

liquid to a gas

b)

liquid to a solid

c)

gas to a solid

d)

gas to a liquid

7.

Condensation changes water from a:

a)

Liquid to a gas

b)

Liquid to a solid

c)

Gas to a solid

d)

Gas to a liquid

8.

What will happen if humidity levels are low?

a)

Evaporation rates will increase.

b)

Evaporation rates will decrease.

9.

What will happen to the ocean over thousands of years?

a)

It will become saltier.

b)

It will become less salty.

c)

It will not change in saltiness.

d)

All of the above.

10.

Clouds are a direct result of:

a)

Evaporation

b)

Condensation

c)

Transpiration

d)

Precipitation

11.

Surfaces covered with asphalt or having steep gradients (like large hills) will result in:

a)

Infiltration when it rains

b)

Runoff when it rains

c)

Condensation when it rains

d)

Transpiration when it rains

12.

Every aquifer has one thing in common:

a)

They are all covered by a layer of impermeable rock.

b)

They are all on top of a layer of impermeable rock.

c)

They are all between layers of impermeable rock.

d)

All of the above.

13.

Whether it's over the course of a week or millions of years, all water eventually returns to

a)

icebergs

b)

an aquifer

c)

the ocean

d)

a lake

14.

As water moves through underground rock and soil, it will most likely:

a)

Get contaminated

b)

Get cleaned

c)

Stay the same quality

15.

Which region of Georgia relies the most on groundwater for their drinking water?

a)

Coastal Plain (Valdosta)

b)

Piedmont (Athens)

c)

Blue Ridge (Gainesville)

d)

Valley and Ridge (Rome)

16.

What will you see if you dig a hole down to the water table?

a)

A table

b)

Bedrock

c)

Magma

d)

Water

17.

Where does Atlanta get most of its drinking water from?

a)

Underground

b)

Rainfall collectors

c)

Pipes from the Gulf of Mexico

d)

Chattahoochee River

18.

Where do plants lose most of their water through transpiration?

a)

Roots

b)

Leaves

c)

Stems

d)

Flowers

19.

What process do leaves require water for?

a)

Photosynthesis

b)

Respiration

c)

Fermentation

d)

Dialysis

20.

Which nutrient is required to build every organic macromolecule used by living organisms?

a)

Phosphorus

b)

Carbon

c)

Nitrogen

d)

Oxygen

21.

Where is nitrogen most commonly found in the environment?

a)

Atmosphere

b)

Hydrosphere

c)

Lithosphere

d)

All of the above

22.

Which natural phenomenon can play a role in the nitrogen cycle?

a)

Volcanoes

b)

Lightning

c)

Earthquakes

d)

Tornadoes

23.

Where do animals get the nitrogen they need?

a)

From breathing

b)

From eating

c)

From drinking

d)

From sleeping

24.

Why is ATP important for life?

a)

It is used as energy by cells.

b)

It carries genetic information.

c)

It fights infections.

d)

It reproduces cells.

25.

What important role do decomposers play in the carbon cycle?

a)

They return CO2 to the air after breaking down animal waste.

b)

They provide glucose for animals to eat after breaking down dead organisms.

c)

They change CO2 into CH4 (methane).

d)

All of the above.

26.

What does burning fossil fuels add to the atmosphere?

a)

Excess nitrogen

b)

Excess oxygen

c)

Excess carbon

d)

Excess phosphorus

27.

What percentage of the atmosphere is CO2?

a)

80%

b)

20%

c)

10%

d)

Less than 1%

28.

What role does precipitation play in the phosphorus cycle?

a)

It weathers rocks, releasing phosphate minerals.

b)

It brings phosphorus from the atmosphere to the lithosphere.

c)

It removes phosphorus from the cycle.

d)

All of the above.

29.

Where does most of the photosynthesis on the planet occur?

a)

Rainforests

b)

Deserts

c)

Oceans

d)

Atmosphere

30.

Which process requires sunlight?

a)

Photosynthesis

b)

Respiration

c)

Both A and B

31.

Why do animals require oxygen?

a)

To use as energy

b)

To metabolize their food and make ATP

c)

To transfer genetic material

d)

To absorb sunlight and make CO2

32.

Phosphorus is an important part of:

a)

Sugar

b)

DNA

c)

Protein

d)

All of the above

33.

What is the best explanation for how carbon ends up at the bottom of the ocean?

a)

There are more living things at the bottom of the ocean than at the top.

b)

When living organisms die in the ocean, they fall to the bottom.

c)

There are earthquakes and fissures producing carbon at the bottom.

d)

Water with carbon dioxide in it is heavier, so it sinks.

34.

Which cycle is most dependent on weather?

a)

Hydrologic

b)

Carbon

c)

Nitrogen

d)

Phosphorus

35.

What is the term used when nutrients are converted into forms that most plants and animals can use?

a)

bacteria

b)

biogeochemical cycle

c)

fixation

d)

disruption

36.

Nitrogen fixation is primarily carried out by

a)

Humans

b)

Plants

c)

Bacteria

37.

Animals get most of the nitrogen they need

a)

from the process of denitrification

b)

by consuming plants or other animals

c)

directly from bacteria in the soil

38.

The movements of energy and nutrients through living systems are different because:

a)

Energy forms chemical compounds, and nutrients are lost as heat.

b)

Energy flows in one direction, and nutrients recycle.

c)

Nutrients flow in one direction, and energy recycles.

39.

If a lake receives a large input of a limiting nutrient, which of these would happen first?

a)

Algae begin to die and decomposers take over.

b)

An algal bloom occurs.

c)

The concentration of oxygen drops below the necessary level.

40.

Why can't producers in some ecosystems create an unlimited supply of organic material?

a)

One or more nutrients are in short supply.

b)

The energy needed to create organic material is lost as heat.

c)

The temperatures are too hot for photosynthesis.

41.

Which of the following is true about phosphorus?

a)

Phosphorus is found primarily in the atmosphere.

b)

Phosphorus is released into the air when animals exhale carbon dioxide.

c)

Phosphorus is an important component of RNA and DNA.

42.

Aquatic ecosystems can receive a large input of a limiting nutrient from the runoff of heavily fertilized fields.

a)

True

b)

False; algae

c)

False; bacteria

43.

Which cycle is depicted in this diagram?

a)

Nitrogen

b)

Carbon

c)

Phosphorus

d)

Water

e)

Oxygen

44.

Which cycle is depicted in this diagram?

a)

Nitrogen

b)

Carbon

c)

Phosphorus

d)

Water

e)

Oxygen

45.

Which cycle is depicted in this diagram?

a)

Nitrogen

b)

Carbon

c)

Phosphorus

d)

Water

e)

Oxygen

46.

Organic materials, like coal and oil, are the remnants of dead or decayed matter from millions of years ago.

a)

Diffusion

b)

Decomposers

c)

Detrivores

d)

Fossil fuels

e)

Denitrification

47.

What is it called when plants give off water vapor as a waste product?

a)

condensation

b)

evaporation

c)

sublimation

d)

transpiration

48.

Which stage does the number 2 show in the diagram?

a)

Condensation

b)

Evaporation

c)

Precipitation

d)

Run off

49.

Which stage does the number 3 show in the diagram?

a)

condensation

b)

evaporation

c)

precipitation

d)

run off

50.

An underground layer of sand, gravel, or rock that stores and carries water is called?

a)

Water table

b)

Water cycle

c)

Aquifer

d)

Infiltration