WorksheetsEnvironmental Science Final Exam
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 25mins
Which of the following is the correct order of biological classification, from broadest to most specific?
Kingdom, Class, Family, Genus
Domain, Kingdom, Class, Species
Phylum, Class, Kingdom, Species
Domain, Phylum, Class, Genus
What is a biome?
A single species living in a specific area
A community of organisms living in a specific climate
The study of energy flow in ecosystems
A physical factor that affects an ecosystem
Which of the following is an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?
Plants
Animals
Sunlight
Fungi
Biotic factors include all of the following EXCEPT:
Decomposers
Soil nutrients
Predators
Prey
The interaction of living and nonliving components in an environment is known as:
Biodiversity
Ecosystem
Succession
Habitat
Which of the following best defines biodiversity?
The total number of ecosystems in a biome
The variety of life forms in a given area
The energy flow between producers and consumers
The migration patterns of species
In a food chain, what type of organism is typically at the base?
Carnivores
Herbivores
Producers
Omnivores
Energy transfer in a food pyramid is:
100% efficient at every level
About 10% efficient at each level
50% efficient at each level
Independent of trophic levels
The primary energy source for most ecosystems is:
Heat from the Earth’s core
The sun
Wind energy
Water currents
Which of these would be considered a keystone species?
A species that is rare in an ecosystem
A species that plays a critical role in maintaining ecosystem balance
A species that consumes more energy than it produces
A species that reproduces rapidly
What is ecological succession?
A sudden change in an ecosystem due to climate
The gradual development of ecosystems over time
The movement of water through the atmosphere
The migration of animals
In the water cycle, evaporation occurs when:
Water flows underground
Water vapor condenses into clouds
Liquid water changes into a gas
Ice melts into liquid water
Groundwater is:
Water vapor found in the atmosphere
Water stored beneath the Earth’s surface
Water flowing into rivers
Water in glaciers
A watershed is:
A large storage area for groundwater
The area of land where water collects and drains into a single body
A reservoir used for drinking water
The movement of glaciers across land
Condensation occurs when:
Water vapor cools and forms liquid droplets
Water changes from liquid to gas
Ice melts into water
Water flows into the ocean
An invasive species is one that:
Evolves naturally in its environment
Is introduced to a new environment and causes harm
Is endangered in its native habitat
Is a keystone species
Human activities that lead to habitat destruction include:
Deforestation and urbanization
Recycling and conservation
Planting native species
Wildlife preservation
Which of these is an example of an adaptation?
A polar bear’s thick fur for cold climates
The sun shining on a desert
High levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
A sudden weather change
Natural selection is best described as:
Random changes in species traits
Survival and reproduction of individuals best suited to their environment
A gradual reduction in biodiversity
Rapid extinction of species
Mutations are important for evolution because they:
Are always harmful to species
Prevent adaptations from occurring
Introduce genetic variation into populations
Eliminate less fit traits
The difference between weather and climate is:
Weather refers to long-term patterns; climate is short-term
Climate refers to average long-term conditions; weather is short-term
Both weather and climate refer to precipitation only
Climate only occurs near the equator
Which gas contributes most to the greenhouse effect?
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Carbon dioxide
Helium
Ocean currents are important for climate because:
They decrease the temperature of the atmosphere
They transport heat and distribute energy
They prevent evaporation
They only impact coastal areas
Milankovitch cycles refer to:
Short-term weather patterns
Changes in Earth’s orbit and tilt affecting climate
Movement of tectonic plates
Ocean current patterns
An example of a human activity contributing to climate change is:
Planting trees
Burning fossil fuels
Using renewable energy
Wildlife conservation
In a food web, organisms that eat both plants and animals are called:
Producers
Herbivores
Omnivores
Decomposers
Which of the following is an example of a primary consumer?
A lion eating a zebra
A deer eating grass
A hawk eating a snake
A fungus breaking down organic matter
Decomposers are essential to ecosystems because they:
Convert sunlight into energy
Break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients
Control predator populations
Increase energy transfer efficiency
The top of a food pyramid represents:
Producers
Primary consumers
Secondary consumers
Apex predators
What happens to energy as it moves through trophic levels?
It increases exponentially
It decreases due to energy loss as heat
It remains constant at each level
It doubles with each transfer
The first species to colonize an area during primary succession are called:
Climax species
Pioneer species
Keystone species
Endangered species
Secondary succession differs from primary succession because:
It begins with bare rock
It occurs after a disturbance in an existing ecosystem
It does not involve plant life
It takes longer to reach a climax community
Which part of the water cycle is driven by gravity?
Evaporation
Precipitation
Transpiration
Runoff
Glaciers contribute to the water cycle through:
Melting into rivers and oceans
Evaporating directly into the atmosphere
Forming clouds
Absorbing sunlight
Which of the following describes the role of a watershed?
Filtering carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere
Directing water to a common outlet like a river or ocean
Reducing soil erosion through evaporation
Increasing biodiversity in deserts
A keystone species is important to an ecosystem because:
It outcompetes invasive species
It affects many other species and ecosystem functions
It prevents predators from reproducing
It is always a producer
An example of an invasive species is:
Wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone
Zebra mussels introduced into U.S. waterways
Polar bears in the Arctic
Prairie grass growing in North America
Traits that increase an organism’s chance of survival are known as:
Mutations
Adaptations
Limiting factors
Energy reserves
Endangered species are at risk of extinction because of:
Stable population sizes
Reduced genetic diversity and habitat loss
High reproduction rates
Abundant resources
Natural selection results in:
Rapid population growth
The evolution of species best suited to their environment
Random changes in ecosystems
A decrease in genetic variation
Human population growth impacts ecosystems by:
Increasing the availability of habitats
Overusing resources and destroying habitats
Reducing biodiversity in urban areas only
Decreasing carbon dioxide levels
Climate is determined by factors including:
Daily rainfall and temperature changes
Latitude, ocean currents, and atmospheric patterns
Natural selection and biodiversity
Local weather over a short time period
The greenhouse effect occurs when:
Heat escapes Earth’s atmosphere
Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere
Solar energy is blocked by atmospheric gases
Earth’s orbit changes significantly
Ocean currents are influenced by:
Tectonic plate movements
Wind patterns, water salinity, and temperature
Volcanic activity
Soil composition
The Milankovitch cycles explain:
Long-term changes in Earth’s climate due to orbital variations
Short-term weather patterns caused by ocean currents
Immediate impacts of human activities on ecosystems
The daily rotation of the Earth
High biodiversity in an ecosystem typically leads to:
Greater ecosystem stability and resilience
Increased energy loss
Fewer ecological interactions
Higher levels of pollution
A mutation in DNA can lead to:
No effect, harmful effects, or beneficial traits
Immediate extinction of a species
Loss of biodiversity in an ecosystem
Permanent immunity to predators
A native species is one that:
Was introduced to an ecosystem by humans
Naturally occurs in a specific environment
Is at risk of extinction
Competes with invasive species
Genetic traits are passed from one generation to the next through:
Natural selection only
Heredity and genetic variation
Changes in the environment
Abiotic factors
The process by which species adapt to their environment over long periods is called:
Succession
Evolution
Mutation
Biodiversity
