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SCIENCE FLASHCARD QUESTION (11)

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1. After learning about the water cycle, Gertrude and Paola conduct some research. Gertrude measures the amount of precipitation that falls within a one-month period. Paola measures
the water levels of the lake over the same one-month period. Gertrude finds that it has rained 13 inches in the last month, whereas Paola finds that the lake has only risen 2 inches in
the last month.

Which of the following can be inferred from Gertrude and Paola’s data?

The Water Cycle

The water cycle has no starting point, but for this description, the ocean will be the beginning, since that is where most of Earth's water exists. The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats
water in the oceans. Most of the water evaporates as vapor into the air, where rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere. In the atmosphere, cooler temperatures cause the
water vapor to condense into clouds.

Air currents move clouds around the globe, and cloud particles collide, grow, and fall out of the sky as precipitation. Some precipitation falls as snow and can accumulate as ice caps and
glaciers, which can store frozen water for thousands of years. Snowpacks in warmer climates often thaw and melt when spring arrives, and the melted water flows overland as snowmelt. Most
precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land, where, due to gravity, the precipitation flows over the ground as surface runoff. A portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the landscape,
with streamflow moving water towards the oceans.

Not all runoff flows into rivers, though. Much of it soaks into the ground as infiltration. Some of the water infiltrates into the ground and replenishes aquifers (saturated subsurface rock), which
store huge amounts of freshwater for long periods of time. Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep back into surface-water bodies (and the ocean) as groundwater
discharge, and some groundwater finds openings in the land surface and emerges as freshwater springs. Yet more groundwater is absorbed by plant roots to end up as evapotranspiration
from the leaves. Over time, though, all of this water keeps moving, some to reenter the ocean, where the water cycle begins all over again.

Source: https://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummary.html
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/atmospheric-infrared-sounder/8265046380/sizes/l

A. Gertrude must have incorrectly measured the amount of rainfall over the last month.

B. Gertrude and Paola could both be correct. Water in the lake will continue to evaporate, so it is unlikely that rainfall is equal to the lake’s water level increase.

C. Gertrude and Paola must have both incorrectly measured rainfall and water level. They need to repeat this data collection next month and make sure they are measuring correctly.

D. Paola must have incorrectly measured the lake’s water level over the last month.

2. Looking at “unknown trait A” in the cladogram, Vera hypothesizes that the unknown trait is the presence of a backbone. Marcia, however, hypothesizes that the unknown trait
is warm-blooded.

Who is correct? Why?

Cladogram 1

A. Both Vera and Marcia could be correct. Based on the cladogram, it is equally possible that “unknown trait A” is presence of a backbone or warm-blooded.

B. Marcia is correct, because all the animals following the appearance of “unknown trait A” are warm-blooded.

C. Vera is correct, because all the animals following the appearance of “unknown trait A” have a backbone.

D. Neither Vera nor Marcia are correct. The unknown trait is meat-eating.
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3. Read the following statements:

I. The absorption of CO2 by the world’s oceans reduces the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
II. The absorption of CO2 by the world’s oceans threatens the health of coral reefs.
III. When CO2 is absorbed by ocean water, the availability of carbonate ions in seawater increases.
IV. While levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are increasing, the levels of CO2 in the ocean are decreasing.

Which statements are supported by the passage?

Ocean Acidification

For more than 200 years, . . . the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has increased due to the burning of fossil fuels and land use change. The ocean absorbs
about 30 percent of the CO2 that is released in the atmosphere, and as levels of atmospheric CO2ncrease, so do the levels in the ocean. When CO2 is absorbed by seawater, a series of
chemical reactions occur resulting in the increased concentration of hydrogen ions (H+). An increase in hydrogen ions causes the seawater to become more acidic.

Additionally, an increase in hydrogen ions causes carbonate ions to be relatively less abundant. Carbonate ions (CO2−3) are an important building block of structures such as sea shells and
coral skeletons. Decreases in carbonate ions can make building and maintaining shells and other calcium carbonate structures difficult for calcifying organisms such as oysters, clams, sea
urchins, shallow water corals, deep sea corals, and calcareous plankton.

These changes in ocean chemistry can affect the behavior of non-calcifying organisms as well. Certain fish's ability to detect predators is decreased in more acidic waters. When these
organisms are at risk, the entire food web may also be at risk. Ocean acidification is affecting the entire world’s oceans, including coastal estuaries and waterways. Many economies are
dependent on fish and shellfish and people worldwide rely on food from the ocean as their primary source of protein.

Source: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/acidification.html

A. I and II

B. II and III

C. III and IV

D. II, III and IV

4. The average germination rate of these five students, expressed as a percentage, is 67.2%. Is using the average appropriate in this scenario?
Growing Pea Plants

Mrs. Smith’s science class is growing pea plants. Each of her 25 students initially plants 30 pea seeds.

Once the plants start growing, Mrs. Smith asks her students to count the number of seeds that have germinated. She then selects five students to report their results to the class. They report
their results as number of germinated seeds (out of 30) and as a percentage

Student Name Number of Seeds Germinated (out of 30) Percentage of Seeds Germinated

Abbi 25 83%

Bridgette 16 53%

Carlos 20 67%

Denyse 21 70%

Elliott 19 63%

A. No. The average is not an appropriate measure, because it does not show the variation in germination rates.

B. No. The average is not an appropriate measure, because none of the samples actually had a germination rate of 67.2%.

C. Yes. The average is an appropriate measure, because it gives an overall picture of the germination rates for the sample.

D. Yes. The average is an appropriate measure, because it shows that pea seeds will always have a 67.2% germination rate.
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5. According to the diagram, which of the following is a way that water enters the atmosphere?
Water Cycle

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/atmospheric-infrared-sounder/8265046380/sizes/l

A. groundwater

B. precipitation

C. surface runoff

D. transpiration from plants

6. Read the following list of organisms in the Alaskan marine food web:
I. rats
II. puffins
III. cephalopods
IV. sand lance

Based on the graphic, which of these organisms preys on the fox?

Alaskan Marine Food Web

A food chain is simply "who eats what." A food web weaves together
many food chains to form a complicated network of feeding
relationships among different plants and animals. Many animals eat
more than one thing, and each link in each chain is important and
integral to the entire system.

Pictured here is an example of a marine food web in Alaska. Notice that

this food web illustrates the relationships between producers (plants that
make their own food using chlorophyll and the sun's energy) and
consumers (animals that eat producers and other animals). It also shows
the relationship between predators (animals that hunt and eat other
animals) and prey (the animals which are hunted).

Source: https://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/seabirds_foragefish/marinehabitat/index.php

A. I only

B. IV only

C. III and IV

D. None of these organisms preys on the fox.

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7. Which type of electromagnetic radiation has the shortest wavelength?

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Source: https://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science-practices/electromagnetic-diagram

A. gamma rays

B. microwaves

C. radio waves

D. visible light
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8. Which group(s) of organisms is/are NOT shown in the food chain?

I. decomposers
II. primary consumers
III. producers
IV. secondary consumers

Trophic Levels

All organisms require a source of both energy and nutrients. Many organisms feed on the tissues of other
organisms, either living or dead, to obtain the energy and nutrients they require. These organisms are
referred to as consumers, or heterotrophs. Other organisms, referred to as producers, or autotrophs, are able
to make their own food, using sunlight or inorganic chemicals as a source of energy and carbon dioxide as a
source of carbon. Plants are producers that use the process of photosynthesis to capture sunlight energy and
convert it to chemical energy that is stored as sugars in the plant.

Communities of living organisms have a trophic structure, or pattern of feeding relationships, made up of
various trophic levels. The organisms that feed on producers are referred to as primary consumers. Other
organisms, called secondary consumers, feed on the primary consumers, and so on. Decomposers make up
another important trophic level of consumers. A decomposer is an organism that feeds on the dead tissues
and waste products of other organisms. Fungi, worms, bacteria and insects are examples of decomposers.
Decomposers are important recyclers in an ecosystem because they break down wastes and dead tissues of
plants and animals, allowing the nutrients to be returned to the ecosystem.

A food chain is a simplified representation of the feeding relationships between the various trophic levels in
an ecosystem. Arrows show how energy moves through the various trophic levels. For example, in the food
chain shown here, the grasshopper gets energy by eating the grass and the bird gets energy by eating the
grasshopper. The fox gets energy by eating the bird.

Of course, relationships among organisms in an ecosystem are more complex than a food chain depicts,
because organisms eat more than one type of food. A food web, which is a complex network of
interconnecting food chains, is a more realistic representation of the feeding relationships in an ecosystem.

A. I and II

B. I and III

C. II only

D. III only

9. Franklin is studying energy sources in his science class. So far, he has learned that energy can be obtained from wind, the sun, natural gas, coal, and petroleum.
Franklin is participating in his school’s science fair and wants to choose three of these energy sources to compare. How many different ways can he choose three of these energy sources?

A. 1

B. 3

C. 5

D. 10
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10. An archaeologist found 11 fossils in a recent expedition. If he wants to choose four of them to study closer, how many ways can he choose four fossils from the eleven he
found?

Fossils

Fossils are the preserved remains of ancient life, such as bones, teeth, wood, and shells. Trace fossils represent the presence or behavior of ancient life, without body parts being present.
Footprints, worm burrows, and insect nests are examples of trace fossils.

Sedimentary rock contains fossils because it was built up layer upon layer, often trapping and preserving animals, plants, footprints, and more within the layers of sediment. If all the conditions
are right, fossils are formed as the layers of sediment turn into rock.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/fossils.htm

A. 4

B. 15

C. 44

D. 330

11. Based on the passage, which of the following best describes a catabolic reaction?
Cellular Respiration

Glucose and other molecules from food are broken down to release energy in a complex series of chemical reactions that together are called cellular respiration.

Cellular respiration is a set of metabolic reactions and processes that take place in the cells of organisms to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into ATP, and then release waste
products. The reactions involved in respiration are catabolic reactions, which break large molecules into smaller ones, releasing energy in the process. These processes require a large
number of enzymes which each perform one specific chemical reaction.

Aerobic Respiration

Aerobic respiration requires oxygen. This is the reason why we breathe oxygen in from the air. This type of respiration releases a large amount of energy from glucose that can be stored as
ATP. Aerobic respiration happens all the time in animals and plants, where most of the reactions occur in the mitochondria. Even some prokaryotes can perform aerobic respiration (although
since prokaryotes don’t contain mitochondria, the reactions are slightly different). The overall chemical formula for aerobic respiration can be written
as: C6H12O2+6 O2→6 CO2+6 H2O+(approximately)

Translating that formula into English: One molecule of glucose can be broken down in the presence of oxygen gas to produce waste products of carbon dioxide (which we breathe out) and
water. This process has an overall release of energy which is captured and stored in 38 molecules of ATP.

Aerobic respiration is a complex process that can be divided into three basic stages: glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.

Anaerobic Respiration

Anaerobic respiration occurs in the absence of oxygen. It releases a much smaller amount of energy than aerobic respiration. Anaerobic respiration does not release enough energy to power
human cells for long – think about how long a person can live if they are not able to breathe. Anaerobic respiration occurs in muscle cells during hard exercise (after the oxygen has been used
up). It also occurs in yeast when brewing beer. Many prokaryotes perform anaerobic respiration.

There are several different types of anaerobic respiration. All the types of anaerobic respiration involve glycolysis, and none of them go through the citric acid cycle or oxidative
phosphorylation. Instead, various other methods are used to regenerate the molecules needed for glycolysis. For now, we will summarize them all using this chemical
formula: C6H12O2 NAD+→various waste products+NADH+2 ATP

NAD+ and NADH are two states of a molecule that will carry energy during this process. For right now, just know that NADH carries energy (similar to ATP) and NAD+ is the form that
carries less energy (similar to ADP).

Source: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/mhccmajorsbio/chapter/7-4-an-overview-of-cellular-respiration/

A. a reaction in which large molecules are broken into smaller ones

B. a reaction in which small molecules are synthesized into larger ones

C. a reaction in which a molecule undergoes no change

D. a reaction which consumes more energy than it releases

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12. What is the acceleration of the car from point 3 to point 4 in fts2?

Hint: 1 mi=5,280 ft

Acceleration

𝑓𝑡
Acceleration is defined as the change in velocity over a period of time. The units for acceleration will be a unit of length over the square of a unit of time (i.e. ).
𝑚𝑖𝑛2

The acceleration equation is as follows:

𝛥𝑣
a=
𝛥𝑡

in which Δv represents the change in velocity and Δt represents the period of time over which this change occurred.

Car Driving on a Highway

A.
fts2

B.
−3.67 fts2

C.
−16.67 fts2

D. −75.00 fts2

13. What is the spring constant for a spring that has been stretched 6 m if the spring has an elastic potential energy of 576 J?

Elastic Energy Formula

Elastic potential energy is the amount of potential energy that an elastic material possesses due to being stretched or compressed. A spring is a common example of an elastic material. The
formula for the elastic potential energy of a spring is:

1
PEspring= ⋅ 𝑘 ⋅ 𝑥 2
2

𝑁
Where the elastic potential energy (PEspring) is measured in joules, the spring constant (k) is measured in newtons per meter ( ), and the distance the spring is stretched or compressed
𝑚
compared to its rest position (x) is measured in meters.

𝑁
A. 32
𝑚

𝑁
B. 96
𝑚

𝑁
C. 1,640
𝑚

𝑁
D. 3,456
𝑚
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14. What is the largest source of freshwater on the Earth?

Distribution of Water on the Earth

If 100,000 people represented all water on the Earth where would they be located?

Water Source Total Water (%) Number of People

oceans 97.24 97,240

glaciers and snows 2.14 2,140

aquifers 0.61 610

rivers and lakes 0.017 17

ground 0.005 5

atmosphere (with clouds) 0.001 1

plants 0 0

Source: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/ll_whatacycle.html

A. atmosphere

B. glaciers and snow

C. oceans

D. rivers and lakes

15. Which of the following best describes how phylogenetic trees and cladograms differ?

Phylogenetic Trees and Cladograms

A phylogenetic tree or evolutionary tree is a branching diagram or "tree" showing the inferred evolutionary relationships among various biological species. These relationships are based
upon similarities and differences in their physical or genetic characteristics. The species joined together in the tree are implied to have descended from a common ancestor, the original
species from which the newer species adapted or evolved. Originally, scientists only grouped species by physical appearance. With advances in modern science techniques, genetic
similarities and differences are now included in phylogenetic trees.

Phylogenic trees are difficult to create, as they often list physical and genetic characteristics that have changed over time. Additionally, the branches on phylogenetic trees have to be drawn to
scale, since the length of the branches represents time. A longer branch represents that the evolutionary change took place over a longer period of time than a shorter branch.

Because phylogenetic trees are so difficult to create, scientists often use cladograms (Figure A) to show relationships instead. It is similar to an evolutionary tree, but it does not mention
specific traits nor do the lengths of the branches matter. A cladogram uses lines that branch off in different directions ending at a clade, a group of organisms with a last common ancestor.

There are many shapes of cladograms but they all have lines that branch off from other lines. The lines can be traced back to where they branch off. These branching off points represent a
hypothetical ancestor which can be inferred to exhibit the traits shared among the terminal species that come after. This hypothetical ancestor might provide clues about the order of evolution
of various features and adaptations. Any adaptation or characteristic of a species that is not exhibited in the common ancestor is call a derived character.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylogenetic_tree and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladogram Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tuatara_cladogram.svg

A. The branch length of a phylogenetic tree shows relative time, whereas the branch length of a cladogram does not have significance.

B. The branch length of a cladogram shows relative time, whereas the branch length of a phylogenetic tree does not have significance.

C. Phylogenetic trees show that specific organisms have a common ancestor, whereas cladograms do not.

D. Cladograms show that specific organisms have a common ancestor, whereas phylogenetic trees do not.
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16. Which of the following does NOT fall into the normal range of ocean salinity?

Seawater

If there is one thing that just about everyone knows about the ocean is that it is salty. The two most common elements in seawater, after oxygen and hydrogen, are sodium and chloride.
Sodium and chloride combine to form what we know as table salt.

Seawater salinity is expressed as a ratio of salt (in grams) to a liter of water. In seawater, there is typically close to 35 grams of dissolved salts in each liter. It is written as 35% The normal
range of ocean salinity ranges between 33-37 grams per liter (33% – 37%).

But as in weather, where there are areas of high and low pressure, there are areas of high and low salinity. Of the five ocean basins, the Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest. On average, there is
a distinct decrease of salinity near the equator and at both poles, although for different reasons.

Source: https://forecast.weather.gov/jetstream/ocean/seawater.ht

𝑔
A. 34
𝐿

𝑔
B. 36
𝐿

𝑔
C. 38
𝐿

D. All of the above

17. Based on the results of the experiment, can the students make a reliable conclusion about whether aging affects mobility in fruit flies? Why or why not?

Drosophila as a Model Organism for Biological Research

Drosophila melanogaster, a species of fly commonly known as the fruit fly, is widely used for biological research. A study by National Human Genome Research Institute comparing the fruit
fly and human genome estimated that about 60% of genes are conserved between the two species. About 75% of known human disease genes have a recognizable match in the genome of
fruit flies. Drosophila is used as a genetic model for the study of several human diseases including neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's disease. The fly is also used
to study mechanisms underlying aging. Drosophila is a useful organism for research because it can be readily reared in the laboratory, has only four pairs of chromosomes, breeds quickly,
and lays many eggs. The D. melanogaster lifespan is about 30 days.

Source: adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila_melanogaster#Model_organism_in_genetics

In an experiment to investigate whether aging impacts mobility of fruit flies, students were asked to place three one-week-old flies in a cylinder, and three four-week-old flies in a second
cylinder. The flies were tapped down to the bottom of the cylinder. The students then measured the distance the flies climbed upward within five seconds. The data are shown in the table.

A. No. The average height climbed was the same for both groups.

B. No. There are too few data points to draw any meaningful conclusions.

C. Yes. More than half of the flies in the younger group climbed higher than the flies in the older group.

D. Yes. The fly that climbed the highest was in the group of younger flies.
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18. Based on the graph, which of the following flu season weeks of a year is a person least likely to experience symptoms of influenza-like illness in the United States?
Percentage of Visits for Influenza-like Illness (ILI), 2016-2017 and Selected Previous Seasons

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

A. 6

B. 16

C. 36

D. 46

19. Based on the passage, which of the following most accurately explains how food chains end?

Food Chains and Food Webs

Food chains show the relationships between producers, consumers, and decomposers, showing who eats whom with arrows. The arrows show the movement of energy through the food
chain. For example, in the food chain shown here, the small fish (silverside) gets its energy by eating the plankton and the large fish (bluefish) gets its energy by eating the small fish. Finally,
bacteria eat the fish after it dies, getting energy from the large fish. The bacteria also return nutrients back to the environment for use by the phytoplankton.

Thus, the food chain becomes a complete circle. Animals may eat more than one type of food. They may eat many different types of plants or many different animals. This makes everything
more complicated and the food chain becomes a food web.

A food web is made up of interconnected food chains. Most communities include various populations of producer organisms which are eaten by any number of consumer populations. The
green crab, for example, is a consumer as well as a decomposer. The crab will eat dead things or living things if it can catch them. A secondary consumer may also eat any number of primary
consumers or producers.

In a food web, nutrients are recycled in the end by decomposers. Animals like shrimp and crabs can break the materials down to detritus. Then bacteria reduce the detritus to nutrients.
Decomposers work at every level, setting free nutrients that form an essential part of the total food web.

In a food chain, energy is lost in each step of the chain in two forms: first by the organism producing heat and doing work, and second, by the food that is not completely digested or absorbed.
Therefore, the food web depends on a constant supply of energy from producers and nutrients that are recycled by the decomposition of organisms.

As food is passed along the food chain, only about 10% of the energy is transferred to the next level. For example, 10% of the energy phytoplankton received from the sun can be used by
zooplankton at the next level. From one level to the next about 90% of the energy used by the previous level is lost. This means that there has to be a lot more organisms at the lower levels
than at the upper levels. The number of organisms at each level can be represented with a pyramid shape and is called a food pyramid.

Source: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/foodchainsandfoodwebs.pdf

Marine Food Chain

Source: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/foodchainsandfoodwebs.pdf

A. Food chains begin and end with the same organism since all organisms are producers.

B. Food chains do not end because decomposers recycle nutrients back to producers.

C. Food chains end at the level of tertiary consumer because there is no longer enough energy to pass on to a higher trophic level.

D. Food chains do not end because energy continues to be passed to increasingly higher trophic levels.
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20. A student conducted an experiment to investigate the process of photosynthesis. She filled 2 beakers with 100 ml of distilled water. She clipped 2 large leaves from an ivy plant
and placed one leaf into each beaker. She then placed one of the beakers in a sunny location, and one in a dark closet. After two hours she compared the two beakers and noticed that
there were many small bubbles at the edges of the plant that had been in the sun, but the bubbles were not present on the leaf that had been in the dark.

Which of the following statements from the passage best explains the difference the student observed between the plant placed in the dark and the plant exposed to sunlight?

Photosynthesis

Nearly all life on earth depends upon photosynthesis, a process used by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria to convert light energy into chemical energy. Pigment molecules within the organism
capture energy from sunlight and, through a series of chemical reaction steps, use that energy to build glucose (C6H12O2) molecules from carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules. In this way, the
organism is able to make and store its own food. Therefore, photosynthetic organisms are referred to as producers. In addition to providing a source of food for producers, photosynthesis also
provides a source of food for most other organisms on earth: the consumers that eat producers or other consumers.

In plants and algae, photosynthesis takes place in organelles called chloroplasts. A typical plant cell contains about 10 to 100 chloroplasts. Although all cells in the green parts of a plant have
chloroplasts, most are found in the plant’s leaves. Pigment molecules embedded within the chloroplast’s complex membrane system capture sunlight energy. Chlorophyll is the most abundant
photosynthetic pigment in plants. Chlorophyll does not absorb the green portion of the visible light spectrum, but instead reflects it. This is the reason that most plants appear green. Besides
chlorophyll, plants and algae also use other pigments such as carotenes and xanthophylls.

In addition to sunlight, water (H2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) are also required for photosynthesis. Plants generally take up water through their roots, which then travels up through stems and
into the leaves. Carbon dioxide from the air enters the plant through tiny pores in the plant’s leaves or stems called stomata.

As the reaction steps of photosynthesis take place within a plant or other photosynthetic organism, some of the sunlight energy that was captured by the pigment molecules becomes stored in
the glucose molecules that are produced. In addition, oxygen (O2) is produced as a byproduct and is released into the environment.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis

A. Although all cells in the green parts of a plant have chloroplasts, most are found in the plant’s leaves.

B. Carbon dioxide from the air enters the plant through tiny pores in the plant’s leaves or stems called stomata.

C. In addition, oxygen (O2) is produced as a byproduct and is released into the environment.

D. In addition to sunlight, water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are also required for photosynthesis.