Name: _______________________________________________ Section: _______
The Structure of Living Things – Practice Test
Directions: For each of the questions or incomplete statements below, choose the best
of the answer choices given and write your answer on the line.
1. ________Which of the following functions occurs in plants but not in animals?
a. obtaining energy from food
b. responding to changes in the environment
c. synthesizing food from carbon dioxide and water
d. producing new individuals
2. ________The process of “burning” food inside an organism’s cells to release
energy is called
a. excretion.
b. growth.
c. digest.
d. respiration.
3. ________Which statement is true of all living things?
a. They are exact copies of their parents.
b. They come from other living things.
c. The young look like small adults.
d. They always have two parents.
4. ________Which of the following statements is most correct?
a. The cell is the basic unit of structure in living things but not the basic unit
of function.
b. The cell is basic unit of function in living things but not the basic unit of
structure.
c. The cell is both the basic unit of structure and the basic unit of function in
living things
d. The cell is neither the basic unit of function nor the basic unit of structure
in living things.
5. ________Mitochondria are known as the “powerhouse of a cell” because they
make energy available by carrying out the life function of
a. excretion.
c. digestion.
b. growth.
d. respiration.
6. ________Suppose that you are a piece of sugar just eaten by a horse. Which best
represents the correct sequence of life functions that you would be a part of?
a. respiration Æ digestion Æ transport
b. transport Æ digestion Æ respiration
c. digestion Æ transport Æ respiration
d. transport Æ respiration Æ digestion
Adapted from: Cohen, P. S., Deutsch, J., & Sorrentino, A. (2004). Preparing for the NJ GEPA - Science.
New York: Amsco School Publications, Inc.
7.
________A group of organs working together to carry out a life process is called
a. a cell.
b. a tissue.
c. an organ.
d. an organ system.
8. _______A group of similar cells working together makes up
a. a cell.
c. an organ.
b. a tissue.
d. an organ system.
9. _______The type of tissue that carries messages throughout the body is most
likely to be
a. skin.
b. muscle.
c. nerve.
d. bone.
10. _______Going from the simple to the complex, which order correctly represents
the organization of the human body?
a. organ system Æ organ Æ cell Æ tissue
b. cell Æ tissue Æ organ Æ organ system
c. tissue Æ cell Æ organ Æ organ system
d. organ Æ organ system Æ cell Æ tissue
11. _______Which body system supports and protects the other body systems?
a. skeletal
c. reproductive
b. endocrine
d. digestive
12. _______Which body system is mainly responsible for the movement of the body?
a. digestive
b. circulatory
c. muscular
d. endocrine
Adapted from: Cohen, P. S., Deutsch, J., & Sorrentino, A. (2004). Preparing for the NJ GEPA - Science.
New York: Amsco School Publications, Inc.
The tables below give the scientific classification for a variety of organisms. Look at
the information in the tables below; then answer questions 13 through 16
13. _______Which animals are classified in the same genus but in different species?
a. dog and chimpanzee
c. wolf and dog
b. horse and grasshopper
d. wolf and horse
14. _______What is true about all the organisms in the table directly above?
a. they all belong to a different kingdom
b. they all belong to a different phylum
c. they all belong to the same kingdom
d. they all belong to the same phylum
15. _______ Which group generally contains the largest number of different species?
a. phylum
c. order
b. class
d. genus
16. _______ A particular species of grasshopper would be most closely related to
another organism that is in
a. the same phylum, but a different class.
b. the same class, but a different order.
c. the same order, but a different family.
d. the same family, but a different genus.
Adapted from: Cohen, P. S., Deutsch, J., & Sorrentino, A. (2004). Preparing for the NJ GEPA - Science.
New York: Amsco School Publications, Inc.