Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 1
Oceanography 10
Name:___________________________________
Practice Exam #1
This test is worth a total of 61 pts. You will have approximately 1.5 hours to finish the test.
Write the answers into the blank spaces provided, or circle the best answers to the multiple-choice questions.
If you disagree with all, some, or parts of the answers to a multiple-choice question, please write your own
understanding or even your own answer in the exam next to the answer that you selected. (If you select the
wrong answer but add correct information, it may improve your score. However, if you select the best answer
and add incorrect information, it may lower your score.)
When answering short-answer questions, write as if you were trying to explain the concepts to a friend or
family member who has NOT taken the class: carefully explain your reasoning, and use evidence, examples,
and pictures to support your claims.
Student
Value
Score
Subject
26
1A – Introduction to Oceanography
12
1B – Density Lab
12
2A – Life in the Ocean
11
14A – Cabrillo Beach ASA
Boon
61
Total
Were there any questions that you did not expect to see on the exam?
Which question or questions did you find to be the most confusing
or the most misleading? What made them confusing or misleading?
The word “boon” has several
possible meanings, including:
● a favor, a benefit bestowed
upon a request
● a timely blessing or benefit
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 2
Introduction to Oceanography (Topic 1A)
1. Which of the following are currently major uses of the ocean? (Mark all that apply.)
● Catching fish and other animals for food
● Desalinating water to make it fresh enough to drink
● Drilling for oil and natural gas to power our vehicles and homes
● Extracting rare earth metals that are dissolved seawater for use in high tech batteries
● Generating electricity (“clean energy”) from ocean currents
● Generating electricity (“clean energy”) from ocean waves
● Harvesting animals and extracting chemicals from them to make medicines
● Removing oxygen dissolved in seawater so that we can breathe it
2. Approximately what percentage of the world’s population
lives “close” to the ocean (within about 60 miles of the ocean)?
________________________
3. Label the continents, the oceans, the Equator, and the 4 major directions in the map below.
Direction?
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 3
● Plankton are algae.
● Plankton are animals.
● Some plankton are algae and some plankton are animals.
4. Are plankton algae or animals?
Which of the following are the key characteristics of plankton?
In other words, which of the following statements are true for ALL plankton?
Can some plankton swim?
______________________
Are all plankton small (microscopic)?
______________________
True or false? “Most of the life in the ocean is microscopic (very small).”
______________________
5. What do plants & algae need to carry out photosynthesis? (Circle all that apply.)
● Calcium Carbonate
● Carbohydrates
● Carbon Dioxide
● Carbon Monoxide
● Nutrients
● Oxygen
● Sediments
● Sunlight
● Silica
● Water
6. What is the purpose of photosynthesis? In other words, why do plants & algae carry out photosynthesis?
What do they want to make? (Circle all that apply.)
● To make carbon dioxide.
● To make food (carbohydrates).
● To make nutrients.
● To make oxygen.
7. How do most new nutrients naturally enter the ocean? In other words, what supplies (carries) nutrients into
the ocean? (“New” means that these nutrients have not been in the ocean before, and “naturally” means
that humans are not involved in the process.) (Circle one answer.)
● Ocean Currents
● Rivers & Rainwater
● Sewage & Storm Drains
● Waves & Tides
Where do they get most of the new nutrients from? (Circle one answer.)
● Bacteria
● Fecal Matter ("Poop")
● In the Soil (in the Land)
● Ocean Sediments
● Winds
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 4
8. What benefits do phytoplankton provide to humans?
Phytoplankton make their own ________________________________________________________,
and we eat _________________________________________________________________________.
Phytoplankton make Most / Some / A Small Portion of
the __________________________________________________ that we breathe.
Phytoplankton absorb ___________________________________, which we are trying to remove from
the atmosphere because it ______________________________________________________________.
Partially-decomposed phytoplankton bodies buried in the sediments can become _________________
that we use to ______________________________________________________________________
9. Phytoplankton are (A) ____________________, and zooplankton are (A) ____________________ .
(B) _____________________________________________ extract nutrients from ocean water.
(B) _____________________________________________________ carry out photosynthesis.
A: algae, animals, bacteria, plants
B: phytoplankton, zooplankton, both phytoplankton & zooplankton
10. Algae take in the gas ____________________ and release the gas ____________________ .
Animals take in the gas ____________________ and release the gas ____________________ .
11. List the 2 substances that the hardest phytoplankton & zooplankton shells are made of.
(a) _____________________________
(b) _____________________________
12. What important role do bacteria play in the ocean ecosystem?
When bacteria decompose ________________________________________________
the bacteria release _____________________________________ into the ocean water,
which lead(s) to growth of more ______________________________________________.
Possible Answers: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, dead bodies, dissolved substances,
fish, nutrients, oxygen, phytoplankton, zooplankton, sediments, toxins, wastes (fecal matter)
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 5
13. What is the average depth of the oceans?
14. How much of the Earth’s surface is covered by the ocean?
(Answer with a fraction or a percentage.)
__________________
__________________
15. Match the following features of the ocean floor with their descriptions:
___________________________ deep, flat parts of the ocean
___________________________ deepest parts of the ocean
___________________________ flat area close to the coast
___________________________ steep area between the continents
and the deep ocean floor
___________________________ underwater mountain chain
Possible Answers:
● Abyssal Plains
● Continental Shelf
● Continental Slope
● Mid-Ocean Ridge
● Trenches
16. Label the following features
of the ocean floor in side-view
picture on the right.
Possible Answers:
● Abyssal Plains
● Continental Shelf
● Continental Slope
● Mid-Ocean Ridge
● Trenches
17. Which of the following statements about the mid-ocean ridge (MOR) are true? (Mark all that apply.)
● The MOR is an underwater mountain chain.
● The MOR is located out in the middle of the ocean; it does not run into the continents.
● Volcanoes commonly erupt on the MOR.
● Earthquakes commonly happen near the MOR.
18. Which of the following statements about ocean trenches are true? (Mark all that apply.)
● Ocean trenches are the deepest places in the ocean.
● Ocean trenches are located out in the middle of the ocean, far away from any kind of land.
● Volcanoes commonly erupt near ocean trenches.
● Earthquakes commonly happen at or near ocean trenches.
● Most ocean trenches are in the Pacific Ocean.
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 6
19. What are the 2 major kinds (categories) of ocean sediments?
● Remains of Meteors and Asteroids
● Remains (e.g., Shells) of Organisms
● Cooled Lava
● Pieces of Rock
● Mud
● Salt
● Sand
20. What are the 2 kinds of biological sediments?
(a) _____________________________
(b) _____________________________
21. “Most of our drinking water was originally in the ocean.”
● True: salt evaporates from the ocean, leaving behind fresh water that we take from the ocean
● True: water evaporates from the ocean, leaving the salt behind, and then falls as rain and snow
● True: we use “desalinization” plants to remove the salt
● False: most of our water comes from snow melting up in the mountains
● False: most of our water comes from aquifers (underground water, “groundwater”)
22. Does most of the life in the ocean (fish, marine mammals,
phytoplankton, zooplankton, etc.) live close to land or far from land?
Which kind of organisms are at the bottom of the ocean food chain?
__________________________
__________________________
Why are the organisms at the bottom of the food chain more abundant in this place (the place that you
identified above)? In other words: What do they need? Why do they need it? Why is it more abundant
in this place?
Only discuss the
differences between
the ocean near the coast
and far from the coast.
Why do so many of the other kinds of organisms live in this place (the place that you identified above)?
(Make sure that you clearly and accurately describe the relationships between the organisms.)
This question suggests that
you must discuss several of
the kinds of organisms
listed above. If you discuss
“organisms” in general, you
will be downgraded for
having a vague answer.
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 7
Density (Topic 1B)
23. Suppose an object has a mass of 110 g and a size of 11 cm3.
What is its density? (Don’t forget to write the units.)
______________
What is the density of (room-temperature fresh) water?
(Don’t forget to write the units.)
______________
An object has a density of 0.79 g/cm3.
Will it float or sink in water?
Float / Sink
Will it float or sink in alcohol (which has a density of 0.8 g/cm3)?
Float / Sink
24. How can you make
an object less dense?
(Circle 2 answers.)
Add / Remove Weight (Mass) without changing its Size (Volume)
or make it Larger / Smaller without changing its Weight (Mass)
25. Which has a higher density, warm water or cold water? Why?
(A)____________________ water has a higher density than (A)____________________ water.
If you (B)_____________ water, the water gets (C)__________________________________________
A: Warm, Cold
B: Heat, Cool
C: bigger (expands), heavier (weighs more),
lighter (weighs less), smaller (contracts)
You may use 1 or
2 answers for C.
26. Which has a lower density, fresh water or salty water? Why?
(A)____________________ water has a lower density than (A)____________________ water.
If you (B)____________________ water, the water gets (C)_____________________________________
A: Fresh, Salty
B: Add Salt to, Remove Salt from
C: bigger (expands), heavier (weighs more),
lighter (weighs less), smaller (contracts)
You may use 1 or
2 answers for C.
27. Which floats on top, warm water or cold water?
Warm Water / Cold Water
Mixed Layer
Which floats on top, fresh water or salty water?
Fresh Water / Salty Water
Write “warmest,” “coldest,” “freshest (least salty),”
and “saltiest” in the appropriate layers in the side-view
picture on the right.
Thermocline
Deep Ocean
Layer
28. Which gives more support, high density water or low density water?
(In other words, which pushes upwards more strongly on an object,
high density water or low density water?)
29. Is it easier to float in warm water or cold water?
Is it easier to float in fresh water or salty water?
High Density Water /
Low Density Water /
Both Give the Same Support
Warm Water / Cold Water /
Equally Easy to Float in Both
Fresh Water / Salty Water /
Equally Easy to Float in Both
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 8
The Ocean Environment (Topic 2A)
30. How Plankton Stay Close to the Surface: Floating or Sinking Slowly
Identify an adaptation used by ocean algae and animals which helps them float or sink slowly.
Some organisms fill their bodies with High / Low-density substances like _________________________.
Some organisms Increase / Decrease their “drag” or friction with water
by Spreading Out / Contracting into a “Ball” and
thus Increasing / Decreasing their surface area in contact with the water.
Some organisms Increase / Decrease their “drag” or friction with water
with a Smooth / Rough & Spiky shell.
31. Filter/Suspension Feeding
How do filter/suspension feeders obtain food? (Mark all that apply.)
● carrying out photosynthesis
● eating benthos
● eating nekton
● eating plankton
Do filter/suspension feeders filter their food out of ocean water or seafloor sediments?
● ocean water
● seafloor sediments
● both ocean water & seafloor sediments
Give ONE example of a filter/suspension feeder that:
waits for its food to come to it
________________________________
does not wait for its food to come to it
________________________________
lives on the sea floor
________________________________
swims or drifts through the water
________________________________
True or false? “Filter/Suspension feeders wait for food to come to them.”
● True
● False
If this is true, give an example of a filter/suspension feeder that waits for its food to come to it.
If this is false, give an example of a filter/suspension feeder that does not wait for its food to come to it.
True or false? “Filter/Suspension feeders live on the sea floor; they do not swim or drift in the water.”
● True
● False
If this is true, give an example of a filter/suspension feeder that lives on the sea floor.
If this is false, give an example of a filter/suspension feeder that swims or drifts through the water.
Which of the following are examples of “filter feeding” or “suspension feeding”? (Circle all that apply.)
● catching plankton that are drifting by in a mucus “net”
● grabbing drifting plankton out of the water using tentacles
● picking through sediments, looking for something good to eat
● preferred food (e.g., crustaceans) is separated from the other food (e.g., worms), which is thrown away
● pumping water through gill slits or baleen – water goes through but plankton are caught
● sitting in one spot and waiting to catch fish that swim by
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 9
32. How do most ocean animals reproduce?
Select ONE answer from the bullets below.
● Casting their eggs & sperm directly into the water where they drift and meet at random
● Females lay their eggs on the sea floor, and the males spray their sperm on the eggs
● Gather in large groups at the Ends of Rivers / High Tide / Low Tide / Special Islands,
and mate over and over with different neighboring animals
● Males release their gametes into the water, and females take it in to fertilize their eggs
● Males release their gametes into the water where it randomly hits females and fertilizes their eggs
What happens after the eggs are fertilized? Are they protected or vulnerable?
Select ONE of the two bullets below, and – if necessary – complete the statement.
● The Males / Females / Males & Females protect their (A) _________________________________.
● The eggs drift though the ocean water unprotected.
What happens after the eggs are fertilized? Are the babies fed or do they find their own food?
Select ONE of the two bullets below, and – if necessary – complete the statement.
● The Males / Females / Males & Females gather food for their babies.
● The eggs develop into (B) _______________________ that (C) ____________________________ .
A: eggs, babies, eggs and their babies
B: phytoplankton, small fish, zooplankton
C: carry out photosynthesis, feed on phytoplankton, feed on zooplankton, feed on small fish
33. Viscosity
Warm water has a Higher / Lower viscosity than cold water,
so warm water flows more Easily / Poorly around organisms’ bodies than cold water.
Therefore, sinking algae and animals experience (“feel”) More / Less “drag” or friction
with warm water and thus sink Faster / Slower in warm water.
34. True or false? “Phytoplankton are always able to float in ocean water.”
● True: Phytoplankton have a density which is much Higher / Lower than the density of ocean water,
so they are always able to float in ocean water
● False: Many phytoplankton have a density which is very close to the density of ocean water.
Therefore, they sink if ocean water gets too Warm / Cold and/or Fresh / Salty.
35. When conditions heat up, where does it get warmer,
in the ocean or on land?
When conditions cool down, where does it get colder?
Warmer in the Ocean / on Land.
Colder in the Ocean / on Land.
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 10
36. If an ocean animal is in water that is too fresh for it,
does water enter (bloat) or leave (dehydrate) its body?
Water enters its body (bloats) /
Water leaves its body (dehydrates).
If an ocean animal is in water that is too salty for it,
does water enter (bloat) or leave (dehydrate) its body?
Water enters its body (bloats) /
Water leaves its body (dehydrates).
37. Where is there more oxygen, near the surface of the ocean or down deep?
There is more oxygen At the Surface / Down Deep.
38. Where are there more nutrients in the middle of the ocean, near the surface or down deep? Why?
In the middle of the ocean, there are more nutrients At the Surface / Down Deep.
Even though rainwater runoff washes nutrients off the land and into the ocean near the surface,
nutrients that drift away from the coast are absorbed by phytoplankton, becoming part of their bodies
and in turn the bodies of animals who eat them. The nutrients then sink towards the bottom of the ocean
in the bodies of dead organisms and the fecal matter of animals until they are decomposed by
_______________________________, which releases the nutrients into the water down deep.
39. What causes the pressure in the atmosphere and ocean?
40. Which scuba diver experiences less pressure on their body
while diving, diver A or diver B?
● Diver A
● Diver B
A
Why is the pressure lower at this location? Explain.
Ocean
B
41. Does sea-level rise or fall in a region of low atmospheric pressure like inside a storm?
Sea level Rises / Falls / Stays the Same beneath low atmospheric pressure like a storm.
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 11
42. What happens to orange light in each of the situations below? Is it reflected or absorbed?
What happens when it hits a yellow animal?
Reflected / Absorbed
What happens when it hits a orange animal?
What happens when it hits a white animal?
Reflected / Absorbed
Reflected / Absorbed
What happens when it hits a black animal?
Reflected / Absorbed
43. Circle all the colors of light present in sunlight.
(Circle all that apply.)
Red / Orange / Yellow / Green / Blue / Black
Which color is the dominant (“strongest”) color in sunlight? __________________________
44. Which color of light is absorbed fastest by water?
____________________
Which color of light tends to go “straight through” water best?
____________________
Which color of light penetrates deepest into the ocean?
____________________
45. Underwater everything has a “blue” tint. Why do we see “blue” no matter what direction we look?
Why don’t we see any other colors?
There is (A) ____________________ blue light present underwater than any other color of light,
because blue light is absorbed (B) ____________________ by ocean water than other colors of light.
In addition, blue light is shining in every direction you look, because
blue light is (A) ____________________ easily scattered by ocean water than other colors of light.
Therefore, objects receive (A) ____________________ blue light when underwater,
so underwater objects (C) ____________________ (A) ____________________ blue light,
making them look “bluer.”
A: more, less
B: faster, slower
C: absorb, reflect
46. What color are many deep-ocean animals?
How does this coloration help an animal blend in with the dark water of the deep ocean?
(A) ____________________ light penetrates deeper into the ocean than any other color of light,
because it is (B) ____________________ (C) ____________________ than any other color of light.
If this color of light hits one of the many (A) ____________________ deep-ocean animals,
the light will be (B) ____________________ by the animal’s body,
so a predator looking at the animal will see the color (A) ____________________,
and therefore have difficulty seeing the animal; the animal will blend in with the deep-sea water.
A: red, yellow, green, blue, black
B: absorbed, reflected, scattered
47. Does sound travel better (farther, faster) through air or water?
C: more, less, faster, slower
Air / Water
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 12
Cabrillo Beach ASA (Topic 14A)
48. Why are coastal wetlands often “wet” (covered by water)?
___________________________
49. What percentage of California’s wetlands have been destroyed by humans? ___________________
50. Why was the wetland Salinas de San Pedro created?
● Flood Control
● Nursery for Ocean Animals
● To Clean Polluted Runoff
● To Replace Wetlands Destroyed Elsewhere
51. Is there lots of life or very little life in wetlands?
Lots of Life / Very Little Life
52. Circle the major ways in which natural, healthy wetlands benefit humans that we discussed.
● cleaner ocean for swimming: wetlands filter pollutants out of runoff
● food: wetlands are a place for ocean animals that we eat to grow up
● mining valuable minerals (e.g., gold, silver)
● newly discovered plants and animals are a source of chemicals for new medicines and other drugs
● ports for ships: good place to load & unload cargo, protected from waves and storms
● produce most of the carbon dioxide that we breathe
● protection from drought: store fresh water
● protection from flooding when sea level rises during storms
● reduce shoreline erosion by blocking waves
● safer food: wetlands filter pollutants out of runoff
53. Where were the waves largest during our visit,
inside the harbor or outside the harbor?
Inside the Harbor /
Outside the Harbor
54. During our visit, were the waves all moving in the same direction as they broke near the shoreline
or were they moving in different directions at different locations along the shoreline?
Moving in the Same Direction / Moving in Different Directions
55. Which is the more natural “beach” by the Cabrillo Aquarium,
(and for the rest of Palos Verdes) the sandy beach or the tide-pool area?
56. Where does the water that flows down storm drains go?
Sandy Beach /
Tide-Pool Area
___________________________
What are the primary purposes of storm drains? (Select 2 answers.)
● to carry our wastes out of our homes
● to catch and collect water for Agriculture / Drinking / Washing
● to keep polluted runoff from going into the Ocean / Wetlands
● to keep the streets clean: storm drains help remove trash
● to prevent flooding which could damage our homes and other buildings
● to prevent flooding which could make driving dangerous
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 13
57. Beaches are often "closed" after it rains. What are city authorities looking for in the water?
What is in the water that causes the authorities to close the beach? (Circle ONE answer.)
● Bacteria
● Fecal Matter
● Mercury
● Pesticides ● Viruses
● DDT
● Fertilizers
● Oil
● PCBs
How does the contaminant get to our beaches? What carry it to our beaches? (Circle ONE answer.)
● Currents
● Ships and Boats
● Sewage Pipes
● Waves
● Longshore Transport ● Storm Drains
● Tides
● Winds
58. Our local cliffs composed of sediments that (A) ______________________________________________.
They mainly consist of (B) _______________, (B) ________________, & (B) _______________.
A: came out of volcanoes, were dissolved in ocean water & solidified, sank & piled up on the ocean floor,
washed up on land by waves, washed up on land by tides
B: basalt, clam shells, coral, gravel, mud, olivine, plankton shells, sand, salt, whale bones
59. What is the major thing that erodes the top
of our coastal cliffs? (Mark 1 answer.)
What is the major thing that erodes the bottom
of our coastal cliffs? (Mark 1 answer.)
● Currents
● Tides
● Earthquakes
● Waves
● Rain
● Winds
● Currents
● Tides
● Earthquakes
● Waves
● Rain
● Winds
60. Describe the sediments in the tide-pooling area
Large / Small / Some Large, Some Small
that we visited.
and
(Circle two answers.)
Smooth / Angular (Sharp) / Some Smooth, Some Angular
61. What are tides?
● daily rise and fall of sea level along the coast
● ocean water flowing towards and up the shoreline
How many high tides are there each day?
● strong ocean currents
● waves breaking along the shoreline
____________
How long does it take for the ocean to go from high tide to low tide?
What causes the tides?
● Boats and Ships
● Earthquakes
● Waves
_________________
● Gravitational pull of the Moon
● Gravitational pull of the Sun
● Winds (Storms)
62. What is a tide pool?
● betting on when it will be high tide and low tide
● examining animals and algae who live along the shoreline
● stream of water heading into the ocean when the tide goes out
● stream of water heading onto land when the tide comes in
● water left behind along the shoreline when the tide goes down
● when water covers the shoreline at high tide
Practice Exam #1 (Topics 1A, 1B, 2A, & 14A) – page 14
63. The tide pool area that we visited was a marine life refuge.
Were we allowed to remove living animals?
Allowed / Not Allowed
Were we allowed to remove the remains of dead animals (e.g., shells)?
Allowed / Not Allowed
64. Name 1 stationary animal (an animal that stays in one spot) that you observed living in the tide-pooling
area during our visit to the tide pools, make a sketch of it, and describe how it feeds (do not just give the
name of the feeding style; describe it). If we did not get to visit the tide pools during the ASA, discuss the
pictures of the tide-pool animals that we saw in class.
Name:
Sketch
Description of How It Feeds
65. Most of the animals that are found in tide pools when you go tide pooling:
● are benthos carried in a high tide and left on the shore
● are zooplankton carried in a high tide and left on the shore
● drift at high tide and settle in new places each day at low tide
● live in the tide pools at both high tide and low tide
66. Based on your observations (or the pictures shown to you in class),
complete the following statements about where the organisms in the tide-pool area live:
Most animals and algae live (A)____________________________________ of the rocks.
Most animals and algae live (B) ____________________________________ the tide pools.
Most animals and algae live near the edge of the (C) _______________________________.
A: on top? near the bottom?
B: in? outside of?
C: cliffs? water (ocean)?