CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Characteristics of Science Vocabulary
Scientific method
Hypothesis
Observation (qualitative,
quantitative)
Inference
Variable
Manipulated (independent)
variable
Responding (dependent)
variable
Control Group
Experimental Group
Graduated cylinder
Triple beam balance
Beaker
Graph
Data,
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Characteristics of Science-Study Guide
Read the following experiment to answer questions #1-4.
Kierra finished a book report on plants. She knew that plants grew best in an environment full of light with a
lot of water. To prove what she had learned, Kierra wanted to test the growth of plants in different biomes.
She planted 10 bean plant seeds in each of the 6 different land biomes. Each bean plant seed was planted 2
centimeters below the surface. They were equally spaced from each other other. For 10 days she and her
experiment partners recorded the height of the plants at the same time of the day.
1. Name the controlled variable(s):________________________________________________
2. Name the manipulated variable(s):______________________________________________
3. Name the responding variable(s):_______________________________________________
4. Write a hypothesis using the above experiment:____________________________________
Using the following statement, find the following types of observations to complete #5-6.
Kierra studied the growth of plants in different biomes. She noticed that plants in the wet tropical rainforest
biome on average grew to 2 meters in length, and had many green leaves on their stems. When she studied
plants in the dry desert environment, she noted they grew only 20 centimeters tall and had only a few
brownish yellow leaves on their stems.
5. Quantitative observations:_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
6. Qualitative observations:______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
7. What tool and unit is used to measure temperature?_________________________________
8. What tool and unit is used to measure volume?_____________________________________
9. What tool and unit is used to measure mass?_______________________________________
10. What tool and unit is used to measure length?______________________________________
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
11. List the metric unit most appropriate to measure the following items:
A. Mass of a student
_____________________________
B. Length of a small insect
_____________________________
C. Volume of a soft drink can
_____________________________
12. Read the six statements below. Write what step of the scientific method each statement represents.
Steps: Problem, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Results, Conclusion
Search the library for information on water
temperature and fish survival
Do fish react to water temperature
If fish are put in water of 20◦C, they will die within 30
days.
Take 2 groups with an equal number of fish. Put
them in 2 tanks of the same size and same kind of
water, but different temperatures. Observe their
behavior.
My hypothesis was correct because the fish in 20◦C
water died within 30 days.
Fish in 20◦C water died within 30 days.
Read the passage and answer questions 12-14.
A researcher wants to determine if a certain type of energy drink makes athletes run faster. The researcher
will time the athletes in a 40-yard dash before and after drinking the energy drink. The researcher gives the
drink to 3 basketball players, 3 football players, 2 baseball players and 2 tennis players, for a total of 10
athletes. When he times the athletes, he finds that 6 of the 10 athletes run faster in the second 40-yard dash.
The researcher reports to the drink company that the energy drink makes most athletes run faster.
12. What was the hypothesis being tested by this researcher?
___________________________________________________________________________
13. The researcher reported that the energy drink makes most athletes run faster. Is that an accurate claim
for the researcher to make? Give 2 reasons why the claim is or is not accurate.
_____________________________________________________________________________
14. What might be the next step for this researcher, if he wanted to strengthen his claim that the energy drink
makes most athletes run faster?
______________________________________________________________________________
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Cells & cell processes-vocabulary
Cell
Organelle
tissue
organ
Organ system
organism
cytoplasm
Cell membrane
nucleus
mitochondria
chloroplast
prokaryotic
eukaryotic
Passive transport
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Active transport
Selectively permeable
photosynthesis
respiration
mitosis
meiosis
chromosome
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
microscope
List the levels of organization of life, starting with cells:
Cells
________
_
_________
_________
_______
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Identify each of the following cells as a plant or animal cell and label each of the following structures.
Plant / Animal Cell (circle one)
Word Bank
Cell Membrane
Chloroplast
Cell Wall
DNA
Nucleus
Mitochondria
Cytoplasm
Plant / Animal Cell
Word Bank
Cell Membrane
Nucleus
Mitochondria
DNA
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Cytoplasm
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Body Systems Study Guide
Body System
Function
Circulatory
Digestive
Endocrine
Excretory
Immune
Muscular
Nervous
Reproductive
Respiratory
Skeletal
Skin
Use the following statement to answer questions #1-3. “The students begin to get up out of their chairs after
they hear the bell ring.”
Identify the stimulus:________________________________________________.
Identify the response:________________________________________________.
What organ system allows the students to react?___________________________.
Genetics vocabulary
Trait
Heredity
Genetics
Purebred/homozygous
Gene
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Allele
Dominant allele
Recessive allele
Hybrid/heterozygous
Probability
Phenotype
Genotype
Sperm
Egg
Mutation
Selective breeding
Gregor Mendel
Genetics
Cross a homozygous black fur animal with a homozygous white fur animal. (B= black; b= white)
What are possible genotype(s)?
What are possible phenotype(s)?
Cross a hybrid curly haired parent with a purebred straight haired parent. (C= curly; c= straight)
What are possible genotype(s)?
What is the probability (fraction) of a curly haired offspring?
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Cross a hybrid red fruit with a purebred red fruit. (R= red; r= yellow)
What are possible genotype(s)?
What is the probability (%) that the offspring being Rr?
______________ _______________ is the method of selecting a few organisms with desired traits to serve as
parents of the next generation. What are 3 example of ways that humans use this process to increase the
value of a plant or animal.
1.
2.
3.
Where are genes located?
Each body cell in a human contains 23 pairs of chromosomes.
How many chromosomes does a human receive from each of its parents? __________
How many chromosomes are present in the human’s sex cells? __________
Evolution Vocabulary
Species
Adaptation
Evolution
Natural Selection
Variation
Relative Dating
Absolute Dating
Extinct
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Finches of the Galapagos Islands
 What resource were the finches competing for in the Galapagos?

What trait showed variations that helped some finches compete for the limited resource?

Over time, how did natural selection result in the evolution of different finch species on different
islands?
Peppered Moths of Manchester, England
What two variations in color are possible for moths in Manchester?
How did predators select for one color variation in the moth to be more useful than another color
variation?
When pollution darkened the tree bark, how did the useful color variation for moths in Manchester
change? Why was a different color now more useful?
In what type of rock are fossils usually found?
What are the two ways that scientists date fossils and how are they different?
How do variations in a species lead to natural selection?
What theory did Charles Darwin develop based in his voyage to the Galapagos Islands?
Define adaptation and give 4 examples.
When the better adapted organisms of a species survive and pass on their traits what process is occurring?
After many generations of this process what occurs next?
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
What kind of observations did Charles Darwin make about the Iguanas, Finches, and Commorants of the
Galapagos Islands? How were they different from the organisms on the mainland of South America?
Ecology
Habitat
Biotic Factor
Abiotic Factor
Ecosystem
Competition
Symbiosis
Mutually
beneficial/mutualism
Producer
Consumer
Herbivore
Carnivore
Omnivore
Scavenger
Decomposer
Food Chain
Food Web
Energy Pyramid
Climate
Biome
Estuary
Temperate
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Ecology
1. What is an autotroph?__________________________________________________
2. What is a heterotroph?_________________________________________________
Use the diagram to the right to answer
Questions #3-11
3. Where do all the organisms get their energy
From? _____________________
4. Write out the food chain in words below:
5. Name the producer(s)__________________________________________
Consumer(s)__________________________________________
6. Label the herbivore(s) and carnivore(s) on the food chain.
7. Are there any omnivores? Why or why not?
8. Name the predators(s)________________________________
9. Name the prey __________________________________
10. Do all organisms get the same amount of energy? Why or why not?
11. Create a food energy pyramid using the organisms from the food chain above.
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
12. In a forest, the deer population has 200 members. The wolves that prey upon the deer have a
population of 20. A forest fire destroys 90% of the plant life in the forest.
What happens to the deer population due to the fire?
What happens to the wolf population?
13. In a certain ecosystem, there is a population of wolves that feed primarily on a population of rabbits. If
there is an abundance of rabbit food for several years and the rabbit population increases, what will
most likely be the result for the wolf population?
Match the biomes with the following characteristics:
Coniferous/Boreal Forest (Taiga)
Grassland
Biome
Marine
Tundra
Desert
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Freshwater
Tropical Rainforest
Estuary
Characteristic
Found in regions close to the equator. Receives a lot of rain and warm temperatures
throughout the year with constant sunlight. Many diverse animals and tall trees form
a canopy.
Receives less than 25cm of rain per year. Very dry and warm climate. Animals and
plants store water to adapt to the lack of rain. Animals are active at night and plants
have a thick and waxy covering.
Sometimes called a prairie, the temperature here is comfortable because it is located
in the middle latitudes. Receives 25-75cm of rain per year, not enough for trees to
grow. Typically populated by grasses and home of the largest animals such as bison,
antelopes, giraffes, and rhinoceros.
Lots of trees that shed their leaves and grow new ones each year are found here.
Receives 50 cm of rain per year, enough to support the growth of trees and plants.
Temperatures vary during the year with all the season. Many birds, opossums, bears,
and porcupines are found here and may migrate or hibernate in the winter. Found in
the eastern part of the United States.
Here in northern Canada you will find many trees that have needle like leaves and
produce seeds in cones such as pine, fir, and spruce trees. Winters are very cold with
much snow and summers are warm enough to melt the snow and bring much rain.
Trees have a waxy covering, a necessary adaptation to keep water from evaporating
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
since much of the year the water is frozen. Many herbivores live here such a deer, elk,
moose, and beavers that attract large predators such as wolves, bears, and lynxes.
Largest of all biomes because it covers 70% of the earths surface. Many animals that
are adapted to live in saltwater live here.
Extremely cold and dry biome located in the arctic regions. Receives litte precipitation
like the desert but here most of the soil is permanently frozen. No trees grow here
because of the permafrost not allowing for roots to grow. The top layer of soil thaws
for grass to grow. Herbivores graze on the grass or lichen and have thick fur to
withstand the freezing climate.
This is a very productive, very diverse, and wet biome. It is the place where a river
meets the ocean, producing a salt/fresh water mix. Large amounts of nutrients carried
by the river and lots of sunlight make it a good habitat. Producers include marsh grass
and algae. Consumers include crabs, worms, slams, oysters, and fish. Used as a
breeding ground by many ocean animals.
Comparison of Early and Modern Classification Systems
Aristotle’s Classification System
Linnaeus-based Modern Classification
Six Kingdoms of Life
____________
___________
____________
____________
____________
____________
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Modern Levels of Classification
Largest Group
Smallest
______________________________________________________________________
Words Frequently Used On Standardized Tests
Directions: Get twelve blank 3 x 5 index cards. On the front of each card record the following underlined terms, one term per card.
Then, write the definition/explanation for the term on the back of the card.
Analyze
Compare
Contrast
Break apart
Think it through
Look at carefully
Describe
Tell about
Paint a picture with words
List
Formulate
Make
Figure out
Create
Come up with
Summarize
Retell
Main ideas
Recall
Conclude
Alike
Same
Similar
All the ways they are not alike
Different
Use Venn Diagram
Evaluate
Judge
Supply data
Give value to
Infer
What are they trying to say
Figure out
Explain
Give details
Tell me all about it
Answer
Predict
Guess
Tell what you think is going to happen
Support
Back it up
Prove your point with facts
Defend
Trace
Draw
Follow
Go over
List in steps
Multiple Choice Test Taking Strategies
Strategy: Eliminate answers that don’t make any sense.
Example:
Food webs contain many different types of organisms including: producers, consumers, and decomposers. Which of the following organisms is a
primary consumer in a food web?
a. oak tree
b. wolf
c. giraffe
d. grass
Strategy: Circle key words that will help you answer the questions.
Example:
The students in your class have been comparing and contrasting organisms from the six kingdoms. Which of the following organisms is a
multicellular eukaryote with a cell wall?
a. plant
b. animal
c. archebacteria
d. eubacteria
CRCT Study Guide 2011 Name______________________________
Strategy: Be aware of Extreme Words in the answers. Choices that contain these words are usually wrong.
Example:
Which of the following statements is true of symbiotic relationships?
a. Both organisms always benefit from the relationship.
b. One organism is always harmed in the relationship.
c. One organism is never harmed in the relationship.
d. At least one organism benefits from the relationship.
Strategy: Pay special attention to questions written with negative words.
Example:
Which of the following is NOT a part of the cell theory?
a. All living things are made of cells.
b. Cells are the basic unit of structure and function.
c. Cells produce their own food for survival.
d. All cells are made from other cells.
Strategy: Check for qualifying words. Test these qualifiers to see if they are true.
Example:
It is very common for pigs with different genotypes to mate and produce many offspring. If a black pig with the genotype Bb mates with a pink pig
whose genotype is bb for life, what will be true of their offspring?
a. The offspring will always be pink.
b. The offspring will always be black.
c. Most of their offspring will be pink.
d. Half of their offspring will be black.
Strategy: Read the answer choices carefully. Is the whole statement true, or just parts of it?
Example:
The symbiotic relationship between a flea and the dog it feeds on is an example of
a. predation because the flea feeds on the dog’s blood.
b. commensalism because the flea feeds on the dog’s blood, and the dog doesn’t care.
c. parasitism because the flea feeds on the dog’s blood which benefits the dog.
d. parasitism because the flea feeds on the dog’s blood which harms the dog.
Strategy: Examine the answer choices carefully when answering “all of the above” questions.
Example:
The number of organisms living within an ecosystem is controlled by both biotic and abiotic limiting factors. Which is a biotic factor that affects the
size of a population living in a specific ecosystem?
a. the average temperature in the ecosystem
b. the type of soil in the ecosystem
c. the number and types of predators in the ecosystem
d. all of the above
Strategy: Choose numbers from the middle range, not the extremes.
Example:
What is the average yearly rainfall for a tropical rainforest located along the equator?
a. 4 centimeters
b. 40 centimeters
c. 400 centimeters
d. 4,000 centimeters
Strategy: Look at similar answer choices. One is correct, and the other is there to trick you.
Example:
Which of the following raw materials is necessary for cellular respiration to occur?
a. air
b. oxygen
c. carbon dioxide
d. water
Strategy: Look at opposite answer choices. One is correct and the other is there to trick you.
Example:
Which is the correct sequence of organization from LEAST complex to MOST complex?
a.
organism, organ system, organ, tissue, cell
b. organism, organ, tissue, organ system, cell
c.
cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism
d. cell, organ, tissue, organ system, organism