Study Island
Practice Test  Systems
1. A system is made up of several parts that
A. work independently to perform unrelated tasks.
B. work together to perform a single task.
C. work opposite one another to perform unrelated tasks.
D. work independently to perform several related tasks.
2. A system is a group of related parts with specific roles that work together to achieve an
observed result. Which of the following are the main parts of the circulatory system?
A. the brain and spinal cord
B. heart, blood, and blood vessels
C. red blood cells and white blood cells
D. the human body and its organ systems
3. A system is a group of related parts with specific roles that work together to achieve an
observed result. The flow chart below shows a communication system.
In this communication system, what does the transmitter do?
A. converts the message to a signal and sends it to a receiver
B. detects electrical signals produced by the receiver
C. modulates the signal so that it cannot be interpreted by the receiver
D. converts the message from electrical energy into sound energy
4. When looking at a maple tree, you learn that many maple tree leaf cells are capable of creating
food from the sun and sustaining the whole plant. However, if you take a green leaf from a maple
tree, the leaf dies. What does this tell you about the difference between the properties of a system
and the properties of its parts?
A. Maple leaves are unable to create food from sunlight.
B. Your particular maple leaf did not contain enough cells that create food from sunlight.
C. Maple leaves cannot be a functional part of the maple tree's system.
D. Maple leaves need to be connected with the whole maple tree system to survive.
5. The Moon orbits the Earth every 29.5 days in the Earth-Moon system. The Earth-Moon
system is a part of
A. the universe.
B. the Milky Way galaxy.
C. the Solar System.
D. all of these
6. What is a system?
A. A group of related predictions about the future of one branch of science
B. A group of related parts that work together to achieve a desired result
C. A question to be considered, solved, or answered
D. A series of actions or changes that brings about a desired result
7. A food chain is a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an
ecosystem.
In the food chain shown above, a mouse receives energy by consuming the grain, a snake
receives energy by consuming the mouse, and a bird receives energy by consuming the snake.
This example demonstrates
A. that there is order in systems.
B. that organisms can only eat one type of food.
C. the decomposition of matter.
D. the loss of energy with increasing trophic levels.
8. There are five elements of a universal systems model: goal, inputs, processes, outputs, and
feedback. Which of the following describes the "processes" portion of this model?
A. information collected from the outputs
B. what is done to the inputs
C. the money, time, and resources used on the model
D. the results of the system
9. The flowchart below shows the major steps in a system that builds mp3 players.
Which of the steps in the system are examples of processes?
A. I, II, III, IV and V
B. I, III, and V only
C. I, II, III, and IV only
D. II and IV only
10. The finished product or waste that forms as a result of a process is known as _______.
A. the input
B. the output
C. positive feedback
D. negative feedback
11. The flowchart below represents a system.
What is the input in this system?
A. body temperature
B. the brain
C. blood vessel diameter
D. sweat gland activity
12. The power grid is the system that transfers electricity to homes and business.
A power plant produces electricity. The output electricity is an input for the wires that lead to
power substations. The power substations regulate the flow of electricity and send it as an output
through different wires. Transformers adjust the electricity along the way until it becomes an
input for a home.
What is the primary type of input and output that is used in the power grid system?
A. material
B. information
C. energy
D. biological
13. In a system, changes in one part can control what goes on in the system as a whole. Which
answer explains how different parts of a system can be interconnected?
A. The outputs of a system are never changed by the inputs of the system.
B. The output from one part can become the input to other parts of the system.
C. The outputs of a system always leave the system.
D. The inputs of a system always come from outside the system.
14. In a production system that makes cars, the bumper division produces an output of _______
that becomes an input to the assembly division.
A. energy
B. material
C. electricity
D. information
15. Brent is running on a hot day. His body operates best when its inner temperature is 98.6°F.
If Brent's body temperature climbs above 98.6°F, what will keep it from climbing too high?
A. negative feedback provided by rain
B. negative feedback provided by sweat
C. positive feedback provided by blowing wind
D. positive feedback provided by the heart
16. _______ is a system in which both matter and energy flow into and out of the system.
A. An open system
B. A dynamic system
C. An isolated system
D. A closed system
17. The diagram below shows the carbon cycle.
Image courtesy of the EPA.
Which of the following descriptions of the carbon cycle is most accurate?
A. It is an open system because the amount of carbon in the system is variable.
B. It is a closed system because the amount of carbon in the system is variable.
C. It is an open system because the amount of carbon in the system stays constant.
D. It is a closed system because the amount of carbon in the system stays constant.
18. Which of the following is an example of an open-loop system?
A. dialing a phone number
B. setting the thermastat to 72°
C. microwaving a bag of popcorn for 2 minutes and 15 seconds
D. steering a car
19. What is a closed-loop system?
A. A model of something that helps us to understand it better
B. A group of related parts that work together in order to transport material
C. A group of related objects that send out and receive feedback and can modify themselves
D. A group of related objects that do not send out or receive feedback and cannot modify
themselves
20. What is "change" when we are talking about natural and physical systems?
A. Information that has been proven to be true
B. A variable or alteration to one part that affects an entire system
C. A process for using knowledge and skills to acquire new knowledge
D. Repeated processes that are used in a variety of ways
21.
A contractor made a small error in laying the foundation of a building. Instead of being level, the
foundation was at an angle of two degrees. After the building was built, the entire structure
leaned dangerously to the left and had to be torn down.
What does this building demonstrate about systems in general?
A. Small changes in a system can produce very large differences.
B. Systems built by people cannot change.
C. The affect of a change in a system is always predictable.
D. Small changes in a system have only small effects.
22. When a system is behaving erratically, a graph of data measured from the system
A. takes the shape of a line.
B. takes the shape of a wave.
C. does not form a pattern.
D. cannot be recorded.
23. Joey builds a circuit. The circuit is a system made up of wires, a battery, and two light bulbs.
The battery provides energy which flows through the wires and into the light bulbs, causing them
to light up.
One of the wires is accidentally cut, and energy can no longer flow through the wires. What will
most likely happen to the system?
A. The light produced by the light bulbs will not change.
B. The light bulbs will no longer light up.
C. The light bulbs will become slightly dimmer.
D. The light bulbs will become brighter.
24. How is a ratio used to describe change?
A. It represents a relationship between two values in pictures.
B. It represents a relationship between two values numerically.
C. It represents a relationship between two values on a scale.
D. It represents a relationship between two values graphically.
Answers
1. B
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. D
6. B
7. A
8. B
9. D
10. B
11. A
12. C
13. B
14. B
15. B
16. A
17. D
18. C
19. C
20. B
21. A
22. C
23. B
24. B
Explanations
1. A system is made up of interrelated parts that work together to perform a single task. There
are thousands of systems at work every day in society, in machines, and in our own bodies. An
example of a system is the digestive system, which includes the stomach and the intestines.
These organs and others work together to digest food.
Systems can also be made up of interrelated processes. For example, energy production in plants
is a system that consists of two main, interrelated processes - photosynthesis and respiration.
2. Systems are made of many parts that work together. For example, the circulatory system is
made up of a heart that pumps blood through blood vessels.
Each of the parts in a system may be a smaller subsystem, which is also composed of parts. For
example, the circulatory system's blood is composed of plasma, platelets, red blood cells, and
white blood cells.
The components of a system play different roles in the system.
3. Each part of a system has a specific role, and all the parts of the system must work together in
order to achieve a desired result. If one part of the system isn't functioning properly, then the
whole system is unable to function properly.
A transmitter converts a message, usually into electricity, light, or radio waves. The converted
message is then broadcast out so that it can be picked up by a receiver. Without the transmitter,
the communication system would not function properly.
4. A maple tree is a system composed of many parts. Each part plays a different role in the
system, but all the parts interact with each other.
A maple leaf is able to transform sunlight into food that sustains the whole system. However, a
maple leaf needs the rest of the system to survive and grow. If one part of the system is not
working properly, the whole system will not function properly.
5. A system may often be thought of as containing subsystems or as being a subsystem of larger
systems.
The Earth-Moon system contains many subsystems, including the system of the Earth's tides. But
the Earth-Moon system is also a part of numerous larger systems, including the Solar System,
the Milky Way galaxy, and the universe.
6. A system is a group of related parts that work together to achieve a desired result. There are
thousands of systems at work every day in society, in machines, and in our own bodies. An
example of a system is the digestive system, which includes the stomach and the intestines.
These organs and others work together to digest food.
7. A system is a group of related parts that work together to achieve a result. Each part of a
system plays a specific role in the system.
In an ecosystem, different organisms occupy different trophic, or feeding, levels. Organisms that
can use the Sun's energy to make their own food are known as producers. Organisms that eat
producers are known as primary consumers. Organisms that eat primary consumers are known as
secondary consumers, and organisms that eat secondary consumers are known as tertiary
consumers. A food chain organizes organisms by their trophic level, and it demonstrates that
there is order in systems.
8. A universal systems model is a tool used to try to simply and understand complex systems.
Inputs, such as capital and materials, are used to run a process. The results, or outputs, are
analyzed and feedback is produced.
9. Systems can include processes as well as things. In the system that produces mp3 players,
only steps II and IV are examples of processes. The production process builds the case and the
electronics while the assembly process puts the parts together into a product.
The materials used are inputs to the system. The parts are both an output and an input, and the
product is the final output for the system.
10. The raw material that is added to a system for processing is known as the input. For example,
the input for the digestive system is food that is eaten.
The finished product or waste that forms as a result of a process is known as the output. For
example, the output of the digestive system is energy and wastes.
When the output of a system comes back to influence the subsequent functioning of that system,
feedback occurs. If the output amplifies subsequent outputs, positive feedback occurs. If the
output causes subsequent outputs to decrease, negative feedback occurs.
11. An input is the information entering a system. In this system, body temperature is the
information that can cause a response by the brain.
12. Electricity is a form of energy. So the input and output of the power grid system is energy.
13. A system is a set of interrelated parts. The outputs from one part of a system can become
inputs to other parts of the system.
For example, an e-mail system takes the input from a keyboard and changes it into a computer
language. The output form of the message becomes an input to the internet as it travels to the
account it was sent to. This becomes the input for the other person's e-mail program, which
changes it into an output of text that the recipient can read.
Inputs and outputs in systems may include material, energy, or information.
14. The output of the bumper division is bumpers for the cars. Bumpers are a form of material.
The bumpers are then put on the cars by the assembly division.
15. The output from one part of a system can become the input for other parts. Such feedback
can serve to control what goes on in the system as a whole.
When Brent runs, his body temperature increases. This causes his body to release sweat.
Although sweat is an output of the body's system, it goes back into the system as an input by
cooling the body. Negative feedback provided by sweat helps to keep Brent's body operating
within a healthy temperature range.
16. An open system is a subsystem, or a system within a system. Both matter and energy are
able to move into and out of an open system.
An organism is an example of an open system because both matter and energy are exchanged
with the environment, another system.
17. In an open system, matter and energy can enter or exit the system. An organism is an
example of an open system.
In a closed system, however, only energy can move into or out of a system. The carbon cycle is a
closed system because the amount of carbon stays constant.
18. An open-loop system is a system with no feedback; it is the uncontrolled system. In an openloop system, there is no loop connecting the output to the input. If someone is microwaving a
bag of popcorn for 2 minutes and 15 seconds, then the microwave will only go for 2 minutes and
15 seconds regardless if the popcorn is burning or the popcorn has just begun to pop. There are
no feedback processes to adjust the time in which the microwave is cooking the popcorn.
19. A closed-loop system is a system with feedback that can change its processes based on the
feedback. It is the opposite of an open-loop system.
20. Change is a variable. It can come as a result of new knowledge and better technology. Or it
can happen due to the malfunctioning of a machine or a broken part. It can happen as a result of
feedback that a system receives. All systems deal with change. Change in one part of a system
affects the whole system.
21. The foundation was only angled by two degrees, but this small angle was enough to make the
entire building unsafe.
Small changes in one part of a system can produce very large differences in the system as a
whole.
22. Systems that behave erratically may provide measureable data. However, that data will have
no apparent pattern in it.
Erratic data cannot be used to model the system or to predict how it will behave in the future.
23. A system is made up of interrelated parts that work together to perform a single task. If any
of the parts of the system are changed, the entire system will be affected.
If one of the wires of the circuit is accidentally cut, the wires can no longer carry an electric
current, and the light bulbs will no longer light up.
24. A ratio represents a relationship between two values numerically. 1:2 is a ratio. Ratios are
simple and easy to understand; therefore, helpful in quickly expressing the difference between
two measurements.