SCI-PS
SOL Practice Questions_Life Science
Exam not valid for Paper Pencil Test Sessions
[Exam ID:2ALL02
1
According to the graph, which air pollutant decreased the most from 1970 to 1991?
A Lead
B Sulfur oxides
C Particulates
D Carbon monoxide
2
On a small island, scientists observed and graphed changes in wolf and moose populations. From 1965 to 1970, which data pattern did scientists observe?
A A drop in wolf population and a drop in moose population
B An increase in wolf population and a drop in moose population
C A drop in wolf population and an increase in moose population
D An increase in wolf population and an increase in moose population
3
A student recorded the temperature of an aquarium each hour for 8 hours. Which of these will best display the data the student collected?
A Bar graph
B Circle graph
C Picture graph
D Line graph
4
In this diagram of a single-celled organism, which organelle functions as a place to store extra water?
A Cytoplasm
B Nucleus
C Cell membrane
D Vacuole
5
When comparing a plant cell to an animal cell, only the plant cell will contain —
A ribosomes
B chromosomes
C chloroplasts
D mitochondria
6
Human sweat is the direct result of which life functions?
A Respiration and cellular growth
B Digestion and disease prevention
C Waste removal and temperature control
D Reproduction and cellular transport
7
Directions: Click and drag the answers to the correct boxes.
Place the terms in the order of the simplest level of organization to the most complex.
Cell
Tissue
Organ
System
8
Which of these shows the correct sequence of development?
A
B
C
D
9
Cells → tissues → organs → systems
Organs → cells → tissues → systems
Tissues → cells → systems → organs
Systems → tissues → cells → organs
Which gas do animals need to carry out life processes?
A Helium
B Carbon dioxide
C Carbon monoxide
D Oxygen
10 Which of these is the best description of a typical organism in the Plant kingdom?
A Is unicellular
B Lacks a nucleus
C Makes its own food
D Lacks a cell wall
11
From the data given in this table, which characteristics help classify the seashells as belonging to the Tellin family?
A Color, size, and hinge type
B Size, hinge type, and location
C Color, size, and water temperature
D Hinge type, location, and water temperature
12 Which characteristic is used to classify frogs into a different phylum from squid, snails, and jellyfish?
A Frogs have backbones.
B Frogs live on land.
C Frogs breathe oxygen.
D Frogs are predators.
13 Which of the following classification groups contains organisms that have the most characteristics in common?
A Class
B Species
C Phylum
D Kingdom
14
Botanists often use leaves to identify plants. Which trait of the leaves shown would be most useful in identifying the plants they came from?
A Function of the leaf
B Presence or absence of veins
C Color of the leaf
D Arrangement of leaves on a stem
15
Which animal has a life span closest to that of sheep?
A Dog
B Cow
C Cat
D Horse
16 Chloroplasts are found only in organisms that are able to —
A generate their own energy
B migrate to other ecosystems
C grow to a larger size
D hunt for prey
17 When plants undergo photosynthesis, they produce —
A nitrogen
B oxygen
C carbon dioxide
D hydrogen
18
The equation for photosynthesis is shown. Which of these is required to complete the equation for photosynthesis?
A Carbon
B Oxygen
C Hydrogen
D Nitrogen
19
White-footed mice having thicker fur than cactus mice is probably influenced most by the differences in the —
A food that they eat
B time of day they are active
C environmental climates where they live
D amount of predators they encounter
20 What process makes food for plants?
A Photosynthesis
B Reproduction
C Respiration
D Condensation
21 What most likely happened to species that are found in the fossil record but have no living members?
A They became extinct.
B They had offspring of a different species.
C They mutated to other species.
D They never really existed.
22 There are harvesting regulations for many fish species that limit the number and size of the fish that may be kept. What is the most likely reason these limits have been placed on harvesting these fish?
A To have people spend more money on fishing
B To keep other game fish species populations low
C To have enough fish for zoo aquariums
D To keep a healthy population of adult fish
23 Which of these has been improved by genetic engineering?
A Visibility of insects to predators
B Growth of insects in cornfields
C Reduced number of pollinating insects
D Resistance of corn plants to insects
24 Which of the following has the least effect on lake water temperature?
A The depth of the water
B The angle of incoming sun rays
C The lake’s surface area
D The number of fish in the lake
25 Organisms that absorb nutrients from dead plants and animals are called —
A decomposers
B herbivores
C producers
D carnivores
26 A farmer wants to plant a crop that grows well in a marshland environment. In order to produce a good harvest, the most important characteristic this plant should have is the ability to —
A thrive in wet soil
B mature quickly
C survive in dry conditions
D attract a variety of pollinators
27 All of these can be inherited by people EXCEPT —
A height
B eye color
C language
D blood type
28
Sea anemones are poisonous. However, the clownfish has developed an outer layer of mucus which provides protection from the stinging cells of the sea anemone. The mucus is best described as —
A an adaptation
B a relationship
C an energy requirement
D a social hierarchy
29 The physical expression of a trait in an organism is known as the —
A chromosome
B genotype
C phenotype
D double helix
30 Otters have adaptive traits that allow them to survive by eating shellfish and crustaceans. If changes in biotic factors of the ecosystem result in reduced numbers of shellfish and crustaceans, the otters will most likely —
A adapt to a different ecosystem
B experience a population decline
C increase reproduction rates
D change the genetic makeup of their bodies
31 Which is an abiotic change in an ecosystem?
A Plant photosynthesis rates increase.
B Fish species populations increase.
C Aquatic predator survival rates increase.
D Annual rainfall totals for an area increase.
32 For separate ecosystems to be classified as the same type of biome, they must —
A have deciduous forests
B have similar organisms and climates
C be located along the equator
D be at least one hundred square meters in area
33
This picture shows a zebra with two tick birds on its back. The tick birds alert the zebras that predators are near as well as remove and eat ticks found on zebras. What is the primary type of interaction between the tick birds and the zebras?
A Mutualism
B Parasitism
C Competition
D Commensalism
34 A tapeworm lives in human intestines, absorbing the nutrients that would normally be absorbed by the person. This eventually causes the person health problems. The relationship between the tapeworm and the human is —
A consumer/producer
B herbivore/omnivore
C parasite/host
D predator/prey
35
What is the role of the Orca in this food chain?
A
B
C
D
First-order consumer
Producer
Second-order consumer
Third-order consumer
36
Which of these best describes a relationship shown by this African energy pyramid?
A The lion is the prey of the giraffes.
B Giraffes are predators of the lion.
C Giraffes are the prey of the trees.
D The lion is a predator of the giraffes.
37 During human fertilization, an egg and a sperm cell unite. Which structures in these cells carry the genes that will be transferred to the offspring?
A Vacuoles
B Ribosomes
C Chromosomes
D Cell membranes
38 Which of the organisms in a forest ecosystem is an example of a producer?
A Oak trees
B Black bears
C Squirrels
D Bacteria
39 Mendel proposed that traits observed in pea plants resulted from a combination of “factors” inherited from each parent. His description of these “factors” can be considered the first scientific definition of the role of —
A ribosomes
B genes
C meiosis
D cell nuclei
40 DNA is essential to living organisms because it —
A can prevent diseases
B is a spiral helix
C carries the genetic code
D can break apart
41
In a food chain, the numbers of each type of population are usually in a relatively stable combination. A diagram of a food chain is shown above. If humans interfered by spraying an insecticide to kill the insects, what would be the next thing that would happen?
A The number of hawks would increase.
B The number of songbirds would decrease.
C The number of grass plants would decrease.
D The number of snakes would increase.
42 Black bears roam over large territories. What effect would building shopping centers in these territories have on the bears?
A Reduce the black bears’ habitat
B Introduce a new bear population to the area
C Stabilize the black bear population
D Promote an increase in black bear reproduction
43 Which of these is most likely the result of weasels and foxes depending on the same food source?
A The populations will compete with each other.
B One of the populations will become herbivores.
C Birthrates for both populations will increase.
D New species of prey will evolve in the area.
44 A coal-burning facility is constructed in an area containing several pond ecosystems. How will this human activity most likely affect the pond ecosystems?
A Water quality will be reduced.
B More nutrients will be available.
C Organism diversity will increase.
D Disease will become less common.
45
Thrips are tiny insects that can easily be seen on roses. The thrip population changes shown in the graph above are probably caused by —
A seasonal changes
B increased use of insecticides
C a major climatic change
D increases in human population