Name Class Date

Test: Living Things and the Environment

Interpreting Diagrams Use the terms listed in the box to label the diagram
below. Write your answers in the spaces provided. Then, answer the questions.

pine forest scrub land hardwood forest open field

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. _________________________________________ 3. __________________________________________

2. _________________________________________ 4. __________________________________________

5. What is shown in the diagram? _______________________________________________________________

6. What might have happened to an environment to start the cycle shown above? ____________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What is the community in the last box called? __________________________________________________

8. What are the first organisms to grow in an environment that has been struck by a disaster?__________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Multiple Choice Write the letter of the term or phrase that best completes the
statement or answers the question. Write your answers in the spaces provided.

__________ 1. Everything that surrounds an organism and acts upon it makes up its
a. population. b. environment. c. niche. d. range.

__________ 2. Ecology is the study of the relationship between the environment and
a. water. b. soil. c. living things. d. sunlight.

__________ 3. A group of the same kind of organisms living in a certain place make up
a. a population. b. a community. c. an ecosystem. d. an environment.

__________ 4. A habitat must provide an organism with all of the following except
a. water. b. shelter. c. a place to reproduce. d. limiting factors

__________ 5. An organism’s role, or job, in its habitat is its

a. environment. b. range. c. niche. d. limiting factor.

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Test: Living Things and the Environment (continued)

__________ 6. All the populations that live in a certain place make up
a. a community. b. a niche. c. an ecosystem. d. a range.

__________ 7. Which of the following are limiting factors for animals?

a. number of green plants b. temperature
c. soil d. number of green plants and temperature

__________ 8. The limiting factors of a population determine its

a. range. b. cycle. c. niche. d. ecosystem.

__________ 9. When organisms act upon other organisms or a part of their environment, they
a. succeed. b. extend their range c. interact. d. form a habitat.

__________ 10. A group of communities interacting with one another and the nonliving parts of their
environment is
a. an ecology. b. a community. c. a habitat. d. an ecosystem.

__________ 11. The largest size of a population that can be supported by the resources of an area is its
a. carrying capacity. b. range. c. limiting factor. d. biome.

__________ 12. The biome where temperatures are moderate or hot and where there is little rain is the
a. desert. b. tundra. c. tropical rain forest. d. grassland.

__________ 13. Savannas are similar to

a. temperate deciduous forests. b. temperate grasslands. c. tundras. d. deserts.

__________ 14. The biome where the ground is permanently frozen is the
a. coniferous forest. b. desert. c. tundra. d. deciduous forest.

__________ 15. An example of a renewable resource is

a. water. b. oil. c. coal. d. natural gas.

__________ 16. An example of a nonrenewable resource is

a. water. b. natural gas. c. soil. d. air.

__________ 17. The wise use of natural resources is

a. conservation. b. ecology. c. renewable resources. d. energy.

__________ 18. A gradual change in organisms that occurs when the environment changes is
a. climate. b. succession. c. ecology. d. a climax community.

__________ 19. The last community in a succession is the

a. pine forest. b. pond. c. climax community. d. open field.

__________ 20. Evergreens cover most of the area in a

a. coniferous forest biome. b. desert biome.
c. deciduous forest biome. d. tropical rain forest biome.

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Test: Living Things and the Environment (continued)

Written Response Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
21. HYPOTHESIZE: What factors might increase the chances that nonnative species moved from one
biome to a different biome will survive and flourish in the new biome? ___________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

22. a. COMPARE: How do the limiting factors for plants differ from the limiting factors for animals?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

b. EXPLAIN: Why do some animals have a large range while other animals have a small range?

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Concepts and Challenges in Life Science, Teacher’s Resources CD-ROM

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Answer Key
Test: Living Things and the Environment
Interpreting Diagrams
1. 2. shrub land 3. pine forest
4. hardwood forest 5. succession 6. some form of
natural disaster, such as a 7. the climax
community 8. pioneer plants
Multiple Choice
1. b 2. c 3. a 4 d 5. c 6. a 7. d 8 a 9. c 10. d
11. a 12. a 13. b 14. c 15 a 16. b 17. a 18. b
19. c 20. a
Written Response
21 Possible answers: Nonnative species could
e if the climates
of the original and new biomes were similar, if the
nonnative species could develop adaptations that
would help them live in the new biome, and if the
native species of the new biome provided a food
source for the nonnative species.
22. a. Most animals are not limited by the amount of
sunlight and the type of soil, whereas plants are.
b. Animals that have fewer limiting factors are not
restricted to living in a small area, whereas animals
with many limiting factors are. For example, the
American black bear eats a variety of foods, and as a
result, can be found across much of the U.S.
However, giant pandas eat only bamboo, which is
plentiful only in forested areas of China.

Concepts and Challenges in Life Science, Teacher’s Resources CD-ROM

(c) by Pearson Education, Inc./Globe Fearon/Pearson Learning Group. All rights reserved. Living Things and the Environment