Vanda National Junior Science Olympiad Training Program

PRIMARY 6

Interactions within the Environment

and
Environmental Concerns

Practice Questions

Name:

Date:

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Question 1
The migratory bird population of egrets and mudskippers in a mangrove swamp community over
a year is depicted in the graph below.

Based on the graph displayed, which information is correct?

1. By the end of the year, the mudskipper population had tripled.

2. The decrease in the mudskipper population was probably due to the arrival of more egrets
in April.
3. The egrets spent only a few months in the mangrove swamp.
4. The egret population declined as a result of a disease that spread among them.

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 3 and 4 only
D. 2, 3 and 4 only

Answer Key and Explanation:

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Page 3 of 23
Question 2
The number of migratory birds in a habitat and its annual temperature are depicted in the diagram
below.

An example of a fruit tree in the same habitat is shown in the diagram below, illustrating its annual
flowering and fruiting cycle. Additionally, it displays insect X's breeding season.

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A certain kind of bird, named Y, breeds in that habitat from May through August.

Which of the following best describes why bird Y would breed at this time?

1. The migratory birds present increased competition.

2. More food for bird Y is produced when insect X's eggs hatch.
3. Bird Y eats the fruits from the fruit trees.
4. From May through August, it is warmer.

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 4 only
C. 2, 3 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 5 of 23
Question 3
Cages A and B were set up by a boy. He placed the P and Q organisms in cage A and the P
and R organisms in cage B. Every day he fed the organisms in both cages.

After a week, he counted the organisms, and the results are displayed in the graphs below.

He made the following comments about the organisms.

1. Organism P consumes Organism Q.

2. Organism R consumes Organism P.
3. After a week, the population of organism P in cage B remained unchanged.
4. After a week, the number of organism Q in cage A dropped.

Which of the boy's comments is correct?

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 3 and 4 only
C. 1, 2 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer Key and Explanation:

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Page 7 of 23
Question 4
A student collected three different kinds of animals, X, Y and Z, from a pond and put them into
two fish tanks, A and B. He put animals X and Y into fish tank A and animals X and Z into fish
tank B. He placed in the same amount of aquatic plants into each tank. Out of the 3 animals;
X, Y and Z, there is one herbivore and two carnivores.

He counted the number of animals in each fish tank every day for a week and plotted his
findings in the graphs below. He did not notice any dead animals in both fish tanks. The
relationship between animals X, Y and Z are shown in the two graphs below.

From the information given above, which of the following food chains most likely shows the
relationship between animals X, Y and Z?

A. Aquatic Plant → X → Y → Z
B. Aquatic Plant → Y → X → Z
C. Aquatic Plant → Z → X → Y
D. Aquatic Plant → Z → Y → X
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 8 of 23
Question 5
This diagram displays a community of ponds.

When the number of duckweed increases, which aquatic plant will be observed with a decrease
in population size?

1. Tape grass
2. Hydrilla
3. Moss
4. Water hyacinth

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1 and 3 only
C. 2, 3 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 9 of 23
Question 6
Take a look at the food chains below.

Which of the following statements about the food chains shown above is true?

1. A producer is at the base of every food chain.

2. An animal-eater or plant-and-animal eater is the final organism in a food chain.
3. Plant-eating or plant-and-animal-eating organisms are placed after the producer.
4. A producer is the last organism in a food chain.

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1, 2 and 3 only
D. 2, 3 and 4 only
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 10 of 23
Question 7.1
Examine the food chain depicted below and use it to answer Q.7.1 and Q.7.2.

Which animals in the food chain consume other animals?

1. C and E only
2. B, D and G only
3. C, E and H only
4. C, E, H and G only
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 11 of 23
Question 7.2
Which of the following scenarios best describes the decline in C's population?

1. An expansion in the H population

2. A decline in the population of H
3. A rise in B's population
4. A decline in B's population

A. 1 and 3 only
B. 1 and 4 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 2 and 4 only
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 12 of 23
Question 8
A student assembled three different types of organisms, U, V, and W, along with some plants
in a terrarium. He put the terrarium in an area with plenty of light. Over the course of six weeks,
the number of each type of organism was counted and recorded.
Another type of organism, called X, was added to the terrarium on the sixth week, and over the
course of an additional six weeks, the quantity of each type of organism was counted.
As seen below, he plotted the results on two graphs.

Which of the following food webs best illustrates the potential food relationships between the
organisms based on the information provided?

1. A only
2. A and C only
3. B and C only
4. A, B and C only

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Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 14 of 23
Question 9.1
Provide answers to Questions 9.1 and 9.2 using the details below.

A girl said to her sibling, "The aquatic plants are consumed by fish and snails. Fish and
aquatic plants are consumed by the ducks. Man consumes ducks and fish."

Which of the following food webs accurately depicts the information that the girl gave?

Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 15 of 23
Question 9.2
Which of the following accurately describes what will happen to the populations of the other
organisms if the number of fish increases?

1. Duck population growth is observed.

2. There are lesser snails in the area.
3. The quantity of aquatic plants is growing.

A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. 1 and 2 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 16 of 23
Question 10.1
Provide responses to Questions 10.1 and 10.2 using the details below.

The relationships between some organisms are displayed in the table below.

Organisms Food relationship(s) with other organisms

A Makes its own food
B Feeds on A
C Feeds on A
D Feeds on B
E Feeds on A, C and D
F Feeds on D and E

Based on the data in the table on the previous page, which of the following depicts the correct
food web?

Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 17 of 23
Question 10.2
Regarding the populations of the organisms in the food web, four students each provided a
comment.

Pupil Q: The population of B will grow if D's population grows.

Pupil R: Populations A, C, and D will decline if E's population rises.
Pupil S: B and C populations will decline if A's population declines.
Pupil T: The populations of D and E will grow if the population of F grows.

Which student responded correctly?

A. Pupils Q and T only

B. Pupils Q and R only
C. Pupils R and S only
D. Pupils S and T only
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 18 of 23
Question 11
The following is a list of some of man's activities.

 Forest clearing by burning

 Burning of diesel and gasoline in cars
 Fossil fuel combustion in power plants

Which of these graphs illustrates what will happen to Earth if these activities are carried out on
a large scale?

1. Graphs A, B and F only

2. Graphs B, C and D only
3. Graphs A, C and E only
4. Graphs B, D and F only

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Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 20 of 23
Question 12
The graph below shows the global carbon dioxide levels from the year 1900 to 2000.

What can be concluded from the graph?

A. The amount of carbon dioxide has increased slowly from 1900 to 2000.
B. The amount of carbon dioxide has increased drastically from 1900 to 2000.
C. The amount of carbon dioxide has increased slowly from 1900 to 1950 and increased
drastically to 2000.
D. The amount of carbon dioxide has increased drastically from 1900 to 1950 and increased
slowly to 2000.
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 21 of 23
Question 13
A man has a fish farm near the coast. The diagram below shows where his fish farm is.

Waste materials and fertilisers discharged by the chicken farm and vegetable farm into the sea
encourage the growth of algae, causing an algal bloom. During an algal bloom, the population
of algae increases rapidly.

Which of the following are likely to happen if there is an algal bloom?

1. The seawater in the affected area will not be as clear as before.

2. The fish in man's fish farm may die.
3. The fish in man's fish farm have more oxygen during the day and at night.
4. The fish in man's fish farm will reproduce faster.

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1 and 3 only
C. 1 and 4 only
D. 1, 3 and 4 only
Answer Key and Explanation:

Page 22 of 23
 Question 14
Consider the following assertions about nitrogen cycle on the Earth.
1. There are three methods for fixing nitrogen: industrial, biological, and atmospheric.
Ammonia is produced from atmospheric nitrogen.
2. The nitrogen cycle also exists in the marine ecosystem where the phytoplankton plants and
other bacteria excrete the nitrogen into nitrogen compounds into the water bodies, thus
enriching it.
3. Plants excrete nitrates, and nitrogen from their roots and other cell organelles into the soil
as its accumulation can increase toxicity in plants.
4. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as Rhizobium and Azotobacter, are essential for the synthesis
of nitrogen compounds.
5. Manufacturing of fuels and fertilizers release nitrogen that increases the percentage of
nitrogen in the mostly in atmosphere.

Which of the above assertions are incorrect regarding the nitrogen cycle?

A. 1, 3, 4 and 5
B. 2, 3 and 5
C. 1, 2 and 3
D. 2, 3, 4 and 4
Answer Key and Explanation:

Reference
Wang Ing Ching/Marshall Cavendish Education/Science Practice/Revised Edition

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