All High School Biology Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Understanding The Carbon Cycle
Which of the following is an example of human impact on the carbon cycle?
The burning of fossil fuels
The cutting down of trees for lumber
All of the above
The increased production of methane gases from cattle farms
None of the above
All of the above
There are several ways that humans impact the carbon cycle. One of these is the burning of fossil fuels (often associated with driving cars), which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is important to remember that other human activities also impact the carbon cycle. The cutting down of trees reduces the amount of that can be taken out of the atmosphere. One human impact that is not frequently referenced is the amount of methane gas () released into the atmosphere by cattle farms, which is much harder to take out of the air than .
Example Question #1 : Understanding The Carbon Cycle
If a forest fire occurs, what will happen to the carbon in the forest?
It will go into the atmosphere
It will go into the soil
It will runoff into nearby streams and rivers
It will be destroyed
It will go into the atmosphere
A forest fire will destroy the animals and plants of an ecosystem, but it does not deplete that ecosystem of minerals. Carbon, specifically, will rise into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide . Since this is a gas, it will rise into the atmosphere. Any other minerals will return to the ground as ash.
Example Question #3 : Understanding The Carbon Cycle
Where does all the carbon in organisms originate from?
Soil
Earth's atmosphere
Water
Rocks
Earth's atmosphere
All the carbon in organisms was originally obtained by plants from the earth's atmosphere. Plants fix carbon in the form of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Then, any animal that comes along and eats the plant gets the carbon too.
Example Question #1 : Understanding The Carbon Cycle
How do organism move carbon through the carbon cycle?
Decomposition and sedimentation
Respiration only
Respiration, decomposition, sedimentation, and photosynthesis
Decomposition only
Photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition
Respiration, decomposition, sedimentation, and photosynthesis
While not all organisms are capable of all three means of moving carbon to different stores, there are organisms that do respire, photosynthesize and upon death some will sink into the ocean's bottom and become sediment. All four are methods by which carbon is moved through the biosphere into other stores. Respiration and decomposition release carbon containing compounds into the atmosphere, and decomposition also releases carbon into the soil and ocean. Sedimentation allows carbon trapped in the bodies of phytoplankton and other micro marine photoautotrophs to be eventually moved by geological forces into the lithosphere of the Earth. Photosynthesis is in generally a method by which solar light energy is converted to chemical energy stored in the form of glucose a six carbon sugar using carbon dioxide and water as substrates.
Example Question #2 : Understanding The Carbon Cycle
Attempt to draw out the Carbon cycle to the best of your abilities without looking up a photo before answering this problem.
Which of the following is not one of the major carbon stores on Earth?
The atmosphere
The biosphere
The ocean
The lithosphere
The ocean floor
The ocean floor
All of the other choices asides from the ocean floor are major carbon stores. The atmosphere contains large amounts of carbon dioxide despite composing just a fraction of a percent of the Earth's atmosphere. The lithosphere contains large amounts of coal, oil and natural gas all of which are various mixtures of carbon containing compounds. The ocean dissolves and stores large amount of the atmosphere's carbon dioxide and the biosphere is all inclusive of living organism which are carbon based and contain a wide variety of carbon compounds.
Example Question #2 : Understanding The Carbon Cycle
By what method is the majority of carbon moved from the lithosphere to the atmosphere?
Weathering
Deposition
The burning of fossil fuels
Erosion
Respiration
The burning of fossil fuels
Only three of the five answers listed move carbon from the lithosphere to the atmosphere and of these the burning of fossil fuels moves the majority of the carbon that is moved from the lithosphere to the atmosphere.
Example Question #2 : Understanding The Carbon Cycle
What kind of organism sequesters the most carbon from the atmosphere?
Archaea
Animals
Bacteria
Plants
Insects
Plants
Due to cell structure containing cell walls composed of cellulose made of the densely interwoven sheets of the six-carbon sugar glucose plants sequester large amounts of carbon in their cell walls.
Example Question #1 : Understanding The Nitrogen Cycle
Why can plants not utilize naturally occurring nitrogen gas?
Most of the nitrogen is stored as nitrate (NO3-)
Lack of nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Plants cannot break the triple bond between the two nitrogen atoms
There are insufficient amounts available in the atmosphere
Plants cannot break the triple bond between the two nitrogen atoms
Like carbon, nitrogen is one the most abundant elements in biotic factors. Nitrogen gas is highly abundant in our atmosphere, however it cannot be utilized by humans and plants while in its gaseous state because of the very strong triple bond between the two nitrogen atoms. For plants to use nitrogen, they must have it converted to ammonium or nitrate by bacteria found in the soil and roots. The process of converting nitrogen gas to ammonium is called nitrogen fixation. Decomposition of plants and animals also releases ammonium into the ground. This ammonium can be further converted to nitrate with the help of nitrifying bacteria. Returning nitrogen back to the atmosphere is called denitrification. This process is carried out by some bacteria found in lakes and swamps. These bacteria are anaerobic, so they use the nitrate and release nitrogen gas into the air.
Example Question #1 : Understanding The Nitrogen Cycle
Which of the following is most directly responsible for nitrogen fixation?
Humans
Bacteria
Sunlight
Plant roots
Animals
Bacteria
Nitrogen fixation is mostly done by bacteria living in the soil. Plants need nitrogen to grow, but they cannot use it straight from the atmosphere or as ammonia from the soil.
Humans and animals largely obtain their necessary nitrogen by consuming plants, and do not fix nitrogen or rely directly on bacteria for the process.
Example Question #2 : Understanding The Nitrogen Cycle
Which of the following biological processes is not linked to the nitrogen cycle?
Condensation
Ammonification
Nitrogen fixation
Assimilation by plants
Denitrification
Condensation
Condensation is not part of the nitrogen cycle. It is part of the water cycle, during which water molecules condense together in the atmosphere to form clouds.
Certified Tutor
Certified Tutor