Practice Test Paper-I

1. The best source of Vitamin C among the following:

(a) Lycopersicum esculentum (b) Cirus medica
(c) Capsicum annum (d) Phyllanthus emblica
2. Pollution of big cities can be controlled to large extent by-
(a) Wide roads and factories away from city
(b) Cleanliness drive and proper use of pesticides
(c) Proper sewage and proper exit of chemicals from factories
(d) All of the above

3. The Ecological pyramid that is always upright

(a) Pyramid of energy (b) Pyramid of biomass
(c) Pyramid of number (d) None of the above
4. “Green house effect” with respect to global warming refers to-
(a) Cooling & moist condition (b) Warming effect
(c) Increased rainfall & greenery (d) Desertification

5. In India, Tropical rain forest occurs in-

(a) Jammu and Kashmir (b) Andaman & Nicobar
(c) Uttar Pradesh (d) Himachal Pradesh
6. Insectivorous plant generally grow in soil which is deficient in
(a) Water (b) Nitrogen
(c) Potassium (d) Calcium

7. Atomospheric ozone layer which protect us from UV-B & C is getting depleted most
by addition of-
(a) Chloro flurocarbon (b) Carbon monooxide
(c) Carbon dioxide (d) Sulpur dioxide
8. A high BOD value in aquatic environment is indicative of-
(a) A pollution free system
(b) A highly polluted system due to excess of nutrients
(c) A highly polluted system due to abundant heterotrophs
(d) A highly pure water with abundance of autotrophs
9. In which of the following the maximum plant diversity is found-
(a) Tropical evergreen forests
(b) Tropical moist deciduous forests
(c) Sub tropical mountain forests
(d) Temperate moist forests
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10. A term biotype means-

(a) All individuals having same phenotype
(b) All individuals having same genotype
(c) All individual with different phenotype
(d) All individuals with different genotype

11. Among the following environmental pollutants has the problem of biomagnifications-
(a) SO2 (b) NO3
(c) Hg fungicides (d) O3 & CO2
12. An increase in the atmospheric level of automobile exhaust gases does not lead to-
(a) Pb Pollution (b) O3 Pollution
(c) Particulate air pollution (d) O3 Pollution

13. The compound mainly responsible for pollution which caused the ill famed Bhopal
gas tragedy was-
(a) NH4 OH (b) CH 3 NCO
(c) CH 3 NH2 O (d) CHCl3
14. In recycling of mineral elements within an ecosystem, the responsible direct acing
organism are called-
(a) Decomposers (b) Producers
(c) Primary consumers (d) Secondary consumers

15. Eutrophication of water bodies resulting to killing of fishes is mainly due to-
(a) Non-availability of food
(b) Non-availability of light
(c) Non-availability of oxygen
(d) Non-availability of essential minerals
16. The pyramid of biomass will be inverted in the ecosystem of-
(a) Forests (b) Ponds
(c) Grasslands (d) Drylands

17. Primary productivity at the climax stage of a succession is-

(a) Higher then consumption (b) Lower then the consumption
(c) Equal to consumption (d) Not related to consumption

18. UV radiations is injurious to plants because it-

(a) Break phosphate bonds (b) Increases respiration
(c) Causes dehydration (d) Causes genetic changes

19. The pyramid of number of a parasitic food chain in forest ecosystem is-
(a) Always inverted
(d) Always upright
(b) Mixture of inverted & upright
(c) Sometimes inverted and sometimes upright
Practice Test Paper – Environmental Biology 353

20. The most stable ecosystem could be-

(a) Ponds (b) Oceans
(c) Desert (d) Forest

21. Air pollutant gases causing acid rain are-

(a) CO2 & Cl2 (b) CO2 & O3
(c) SO2 & NOx (d) CFC & CO2

22. Plants that grows in saline water lodged habitat are called-
(a) Xerophytes (b) Halophytes
(c) Mangrooves (d) Mesophytes

23. Petro-crop plantation refers to-

(a) Establishing gobar gas plant
(b) Planting fast growing trees
(c) Planting hydrocarbon rich plants
(d) Recycling of waste
24. Which of the following is true climax according to monoclimax theory-
(a) Edaphic climax (c) Climatic climax
(b) Biotic climax (d) Physiographic climax

25. Ecotype is-

(a) Genetically different but phenotypically similar
(b) Genetically different but ecologically different individuals
(c) Genetically adapted ecological race
(d) Genetically & phenotypically dissimilar
26. Competition is the most severe between the two-
(a) Closely related species growing in different niche
(b) Closely related species growing in same habitat
(c) Distantly related species growing in same habitat
(d) Distantly related species growing in different niche
27. In ecological succession from pioneer to climax community, the biomass shall-
(a) Decrease (b) No relation
(c) Increase and then decrease (d) Increase continuously

28. Rate of storage of organic matter not used by heterotrophs is termed as-
(a) Net productivity (b) Net primary productivity
(c) Gross primary productivity (d) Secondary productivity
29. Abyssal zone in ocean has-
(a) No sunlight but contains decomposers and consumers
(b) No sunlight but contain producers
(c) Sunlight and decomposers
(d) Sunlight and producers
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30. Climate of world is threatened by-

(a) Increasing amount of atmospheric O2
(b) Decreasing amount of atmospheric O2
(c) Increasing amount of atmospheric CO2
(d) Decreasing amount of atmospheric CO2

31. Among the following green house gases will absorb the light of wavelength-
(a) 200 nm (b) 300 nm
(c) 350 nm (d) 450 nm
32. The photochemical smog is produced by-
(a) Nitrogen oxides
(b) Hydrocarbons
(c) Nitrogen oxides & hydrocarbons
(d) Solar radiation on NOX & hydrocarbon

33. Major aerosol pollutant in jet plane emission is-

(a) SO2 (b) CO
(c) Methane (d) Flurocarbon
34. Those species whose populations have been seriously depleted and whose ultimately
security is not assured is known
(a) Threatened species (b) Endangered species
(c) Vulnerable species (d) Rare species

35. Wild life is destroyed most when-

(a) There is lack of proper care
(b) Mass scale hunting for foreign trade
(c) Its natural habitat is destroyed
(d) Natural calamity

36. Increased incidence of floods in plains of North India are due to-
(a) Increased deforestation in catchment areas
(b) Increase in incidence of rainfall
(c) Silting of dams
(d) More area under cultivation
37. The two major aspects of ecosystem are-structure and function. By function we mean-
(a) The rate of biological energy flow i.e., the rate of production of respiration of
community
(b) Biological or ecological regulation including both regulation of organisms by
environment and relation of environment by the organisms
(c) The composition of biological community including species, numbers, biomass
and life history
(d) None of the above
Practice Test Paper – Environmental Biology 355

38. Micro consumers are popularly known as-

(a) Primary consumer (b) Secondary consumer
(c) Tertiary consumer (d) Decomposers

39. Moss bags, epiphytic lichens and mosses have used for monitoring-
(a) Air pollution (b) Water pollution
(c) Oil pollution (d) Land pollution

40. The maximum primary productivity is seen in-

(a) Grasslands (b) Tropical rain forest
(c) Deserts (d) Mangroves

41. Ticks on cattle or cattle ergot feed on lice is an example of –

(a) Ammensalism (b) Commensalism
(c) Proto-cooperation (d) Mutualism
42. When mimic resembles a ferocious/ poisonous/distasteful organism for eg. Viceroy
butterfly mimics monarch butterfly is –
(a) Aggressive mimicry (b) Conscious mimicry
(c) Protective mimicry (d) All of these

43. Early successful stages are tolerant of the harsh, abiotic condition in barren areas
are characterized by-
(a) Weedy a-selected (b) Weedy r-selected
(c) Weedy g-selected (d) Weedy k-selected
44. As ecosystem matures more g-selected replace g-selected. During this species richness
and total biomass increase. Under such condition productivity-
(a) Also Increase (b) remains unchanged
(c) Decreased (d) Random increase

45. Limitating factor in temperate and boreal forest is-

(a) Nutrients (b) Frost
(c) Oxygen (d) Sunlight
46. Limitating factor for plant growth in steppes and desert is-
(a) Nutrients (b) Water
(c) Oxygen (d) Sunlight

47. No succession is seen in Savannah grasslands –

(a) Regular fires (b) Paucity of Nutrients
(c) Low water availability (d) Low oxygen supply
48. Diversity between geographical areas within one overall large area-
(a) a- Diversity (b) b-diversity
(c) g- Diversity (d) m-diversity
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49. The characteristic population growth curve of bacteria is-

(a) Straight (b) S shaped
(c) J shaped (d) Random

50. The maximum biodiversity will occur at-

(a) Poles (b) Deserts
(c) grasslands (d) Alpines

51. Chimpanzees have a relatively low birth rate. They take good care of their young,
and most chimps live a long life. The chimp survivorship curve would look like
(a) a line that slopes gradually upward
(b) a relatively flat line that drops steeply at the end
(c) a line that drops steeply at first, then flattens out
(d) a line that slopes gradually downward

52. An oak tree produces thousands of acorns, but very few grow into mature oak trees.
The oak tree exhibits a . . . survivorship curve.
(a) Type I (b) Type II
(c) Type III (d) Type I or II
53. In the models that describe population growth, r stands for
(a) population density
(b) carrying capacity
(c) total number of individuals in the population
(d) growth rate

54. When the per capita birth rate equals the per capita death rate
(a) a population grows rapidly
(b) the size of a population remains constant
(c) density-dependent limiting factors do not affect the population
(d) a population is in danger of extinction

55. A population would always grow exponentially

(a) if it were limited only by density-dependent factors
(b) until it reaches carrying capacity
(c) if there were no limiting factors
(d) if it showed logistic growth
56. A wildlife biologist is trying to predict what will happen to a bear population if bear
hunting is banned. He had the equations all worked out but then realized that he had
grossly underestimated the amount of food available to the bears. To make his
predictions more accurate, he will have to go back to his equations and
(a) decrease N (b) increase N
(c) decrease K (d) increase K
Practice Test Paper – Environmental Biology 357

57. A population that grows rapidly at first and then levels off at carrying capacity can be
modeled
(a) by a logistic equation
(b) as delta N/ delta t equals B minus D
(c) as dN/dt = rN
(d) as being relatively unaffected by limiting factor

58. A population that is growing logistically

(a) grows fastest when density is lowest
(b) has a high intrinsic rate of increase
(c) grows fastest at an intermediate population density
(d) grows fastest as it approaches carrying capacity
59. Human population growth was slow and gradual for a long period, but it turned
sharply upward
(a) after the development of agriculture, which decreased the death rate
(b) during the last half-century, when the birth rate increased
(c) as a result of the Black Death, which left more food for the survivors
(d) during the Industrial Revolution, when the death rate dropped

60. Which of the following is the most accurate comment on the Earth’s carrying capacity
for people?
(a) K is smaller now than it was a thousand years ago
(b) The human population is still a long way from K
(c) Our technology has allowed us to keep increasing K
(d) When it comes to humans, the concept of K is irrelevant

61. All of the organisms in a particular area make up a food chain.

(a) a population (b) a community
(c) a niche (d) an ecosystem
62. _______ views a community as a chance assemblage of organisms with similar abiotic
needs.
(a) The niche
(b) The individualistic hypothesis
(c) Species richness
(d) Commensalism

63. Milkweed plants produce bad-tasting and poisonous compounds that deter most plant-
eaters. But the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies are able to eat milkweed leaves
without being harmed. In fact, the chemicals obtained from milkweed actually protect
the Monarch from insect-eating birds. This example illustrates
(a) coevolution (b) competitive exclusion
(c) succession (d) mutualism
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64. A bat locates insect prey in the dark by bouncing high-pitched sounds off them. One
species of moth escapes predation by diving to the ground when it hears sonar of a
particular bat species. This illustrates ____ between the bat and moth.
(a) mutualism (b) competitive exclusion
(c) ecological succession (d) coevolution

65. In terms of +, –, and 0, predation can be described as a _______ relationship.

(a) –/0 (b) +/0
(c) +/+ (d) +/–

66. Flounder look like the sea floor. This is an example of

(a) Müllerian mimicry (b) aposomatic coloration.
(c) character displacement (d) cryptic cloration

67. Which of the following describes mimicry?

(a) An insect’s bright colors warn a predator that it tastes bad
(b) The mottled pattern on a fish looks like dead leaves on the bottom of a pond
(c) Two species of mice live in the same area and eat the same kinds of seeds
(d) A harmless frog resembles a poisonous frog
68. A tick has what type of relationship with a dog?
(a) agonistic (b) competitive
(c) commensal (d) parasitic

69. When goats were introduced to an island off the California coast, the goats lived in
the same areas and ate the same plants as the native deer. The deer population
dwindled, and the deer finally disappeared. This is an example of
(a) commensalism (b) succession
(c) coevolution (d) competitive exclusion
70. The niche of an animal is
(a) the number of individuals of the species the environment will support
(b) the same as its habitat
(c) the way the animal fits into its environment
(d) its den or nest

71. The resources a population actually uses describes its ________; while the resources
it actually uses are its _________.
(a) realized niche; habitat
(b) realized niche; fundamental niche
(c) fundamental niche; realized niche
(d) habitat; ecosystem

72. Two species of cuckoo doves live in a group of islands off the coast of New Guinea. Of
33 islands, 14 have one species, 6 have the other, 13 have neither, and none has both.
What might best explain this? The two species of birds could
(a) be on different trophic levels
(b) have similar niches
Practice Test Paper – Environmental Biology 359

(c) have a mutualistic relationship

(d) have different niches
73. The relationship between species A and species B is described as commensalism.
This means that
(a) both species suffer
(b) both species benefit
(c) one species benefits and the other species suffers
(d) one species benefits and the other species is unaffected
74. A lichen is actually composed of two organisms–a fungus and an alga. They depend on
each other for survival. The most specific term that describes their relationship is
(a) parasitism (b) commensalism
(c) symbiosis (d) mutualism

75. In Paine’s study of the intertidal zone on the coast of Washington State he found that
(a) competitive exclusion inevitably reduced species richness
(b) mutualism among prey species maintained species diversity
(c) the mussel Mytilus preyed on the sea star Pisaster
(d) the presence of a keystone predator maintained community diversity
76. Under which of the following circumstances would interspecific competition be most
obvious?
(a) when resources are most abundant
(b) in the presence of a keystone predator
(c) when organisms have quite different ecological niches
(d) when a foreign organism is introduced to a community

77. Which of the following best illustrates ecological succession?

(a) A mouse eats seeds, and an owl eats the mouse
(b) Decomposition in soil releases nitrogen that plants can use
(c) Grass grows on a sand dune, then shrubs, and then trees
(d) Imported pheasants increase, while local quail disappear

78. After clear-cutting, timber companies cannot afford to wait for the long process of
_____ to occur naturally; they plant trees right away.
(a) mutualism (b) succession
(c) coevolution (d) decomposition
79. The current view of succession is
(a) expressed by the equilibrial model
(b) that disturbance and nonequilibrium are inevitable
(c) that it ends once the climax community is established
(d) that it proceeds in a linear fashion
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80. The . . . hypothesis contends that increased diversity is promoted when disturbances
prevent competitive exclusion. The . . . hypothesis contend that increased diversity is
promoted when disturbances result in the coexistence of several successional stages.
(a) dynamic equilibrium . . .Wilson/MacArthur
(b) Wilson and MacArthur. . . biogeography
(c) aposomatic; cryptic
(d) dynamic equilibrium . . .intermediate disturbance

81. An organism’s trophic level refers to

(a) the rate at which it uses energy
(b) where it lives
(c) what it eats
(d) whether it is early or late in ecological succession
82. Which of the following is a primary producer?
(a) detritivores (b) shrimp
(c) poison ivy (d) lions

83. The main decomposers in an ecosystem are

(a) bacteria and animals (b) plants and fungi
(c) fungi and bacteria (d) bacteria and plants
84. The energy for nearly every organism in nearly every ecosystem ultimately comes
from
(a) minerals in the soil (b) the sun
(c) heat from Earth (d) respiration

85. Which of the following equations is correct?

(a) NPP equals GPP minus Respr
(b) Respr equals NPP + GPP
(c) GPP equals NPP– Respr
(d) NPP equals GPP plus Respr

86. The relationship between biomass and primary productivity is that

(a) biomass is the rate of primary productivity
(b) biomass is the inverse of primary productivity
(c) biomass is the natural log of primary productivity
(d) primary productivity is the rate at which biomass is produced
87. When you eat an apple, you are a
(a) primary consumer (b) tertiary consumer
(c) primary producer (d) secondary consumer

88. Why is a diagram of energy flow from trophic level to trophic level shaped like a
pyramid?
(a) Organisms at each level store most of the energy and pass little on
(b) There are more producers than primary consumers, and so on
Practice Test Paper – Environmental Biology 361

(c) Organisms eventually die as they get older

(d) Most energy at each level is lost, leaving little for the next
89. In an ecosystem the _____ is always greater than the _____ .
(a) number of primary producers . . . number of primary consumers
(b) biomass of secondary consumers . . . biomass of primary producers
(c) energy used by primary consumers . . . energy used by secondary consumers
(d) biomass of primary producers . . . biomass of primary consumers
90. The biggest difference between the flow of energy and the flow of chemical nutrients
in an ecosystem is that
(a) the amount of energy is much greater than the amount of nutrients
(b) energy is recycled, but nutrients are not
(c) organisms always need nutrients, but they don’t always need energy
(d) nutrients are recycled, but energy is not

91. Which of the following statements is correct?

(a) Over land, evaporation exceeds transpiration and precipitation
(b) Over land, evaporation and transpiration exceed precipitation
(c) Over oceans, transpiration exceeds precipitation
(d) Over oceans, evaporation exceeds precipitation
92. An ecosystem is unlikely to be limited by the supply of ____ because it is obtained
from the air.
(a) water (b) carbon
(c) phosphorus (d) calcium

93. Local conditions such as heavy rainfall or the removal of plants may limit the amount
of nitrogen, phosphorus, or calcium available to a particular ecosystem, but the amount
of carbon available to the system is seldom a problem. Why?
(a) Organisms do not need very much carbon
(b) Plants can make their own carbon using water and sunlight
(c) Plants are much better at absorbing carbon from the soil
(d) Many nutrients come from the soil, but carbon comes from the air

94. Bacteria are especially important in making ______ available to plants.

(a) water (b) nitrogen
(c) carbon (d) phosphorus
95. The direct product of nitrogen fixation is
(a) NH4 + (b) NO2 –
(c) NO3 .– (d) NH3

96. Nitrification is the conversion of

(a) NO3 – into N2 (b) N 2 to NH3
–
(c) organic nitrogen into NH4 + (d) NH4 + into NO3
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97. The major source of nitrogen for most nonagricultural plants is

(a) nitrates in the soil. (b) N 2 gas in the air.
(c) proteins. (d) ammonium in the soil.

98. The phosphorus cycle lacks a(n) _____ component.

(a) atmospheric (b) organic
(c) mineral (d) aquatic

99. Ospreys and other top predators in food chains are most severely affected by pesticides
such as DDT because
(a) their systems are especially sensitive to chemicals.
(b) of their rapid reproductive rates.
(c) the pesticides become concentrated in their prey.
(d) they cannot store the pesticides in their tissues.

100. Most endangered species are victims of

(a) greenhouse warming.
(b) habitat destruction.
(c) overhunting.
(d) competition with introduced species.