STAAR Category 4 Science

Lions and cheetahs prey on wildebeests that graze in the grasslands of the African savanna. What likely effect would increased rainfall over several rainy seasons have on the populations of wildebeests, lions, and cheetahs?

• All three populations would increase.

• The wildebeest population would decrease, and the lion and cheetah populations would increase.

• The wildebeest population would increase, and the lion and cheetah populations would decrease.

• All three populations would decrease.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of the following is most likely to cause a change in the genetic traits in an isolated population of a ground-dwelling lizard?

• The exposure of an individual lizard in the population to radiation that causes a mutation that is not passed on to its offspring.

• An unusually dry summer in the lizard population's ecosystem

• The introduction of an invasive predator that preys on the brightest-colored individuals in the lizard population

• A fast-moving wildfire that burns the canopy of the trees in the lizard population's ecosystem

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Some areas of the ocean are known as dead zones. These zones form when excess organic material decomposes. This increased decomposition uses up the oxygen from the water. Which human activity is most affected by the increasing number of dead zones in the ocean?

• Offshore oil drilling, because water in dead zones is toxic

• Commercial fishing, because fish cannot survive without oxygen

• Commercial shipping, because dead zones change the course of ocean currents

• Sand mining, because oxygen is not available to form the sands on ocean beaches

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

How many predators in this food web are omnivores?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Both primary and secondary succession begin with pioneer species that -

• change the area and make it safer from predatory organisms

• invade the area so that new organisms cannot be established

• modify the area and allow larger and more complex organisms to appear

• use up all the existing resources and prevent establishment of non-native organisms

The strangler fig is a vine that starts out as a seed in the tree canopy of the rain forest. It drops its roots down from the canopy to the forest floor. By sprouting in the rain-forest canopy, the strangler fig seedling is exposed to more -

• sunlight

• soil

• nutrients

• consumers

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Which of the following processes is primarily responsible for the formation of sedimentary rocks?

• A) Melting and solidification

• B) Erosion and deposition

• C) Heat and pressure

• D) Cooling and crystallization

What is the main function of the mitochondria in a cell?

• A) Protein synthesis

• B) Energy production

• C) Photosynthesis

• D) Genetic information storage

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-2

Which of the following best explains why the sky appears blue during the day?

• A) Reflection of the ocean

• B) Scattering of sunlight by the atmosphere

• C) Absorption of blue light by the ozone layer

• D) Emission of blue light by the sun

In an experiment, a student measures the temperature of a substance as it changes from a solid to a liquid. What is this temperature called?

• A) Boiling point

• B) Melting point

• C) Freezing point

• D) Sublimation point

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4