Category 4 STAAR Science

Black walnut trees produce a nontoxic chemical that becomes highly toxic when it is exposed to air or soil. How does this chemical help black walnut trees compete with plants growing nearby?

• By attracting herbivores to the other plants

• By suppressing the growth of the other plants

• By increasing the photosynthesis rates in the other plants

• By limiting the amount of water available to the other plants

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

• Zone I only

• Zones I and II only

• Zone III only

• Zones I, II, and III

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

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-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

How many predators in this food web are omnivores?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

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

• A) Photosynthesis

• B) Protein synthesis

• C) Energy production

• D) Cell division

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-2

Which of the following best describes the process of osmosis?

• A) Movement of water from high to low concentration

• B) Movement of solutes from low to high concentration

• C) Movement of water from low to high concentration

• D) Movement of solutes from high to low concentration

A student wants to test the effect of different temperatures on the rate of a chemical reaction. Which of the following should be the independent variable in this experiment?

• A) The temperature of the reaction

• B) The rate of the reaction

• C) The concentration of reactants

• D) The volume of the reaction mixture

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-5

Which of the following is a renewable source of energy?

• A) Coal

• B) Natural gas

• C) Solar power

• D) Nuclear power