Multiple choice questions. Choose the best answer.
- Between the lithosphere and the atmosphere lies a delicate "skin" usually referred to as the
a) living space.
b) biosphere.
c) flora.
d) fauna.
- As plants have evolved various forms and functions and have adapted to their environments, they have interacted to create distinctive
a) ecosystems.
b) successions.
c) forests.
d) grasslands.
- The environment within which any plant or animal lives is known as its
a) ecology.
b) biome.
c) habitat.
d) community.
- Ecosystems are mutually interdependent communities of
a) flora and fauna.
b) plants and people.
c) people and animals.
d) plants and climate.
- The life form which has become the most highly evolved and is most capable of living in the widest range of environments is
a) the mesquite bush.
b) mankind.
c) the California redwood.
d) the dandelion.
- All animal life within any region plays a role in
a) the survival of the fittest.
b) feeding carnivores.
c) nourishing herbivores.
d) a food chain.
- Plants take their sustenance from their environments as nutrients are available but many have critical responses to
a) acidity or alkalinity.
b) moderate wind speeds.
c) sunshine following rain.
d) soil colour.
- The two most important controls of plant distribution are, usually,
a) wind and rain.
b) temperature and seasons.
c) sunlight and nutrients.
d) competition and evolution.
- Plants have developed deep root systems, fleshy bodies, thick bark, shiny leaves, or pale colouring in order to survive in
a) tundra regions.
b) desert regions.
c) savanna regions.
d) continental regions.
- When exposed soil is left to nature, it is usually colonized by a changing sequence of plants that eventually leads to a climax form of vegetation. The process of arriving at a climax community is known as plant
a) evolution.
b) ecology.
c) survival.
d) succession.
- In all but the most extreme environments (such as swamps) the most important factor in the development of a climax form of vegetation appears to be
a) soil.
b) precipitation.
c) climate.
d) sunshine.
- A good agricultural loam soil is composed of air, water, organic matter, and the following mixture of mineral matter:
a) 20% sand, 20% silt, 60% clay.
b) 40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay.
c) 50% sand, 50% silt, 0% clay.
d) 0% sand, 60% silt, 40% clay.
- Valuable crop plants such as corn, coffee and coconuts have been cultivated
a) only where they are indigenous.
b) wherever people have developed modern farms.
c) around the world where climates are suitable.
d) on tropical and Mediterranean islands.
- Slash and burn farmers in the tropics have learned they can clear and farm small areas for only a few years before soils are impoverished, but that nature can be relied upon to
a) reforest abandoned areas within a few years.
b) renew the soil as soon as farming stops.
c) recolonize the farmed area with a climax coniferous forest.
d) create a savanna grassland where forest had grown.
- The most complex, vigorous and varied of all plant communities is the
a) tropical rain forest.
b) temperate rain forest.
c) European deciduous forest.
d) coniferous forest.
- A distinctive characteristic of tropical rain forests is that they are composed of
a) vast populations of trees representing only a few species.
b) plants from all the world's ecosystems.
c) few individuals representing each of a vast number of different species.
d) nothing but tall, buttress-rooted evergreen trees.
- Short grass, few trees, and chernozem soils characterize the vegetation of regions with a
a) steppe climate.
b) subtropical climate.
c) Mediterranean climate.
d) savanna climate.
- Savannas are tropical ecosystems that lie poleward of tropical rain forests. Their climate and vegetaion are dominated by
a) long dry seasons and drought-resistant plants.
b) wet and dry seasons, and tall grass.
c) tropical wet conditions and tall trees.
d) humid continental conditions and boreal forest.
- A cross-section of a deciduous tree of the temperate forest shows clear growth rings because
a) the tree grows only during the wet season.
b) growth occurs throughout the year.
c) such trees experience winter dormancy and summer growth.
d) it loses its leaves every year and that leaves growth rings.
- The cool northern sections of the North American and Eurasian continents support the world's two most extensive and monotonous forests in which the dominent trees are
a) deciduous.
b) coniferous.
c) broad leaf evergreen.
d) xerophylic.
- Tundra regions have exceptionally short growing seasons and
a) severely leached podzolic soils.
b) only slow-growing coniferous vegetation.
c) low, spreading willows and quick flowering annual plants.
d) deep, dark chernozem soils.
- Fossils of trees that grow in Australia and South America have been located in Antarctica, but many plants that have been geographically isolated for millions of years have
a) migrated to all neighbouring continents and islands.
b) developed distinctive flora characteristics.
c) adapted to continental drift.
d) changed their climates until they could not survive.
- Which group of trees dominate Canada's boreal forests?
a) spruces, firs, pines and larches
b) maples, poplars, oaks and elms
c) birches, aspens, cedars and arbutus
d) teak, ebony, fig and mahogany
- In mountainous areas, vegetation and soils change quickly as altitude increases because
a) soils diminish with altitude.
b) temperatures decrease with altitude.
c) evaporation increases with altitude.
d) precipitation decreases with altitude.
Answer key 1. 6. 11. 2. 7. 12. 3. 8. 13. 4. 9. 14. 5. 10.
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