Geog 1001 Practice/Sample Questions for the Third Exam, November 17 2005.

Here are some sample questions for the third exam. Note that the topics I cover vary from year to year, so some questions may not be relevant.

1.      The "B" horizon of a soil is characterized by….

 A.     organic material (lots of carbon).

B.     eluviation.

C.     illuviation.

D.    weathered parent material.

E.     unaltered parent material.

2.      The "C" horizon of a soil is characterized by….

 A.     organic material (lots of carbon).

B.     eluviation.

C.     illuviation.

D.    weathered parent material.

E.     unaltered parent material.

3.      According to the ISSS particle size classification, a particle with a mean particle diameter between 0.02 and 0.2 mm is _____.

 A.     clay

B.     silt

C.     fine sand

D.    coarse sand

E.     gravel

4.      Which of the following has a high CEC?

 A.     clay

B.     silt

C.     fine sand

D.    coarse sand

E.     gravel

You find that 125 cm³ of soil with a dry mass of 200 g contains 30 cm³ of water with a mass of 30 g.  Use these data to answer the next two questions.

5.      What is the soil’s volumetric water content?

A.     0.13

B.     0.15

C.     0.19

D.    0.24

E.     0.67

6.      What is the soil’s gravimetric water content?

A.     0.13

B.     0.15

C.     0.19

D.    0.24

E.     0.67

7.      Which of the following cannot be used to measure soil moisture?

A.     neutron probes

B.     passive microwave emissions

C.     ground-penetrating radar

D.    time domain reflectrometry

E.     gravity

8.      Which of the following is not one of the five factors of soil formation?

A.     time

B.     organisms

C.     topography

D.    eluviation

E.     climate

9.      A terrestrial biome is characterized by specific _____.

A.     temperature and precipitation characteristics

B.     water balance characteristics

C.     A and B

D.    plant and animal communities

E.     plant communities

10.  Which of the following was not mentioned as a characteristic of an ecosystem?

A.     self-sustainability

B.     excludes abiotic components

C.     has complex linkages (feedbacks) between components

D.    relies on solar insolation for energy

E.     interact to form the Earth’s biosphere

11.  In our discussion ecosystem cycles, we defined a community as …

A.     an interacting population of plants and animals.

B.     the physical environment (location) of an organism within a community.

C.     the function/occupation of an organism within a community.

D.    a self-sustaining ecosystem including biotic components.

E.     a self-sustaining ecosystem including biotic and abiotic components.

12.  A habitat is a function of…

A.     space, food, water, and shelter.

B.     the function/occupation of an organism.

C.     abiotic and biotic components.

D.    primary succession

E.     secondary succession

13.  Lichen is an example of a symbiotic ecological relationship between _____ and _____.

A.     algae; fungi

B.     algae; moss

C.     mistletoe; spanish moss

D.    mistletoe; subalpine fir

E.     licis; hentocoyle

14.  Mistletoe is an example of what type of ecological relationship?

A.     Stable

B.     Symbiotic

C.     Sustainable

D.    Parasitic

E.     Christmas

15.  A living plant that is not green, indicating little or no chlorophyll, and is not dormant is most likely _____. 

A.     water stressed

B.     heat stressed

C.     cold stressed

D.    A and B

E.     Parasitic

16.  What form of energy is required for photosynthesis?

A.     Heat

B.     Chemical

C.     Electromagnetic radiation

D.    Geothermal

E.     None of the above: Energy is released during photosynthesis.

17.  What form of energy is released during respiration?

A.     Heat

B.     Chemical

C.     Electromagnetic radiation

D.    Geothermal

E.     None of the above: Energy is required for respiration.

18.  We examined how the principal abiotic controls vary in Colorado as a function of elevation. How did the total annual precipitation change as elevation increased?

A.     increased

B.     decreased

C.     stayed the same

D.    showed no relationship

E.     precipitation is not a abiotic control

19.  How did the mean annual temperature change as elevation in Colorado increased?

A.     increased

B.     decreased

C.     stayed the same

D.    showed no relationship

E.     temperature is not a abiotic control

20.  The North American west coast temperate rain forests have a _____ stability and a _____ resilience.

A.     high; high

B.     medium; medium

C.     low; low

D.    high; low

E.     low; high

21.  The North American midlatitude grasslands have a _____ stability and a _____ resilience.

A.     high; high

B.     medium; medium

C.     low; low

D.    high; low

E.     low; high

22.  The concept of biodiversity states that an ecosystem comprised of a large number of many species has greater _____, _____, and _____ that a monoculture ecosystem.

A.     energy; water; nutrient requirements

B.     stress; disease; susceptibility

C.     costs; maintenance; management requirements

D.    stability; productivity; resilience

E.     photosynthesis; respiration; productivity