School Improvement in Maryland

Public Release Item: Public Release items have appeared on HSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the core learning goals are assessed on the HSA.

Goal 3 Concepts Of Biology

Expectation 3.5 The student will investigate the interdependence of diverse living organisms and their interactions with the components of the biosphere.

Indicator 3.5.3 The student will investigate how natural and man-made changes in environmental conditions will affect individual organisms and the dynamics of populations.

Assessment Limits:

  • depletion of food
  • destruction of habitats
  • disease
  • natural disasters
  • pollution
  • population increase
  • urbanization

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

Use the diagram of the marine food web below to answer the following.

How would the food web be affected if the phytoplankton were removed?

  1. Only organisms that feed directly on the phytoplankton would be affected.
  2. Only organisms that feed directly on the zooplankton would be affected.
  3. Only the killer whale and the seals would be affected.
  4. All the organisms would be affected.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2003_353_bio54.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

Use the diagram of the marine food web below to answer the following.

Cod is a popular fish in the human diet. If too many cod were removed due to overfishing, which of these would most likely occur?

  1. The penguins would become extinct.
  2. The phytoplankton population would decrease.
  3. The leopard seals would eat more squid.
  4. The killer whale population would increase.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2003_353_bio55.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

A marine environment provides a habitat for a variety of plants and animals. A small part of a marine food web is shown below.

Horseshoe crabs are used by fisherman for bait. If the horseshoe crab population were reduced by overfishing, which of these groups of organisms would most likely decrease in number?

  1. plankton, razor clams, and loggerhead turtles
  2. sanderlings, loggerhead turtles, and striped bass
  3. grackles, plankton, and diamondback terrapin
  4. striped bass, sanderlings, and razor clams
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2004_353_bio16.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

The pesticide DDT was used to kill mosquitoes for many years. DDT entered bodies of water, moved up the food chain, and built up in the tissues of fish. When female bald eagles ate these fish, they produced eggs with very thin shells. The eggs broke when the eagles sat on their nests. The U.S. government banned the use of DDT in 1972.

Which of these graphs most likely shows how the ban of DDT affected the bald eagle population?
 



  1.  


  2.  


  3.  

/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2004_353_bio33.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

The energy pyramid below shows the flow of energy through the organisms in a kelp forest ecosystem in the Pacific Ocean. Use the energy pyramid to answer the following.

How would the populations of other organisms in the energy pyramid be affected if the population of sea urchins suddenly decreased?

  1. Both the kelp and the sheephead populations would increase.
  2. Both the kelp and the sheephead populations would decrease.
  3. The kelp population would decrease, and the sheephead population would increase.
  4. The kelp population would increase, and the sheephead population would decrease.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2004_353_bio44.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

Scientists estimate that 200 non-native organisms have been introduced into Chesapeake Bay. Which of these statements is not true about non-native organisms?

  1. They often form mutualistic relationships with native organisms.
  2. They can deplete the food sources of native organisms.
  3. They are often aggressive at acquiring and maintaining territory.
  4. They can prey on native organisms causing them to go extinct.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2005_353_bio44.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

Rain forests are often cleared to provide land for farming. Which of these outcomes is the most immediate effect of this practice on the global environment?

  1. an increase in acid rain
  2. depletion of the ozone layer
  3. the decreased production of food
  4. an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2006_353_bio40.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

Black skimmers are water birds that live along coastal beaches, bays, estuaries, and marshes. They fly just above the surface of the water using their lower jaw to catch small fish, shrimp, and other small crustaceans.

These birds nest in simple, unlined depressions in the sand. Scientists have observed a decline in the number of nests. Some causes of this decline include a lack of suitable nesting sites, beach erosion, and human disturbances.

When people approach their nests, the birds become aggressive and chase away intruders. Other animals, like crows, will take advantage of the unprotected nests and feed on the eggs.

A continued decrease in black skimmer populations will most likely lead to

  1. a decrease in scavenger populations
  2. an increase in producer populations
  3. a decrease in decomposer populations
  4. an increase in prey animal populations
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2006_353_bio46.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Use the information below to answer the following question.

A scientist wanted to find out if low numbers of fish found in a nearby lake were related to acid rain. During his three-year study, he analyzed rainwater and lake water samples. By gathering samples of fish, he estimated the number of fish in the lake.

Each year he found that both the rainwater and lake water became more acidic, and the number of fish decreased.

His data suggested that acid rain may be responsible for the decrease in the number of fish found in the lake.

What most likely led to the rainwater’s increasing acidity?

  1. ultraviolet radiation
  2. sedimentation
  3. burning fossil fuels
  4. global warming
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2007_353_bio50.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

The populations of wolves and other large predators have decreased throughout the United States. This disruption of the natural food web will most likely lead to

  1. a decrease in prey animals
  2. an increase in producers
  3. the overpopulation of prey animals
  4. the overpopulation of scavengers
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2007_353_bio53.xml

Correct Answer:
C