Example Multiple Choice Questions

Generated by BIO366 ClassSpring 2015

These are collected and posted without review. Please evaluate them carefully when

using them.

Which of the following is an example of the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis?

A.) A community reestablishing biodiversity after a disturbance such as a clear-cut or fire.B.) A community reestablishing climax species after a disturbance such as the retreat of a glacier or a landslide.C.) A forest having greater biodiversity 5 years after a disturbance than 20 years after a disturbance.D.) A forest having less biodiversity 5 years after a disturbance than 20 years after a disturbance.E.) A forest having greater biodiversity immediately after a disturbance than 5 years after a disturbance.

Correct answer: C. A and B have more to do with primary or secondary succession, while D and E do not follow the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, as shown on the right.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level: Applying.The student must 1 – remember what the IntermediateDisturbance Hypothesis is, 2 – understand the IDH well enough to Distinguish it from primary and secondary succession, and 3 – apply the theory to a real-world example without using the graph whichis usually given.

(Meeting 18, “Community Dynamics,” Objective 2)

SPECIESSalmo truttaNoturus furiosusAmeiurus speciesSalvelinus fontinalisAmia calvaLepomis macrochirusIctalurus furcatusPomoxis nigromaculatusAlso sapidissimaEsox nigerCyprinus carpioLepomis cyanellus

Community 165231516789456186281821

Community 24158451221984684351878

Community 314124212324111019172120

(m16) According to the data above which community is has the highest diversity, utilize the Simpson’s Index?A. Community 1 has the highest diversityB. Community 2 has the highest diversityC. Community 3 has the highest diversityD. Community 1 and 2 have equally high diversity

The correct answer is highlighted in red.Meeting 16, Learning Objective 2.This question fall under the applying level of Bloom’s Taxonomy because in this exercise the student is utilizing one of the diversity indices to distinguish the diversity of the different communities. By implementing the diversity indices the student is able to determine which of the communities has the highest diversity.

Meeting 16, Learning Objective 2:

What is the Shannon’s Diversity Index for community 1 community. Is this community more or less diverse than community 2?

Species Community 1 Community 21 31 122 22 123 19 124 11 125 7 126 4 127 1 128 1 12

a. H1 = 1.7 and is less diverse than community 2b. H1 = 0.22 and is more diverse than community 2c. H1 = 0.78 and is less diverse than community 2d. H1 = 4.6 and is more diverse than community 2

Choice “a.” is the correct answer. This question reflects the “Applying” level of the Bloom’s scale because it requires the student to perform calculations and understand what their results mean.

Multiple Choice Question• (m17) In the video How Wolves Change Rivers, the reintroduction of Wolves

into Yellowstone had all of the following impacts except forA) the killing of deer, significantly reducing their population.B) radically changing the behavior of deer which played a key role in changing both the ecosystem & the physical geography.C) partnered with deer in order to ensure the two would be

allocated the most use of Yellowstone’s meandering rivers.D) establishing behavior in the ecosystem that allowed for trees to quintuple in just 6 years.

Meeting 16, Objectives #3 & 4 (Describe different roles species or groups of species can have in communities and provide a biological example of each), (Describe types of physical structures in communities and explain their importance)Bloom’s Level 1-2 -Remembering, Understanding

Lecture 17Objective 17.4 “Food Webs” Which of the following NOT a critique of food webs:A) They don’t predict indirect interactionsB) Inadequate diet informationC) Lack of parasites/Parasitoids D) They’re an inadequate representation of biodiversity It is an Understanding question on the Bloom’s level because it requires you to construct meaning through comparing and figure out A is the answer because Foob Webs predict both direct and indirect interactions.

Meeting # 18, Objective # 1 Bloom’s levels 1-2: this questions requires you to know the difference between primary and

secondary succession then be able to apply the definitions to real life situation.

Which of these areas is an example of primary succession?

a) Farm land left abandon for many yearsb) A forest damaged by loggingc) Plains killed off by drought

d) An erupting volcano forming an islande) A valley once a mudslide filled most of it in

(m18) Once coral has claimed a particular space in the ecosystem, the coral will continuously grow off of itself, thus increasing it’s overall size. The coral will grow into a reef which generally turns into an entirely new habitat within itself by housing other species. This type of succession is known as…A. InhibitionB. ToleranceC. Facilitation D. Foundation

Learning Objective: 4Bloom’s Level: 2-3 Understanding and Applying, because one must first understand the different types of successions, then one must be able to apply this understanding to specific scenarios.

Multiple Choice Question: • Meeting 17, Learning Objective 4• A community consists of several differecnt organisms including the

starfish. Although the starfish is not a superior competitor, it controls the abundance of its superior competitors via its diet. What answer best describes the relationship present among the starfish and its community?

A)Apparent CompetitionB) Keystone PredationC)Ecological EngineerD) Dominance

• Blooms Level: Remembering, Understanding- This question requires the student to first recognize certain terms and situations among organisms and then requires he/she to put them together in a real life example in order to come up with the answer.

All of the following are properties of communities except:

a. Roles of species in the communityb. Zonationc. Strength of interactions between species of

surrounding communities d. Biodiversity

Correct Answer

Meeting 16, Learning Objective #1Bloom’s Level 1&2- Remembering and Understanding; in order to answer this question correctly, students must be able to retrieve relevant information from memory, but if memory fails, basic understanding of the meaning of “communities” from the lecture notes and inferences can be used to choose the right answer.

Multiple Choice Question 1Greg Gerhat

What would happen if a keystone species was removed from its environment? a) The population of predators of the keystone species would decline.b) The population of predators of the keystone species would increase.c) The population of prey of the keystone species would increase.d) The entire food chain/web would become unstable.The correct answer to this question would be D. By definition, a keystone species would have a disproportionate impact on the community, thus making the community unstable if it were removed.The other answers could definitely happen but we do not have enough evidence to prove them. An example of this would be that the predators of the keystone species could survive just as well off of another organism thus not decrease or increase, or apparent competition could have been happening and the predators would have actually increased etc...

I would say that this question would be a blooms level 1 or 2. All you actually need to know is the definition of a keystones species but you would need to be able to understand what would happen if it was removed to pick the best answer even though some of the other answers could be possible

What is a dominant species role in communities?

a. Converse of diversityb. Greatest numberc. Disproportionate

impactd. A & Be. A & Cf. All of the above

• Correct answer is D• Meeting # 16• Objective # 3; describe

different roles species• Bloom’s Level 1:

remembering because it involves recalling relevant knowledge fro long-term memory

Meeting 16: Objective 3Community Properties—Species Roles

This species has a disproportionate impact on the community in relation to its abundance and biomass.

A. Foundational species

B. Ecological engineers

C. Keystone species correct answer

D. K-selected species

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level:

Remembering

This question requires the test-taker to recall information from a definition in the lecture and reading material.

The indirect interaction of a starfish maintaining community diversity by reducing the abundance of superior competitors is an example of:

a. Indirect mutualismb. Apparent competitionc. Keystone predationd. Intraguild predation

Meeting #17, objective 5

The correct answer, based on our lecture, is (c) Keystone predation.

This question is on the remembering level of Blooms pyramid. This question is from an example used in class. This could become part of the understanding level if another species was used and described in a similar situation, requiring someone to both recall the information and interpret similarities.

M17. One that reduces the abundance of a superior competitor, thus maintaining community diversity is

known as what type of indirect interaction.

• A. Apparent competition• B. Keystone predation• C. Indirect mutualism• D. Intraguild predation

• Blooms Level 1: Remembering, because the question is just the definition of the indirect interaction: Keystone predation.

• Meeting 17, Objective #4- Describe the ecological and evolutionary importance of diffuse and indirect interactions.

• While there are two main ways to define community, Clements defines community as _____, while Gleason defines it as _______.

• A- the species in an area sharing a common evolutionary history, relationships that form due to organisms having similar requirements and tolerance

• B- species living in the same area, species living in the same environment• C- relationships that form due to organisms having similar requirements and

tolerance, the species in an area sharing a common evolutionary history• D- interactions based on separate evolutions, the individual requirements of each

organism and how organisms interact to create a habitat inhabitable by many• Meeting 17 objective 6• Bloom’s taxonomy 1 because this is simply remembering the definitions for both

Clements and Gleason’s definition of community and remembering which definition was used by which person.

Pisaster ochraceus, the purple sea star, is a common sea star living in the Pacific Ocean. They feed mainly on mussels, which form beds that provide habitats for many species. Due to a disease called sea star wasting syndrome, changing air temperatures, and changing water temperatures, the population of these sea stars is diminishing, which could cause the mussel beds to change and potentially affect the entire community. The purple sea star is an example of which type of species in a community?a. Ecological engineerb. Foundational speciesc. Dominant speciesd. Keystone species

Meeting 17, Objective #3 (Describe how different roles species or groups of species can have in communities and provide a biological example of each)Bloom’s Level 2-3 – Understanding, ApplyingThe purple sea star is a keystone species because, even though their abundance is disproportionate to the impact they have on the community, without them, the community would fall apart, and all species in this community would be negatively affected.

m. 16 Objective#6 Distinguish between the alternative views of

communities typified by F. Clements and H.A. Gleason There are two opposing views of communities in Ecology. Who believed that the relationships among co-existing species was not because of a common evolutionary history but because of similarities in their requirements and tolerances? And what was their community concept?

A. H.A Gleason; OrganismicB. F. Clements; IndividualisticC. H.A Gleason; IndividualisticD. F. Clements; Organismic

Blooms Taxonomy Level Remembering and Understanding. For the first art of the question you have to understand the two different opposing views of communities and who came up with the idea. For the second part of the question you just have to remember who proposed what idea.

Meeting 17, Objective 4 -- Describe the ecological and evolutionary importance of diffuse and indirect interactions.

Poachers drive a lion population extinct. As a result, the local antelope population increases, but the elephant population decreases. Why is this? (Lions rarely view elephants as prey).

A) The now lacking effects of indirect commensalism.B) The now lacking effects of indirect mutualism.C) The removal of keystone predation. <-------- In this instance C is the correct answer. Without lions to prey upon the antelopes, their population increases in size and out competes the elephants.D) The inclusion of apparent competition as a factor.

-Bloom's Taxonomy-

I believe this question to fall under the Bloom's level of understanding, since not only are the basic definitions of each option required, but also the notion of interspecific competition and predatory effects.

After what event would primary succession take place in an environment?

a. After a fireb. Floodc. Earthquaked. Volcanic eruption

Answer: D Blooms Level 2: Understanding. I think it’s this level because you have to know where primary succession takes place and use it to determine which event would leave those specific requirements for primary succession.Meeting 18, Objective #1 :Distinguish between primary and secondary succession

Community Dynamics, Chapter 19, Objective 18

This model states that early successional species modify the environment so that it becomes more suitable for later successional species to invade and grow

maturity.

A. Inhibition modelB. Facilitation modelC. Tolerance model

D. Logistic growth model

Blooms level: Remembering, distinguish Because you need to remember the definition's of each answer choice and be able to distinguish from each and know the difference to come up with best

answer.

When referring to apparent competition within a community

a. Prey species are regulated by interspecific, density dependent mechanisms b. Species do not directly or indirectly compete c. Predator enhances one or more inferior competitors d. Indirect interaction is beneficial to both species

This question is pulled from meeting 17, objective #5: Distinguish between competition and apparent competition.

Letter choice b is correct, and this question is in the understanding level of Bloom’s taxonomy. The understanding level requires the student to

understand the topic at a level where they can summarize and begin to make inferences. This question requires more than just remembering a

simple definition. The distractors in this question are closely related to the other indirect interactions within a community, therefore if the student

does not fully comprehend apparent competition, this question will be very difficult for them to answer.

While walking into Dobo you notice that there is moss growing on the steps. Interested you look

more closely and see that there is no soil under the moss or cracks in the cement on which the moss is growing, nor is there any evidence of any other life

having grown on the cement. You are now convinced that the moss is part of ___________.

A. Secondary Succession

B. An intermediate disturbance

C. Primary Succession

D. Naturally part of the cement

E. Both A and B

Meeting 18, Learning Objective 1

Blooms Level 2 Understanding, 3 Applying

The greatest biodiversity occurs at which disturbance level?

A. LowB. IntermediateC. HighD. Maximal disturbance E. No disturbance

Meeting 18, Objective 2Bloom’s Taxonomy – Remembering

During succession, early successional species are often characterized by all of the following except:a. high rates of per capita population growth

b. high growth ratesc. high rates of mortality

d. high degree of dispersalMeeting 18: Distinguish between primary and secondary succession.I think this question is Level 2 of Bloom’s Taxonomy: Understanding because it deals with recalling information from the notes/text and understanding key differences between two concepts. I think students may have some degree of difficulty with this question because these characteristics are similar to the comparison of r vs. K species on the last exam, but this question is asking about successional species.

In Polis’ 1991 critique of the construction of food webs, which group of consumers was mentioned as an important missing piece of such a food web?

a. Herbivoresb. Parasites and Parasitoidsc. Carnivoresd. Detrivores

Meeting #17, objective 3

The correct answer, based on our lecture, is (b) Parasites and Parasitoids.

This question largely falls under the remembering portion of Bloom’s taxonomy. Though one might reason the answer out based on examples of food webs that we may have seen, that the lack of parasites and parasitoids was part of the critique was specifically mentioned in lecture and only needs to be recalled.

Multiple Choice Question

An Elephant can be described as “a species that has a disproportionate impact on the community relative to its abundance or biomass”. This is an example of what?

a) Ecological Engineerb) Keystone Speciesc) Dominanced) Species Evenness

A species of bird is inhabiting an area. A few years later, a different species of bird comes to that same area. This new species of bird doesn’t stay here very long. This is an example of… a) Toleranceb) Inhibitionc) Facilitationd) Keystone Speciese) Dominance

• Meeting 18 (Community Dynamics), Objective #4 (discriminate among the facilitation, inhibition, and tolerance models of succession)

• Bloom’s Level 1-2 because you need to remember the definitions of each of the above options and also be able to apply it to the specific situation that it is referring to.

Which of the following is true about the world is green hypothesis?

• A. The Earth is dominated by vegetation.• B. Predators keep herbivore populations in

check.• C. From space, the Earths oceans appear

green because of phytoplankton blooms.• Succession generally occurs as primary.

• This question has a Blooms level of 1. Remembering and distinguishing.

• Chapter 18

(m16) Calculate the Sorensen’s Coefficient of Community between Community A and Community B. Community A has 150 species, community B has 75 species and there

are 35 species that inhabit both communities.

• A) 3.21• B) 1.36• C) 0.81 • D) 0.31 (Correct Answer)• E) none of the above

The Earth is what kind of thermodynamic system?

• Closed• Open• Conserved• Entropic

• Bloom Level 1 (remembering)• Meeting 19, Learning Objective 3

The species role of dominance in communities requires the species to have the ______ number and _______ biomass. a) lowest, lowestb) greatest, greatestc) lowest, greatestd) greatest, lowest Meeting 16, Objective #3Bloom’s level 2 – remembering & understanding

Meeting 16 Learning Objective 3

• The best definition of a keystone species is:A. The species with the highest number of individuals in the communityB. The dominant competitiors of the communityC. The species which has a disproportional impact on the community relative to its abundanceD. The species that provides the necessary structure for the community to exist

Answer: CBloom’s Level: 1, Remembering