Major | Environmental Science

LET Test Drill

Competency 2.1. Illustrate the interdependence of living 12. An organism that eats both plants and animals is called
organisms with each other and with their natural a(n):
environment A. Herbivore
Competency 2.2. Deliberate the food chain links which show B. Carnivore
how the organisms are related in utilizing energy and C. Omnivore
nutrients D. Detritivore
13. A parasite obtains nutrients from a host. This interaction
1. Which of the following best describes mutualism? is an example of:
A. One organism benefits, the other is harmed A. Commensalism
B. Both organisms benefit B. Mutualism
C. One organism benefits, the other is unaffected C. Predation
D. Both organisms are harmed D. Parasitism
2. A hawk feeds on a snake that feeds on a frog. What role 14. Which organisms help convert dead matter into usable
does the hawk play in this food chain? nutrients?
A. Producer A. Consumers
B. Herbivore B. Producers
C. Secondary consumer C. Decomposers
D. Tertiary consumer D. Omnivores
3. Which of the following organisms is a producer? 15. What is the significance of biodiversity in an ecosystem?
A. Grass A. Decreases competition
B. Grasshopper B. Reduces food sources
C. Frog C. Increases ecosystem stability
D. Snake D. Limits species interaction
4. What is the primary source of energy in an ecosystem? 16. Which trophic level contains the least energy?
A. Heat A. Producers
B. Water B. Primary consumers
C. Sunlight C. Secondary consumers
D. Soil D. Tertiary consumers
5. Decomposers play an essential role in the ecosystem by: 17. Which of the following is an example of commensalism?
A. Producing energy A. Lichen on rock
B. Recycling nutrients B. Bird nesting in a tree
C. Pollinating plants C. Fleas on a dog
D. Controlling populations D. Ants and aphids
6. A bird eats insects off a buffalo’s back. This is an example 18. The arrows in a food web show:
of: A. Direction of reproduction
A. Parasitism B. Nutrient absorption
B. Commensalism C. Flow of energy
C. Predation D. Movement of water
D. Mutualism 19. What is the main cause of energy loss between trophic
7. Which is NOT a biotic factor in an ecosystem? levels?
A. Bacteria A. Excretion
B. Grass B. Digestion
C. Rainfall C. Heat
D. Tree D. Respiration
8. What will most likely happen if all the producers in an 20. If the population of herbivores decreases, what will most
ecosystem are destroyed? likely happen to the carnivores?
A. Herbivores will increase A. Increase
B. Carnivores will thrive B. Migrate
C. Energy flow will stop C. Stay the same
D. Decomposers will increase D. Decrease
9. Which of the following best describes the role of fungi in 21. Which type of ecological relationship is most beneficial
a forest ecosystem? for agriculture?
A. Primary consumers A. Mutualism
B. Secondary consumers B. Commensalism
C. Producers C. Predation
D. Decomposers D. Parasitism
10. Which of these organisms is at the base of a food 22. What organism would be at the top of the food chain?
pyramid? A. Grass
A. Primary consumer B. Deer
B. Secondary consumer C. Wolf
C. Producer D. Bacteria
D. Decomposer 23. Which process adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?
11. What is the correct order of energy flow in a food chain? A. Photosynthesis
A. Herbivore → Producer → Carnivore B. Respiration
B. Producer → Herbivore → Carnivore C. Nitrogen fixation
C. Carnivore → Herbivore → Producer D. Transpiration
D. Producer → Carnivore → Herbivore
 Major | Environmental Science
LET Test Drill

24. Which organism is both a consumer and a decomposer? 36. Which describes the relationship of energy and trophic
A. Cow levels?
B. Fungus A. Increases with each level
C. Earthworm B. Remains the same
D. Eagle C. Decreases with each level
25. How do plants contribute to the food chain? D. Depends on sunlight
A. Break down waste 37. What is a limiting factor in a desert ecosystem?
B. Absorb heat A. Rain
C. Produce food B. Wind
D. Store oxygen C. Sand
26. Energy in most ecosystems enters through: D. Trees
A. Green plants 38. Which of these is a primary consumer?
B. Soil A. Tiger
C. Wind B. Snake
D. Rain C. Goat
27. Which organism is most directly responsible for nitrogen D. Mushroom
fixation? 39. Why are decomposers essential in the food web?
A. Earthworm A. Prevent overpopulation
B. Algae B. Add oxygen
C. Bacteria C. Break down waste and recycle nutrients
D. Grass D. Provide shelter
28. A lion hunts and eats a zebra. This is an example of: 40. What would happen if decomposers disappeared?
A. Parasitism A. Nutrients would accumulate
B. Mutualism B. Food chains would collapse
C. Commensalism C. Plants would flourish
D. Predation D. Consumers would increase
29. How does overfishing affect the marine food web? 41. In the ocean, which organism is usually the producer?
A. Increases oxygen levels A. Fish
B. Increases predator population B. Algae
C. Reduces biodiversity C. Whale
D. Improves fish health D. Coral
30. Which of the following organisms would be most affected 42. What is the term for a series of food chains linked
by a decrease in plant population? together?
A. Herbivores A. Food pyramid
B. Decomposers B. Energy flow
C. Carnivores C. Food web
D. Omnivores D. Ecosystem
31. What cycle moves carbon through the atmosphere, 43. What ecological term refers to all the living and nonliving
organisms, and Earth? things in an area?
A. Water cycle A. Population
B. Nitrogen cycle B. Community
C. Rock cycle C. Habitat
D. Carbon cycle D. Ecosystem
32. Which is an abiotic factor? 44. In which layer of the rainforest would you find most
A. Soil sunlight and producers?
B. Bacteria A. Canopy
C. Grass B. Understory
D. Insect C. Forest floor
33. Which organisms are critical for the start of most food D. Shrub layer
chains? 45. Which of the following is an energy pathway from the sun
A. Fungi to a lion?
B. Insects A. Sun → Deer → Grass → Lion
C. Plants B. Sun → Grass → Deer → Lion
D. Bacteria C. Sun → Lion → Grass → Deer
34. What term best describes an organism’s role in its D. Lion → Deer → Grass → Sun
ecosystem? 46. Which shows the correct order of a simple food chain?
A. Habitat A. Rabbit → Grass → Snake
B. Niche B. Snake → Rabbit → Grass
C. Predator C. Grass → Rabbit → Snake
D. Producer D. Grass → Snake → Rabbit
35. What happens to most of the energy an organism 47. Which of the following is not an example of
receives? interdependence?
A. Stored in tissues A. Bees pollinating flowers
B. Lost as waste B. Deer eating grass
C. Converted to heat C. Wolves preying on deer
D. Passed to the next level D. A tree growing alone in the desert
 Major | Environmental Science
LET Test Drill

48. Which environmental change would most disrupt a food unlike herbivores (plants only) and carnivores (animals
web? only).
A. Seasonal rain 13. D. Parasitism
B. Introduction of a new predator Explanation: Parasitism is a relationship where one
C. Tree growth organism benefits (the parasite) at the expense of the
D. Migration host.
49. What does a food pyramid show?
14. C. Decomposers
A. Predator-prey relationships
Explanation: Decomposers break down dead material,
B. Nutrient movement
C. Energy transfer returning nutrients to the soil for use by producers.
D. Animal population 15. C. Increases ecosystem stability
50. What happens as energy moves up a food pyramid? Explanation: Biodiversity promotes stability by ensuring
A. It is lost as heat that there are many species to maintain ecosystem
B. It increases functions and services.
C. It remains constant 16. D. Tertiary consumers
D. It becomes oxygen Explanation: Tertiary consumers are at the top of the
food chain and have the least amount of energy available
to them, as energy decreases at each trophic level.
Answer Key with Rationalizations
17. B. Bird nesting in a tree
1. B. Both organisms benefit Explanation: Commensalism is a relationship where one
Explanation: Mutualism is a symbiotic relationship where organism benefits, and the other is not significantly
both organisms benefit from the interaction. affected. The bird benefits by using the tree for nesting,
2. D. Tertiary consumer but the tree is unaffected.
Explanation: The hawk is at the top of the food chain, 18. C. Flow of energy
feeding on a secondary consumer (the snake), making it a Explanation: The arrows in a food web represent the flow
tertiary consumer. of energy from one organism to another.
3. A. Grass 19. C. Heat
Explanation: Producers are organisms that produce their Explanation: Energy is lost as heat during metabolic
own food through photosynthesis, such as grass. processes and not all of it is transferred to the next
4. C. Sunlight trophic level.
Explanation: The primary source of energy in an 20. D. Decrease
ecosystem is sunlight, which is harnessed by producers Explanation: A decrease in herbivore population will lead
for photosynthesis. to a decrease in the carnivore population due to the
5. B. Recycling nutrients reduced food source.
Explanation: Decomposers break down dead organisms 21. A. Mutualism
and organic matter, returning vital nutrients back into the Explanation: Mutualism is beneficial for agriculture, as
ecosystem. many plants rely on mutualistic relationships with
6. D. Mutualism pollinators and other organisms.
Explanation: The bird benefits by eating insects, and the 22. C. Wolf
buffalo benefits by having its parasites removed, making Explanation: Wolves are apex predators in many
this a mutualistic relationship. ecosystems and are at the top of the food chain.
7. C. Rainfall 23. B. Respiration
Explanation: Rainfall is an abiotic factor, as it is a non- Explanation: Respiration by organisms releases carbon
living component of the ecosystem. dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to the carbon
8. C. Energy flow will stop cycle.
Explanation: Without producers, there would be no 24. C. Earthworm
source of energy for consumers, halting the energy flow Explanation: Earthworms are both consumers (eating
in the ecosystem. organic matter) and decomposers (breaking down dead
9. D. Decomposers material).
Explanation: Fungi play the role of decomposers, 25. C. Produce food
breaking down dead organic matter and recycling Explanation: Plants contribute to the food chain by
nutrients in the ecosystem. producing food (glucose) through photosynthesis, which
10. C. Producer is used by other organisms.
Explanation: Producers, such as plants, form the base of 26. A. Green plants
the food pyramid as they provide energy for all other Explanation: Green plants are the primary producers in
organisms. most ecosystems and are responsible for harnessing
11. B. Producer → Herbivore → Carnivore energy from the sun.
Explanation: In a food chain, energy flows from 27. C. Bacteria
producers (plants) to herbivores (primary consumers) and Explanation: Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are responsible for
then to carnivores (secondary consumers). converting nitrogen in the atmosphere into forms usable
12. C. Omnivore by plants.
Explanation: Omnivores eat both plants and animals, 28. D. Predation
Explanation: Predation is the interaction where one
 Major | Environmental Science
LET Test Drill

organism (the predator) hunts and consumes another 45. B. Sun → Grass → Deer → Lion
organism (the prey). Explanation: This pathway shows energy flow, where the
29. C. Reduces biodiversity sun's energy is absorbed by grass (producer), which is
Explanation: Overfishing depletes fish populations, eaten by a deer (primary consumer), and then the lion
disrupting the food web and reducing overall biodiversity (secondary consumer) eats the deer.
in marine ecosystems. 46. C. Grass → Rabbit → Snake
30. A. Herbivores Explanation: A simple food chain starts with a producer
Explanation: Herbivores directly depend on plants for (grass), followed by a herbivore (rabbit), and then a
food, so a decrease in plant population would most carnivore (snake).
directly affect herbivores. 47. D. A tree growing alone in the desert
31. D. Carbon cycle Explanation: Interdependence refers to how organisms
Explanation: The carbon cycle moves carbon through the rely on each other. A solitary tree in the desert lacks
atmosphere, organisms, and Earth, regulating the Earth's interactions with other organisms, making it an example
climate. of non-interdependence.
32. A. Soil 48. B. Introduction of a new predator
Explanation: Soil is an abiotic factor, as it is a non-living Explanation: The introduction of a new predator can
component that supports plant growth in ecosystems. disrupt existing food webs by unbalancing predator-prey
33. C. Plants relationships.
Explanation: Plants are the primary producers and the 49. C. Energy transfer
foundation of most food chains in ecosystems. Explanation: A food pyramid shows how energy is
34. B. Niche transferred from one trophic level to another in an
Explanation: An organism's niche refers to its role in the ecosystem.
ecosystem, including its behavior, diet, and interactions 50. A. It is lost as heat
with other species. Explanation: As energy moves up a food pyramid, most
35. C. Converted to heat of it is lost as heat due to metabolic processes.
Explanation: Most of the energy an organism receives is
lost as heat due to metabolic processes, such as
respiration.
36. C. Decreases with each level
Explanation: As energy moves up trophic levels, it
decreases because only about 10% of the energy is
transferred to the next level.
37. A. Rain
Explanation: Rain is a limiting factor in desert
ecosystems, as it is necessary for the survival of plants
and animals.
38. C. Goat
Explanation: Goats are herbivores (primary consumers)
that feed on plants.
39. C. Break down waste and recycle nutrients
Explanation: Decomposers are essential because they
break down organic matter and recycle nutrients back
into the ecosystem.
40. B. Food chains would collapse
Explanation: Decomposers are crucial for recycling
nutrients; without them, nutrient cycling would halt,
leading to the collapse of food chains.
41. B. Algae
Explanation: Algae are the primary producers in most
ocean ecosystems, providing energy for other marine
organisms.
42. C. Food web
Explanation: A food web is a network of interconnected
food chains in an ecosystem.
43. D. Ecosystem
Explanation: An ecosystem includes all living (biotic) and
non-living (abiotic) components in a given area.
44. A. Canopy
Explanation: The canopy is the uppermost layer of the
rainforest, where most sunlight reaches and where many
producers (like trees) are located.