Name Teacher
Introduction to Natural Resources—ANSWER KEY
Matching: Match terms in Column A with definitions in Column B. (1 point per question)
Column A
c___1. Respiration
j___2. Biogeography
a___3. Ecology
f___4. Photosynthesis
h___5. Exploitation
i___6. Preservation
k___7. Food chain
d___8. Science
g___9. Environment
e___10. Food web
Column A
b___11. Weeks Law of 1911
f___12. Plymouth Colony
c___13. New York Sporting Club
e___14. Market hunter
d___15. Lacey Act of 1900
Date j
Exam (50 points possible)
Column B
a. The study of interactions among organisms and their environment
b. The careful use of natural resources to insure their continued use
c. Process of breaking down foods into their components with a
release of energy
d. A way of gaining knowledge
e. A series of overlapping food chains
f. Process in which plants convert water & CO2 into glucose
g. The physical surroundings of an organism
h. Using resources without replacing them
i. Preventing the use of some natural resource for the sake of
keeping that resource intact
j. The study of the distribution of organisms in the world’s biomes
k. A biotic systems of plants and animals that feed on each other
Column B
a. Imposed hunting regulations on deer in Rhode Island
b. Linked forestry with soil and water conservation, navigable
waterway transportation, and flood control
c. Hunted for sport and promoted restrictions against hunting
for profit
d. Brought about the end of market hunting
e. Hunted wildlife for profit
f. Passed the first ordinance controlling timber sales
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Multiple Choice: Circle the best answer. (1 point each)

16. Renewable resources are:

a. any material that provides energy
b. irreplaceable
c. replaceable
d. not natural resources
17. The scientific method is:
a. a way of figuring out how the natural world works
b. can only be used by scientists
c. helps us understand questions regarding personal values
d. always involves the use of complex equipment and detailed experiments
e. all of the above

18. A very well tested theory to which no exceptions have ever been found is called a:
a. theory
b. fact
c. natural law
d. hypothesis

19. A large terrestrial ecosystem that can be easily recognized by its own unique vegetation, animals, and
climate is called a:
a. biome
b. vegetation region
c. temporal zone
d. continent

20. The salt desert shrub ecoregion of Idaho is characterized by:

a. Fertile soils, high precipitation and excellent wildlife habitat
b. Hot climate, shallow and rocky soils, potential problems from fire suppression
c. Dry soils, hot climate, classic western rangeland type
d. Cold temperatures, low precipitation, salty soils, excellent winter range

21. Which of the following is an example of non-renewable resources?

a. Wind
b. Water
c. Vegetation
d. Coal

22. An example of a renewable natural resource is:

a. Coal
b. Mushrooms
c. Diamonds
d. Glass
e. All of the above

23. All the populations of plants and animal species that live and interact in a given area at a particular time, as
well as the chemical and physical factors that make up the non-living environment are called a[n]
_____________.
a. Ecosystem
b. Socio-Economic System
c. Symbiotic World Order
d. Environmental Microcosm

24. Which of the following could be called an ecosystem:

a. The number of wild horses in Wyoming
b. The number of black-capped vireos in the Hill Country of Texas
c. All of the plants, animals, and microbes in the Bolivian Altiplano Region
d. All of the living organisms on Moscow Mountain plus all the abiotic factors that affect these
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 biotic entities

25. The location and extent of the terrestrial ecosystems of the world are primarily determined by:
a. the phosphorus cycle
b. temperature and precipitation
c. human activity
d. respiration and fixation

26. This Idaho ecoregion is characterized by deep, rich soils, and a moist climate (12-30” annual
precipitation). The Palouse and Camas Prairies are examples of this ecoregion:
a. Pacific bunchgrass
b. Sagebrush grassland
c. Salt desert shrub
d. Mountain meadows

27. In ecology, succession refers to:

a. survival of the fittest
b. one species or group of species gradually being replaced by another
c. a balance of ecological resistance and biotic potential
d. predator-prey relationships

28. A climax ecosystem is:

a. to humans, the most valuable ecosystem that can exist on the area
b. one in which natural selection and evolution have stopped
c. a stable ecosystem where no succession is taking place
d. an ecosystem that is very unstable and in the process of change
e. all of the above

Short answer: Answer each of the following questions.

29. Identify four of the most widely used metals. (4 points) Aluminum, copper, iron, lead, mercury, nickel, tin,
zinc.

30. What is our most important nonrenewable resource, why is it nonrenewable, and why is it so important?
(3 points) Soil/topsoil—it does not renew itself at rate that is practical for human use. It is so important
because the topsoil provides us with almost all our food and is where we live, work, and play.

31. Why are urban expansion, industrialization, and construction problematic to our soil resources? (2 points)
Prime farmland is often used for these other land uses, and it is very difficult to reclaim topsoil once it
has been paved over.

32. Discuss the role of (a) science and (b) values in natural resource management. Include how science is
amoral, what values are, and how values give rise to conflict. (6 points) Science is amoral because
scientists are interested in explaining how things work not whether those things are right or wrong. We
use science to understand and make predictions about our world. We use values to determine what is best
for our world (natural resources). Our values differ from that of other people’s and are shaped by our
society, needs, and upbringing. Our differing values result in different ideas on how natural resources
should be managed. This gives rise to conflict in natural resource management.

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What Biome Am I?: Write the name of the biome on the line after each question. Use the word bank. (1 point
each for questions 33-36)

Desert Temperate grassland Tropical rainforest

Temperate forest Taiga Tundra

33. This biome has four seasons. It is warm in the summer, cold in the winter. Most of the trees lose their
leaves and many birds migrate south for the winter. It is likely that you will see deer, raccoons, and
squirrels here. What biome am I?
Temperate forest

34. The plants here are quite different from what you are used to. The leaf surfaces are small, some are only
spines. The stems and branches of these plants usually are thick in order to store water. The roots of the
plants spread over a large area and do no grow deep into the sand. What biome am I?
Desert

35. It rains about 80 inches a year here. Because we get a lot of rain, there are many kinds of plants, such as
ferns, climbing plants, and trees here. There are also a lot of birds, reptiles, and insects that live here too.
Because we are located around the equator, our temperature average temperature is very warm. What
biome am I?
Tropical rainforest

36. I don’t get enough rainfall to support trees, but many grasses and forbs are found here. I have hot
summers and cold winters, and I used to be home to many animals like bison and prairie chickens.
Unfortunately, there is not much of me left because most of me has been converted to farmland. What
biome am I?
Temperate grassland

37. Name and describe one way that humans are impacting one of the biomes in a negative way. Make sure to
identify the biome you are referring to. (3 points) Answers will vary. Pollution and habitat destruction
probably applies for most biomes.