Marine Biology Question
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Course Introduction
Marine Biology explores the diverse and dynamic life forms that inhabit the worlds oceans, covering their physiology, behavior, and ecological interactions. The course examines marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, deep seas, and coastal habitats, highlighting the adaptations of organisms to different marine environments. Students learn about primary production, food webs, biogeochemical cycles, and the impact of human activities like pollution, overfishing, and climate change on the health of marine populations. Emphasis is placed on scientific methods, field techniques, and the importance of marine conservation for sustaining global biodiversity.
Recommended Textbook Essentials Of Oceanography 11th Edition by Alan P. Trujillo
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Planet Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) The first humans from Western Hemisphere known to have developed the art of navigation were the:
A)Polynesians.
B)Greeks.
C)Vikings.
D)Phoenicians.
E)New Zealanders.
Answer: D
Q2) Vikings led by Thor Heyerdahl established temporary colonies in North America.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The separation of the Earth into layers while it was molten was the result of the:
A)decrease in temperature downward toward the core.
B)differing densities of the elements that make up the Earth.
C)gravitational force created by the rotating Earth.
D)initial collection of materials and their position in Earth.
E)presence of water at Earth's surface.
Answer: B
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics and the Ocean Floor
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Sample Questions
Q1) Wegener used all of the following provide evidence for continental drift except:
A)age of selected continental rocks.
B)apparent polar wandering.
C)location of coral reef fossils.
D)seafloor magnetic pattern.
E)shape of continental margins.
Answer: D
Q2) Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A) convergent plate boundary
B) volcanic arc
C) island arc
D) rift valley
E) continental arc
Answer: D
Q3) Deep-sea trenches are found at convergent plate boundaries.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Marine Provinces
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Sample Questions
Q1) Hydrothermal vents are often associated with central rift valleys along the oceanic ridge and rise system.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) seismic reflection profile
A)used to map ocean floor from space
B)cumulative plot of area versus depth or elevation
C)measurement of ocean depth and seafloor topography
D)a method of mapping the topography of the ocean floor along a strip up to 60 km
E)used echo soundings in 1952 to identify mid-ocean ridge in South Atlantic
F)used to determine ocean structure beneath the sea floor
G)uses high frequency sound waves to measure ocean depth
Answer: F
Q3) Mid-ocean ridges are rises that occupy a small portion (around 10%)of the deep ocean basins.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Marine Sediments
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Sample Questions
Q1) List the particle names and corresponding grain size, from smallest to largest, using the Wentworth scale of grain size.
Q2) Calcareous ooze is found in cooler waters at depth around the world.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Create a table detailing the four types of marine sediments and their source (parent)material.
Q4) All of the following are true concerning neritic sediment deposits except:
A)they may contain coarse-grained sand and rock fragments in the sediments.
B)they may contain sediments of lithogenous origin.
C)they may contain sediments transported from rivers onto the continental shelf.
D)they may form in shallow coastal waters.
E)they are primarily composed of calcareous deposits of biological origin.
Q5) oolites
A)cosmogenous sediment
B)hydrogenous sediment
C)lithogenous (terrigenous)sediment
D)biogenous sediment
Q6) List and describe the four types of marine sediments.
Q7) Discuss the sources of biogenous sediments.
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Chapter 5: Water and Seawater
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Sample Questions
Q1) At high latitudes, abundant precipitation and runoff from melting of freshwater icebergs both increase salinity.
A)True
B)False
Q2) All of the following statements regarding pH are true except:
A)A pH of 3.0 is acidic and a pH of 10.0 is alkaline.
B)As a whole, the pH of the ocean is slightly acidic.
C)Buffers prevent large changes in the pH of a solution.
D)pH will be buffered in deeper water where organisms with calcite shells sink.
E)pH relates to relative acid-base ion balance in a solution.
Q3) Water molecules exhibit strong cohesion.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The amount of energy that is necessary to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree C is the definition of:
A)boiling point elevation.
B)calorie.
C)latent heat of condensation.
D)latent heat of evaporation.
E)thermal capacity.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Air-Sea Interaction
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Sample Questions
Q1) The oceanic climate region(s)where the majority of strong tropical cyclonic storms are produced is:
A)polar.
B)subpolar.
C)temperate.
D)subtropical.
E)tropical.
Q2) All of the following are true of the movement of Earth's atmosphere except:
A)a column of cool, dense air produces high pressure at the Earth's surface.
B)a column of warm, less dense air produces low pressure at the Earth's surface.
C)cool air is denser than warm air so it tends to sink toward the Earth's surface.
D)the movement of air within the atmospheric convection cells generates the Earth's major wind belts.
E)warm air is less dense than cool air so it tends to sink toward the Earth's surface.
Q3) Wind is initiated by thermal heating from the sun and cooling by the ocean creating a thermal convection cell.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Ocean Circulation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Surface ocean currents are vertical currents in the water column that are density-driven.
A)True
B)False
Q2) California Current
A)tropical latitudes
B)cold current, northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes
C)northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes, warm current
D)cold current, southern hemisphere, temperate latitudes
E)cold current, polar latitudes, southern hemisphere
Q3) During its time in the deep ocean, deep water can become enriched in oxygen.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Deep ocean currents often move cold, dense water away from the poles.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The Gulf Stream moves water away from the equator; the Benguela Current moves some of this same water back toward the equator.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: Waves and Water Dynamics
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Sample Questions
Q1) The fetch refers to:
A)a method of shoreline erosion control.
B)a type of wave-cut platform.
C)the circular pattern made by water particles when a wave passes.
D)the distance between the trough of a wave and the still water level.
E)the distance over which the wind blows without interruption.
Q2) Most ocean waves form as a result of:
A)seismic events.
B)winds blowing across the ocean surface.
C)landslides.
D)density differences between water layers.
E)Earth's rotation.
Q3) The speed of a deep-water wave is proportional to:
A)water depth.
B)wave frequency.
C)wave height.
D)wave speed or celerity.
E)wavelength.
Q4) Describe what happens to a deep-water wave when it enters shallow water and eventually breaks.
10
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Chapter 9: Tides
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Sample Questions
Q1) If the resultant force has a significant horizontal component (tangential to Earth's surface), it produces tidal bulges on Earth, creating what are known as:
A)tide-generating forces.
B)solar bulges.
C)lunar bulges.
D)resultant forces.
E)centripetal forces.
Q2) This wave formed on a river by a flood current is called a/an:
A)ebb tide.
B)flood tide.
C)seiche
D)tidal bore.
E)tsunami.
Q3) A neap tide has:
A)moderately high tidal range.
B)moderately low tidal range.
C)no tidal range.
D)very high tidal range.
E)very low tidal range.
Q4) How do centripetal forces and gravitation forces interact to produce the tides?
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Chapter 10: The Coast: Beaches and Shoreline Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following are typically characteristic of erosional shores except:
A)headlands.
B)wave-cut cliffs.
C)deltas.
D)sea caves.
E)sea arches.
Q2) The backshore is found between the normal high tide mark and the coastline.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Describe the features associated with erosional and depositional coasts and discuss their formation.
Q4) Winter beaches:
A)are narrower than summer beaches due to high-energy waves during the winter.
B)are wider than summer beaches due to low-energy waves during the winter.
C)contain more sediment than summer beaches due to high-energy waves during the winter.
D)contain less sediment than summer beaches due to low-energy waves during the winter.
E)have better smaller offshore bars during the winter.
Q5) What is longshore drift and how is it related to a longshore current?
Page 12
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Chapter 11: The Coastal Ocean
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Sample Questions
Q1) The type of circulation pattern found in Laguna Madre is:
A)opposite of the typical estuarine circulation pattern.
B)salt wedge pattern.
C)slightly stratified circulation pattern.
D)vertically mixed circulation pattern.
E)wind-driven circulation pattern.
Q2) The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)extends:
A)3 nautical miles from the coast.
B)10.5 nautical miles from the coast.
C)20 nautical miles from the coast.
D)200 nautical miles from the coast.
E)into open international waters.
Q3) The two most significant human sources of oil pollution in the marine environment are:
A)blow out accidents and urban run-off.
B)natural seeps and urban run-off.
C)normal oil tanker/shipping operations and urban run-off.
D)oil tanker and blowout accidents in marine coastal waters.
E)tar balls and oil tanker accidents.
Q4) Compare and contrast salt marshes and mangrove swamps.
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Chapter 12: Marine Life and the Marine Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) The majority of marine species are associated with the pelagic environment.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The majority of marine invertebrates are:
A)adapted to life in the pelagic zone.
B)estuarine.
C)found only in benthic environments.
D)hypertonic with respect to their environment.
E)isotonic with respect to their environment.
Q3) Osmosis occurs when salt ions diffuse through a selectively permeable membrane with a lower ion concentration.
A)True
B)False
Q4) One reason that polar climates support a higher biomass is that colder water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warmer water.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Compare and contrast warm and cold water marine species in terms of life span, body size, and relative abundance.
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Chapter 13: Biological Productivity and Energy Transfer
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the following are challenges to managing fisheries except:
A)overfishing.
B)incident catch or bycatch.
C)multinational boundaries.
D)regulations on the number of fishing vessels.
E)All of the above are correct.
Q2) In general, the rate at which energy is stored by organisms through the formation of organic matter is called:
A)biomass.
B)chlorophyll.
C)compensation depth.
D)primary productivity.
E)upwelling.
Q3) Tropical open ocean waters have the highest rate of primary productivity in the world's oceans.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Briefly describe the feeding strategies employed by marine organisms including suspension feeding (filter feeding), deposit feeding, and carnivorous feeding.
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Chapter 14: Animals of the Pelagic Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) The gray whale and other baleen whales migrate every year to:
A)feed in the Arctic and Antarctic regions during the winter.
B)feed in the tropics during the summer.
C)feed in the tropics during the winter.
D)mate and give birth in the Arctic and Antarctic regions during the summer.
E)mate and give birth in the tropics during the winter.
Q2) walrus
A)Order Cetacea, Suborder Odontoceti
B)Order Sirenia
C)Order Carnivora
D)Order Cetacea, Suborder Mysticeti
Q3) Compare and contrast adaptations of fishes and marine mammals to life in the pelagic environment.
Q4) Sea lions are easily distinguished from seals because they:
A)cannot rotate their front flippers backward.
B)cannot rotate their front flippers forward.
C)have external ears.
D)have a short neck.
E)use their rear flippers for swimming.
Q5) Distinguish between poikilotherms and homeotherms and give an example of each.
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Animals of the Benthic Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Species diversity is highest in coral reef communities.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Two dominant organisms of the rocky shore found high on the rocks of the intertidal zone are:
A)buckshot barnacles and limpets.
B)goose barnacles and mussels.
C)keyhole limpets and Irish moss.
D)periwinkle snails and kelp.
E)sea anemones and hermit crabs.
Q3) List and describe the plant and animal adaptations employed by animals living on a rocky shore (intertidal zone).
Q4) All of the following are examples of strategies employed by organisms to reduce wave shock in the rocky intertidal zone except:
A)attachment threads.
B)muscular foot.
C)holdfasts.
D)motile larvae.
E)the use of suction to attach to rocks.
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Chapter 16: The Oceans and Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Burning of fossil fuels is chemically similar to:
A)autotrophic processes.
B)chemosynthesis.
C)metabolism.
D)photosynthesis.
E)respiration.
Q2) Domestic cattle production and rice agriculture release relatively large amounts of which gas into the atmosphere?
A)carbon dioxide (CO )
B)chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
C)methane (CH )
D)ozone (O )
E)water vapor (H O)
Q3) All of the following are organisms mostly likely to be directly affected by ocean acidification except:
A)coccolithophores.
B)fishes.
C)pteropods.
D)urchins.
E)hard corals.
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