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Oceanography Practice Questions - 2050 Verified Questions

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Course Introduction

Oceanography Practice Questions

Oceanography is the scientific study of the Earth's oceans, encompassing their physical, chemical, biological, and geological aspects. This interdisciplinary field explores the composition and movement of seawater, marine life and ecosystems, seafloor geology, and the dynamic processes that govern ocean circulation, tides, and waves. By understanding ocean-atmosphere interactions, climate influence, and the impact of human activities on marine environments, oceanography provides crucial insights into the sustainability and health of our planet's oceans.

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Introduction to Marine Biology 4th Edition by George Karleskint

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20 Chapters

2050 Verified Questions

2050 Flashcards

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Page 2

Chapter 1: Science and Marine Biology

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73 Verified Questions

73 Flashcards

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Sample Questions

Q1) Inductive reasoning

A)an orderly pattern of gathering and analyzing information

B)proposing general explanations from a few observations

C)proposing specific explanations from a general principle

Answer: B

Q2) A scientific investigation follows an orderly progression of steps-select the correct path.

A) Test hypothesis, collect and interpret data, determine conclusions.

B) Make observations, formulate hypothesis, test hypothesis.

C) Make observations, formulate hypothesis, test hypothesis, collect and interpret data, draw conclusion.

D) Consult literature, test hypothesis, collect data, interpret data, draw conclusion.

E) Make observations, consult literature, interpret data, formulate and test hypothesis. Answer: C

Q3) Marine organisms are excellent models for studying basic biology principals.

A)True

B)False

Answer: True

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Chapter 2: Fundamentals of Ecology

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113 Verified Questions

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Sample Questions

Q1) Explain why the number of trophic levels in a given ecosystem is limited.

Answer: This is because energy is transferred from one level to the next with very low efficiency. As a result, energy loss prevents significant energy transfer at the highest trophic levels. The loss of energy with each transfer also explains why the collective biomass of successively higher trophic levels decreases.

Q2) Population

A)Populations of species in a area

B)Mussels on a rocky shore

C)Sum of biotic processes interacting in a large area with similar abiotic factors

Answer: B

Q3) Algal bloom

A)Logistic

B)Exponential growth

Answer: B

Q4) Infaunal organisms live in the water column.

A)True

B)False

Answer: False

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Chapter 3: Geology of the Ocean

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Sample Questions

Q1) Divergent plate boundary

A)layer between crust and mantle

B)where plates move toward each other

C)where plates move apart

D)where plates move laterally beside each other

Answer: C

Q2) The world ocean covers 70.8% of the earth's surface.

A)True

B)False

Answer: True

Q3) Abyssal hill

A)rise up from abyssal plain

B)once above the seasurface

C)flat expanse

Answer: A

Q4) Crust

A)dense, hot, rich in iron and nickel

B)granite or basalt

C)magnesium - iron silicates

Answer: B

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Chapter 4: Water, Waves, and Tides

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Sample Questions

Q1) Density (at 4 S1U1P1\(\circ\)S1S1P0C)

A)1.00 g/cm<sup>3</sup>

B)0 S1U1P1\(\circ\)S1S1P0C

C)100 S1U1P1\(\circ\)S1S1P0C

Q2) Freezing Point

A)1.00 g/cm<sup>3</sup>

B)0 S1U1P1\(\circ\)S1S1P0C

C)100 S1U1P1\(\circ\)S1S1P0C

Q3) Describe the astronomical conditions that give rise to the extreme spring tides during certain periods of the month.

Q4) Sodium

A)10.76

B)2.71

C)19.35

Q5) Salinity is expressed in parts per

A) hundred.

B) thousand.

C) ten thousand.

D) hundred thousand.

E) million.

Page 6

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Chapter 5: Biological Concepts

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Sample Questions

Q1) Charles Lyell

A)binomial nomenclature

B)speciation

C)age of the earth

Q2) Contractile proteins

A)muscle

B)biological catalysts

C)semi-rigid body parts of animals

Q3) Define and briefly describe Domains.

Q4) Glucose

A)glucose & fructose

B)basic fuel for living cells

C)glucose & glucose

Q5) Natural selection

A)Only populations

B)Only individuals

C)Individuals and populations

Q6) Describe the four premises of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

Q7) How are the processes of artificial selection and natural selection similar and how are they different?

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Chapter 6: Marine Microbes

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Sample Questions

Q1) Labyrinthulids

A)DHA fatty acid

B)planktonic decomposer

C)wasting disease

Q2) The frustule of diatoms is made of:

A) cellulose.

B) calcium carbonate.

C) silica.

D) protein.

E) starch.

Q3) What is the importance of nitrogen-fixation to autotrophic organisms?

Q4) Filamentous marine fungi asexual reproduction

A)conidiospores

B)budding

C)ascocarp

Q5) Diatoms

A)disc-shaped calcareous scales

B)membranous sacs

C)silicon frustules

Q6) What is diatomaceous earth? How is it used commercially?

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Chapter 7: Multicellular Primary Producers

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Sample Questions

Q1) Marsh plants

A)pollinated by the wind

B)disperses with floating propagules

C)hydrophilous pollination

Q2) Seagrasses do not produce pollen.

A)True

B)False

Q3) Marsh plants

A)food source for insects

B)habitat for nesting birds

C)covered with epiphytes

Q4) The marine macrophyte group with the highest number of species is:

A) seagrasses.

B) red algae.

C) green algae.

D) brown algae.

E) blue-green algae.

Q5) The sporophyte generation of kelp is dominant and larger than the gametophyte.

A)True

B)False

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Chapter 8: Lower Invertebrates

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Sample Questions

Q1) Sponges are considered:

A) animals.

B) plants.

C) fungi.

D) bacteria.

E) Archaea.

Q2) Sponges belong to the phylum:

A) Porifera.

B) Cnidaria.

C) Platyhelminthes.

D) Nematoda.

E) Tubularia.

Q3) Which of the following is false about animals?

A) they are multicellular.

B) they are heterotrophic.

C) they are autotrophs.

D) they lack cell walls.

E) most can actively move.

Q4) If all the meiofaunal organisms were eliminated from a sandy beach, how would that affect the habitat and the trophic structure of the beach?

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Chapter 9: Higher Invertebrates

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Sample Questions

Q1) What do shipworms and a peanut worms have in common?

A) both can bore through hard substrata.

B) both are filter feeders.

C) both are in the same phylum.

D) both are hermaprodites.

Q2) A pile of castings outside the burrow of a polychaete indicates it

A) has just dug a burrow.

B) has completed a meal of other worms.

C) is a filter feeder.

D) is a selective deposit feeder.

E) is a nonselective deposit feeder.

Q3) Echinoderms often have an important ecological effect on their environment. Provide at least 2 examples of their effects in particular locations.

Q4) Describe the symbiotic relationships of tube-dwelling and burrowing worms.

Q5) The function of chelicerae is similar to that of the __________ in crabs and lobsters.

A) reproductive organs.

B) antenna.

C) mouthparts.

D) claws.

Page 11

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Chapter 10: Marine Fishes

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Sample Questions

Q1) The spiracle in conjunction with a ventral gill in skates and rays is an adaptation that allows them to:

A) be nekton.

B) have a bottom existence.

C) position their mouth ventrally.

D) avoid detection by predators.

E) filter feed on plankton.

Q2) Fast moving fishes tend to propel themselves by undulating their entire bodies.

A)True

B)False

Q3) Pigments

A)iridophores

B)chromataphores

C)obliterative

Q4) Neuromast cells are associated with the ____ of sharks.

A) eyes

B) lateral line

C) nostrils

D) brain

E) ampullae

Page 12

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Chapter 11: Reptiles and Birds

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108 Verified Questions

108 Flashcards

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Sample Questions

Q1) Shorebird

A)nest close to shore

B)protected areas on land

C)nest away from shore

Q2) All of the following are major points of the article Endangered Sea Turtles except:

A) Leatherback population in Pacific may go extinct before 2010.

B) TED nets decreased turtle drowning rate.

C) Records show declining numbers of turtles returning to nest on Central American beaches.

D) All countries now use TEDs to fish for shrimp.

Q3) Birds that dive into the water from a height of 18 to 30 meters are called:

A) pelicans.

B) albatross.

C) tubenoses.

D) boobies.

E) puffins.

Q4) Penguins are only found in the Northern Hemisphere.

A)True

B)False

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Chapter 12: Marine Mammals

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Sample Questions

Q1) Which pinniped can use its hind limbs to walk on land?

A) Guadalupe fur seal

B) Steller's sea lion

C) leopard seal

D) elephant seal

E) harbor seal

Q2) Seals

A)manipulating with flippers

B)echolocation

C)eyesight

Q3) Ambergris is produced by dolphins.

A)True

B)False

Q4) Describe at least 3 physiological adaptations in pinnipeds that enable them to dive deep.

Q5) Manatees form pair bonds that last even after mating.

A)True

B)False

Q6) Describe the fossil and embryological evidence for the terrestrial origins of cetaceans.

Page 14

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Chapter 13: Intertidal Communities

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Sample Questions

Q1) The yellow zone in the tropical middle intertidal owes its color to:

A) sponges.

B) boring algae.

C) barnacles.

D) limpets.

E) crabs.

Q2) Coquinas are carried up the beach for filter feeding by the waves.

A)True

B)False

Q3) Rockweeds overcome the problems of desiccation by:

A) growing only in shaded areas.

B) having a gelatinous covering.

C) evaporating water from their tissues.

D) bending with the waves.

E) being covered with a waxy cuticle.

Q4) The supralittoral fringe of the tropics contains all the following zones except:

A) brown.

B) white.

C) gray.

D) black.

Page 15

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Chapter 14: Estuaries

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100 Verified Questions

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Sample Questions

Q1) Outline 3 human uses of estuaries that impact their ecology.

Q2) An example of an osmoconformer is:

A) a crab.

B) a polychaete worm.

C) a fish.

D) a sea squirt (tunicate).

Q3) In a partially mixed estuary the salinity

A) is extremely variable from place to place.

B) is stratified with lower salinity near the bottom.

C) is lower than the ocean but relatively homogenous.

D) increases with depth.

Q4) Which factor currently tends to regulate abundance of commercially valuable estuary species such as oysters and crabs?

A) Competition

B) Predation

C) Human activities

D) Normal seasonal die off

E) Disease

Q5) What horizontal part of an estuary would you expect to show the greatest species diversity?

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Chapter 15: Coral Reef Communities

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98 Verified Questions

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Sample Questions

Q1) Coral are capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction.

A)True

B)False

Q2) In the higher parts of reefs, where wave energy is greatest, ____ corals tend to dominate.

A) platelike

B) brain

C) soft

D) branching

E) encrusting

Q3) The mucus cocoon of parrotfish is used as a means of:

A) masking the fish's scent.

B) discouraging parasites from attaching.

C) capturing plankton prey.

D) maintaining osmotic balance.

E) maintaining thermal constancy

Q4) The reef flat of fringing reefs descends into a lagoon.

A)True

B)False

Q5) Outline the three mechanisms by which corals obtain their nutrition.

Page 17

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Chapter 16: Continental Shelves and Neritic Zone

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Sample Questions

Q1) The number of trophic levels between primary producers and large consumers in coastal waters is usually:

A) one.

B) two.

C) three.

D) four.

E) more than four.

Q2) Diatoms tend to be grazed in temperate coastal waters by:

A) amphipods.

B) dinoflagellates.

C) copepods.

D) lobsters.

E) radiolarians

Q3) Patchiness of the soft-bottom benthos is a result of:

A) uneven distribution of food.

B) uneven distribution of sediments on the bottom.

C) low concentrations of nutrients on the bottom.

D) uneven distribution of predators.

Q4) Describe 3 adaptations of benthic fishes for living on the continental shelf.

Q5) Briefly describe the ecological importance of coastal seas.

Page 18

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Chapter 17: The Open Sea

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Sample Questions

Q1) An example of mesoplankton would be

A) larval fishes.

B) Sargassum seaweed.

C) invertebrate larvae.

D) green flagellates.

E) bacteria.

Q2) Many zooplankton migrate daily from the DSL to the epipelagic zone.

A)True

B)False

Q3) Bacteria play an insignificant role in the pelagic realm.

A)True

B)False

Q4) Billfish

A)lack swim bladder

B)cartilage layer

C)lack teeth

D)viviparous

Q5) Trace the open ocean microbial loop, starting with DOM released by unicells, and follow how it is reprocessed through the bodies of various microorganisms, finally leading up in the bodies of zooplankton.

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Chapter 18: Life in the Oceans Depths

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Sample Questions

Q1) The limpet-like Neopilina's ancestors may have led to the following modern groups except:

A) gastropods.

B) chitons.

C) bivalves.

D) cephalopods.

Q2) Vestimentiferan worms

A)primary consumers

B)primary producers

C)secondary consumers

Q3) Twilight zone

A)tiny, only slightly functional

B)small and less functional

C)large - tubular

Q4) The main source of light in the deep sea is:

A) the sun.

B) bioluminescence.

C) underwater volcanoes.

D) dinoflagellates.

E) anglerfish.

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Chapter 19: Harvesting the Oceans Resources

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Sample Questions

Q1) In warm areas, salt is extracted from seawater by:

A) evaporation.

B) freezing.

C) reverse osmosis.

D) chemical methods.

E) filtration.

Q2) The major reasons for the decline of the Peruvian anchovy fishery were:

A) pollution and El Niño.

B) political discord and pollution.

C) pollution and overfishing.

D) temperature decreases and El Niño.

E) overfishing and El Niño.

Q3) For each ton of fishery caught and fed to animals only about ____ lbs. is available for human consumption.

A) 400

B) 300

C) 200

D) 100

E) 50

Q4) How is salt extracted from the sea?

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Chapter 20: Oceans in Jeopardy

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Sample Questions

Q1) Eutrophication occurs when

A) species diversity increases.

B) coliform bacteria counts go up.

C) nutrient levels decline.

D) nutrient levels increase.

E) sea surface temperature decreases.

Q2) When seawater rises more than 10 mm per year, symbiotic zoxoanthellae will

A) increase due to the warm water.

B) be reduced without sufficient sunlight.

C) be reduced by the increased pressure.

D) increase due to the input of nutrients.

E) increase due to increased water pressure.

Q3) Climate change

A)DDT

B)agriculture runoff

C)plastic wastes

D)range extension of species

Q4) What are some ways of reducing plastic pollution in the ocean?

Q5) What are the problems associated with dumping radioactive waste in subduction zones of the deep sea?

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