School Improvement in Maryland

Public Release Item: Public Release items have appeared on HSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the core learning goals are assessed on the HSA.

Goal 3 Concepts Of Biology

Expectation 3.5 The student will investigate the interdependence of diverse living organisms and their interactions with the components of the biosphere.

Indicator 3.5.4 The student will illustrate how all organisms are part of and depend on two major global food webs that are positively or negatively influenced by human activity and technology.

Assessment Limits:

  • oceanic food web
  • terrestrial food web

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

Which of these shows how energy is usually transferred in a food chain?

  1. herbivore producer carnivore
  2. producer carnivore herbivore
  3. carnivore herbivore producer
  4. producer herbivore carnivore
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2003_354_bio51.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2009

The diagram below represents a Coastal Food Web.

Global warming causes an increase in coastal water temperatures. Increased coastal water temperature causes a decrease in reproduction of krill. Which of these would most likely experience an increase in population?

  1. gull
  2. herring
  3. anchovy
  4. phytoplankton
/share/clg/xml/public_release/science/2009_354_bio17.xml

Correct Answer:
D