Name: Date: TEKS 6.

12
Test A

Organisms and Ecosystems (TEKS 6.12) Test

Read each question. Follow the instructions to answer the questions.

1. A scientist investigates how different populations in an ecosystem compete for abiotic factors. Which
scenario is she most likely investigating?
A. lions and tigers competing for prey
B. two male elks competing for a mate
C. two female robins competing for shelter in the same tree
D. zebras and giraffes competing for water during a drought

2. Study the diagram of the meadow ecosystem.

Which statement correctly describes an
organism relationship in the diagram?
A. It shows a predator/prey relationship
between a hawk and rabbit in a terrestrial
ecosystem.
B. It shows a parasite/host relationship between
a rabbit and the grass in a terrestrial
ecosystem.
C. It shows a producer/consumer relationship
between the grass and the air in a terrestrial
ecosystem.
D. It shows a carnivore/omnivore relationship between a hawk and the rabbit in a terrestrial ecosystem.

3. The diagram shows a pond

ecosystem.
Which choice describes the pond
community?
A. water, rocks, clouds, and air
only
B. fish, ducks, turtles, and frogs
only
C. grasses, water plants, cattail
reeds, fish, ducks, turtles, and
frogs
D. grasses, water plants, cattail
reeds, water, rocks, clouds, air,
fish, ducks, turtles, and frogs

TEKS Test 1 Grade 6 • TEKS Assessment

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Name: Date: TEKS 6.12
Test A

4. Which of these is an example of an interaction between a biotic and an abiotic factor in an ecosystem?
A. A robin lays eggs.
B. A fish eats an insect.
C. A butterfly uses sunshine to help dry its wings.
D. Bacteria break down the remains of a dead plant.

5. A flatworm grows inside a freshwater snail and gives the snail a harmful infection. What type of
relationship is this an example of?
A. predation
B. parasitism
C. mutualism
D. commensalism

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then answer Part B.

Biologists are observing the interdependence that occurs between living things and the environment as they
investigate the tick-deer relationship. The tick feeds off the deer and the deer is harmed by the tick bite.
During springs with sufficient rain, forest vegetation increases, providing abundant food resources for deer to
produce young.

6. Part A
Which term best describes the relationship between the deer and tick?
A. commensalism
B. mutualism
C. parasitism
D. predation

7. Part B
Which of these graphs BEST supports the tick-deer relationship selected in Part A?

A. B. C. D.

TEKS Test 2 Grade 6 • TEKS Assessment

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Name: Date: TEKS 6.12
Test A

8. Researchers investigated the dependence of grain yield on rainfall. Their results are given in a graph that
shows the amount of grain (yield) that farmers can expect for different amounts of rainfall.

Forecasts indicate that a farm should receive approximately 200 mm of rain in the next 45 days.
Which statements correctly describe the dependence of the plant population on an abiotic factor?
Circle THREE correct answers.
A. The farmer will likely produce at least 80,000 kg of grain on 100 acres of land.
B. The farmer should expect grain crops to yield more than 800 kg per acre with this rain amount.
C. The farmer should expect a nearly double increase in crop yield if there is actually 300 mm of rainfall
in 45 days.
D. If the forecasts are wrong and 150 mm of rain falls, the farmer will fail to meet their goal unless they
supply additional water.
E. If there is a drought and only 100 mm of rain falls during that time, the farmer would still likely meet
their goal of 80,000 kg of grain.

TEKS Test 3 Grade 6 • TEKS Assessment

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Name: Date: TEKS 6.12
Test A

9. Which term best describes the relationships between organisms?

Write the letter of ONE correct answer in each box.

A spider builds a web between two plants.

A deer tick attaches to an animal and sucks its blood.

Birds eat the fruit of a tree and fly away. Bird droppings spread seeds far from
the tree.

Two species of snakes in an ecosystem both eat the same kinds of rodents.

A. commensalism B. competition C. mutualism D. parasitism

10. Alexi and Dimitri are learning about the interdependence

of living systems and the environment. They made a
model of the organization of organisms in a prairie
ecosystem.
How can the images be used to complete the model?
Write the letter of ONE correct answer in each row of the
model.

A.

C.

B.
TEKS Test 4 Grade 6 • TEKS Assessment

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Name: Date: TEKS 6.12
Test A

11. A scientist observes how changes in one population affect the stability of another population. She
describes relationships she observes between organisms as predatory, competitive, and mutually
beneficial. What changes are MOST LIKELY based on the relationships given?
Write the letter of ONE correct answer one each line. Each answer may be used more than once.

A drought causes flowers to die; flowers and bees share a mutually beneficial relationship. The bee

population will be 1. ____________.

New rodents invade a forest habitat, and hawks have a new food source; hawks and local mice have a

predatory relationship. The local mouse population will be 2. ____________.

Some woody vines are cut down in a rain forest, exposing the forest floor to more sunlight; woody vines

and shrubs have a competitive relationship. The shrub population will be 3. ____________.

A. increase B. decrease

12. The graph shows data from an experiment in which two different species of paramecium (single-celled
organisms) shared the same environment over a period of time.

Which statements about the relationship between Species 1 and Species 2 are BEST supported by the
data in the graph?
Circle TWO correct answers.
A. Species 1 and 2 compete for the same resources.
B. Species 1 is a predator that eats organisms of Species 2.
C. Individuals of Species 1 are larger than those of Species 2.
D. The change in the population of Species 2 is the result of the change in the population of Species 1.
E. The change in the populations of Species 1 and 2 is the result of a lack of water in the environment.

TEKS Test 5 Grade 6 • TEKS Assessment

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Name: Date: TEKS 6.12
Test A

13. Armando was walking along the coast and examining living systems of the environment. Which level of
organization, organism, population, or community describes each observation?
Write the letter of ONE correct answer in each box.

communit
y

organism

population

A. seagull walking B. a flock of seagulls C. seagulls, crabs, and turtles

along the coast feeding at the shore eating seagrass

14. Owls are a predator species that hunt field mice. The graph shows the number of western screech owls
spotted at night on the British Columbia coast per hour over the course of several years.

Wildlife biologists studying the area found that the population of a type of snake, the Great Basin gopher
snake, was increasing during the time that the data about the owl sightings were gathered.
What might the change in owl sightings suggest about the population of field mice AND how may the
snakes have affected the owl population?
Look at the graph carefully. Then write your answer on the lines.

TEKS Test 6 Grade 6 • TEKS Assessment

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Name: Date: TEKS 6.12
Test A

15. An animal species is accidentally introduced into a completely new ecosystem, affecting the populations
of native plants.
What is one way that the introduced animal could cause a native plant population to increase AND what
is one way the animal could cause a native plant population to decrease?
Read the question carefully. Then write your answer on the lines provided.

TEKS Test 7 Grade 6 • TEKS Assessment

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company