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Student Content Assessments

Instrument 2: Student Content Assessment for the Science Cornerstone Project

Project: Science Cornerstone Project: Institution-Wide Reform of Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology
Portland State University

Funding Source: NSF: Course and Curriculum Development (DUE)

Purpose: To assess student knowledge of general physics, biology, chemistry, and earth and space principles

Administered To: Students in the Science Cornerstone Project

Topics Covered:

Content Specific Assessment: biology, earth & space, inquiry concepts, physics

Format/Length: 42 questions total, 1 open-ended and 41 closed-ended multiple-choice questions

I. Multiple Choice

Please mark only one answer for each question on the answer sheet provided.

Biogeochemical cycles include which of the following?

I.	nitrogen cycle	III.	phosphorous cycle
II.	energy cycle	IV.	carbon cycle

I and IV only
II and III only
III and IV only
I, II, and IV only
I don't know

Most of the solar energy arriving at an ecosystem is
1. incorporated into living organisms.
2. converted to heat and dissipated.
3. destroyed and lost to the system.
4. reflected back to the atmosphere and into space.
5. I don't know.
Which of the following apply to natural systems?
1. The open systems.
2. They are subject to the second law of thermodynamics.
3. They require an ongoing input of energy.
4. All of the above.
5. I don't know.
Which of the following is true of an ecosystem?
1. Some energy cycles back through the system.
2. New sources of energy are created when needed.
3. Energy is used (destroyed) by a biological community.
4. Energy flows unidirectionally through an ecosystem.
5. I don't know.
Given the following diagram of a population X where r is a constant 0, which of the following are true?
1. Population increase is a function of r.
2. Population decrease is a function of r.
3. If r is positive, X will exponentially decay.
4. If r is zero, X remains constant.
5. a, b and c are true.
6. b, c, and d are true.
7. I don't know.
An ecosystem is best conceptualized as
1. all of the populations in a community.
2. all of the organisms in a community.
3. a community and its abiotic components.
4. all of the species in a community.
5. I don't know.
The primary consumers in terrestrial ecosystems are
1. carnivores.
2. detritivores.
3. omnivores.
4. herbivores.
5. I don't know.
An example of positive feedback in an ecosystem might be
1. mountain lion predation on deer populations.
2. the effect of red algal (red tide) blooms on intertidal fish populations.
3. the effect of increased grassland production on herbivores.
4. the effect of increased temperatures above the lethal limits for aquatic insects in a small pond.
5. I don't know.
Given a stream channel with the following cross-sectional dimensions, with the water flowing at velocity, V, what would the formula for stream flow be?
1. V(b + a + c)
2. Vb (a + c>
3. V(1/2b) (a + c)
4. Not enough information provided.
5. I don't know.
Which federal agency has primary responsibility for enforcing wetland laws?
1. US Environmental Protection Agency.
2. US Fish and Wildlife Service.
3. US Army Corps of Engineers.
4. US Wetland Protection Service.
5. I don't know.
Mechanisms for setting regulations of environmental laws include
1. no unreasonable risk.
2. risk-benefit balancing.
3. cost-benefit balancing.
4. standards based on best available technology.
5. all of the above.
6. I don't know.
In Oregon, federal waste water discharge permits are granted by
1. US Environmental Protection Agency.
2. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
3. US Army Corps of Engineers.
4. US Fish and Wildlife Service.
5. I don't know.
International treaties covers all of the following except
1. endangered species protection.
2. deep sea mining.
3. acid deposition and ozone depletion.
4. ocean pollution.
5. reducing biodiversity loss.
6. I don't know.
The first step in establishing an environmental policy is
1. securing sufficient funds to develop a public relations campaign.
2. convincing lawmakers that there is a problem.
3. developing a cohesive approach to the problem.
4. securing support for your position.
5. evaluating strategies.
6. I don't know.
Environmental legislation in the United States
1. sets standards for pollution.
2. encourages resource conservation.
3. requires comprehensive evaluation of environmental impact before an activity is undertaken.
4. protects certain ecosystems or species.
5. all of the above.
6. I don't know.
Which of the following statements best illustrates the tragedy of the commons?
1. A factory pollutes a river as much as the law allows.
2. Pollution can be life threatening above certain levels.
3. Some activities harm the environment, but others do not.
4. Irrigated cropland can be ruined by salinization.
5. People who walk on the commons ruin the grass.
6. I don't know.
All of the following have been components of federal clean-air legislation except
1. setting ambient air quality standards.
2. reducing acid rain in the northeast.
3. setting limits on production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
4. allowing utilities to buy and sell permits to pollute.
5. I don't know.
The first environmental statute was
1. enacted the day after Earth Day.
2. the National Environmental Policy Act.
3. the Clean Water Act.
4. none of the above.
5. I don't know.
The National Environmental Policy Act requires all federal construction projects with significant impacts
1. to obtain the necessary permits.
2. to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement before starting construction.
3. to obtain approval of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
4. all of the above.
5. none of the above.
6. I don't know.
The purpose of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is to
1. inform the public of a proposed federal action.
2. require the selection of the most environmentally sensitive alternative.
3. require the selection of an alternative which avoids endangered species.
4. require the selection of an alternative which avoids wetlands.
5. All of the above.
6. None of the above.
7. I don't know.
The adverse effect on the health of people living near Love Canal in the 1970's led to the enactment of the following?
1. Clean Air Act (CAA).
2. Clean Water Act (CWA).
3. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
4. Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).
5. I don't know.
Which of the following would likely be a discrete variable?
1. Distance from stream headwater to mouth.
2. Area of a clear cut.
3. Frequency of violation of air pollution standard.
4. Number of bald eagle eggs in a nest.
5. Diameter of Douglas fir at breast height.
6. I don't know.
The following histogram describes the frequency of the fish species richness in a series of samples at a single site in a stream (questions 23-24)
In which histogram column would you expect to find the median value?
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. I don't know.
Give an estimate of the mean.
1. 1.5
2. 2.75
3. 5
4. 8
5. I don't know.
Measurements of soil pH from test pits at Brown's Creek, Oregon were:

6.47
6.10
6.17
6.10
6.10
6.16
6.35

These data are reported to how many significant figures?
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. I don't know.
The following graph represents the effects of fluoride (Fl) on children (questions 26-27)):
Between which two points is the maximum benefit of fluoride realized?
1. 1-3 mg/L
2. 2-4 mg/L
3. 5-6 mg/L
4. 7-8 mg/L
5. 8-10 mg/L
6. I don't know.
Between which points is cost-benefit decreasing?
1. A-B
2. B-C
3. C-D
4. D-E
5. E-F
6. I don't know.
Assume the total energy available in the first level of a food web is 10,000 kilocalories/m².
How many total calories are there in the first level of a food web in a 100 m² forest plot?
1. 10²
2. 10⁶
3. 10⁹
4. 10⁹
5. 10¹²
6. I don't know.
This graph shows population growth of flour beetles over a six month period (questions 29-30):
Which portion of the graph shows growth at the highest rate of increase?
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. E
6. I don't know.
At segment D growth is
1. rapid.
2. decelerating.
3. accelerating.
4. constant.
5. I don't know.

The following are data for nitrate concentration vs. absorbance:

NO₃-N Concentration Absorbance
10 mg/L 0.45

5 mg/L 0.21

1 mg/L 0.05

0 mg/L 0.00

Estimate the NO₃-N concentration of a sample with absorbance = 0.18.

4 mg/L
3 mg/L
9 mg/L
2 mg/L
7.5 mg/L
I don't know.

When you take the pH of a water sample with a pH meter you get a value of 7.45, but the same sample tested with a color comparison method gives a value of 7.5 (questions 32-33):

Which data value is more accurate?
1. 7.45
2. 7.5
3. neither.
4. cannot be determined.
5. both the same.
6. I don't know.
Which data value is more precise?
1. 7.45
2. 7.5
3. neither.
4. cannot be determined.
5. both the same.
6. I don't know.
The following data were collected for the change in water temperature as a function of depth below the surface and are plotted below (questions 34-36):
What would you predict the temperature to be 18 m below the surface?
1. 18^oC
2. 19^oC
3. 20^oC
4. 21^oC
5. I don't know.
What would you predict the temperature to be 8 m below the surface?
1. 19^oC
2. 21^oC
3. 23^oC
4. 25^oC
5. I don't know.
What would you predict the temperature to be 75 m below the surface?
1. 16^oC
2. 17^oC
3. 12^oC
4. 10^oC
5. I don't know.
When copying a topographic map, which of the following scales can be accurately transferred onto the photocopy at the time of copying?
1. Graphic scale.
2. Verbal scale
3. Fractional scale.
4. All of the above.
5. None of the above.
6. I don't know.
The variation between the true North and magnetic North is always greater than 10^o
1. True
2. False
3. I don't know.
Human activities are affecting the climate by
1. increasing greenhouse gas concentration which is probably warming the atmosphere by trapping heat.
2. increasing atmospheric particulate matter which is probably cooling the atmosphere by increasing albedo.
3. neither (a) nor (b).
4. both (a) and (b).
5. I don't know.
If average daily streamflow from a watershed is 15 cfs and average nitrate concentration in the stream is 0.10mg/ft³, how much total nitrate leaves the system over a 24 hour period?
1. 1.5mg
2. 150g
3. 130g
4. 0.1296mg
5. 1.296x10⁵mg
6. I don't know.

II. Problem solving

The following question should be answered on the sheet of paper attached to the multiple choice answer sheet.

1. In accordance with the special conditions of a Section 404 Wetlands Permit, the Fred Meyer store in Warrington was required by the US Army Corps of Engineers to mitigate for the filling of 5.5 acres of non-tidal freshwater marsh. The original wetland, which was filled, had the following functional assessment:

LOW MODERATE HIGH

Sediment retention X

Water quality improvement X

Flood storage X

Fisheries habitat X

Wildlife habitat X

Recreational use X

The mitigation project constructed by Fred Meyers consisted of a series of small ponds connected by a swale. The ponds received water from the parking lot, as well as by direct precipitation. The water flowed from a catch basin in the parking lot, through a 200 ft swale to Pond 1, to Pond 2, to Pond 3, and then into a tidal brackish stream. The ponds were designed to always have at least 3 ft of water in them and have at least three different habitats besides open water.

As part of the permit conditions, a five year monitoring program is required to assess the efficacy of the mitigation project. You are in charge of this monitoring project.

List the element of a monitoring program including the variables, the methodology, statistical analysis and report format. Justify all elements of your design.