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This page shows questions in the Coral Reefs public release module at MSDE. 8th Grade MISA
"Coral Reefs"

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Expand All Official Practice Test

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After a school trip to an aquarium, students from a science class researched some of the organisms that live in coral reef ecosystems. The students’ research indicated that coral reefs are made up of small organisms called corals and each individual coral is called a polyp. Corals secrete calcium carbonate to form an exoskeleton, and as the corals die off, these exoskeletons build up and form a limestone foundation. New corals attach themselves to the limestone foundation and slowly form coral reefs. The following diagram shows a colony of corals and a coral polyp.

Diagram. The figure shows a diagram of a coral colony and a coral polyp. The coral colony is made of many coral polyps. The coral polyp is made of a series of tube-shaped pieces. End figure description.

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The students’ research indicated that corals are animals that consume a variety of other small organisms. Corals are able to reproduce both sexually and asexually. The corals use asexual reproduction to expand colonies and use sexual reproduction to form new colonies that can be far away from the parents. Stony corals and other coral species that build reefs prefer to live in warm, shallow water that is 20–29 degrees Celsius (°C). The following map shows where coral reefs are located on Earth.

Map. The figure shows a world map with the equator and many shaded areas indicated. A legend shows that the shaded areas on the map represent coral reef locations. Coral reefs are clustered in shallow waters around land masses that are near the equator across the world. End figure description.

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The students’ research indicated that climate change is causing ocean temperatures to rise. These rising temperatures are making the ocean unlivable for coral reefs. Corals are sensitive to water temperature, and when water temperatures change beyond a livable range, the corals become stressed. This stress causes the corals to shed photosynthetic algae and other microorganisms that live on the corals. This shedding of organisms causes the corals to turn white in an event known as bleaching. When water temperatures return to a livable range, many coral reefs have been destroyed by the bleaching and do not recover. A recent study stated that corals that are able to store larger energy reserves in the form of fat in their cells and are able to partner with multiple species of algae have a greater likelihood of recovering from bleaching events. Certain coral species are able to store more energy in their cells than other species, but even corals of the same species vary in their ability to store energy.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

The students constructed a Punnett square for corals that illustrates the transmission of the trait that allows the corals to live in warm water.

Punnett square. The figure shows a Punnett Square with 2 columns and 2 rows. A key indicates capital T represents the dominant allele and lowercase t represents the recessive allele. The heading of the columns is “Coral Polyp X,” and the column headers are “capital T” and “lowercase t.” The heading of the rows is “Coral Polyp Y,” and the row headers are “lowercase t” and “lowercase t.” The data are as follows. Row 1, Column 1. Capital T crossed with lowercase t produces capital T, lowercase t, Row 1, Column 2. Lowercase t crossed with lowercase t produces lowercase t, lowercase t, Row 2, Column 1. Capital T crossed with lowercase t produces capital T, lowercase t, Row 2, Column 2. Lowercase t crossed with lowercase t produces lowercase t, lowercase t, End figure description.

Coral polyps X and Y are

  1. A.
    the parents and have identical allele pairs.
  2. B.
    the parents and have different allele pairs.
  3. C.
    the offspring and have identical allele pairs.
  4. D.
    the offspring and have different allele pairs.

This is a drag and drop question that allows you to select text and place it in an appropriate answer space.

The students’ research indicated that one species of coral has 28 chromosomes.

Place the numbers into the table to describe the most likely number of chromosomes in coral parents and offspring during sexual reproduction.

Each number may be used once, more than once, or not at all.

7 14 28 56
Number of Chromosomes in Each Parent Number of Chromosomes Provided by Parent 1 Number of Chromosomes Provided by Parent 2 Number of Chromosomes in Each Offspring

This is a question with 2 parts, including a question with drop-down menus from which you must select an option to fill in the blank.

The students continued their research to determine how different coral colonies interact with one another.

When different colonies of corals reproduce with one another, the method of reproduction used is  
  This method of reproduction will most likely cause  
  for the coral offspring.

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

The students’ research indicated that corals that can survive in water over 31 degrees Celsius, degrees C have a greater likelihood of surviving bleaching events.

If coral polyps only breed with corals that carry this temperature trait, the offspring they produce will most likely have

  1. A.
    an increased likelihood of carrying the temperature trait.
  2. B.
    a decreased likelihood of passing on the temperature trait.
  3. C.
    a decreased likelihood of surviving future bleaching events.
  4. D.
    an increased likelihood of experiencing future bleaching events.

This is a question with 4 parts, including a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option, and, a question with drop-down menus from which you must select an option to fill in the blank.

Part A

The research indicated that there are coral species that live much deeper in the ocean and prefer to live in cool water below 19 degrees Celsius, degrees C.

If a cool-water coral species were moved to a shallow reef near the equator, the corals would most likely

  1. A.
    survive in the warmer water.
  2. B.
    adapt to the warmer water.
  3. C.
    reproduce in the warmer water.
  4. D.
    become bleached in the warmer water.

Part B

The students’ research indicated that if ocean temperatures continue to increase, corals will most likely have  
  in genetic variation due to the population  
  This will cause coral populations to experience  
  of survival.

This is a test question that allows you to enter extended text in your response.

The students modified an existing model they had made to predict how breeding between coral polyps with a trait that allows the corals to live in warm water would be transmitted.

Figure. The figure shows two Punnett squares each with 2 columns and 2 rows and representing two generations. A key indicates capital T represents the dominant allele and lowercase t represents the recessive allele. A Punnett square labeled “Generation 1” has column headers “capital T” and “lowercase t” and row headers “lowercase t” and “lowercase t.” The data for Generation 1 are as follows. Row 1, Column 1. Capital T crossed with lowercase t produces capital T, lowercase t, Row 1, Column 2. Lowercase t crossed with lowercase t produces lowercase t, lowercase t, Row 2, Column 1. Capital T crossed with lowercase t produces capital T, lowercase t, Row 2, Column 2. Lowercase t crossed with lowercase t produces lowercase t, lowercase t, A Punnett square labeled “Generation 2” has column headers “capital T” and “lowercase t” and row headers “Capital T” and “lowercase t.” The data for Generation 2 are as follows. Row 1, Column 1. Capital T crossed with capital T produces capital T, capital T, Row 1, Column 2. Lowercase t crossed with capital T produces capital T, lowercase t, Row 2, Column 1. Capital T crossed with lowercase t produces capital T, lowercase t, Row 2, Column 2. Lowercase t crossed with lowercase t produces lowercase t, lowercase t, End figure description.

Use evidence to explain why corals use this method of reproduction to produce offspring to form new reef colonies.