Forests and Prairies Test
Part I
A. In the blank, write the term that correctly fits each description.
prairie humus forest predator decay
1. A large area of land thickly covered with trees is a _______________.
2. An area of flat or hilly land covered by grasses is a _______________.
3. Decayed material that helps make soil rich and healthy is called _______________.
4. An animal that hunts other animals for food is a _______________.
5. Living things rot, or _______________, after they die.
B. In the blanks, write the letter of the groups of words that correctly answer each question.
_____ 6. What affects how tall prairie grass grows?
a. the number of buffalo living there
b. the amount of rainfall
c. the number of prairie dogs
d. the number of trees growing there
_____ 7. Trees help stop soil erosion caused by what force?
a. the mountains
b. freezing weather
c. the heat of the sun
d. the wind
_____ 8. If you were to use the encyclopedia to look up information on owls, which volume would you pick?
a. A
b. S
c. T
d. O
_____ 9. How do animals on the prairie protect themselves from predators?
a. They make loud sounds that scare off the predators.
b. They climb or hide behind trees.
c. They slap their tails on the water to warn each other.
d. They run fast or burrow underground.
_____ 10. Which way do animals NOT help trees?
a. They eat all the tender leaves off trees in the spring.
b. They die and create more humus.
c. They help scatter seeds that will grow new trees.
d. They bury nuts that may grow into a new tree.
C. In each blank, write P if the statement describes a prairie and F if it describes a forest.
_____ 11. Most of the eastern half of the country used to be this.
_____ 12. Birds and squirrels help this type of area grow.
_____ 13. The rich soil here helps farm crops such as wheat grow well.
_____ 14. This type of area is found in the middle part of the United States.
____ 15. Coyotes are one of the fastest predators living here.
_____ 16. Many of these are gone because people have cut them down and not replaced them.
D. Write "T" for true and "F" for false for each sentence below.
_____ 17. All trees lose their leaves in the fall.
_____ 18. Prairies in the United States are mainly near the west coast.
_____ 19. Farm crops grow well in prairie soil.
_____ 20. There are more trees in forests now than there were many years ago.
Part II
A. Answer these questions. Use complete sentences.
21. How do trees help stop erosion?
22. What are the differences in the ways prairie and forest animals live?
23. Why are prairies and forests important to people?
B. List the names of 3 animals for each area of the United States.
Forests Prairies
24. _______________ 27. _______________
25. _______________ 28. _______________
26. _______________ 29. _______________
C. Write a few sentences about the animal that you researched for your report. For example, what does it eat? Where does it live? What does it look like?