Lesson T3.1.3

T3.1.3 Organisms and their environment Quiz: KS3 Biology, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson T3.1.3, Organisms and their environment: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Biology (National Curriculum), Unit 3: Interactions and interdependencies, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is an abiotic factor?

    • A non-living part of the environment, like light
    • A dead organism that is slowly decomposed by bacteria
    • A type of food web connection between two species
    • A living organism that competes with others for food

  2. What is a biotic factor?

    • Water, light and the air temperature in the habitat
    • A living part of the environment, like predators
    • Minerals dissolved in water from the local river and lake
    • Soil pH and the amount of rainfall received in the area

  3. Which abiotic factor is most likely to limit plant growth in a desert?

    • Competition between animals
    • Disease in insects
    • Water availability
    • Predator numbers

  4. What does it mean if toxic materials accumulate in a food chain?

    • All consumers convert chemicals into oxygen gas in their bodies
    • Plants release toxins that stop them growing properly in the soil
    • Harmful substances build up and concentrate in predators
    • Decomposers turn toxins into energy for the whole food web

  5. Why are birds of prey most at risk from pesticides such as DDT?

    • The pesticide is broken down quickly by stomach acid in birds
    • The chemical builds up as they eat many contaminated prey
    • The chemical makes birds produce more eggs each breeding season
    • The birds eat only the pesticide directly from the crops

  6. Which abiotic factor limits the growth of plants in a shaded woodland?

    • Predator abundance
    • Oxygen concentration in the soil only
    • Rainfall in a desert
    • Light intensity

  7. A lake is polluted with fertiliser runoff. What is the most likely effect?

    • Fish populations increase rapidly because of the extra food
    • Oxygen levels rise quickly because plants respire more
    • Plants on the bottom grow larger and take more light
    • Algae grow rapidly and block light from plants below

  8. Why do organisms show adaptations to their environment?

    • They help the environment change to suit the organism
    • They help the organism survive and reproduce in its habitat
    • They cause the environment to become more varied
    • They are formed by the organism during its lifetime for one purpose

  9. A desert animal has large ears and loses little water. Which function do these features mainly support?

    • Storing oxygen for long periods underground in the burrow
    • Keeping cool and conserving water in a hot, dry habitat
    • Hearing faint sounds in dark water environments at night time
    • Floating in fast-flowing rivers during the long wet season

  10. How might a rise in temperature affect a population of organisms?

    • It removes all abiotic factors from the whole habitat
    • It may change which species can survive and compete
    • It always makes every species larger in size
    • It stops all reproduction immediately in every species

  11. What is a habitat?

    • The total number of organisms of one species
    • A group of organisms that can interbreed
    • The place where an organism lives
    • The chemical processes inside a cell

  12. Why does a plant shaded by a taller plant often grow less well?

    • Shaded plants produce too much oxygen
    • Taller plants release water that kills shorter plants
    • Shaded plants absorb more carbon dioxide
    • Competition for light reduces its photosynthesis

  13. Which of these is an interaction between two living organisms?

    • Evaporation
    • Predation
    • Condensation
    • Erosion

  14. Plants in cold, windy climates often have small leaves or waxy coatings. What is the most likely reason?

    • To reduce water and heat loss in cold, windy conditions
    • To increase the speed of photosynthesis in the cold weather
    • To absorb more light than plants that grow in warm areas do
    • To store extra oxygen for the long winter months ahead of time

  15. Which term describes the variety of organisms living in a habitat?

    • Biotic index
    • Biodiversity
    • Abiotic factor
    • Biomass

  16. What is a community in ecology?

    • Only the producers that make food in an ecosystem
    • All the populations of different species in one area
    • The non-living soil, rock and water found in one local area
    • A single population of one species living in one area

  17. Why do organisms in the same habitat compete for resources?

    • They always belong to the same species of animal or plant
    • They are always predators of each other and of their young ones
    • They need the same limited resources like food or space
    • Resources grow faster when many organisms are present

  18. How can humans affect the environment in ways that harm organisms?

    • Through pollution and destruction of habitats
    • By causing all animals to move to deserts
    • By increasing the number of decomposers
    • By planting more trees, which removes all oxygen

  19. Why is an organism's environment important to its survival?

    • Only abiotic factors affect survival in the environment
    • Both biotic and abiotic factors affect survival
    • Only biotic factors affect survival and the environment
    • Environments do not affect organisms that have adaptations

  20. What is a food chain's link between an organism and its environment?

    • Organisms create the environment from their waste products alone
    • Organisms cannot affect the environment at all in any way ever
    • Organisms only exchange heat with the environment around them
    • Organisms gain energy from the environment and pass it on

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