Name: 
 

2005 Ohio State Nature Interpretation Test


Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 

 1. 
Which of the following birds is likely to be found living in a bluebird house?
a.
Barn Swallow
c.
Chickadee
e.
American robin
b.
European starling
d.
Short-eared owl
 

 2. 
Which bird call is most often incorrectly used in movies to represent an eagle?
a.
Broad-winged hawk
c.
Long-eared owl
e.
Red-tailed hawk
b.
American kestrel
d.
Sharp-shinned hawk
 

 3. 
Which extirpated mammal was reintroduced to Ohio in  the 1980’s in the Grand River, Killbuck Creek, Little Muskingum River and Stillwater Creek?
a.
Beaver
c.
Muskrat
e.
Bobcat
b.
River Otter
d.
Mink
 

 4. 
This small accipiter can be found perching near bird feeders in search of a bird for a meal.
a.
Sharp-shinned hawk
d.
Red-shouldered hawk
b.
American kestrel
e.
Red-tailed hawk
c.
Broad-winged hawk
 

 5. 
Place the bird life stages in order from youngest to oldest.
a.
fledgling, hatchling, juvenile, adult
d.
Hatchling, juvenile, fledgling, adult
b.
Fledgling, juvenile, hatchling, adult
e.
Juvenile, hatchling, adult, fledgling
c.
Hatchling, fledgling, juvenile, adult
 

 6. 
When does the Great-horned owl nest?
a.
February
c.
June
e.
Several times each year
b.
April
d.
August
 

 7. 
What is the primary diet of Bald eagles?
a.
Rabbits
b.
Mice
c.
Birds
d.
Deer
e.
Fish
 

 8. 
Which is the largest rodent?
a.
Woodchuck
c.
Eastern chipmunk
e.
Eastern cottontail
b.
Beaver
d.
Muskrat
 

 9. 
The family Mephitidae was recently split from the Mustelidae family putting these twelve North American species in a separate grouping from the Mustelids.
a.
Rabbit
b.
Beaver
c.
Skunk
d.
Deer
e.
Vole
 

 10. 
What is Ohio’s state gemstone?
a.
Gypsum
b.
Flint
c.
Amethyst
d.
Quartz
e.
Coal
 

 11. 
Which is true of salamanders?
a.
All have eyelids.
b.
All breed in the spring.
c.
Most have five toes on front and back feet.
d.
None can breed as larvae.
e.
All have lungs.
 

 12. 
What is the name of the gland on toads that produces a foul-tasting secretion?
a.
Carotoid
b.
Salivary
c.
Parotoid
d.
Secretin
e.
Proglastin
 

 13. 
What would you use to determine water clarity in a pond or lake?
a.
Seine
d.
Bottom-sampling dredge
b.
Sling psychrometer
e.
Secchi disk
c.
Dissolved oxygen meter
 

 14. 
Which trap would be best for collecting mole salamanders in a vernal pool survey?
a.
Conibear trap
c.
Plankton net
e.
Steel spring trap
b.
Minnow trap
d.
Snake hook
 

 15. 
Which would not be used in a weather station?
a.
Anemometer
c.
Dessicator
e.
Hygrometer
b.
Psychrometer
d.
Thermometer
 

 16. 
Which plant is used in flavoring for Earl Grey Tea?
a.
Wild bergamot
c.
Ground-ivy
e.
Yarrow
b.
Red clover
d.
Heal-all
 

 17. 
This plant’s scientific name, Achillea millfolium, comes from the fact it was supposed to be used to treat the wound of Achilles.
a.
Prairie-dock
d.
Common ragweed
b.
Yarrow
e.
Purple coneflower
c.
Marsh-marigold
 

 18. 
Another name for this wildflower is ‘cranesbill’ because the seedpod looks like this large bird’s bill.
a.
wild lupine
d.
Cardinal-flower
b.
Common milkweed
e.
Wild geranium
c.
Wild columbine
 

 19. 
What flower is pollinated by snails and slugs?
a.
Mayapple
d.
Indian cucumber-root
b.
Ground-ivy
e.
Trout-lily
c.
Wild ginger
 

 20. 
This plant is also called ‘ale hoof’ as it is underfoot and was used to make ale.
a.
Common burdock
c.
Wild carrot
e.
Canadian violet
b.
Ground ivy
d.
Spring-beauty
 

 21. 
This squirrel is at its most eastern range in Ohio, found primarily in prairie states.
a.
Southern flying squirrel
d.
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel
b.
Red squirrel
e.
Gray squirrel
c.
Eastern fox squirrel
 

 22. 
Which turtle requires a fishing license in order to take from a river or public lake/pond?
a.
Common snapping turtle
b.
Eastern box turtle
c.
Midland painted turtle
d.
Smooth Softshell
e.
Common snapping turtle and a smooth softshell
 

 23. 
Tracks are found in the snow showing four toes on the front feet and five toes on the back. Which animal could it be?
a.
Fox
b.
Skunk
c.
Squirrel
d.
Raccoon
e.
Deer
 

 24. 
What is the recommended placement for gray squirrel nest boxes?
a.
At least 20’ above the ground and facing west.
b.
No more than 20’ above the ground with the hole facing to the northwest.
c.
In a tree with at least a 24” diameter
d.
At least 50’ high in a tree.
e.
At least 30’ above the ground and facing east or south.
 

 25. 
Which is true in comparing the Eastern Woodrat with the Norway rat?
a.
Eastern woodrats have a gray belly; Norway rats have a white belly.
b.
Both rats are nuisances that spread disease.
c.
Eastern woodrats have a hairy tail; Norway rats have a scaly tail.
d.
Neither species are native to Ohio.
e.
None of these are correct.
 

 26. 
Which is an adaptation of birds that makes them lighter so that they can more easily fly?
a.
They have hollow bones.
b.
They lack a urinary bladder
c.
Air sacs are found in their bodies and attached to their lungs.
d.
All of these are correct.
e.
None of these are correct.
 

 27. 
What makes interpretive sign more effective?
a.
Avoiding titles or headlines.
b.
Use capital letters throughout the text
c.
Include simple illustrations
d.
Use lots of different sizes fonts, bold, italic, underlined, etc.
e.
Include simple illustrations and use lots of different sizes fonts, bold, italic, underline, etc.
 

 28. 
How long is a surveyors chain?
a.
50 feet
b.
50 meters
c.
66 feet
d.
100 meters
e.
660 feet
 

 29. 
Which bird has a flute-like song commonly found in fields and fencerows?
a.
Tufted titmouse
d.
Crested flycatcher
b.
Eastern meadowlark
e.
Red-tailed hawk
c.
Cardinal
 

 30. 
Which animal is an insectivore?
a.
Meadow vole
d.
Short-tailed shrew
b.
House mouse
e.
Starnose mole and short-tailed shrew
c.
Starnose mole
 

 31. 
It’s spring. You hear a squeaky sound, similar to a wheelbarrow wheel. What is it?
a.
Spring peeper
d.
Hooded warbler
b.
Black and white warbler
e.
Cedar waxwing
c.
Gray treefrog
 

 32. 
How many petals do violets have?
a.
2
b.
3
c.
4
d.
5
e.
6
 

Matching
 
 
Match the bird to its song:
a.
Pileated woodpecker
b.
Red-headed woodpecker
c.
Common flicker
d.
Downy woodpecker
e.
Red-bellied woodpecker
 

 33. 
Descending whinny; call note is a “pick”
 

 34. 
nasal trill sounds like the “churrr” of a raccoon
 

 35. 
Loud “keek, keek, keek’
 

 36. 
Raspy “Q” sound that sounds like “queer”
 
 
Identify the parts of this bird wing.

2005_oh_st_nature_files/i0400000.jpg
a.
Primary coverts
d.
Primaries
b.
Scapulars
e.
Alula
c.
Secondaries
 

 37. 
item marked #5
 

 38. 
item marked #6
 

 39. 
item marked #7
 
 
Match the description of each frog with the correct species:
a.
Pickerel frog
d.
Gray tree frog
b.
Northern Leopard frog
e.
Spring peeper
c.
Eastern wood frog
 

 40. 
Dark, Rectangular markings on back & sides
 

 41. 
Dark spots have a light border around them on a green or brown body
 

 42. 
Noticeable dark facial mask behind and under eye
 

 43. 
X-shaped mark on back of this small frog
 
 
The method of movement can be a clue to identifying tracks. Match the animal with its tracking pattern.
a.
Hoppers- placing their back feet ahead of their front as they move
b.
Waddlers-moving their right side and then their left
c.
Straight-liners- placing their back feet in the prints of their feet
 

 44. 
White-tailed deer
 

 45. 
Squirrel
 

 46. 
Beaver
 
 
Match the snake with its primary diet.
a.
Snails
c.
Small mammals
b.
Toads
d.
Other snakes
 

 47. 
Brown snake
 

 48. 
Eastern hognose snake
 

 49. 
Black  rat snake
 

 50. 
Blue racer
 



 
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