Lesson 4.7.2.2

4.7.2.2 How materials are cycled Quiz: AQA Combined Science, Unit 7

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.7.2.2, How materials are cycled: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Combined Science (8464), Unit 7: Ecology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which cycle returns carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide for plants to use in photosynthesis?

    • the carbon cycle
    • the oxygen cycle
    • the rock cycle
    • the water cycle

  2. What does the water cycle provide for land organisms?

    • glucose molecules
    • carbon dioxide
    • fresh water
    • dissolved minerals

  3. How is water described as moving continuously in the water cycle?

    • filtered and boiled
    • absorbed and excreted
    • frozen and melted
    • evaporated and precipitated

  4. Which organisms return carbon to the atmosphere and mineral ions to the soil?

    • primary producers only
    • primary consumers
    • predators
    • microorganisms

  5. Why are materials in the living world continuously recycled?

    • to produce sunlight
    • to heat the atmosphere
    • to supply future organisms
    • to prevent global warming

  6. Which process releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

    • respiration
    • precipitation
    • photosynthesis
    • condensation

  7. Which process takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?

    • decomposition
    • evaporation
    • photosynthesis
    • respiration

  8. Which cycle are students NOT expected to study?

    • the water cycle
    • the nitrogen cycle
    • the cycle of decomposition
    • the carbon cycle

  9. What do decaying microbes return to the soil from dead leaves?

    • oxygen gas
    • glucose sugar
    • protein molecules
    • mineral ions

  10. Which process releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere from animals?

    • transpiration
    • photosynthesis
    • condensation
    • respiration

  11. A puddle evaporates on a warm day and rain falls later. Which cycle is this?

    • the nitrogen cycle
    • the water cycle
    • the energy cycle
    • the carbon cycle

  12. What term describes water flowing from land into rivers and the sea?

    • evaporation
    • drainage
    • condensation
    • precipitation

  13. Which materials are continually recycled through the living world?

    • nitrogen and helium
    • glucose and oxygen
    • carbon and water
    • protein and lipids

  14. Which groups of organisms release carbon dioxide by respiration?

    • plants and microorganisms only
    • plants and animals only
    • animals and microorganisms only
    • plants, animals and microorganisms

  15. What is the primary purpose of material recycling in ecosystems?

    • cooling the climate
    • supplying future organisms
    • cleaning the oceans
    • generating oxygen

  16. How does water from the oceans reach land plants?

    • filtration
    • precipitation
    • transpiration
    • evaporation

  17. In a carbon cycle diagram, what do decomposers release into the air?

    • oxygen gas
    • water vapour
    • carbon dioxide
    • nitrogen gas

  18. What is a key role of both the carbon and water cycles?

    • supplying essential materials
    • maintaining constant temperature
    • creating new atoms
    • producing sunlight

  19. What is the primary ecological benefit of decomposers?

    • creating oxygen
    • producing glucose
    • absorbing sunlight
    • recycling nutrients

  20. In what form is carbon returned from organisms to the atmosphere?

    • carbon monoxide
    • oxygen gas
    • carbon dioxide
    • methane gas

All AQA Combined Science quizzes