Chapter 1 Study Guide from Practice Questions
In this experiment, the DOSE of painkiller drug is the __________. A. dependent variable B. independent variable C. placebo D. none of the above
B. independent variable= manipulated (most control) (x axis)
7) Discovery science is primarily based on ________. A) hypothesis testing B) deduction C) experimentation D) observation
D) observation
34) What name is given to the functional compartments of a cell? A) genomes B) nuclei C) genes D) organelles
D) organelles
6) You try to start your car, but it does not start. Which of these is a hypothesis? A) My car's battery is dead. B) If I recharge the battery, then my car will start. C) My car is too old to function properly. D) What is wrong with my car?
A) My car's battery is dead.
18) Which of the following is NOT a property of life? A) Populations of organisms rarely change over time. B) Living things exhibit complex but ordered organization. C) Organisms take in energy and use it to perform all of life's activities. D) Organisms reproduce their own kind.
A) Populations of organisms rarely change over time.
9) Which of these statements is CORRECT? A) Scientific ideas are subjected to repeated testing. B) Science can be used to prove or disprove the idea that deities or spirits cause earthquakes and other natural disasters. C) Science does not require observations that other people can confirm. D) Only discovery science can lead to important conclusions about nature.
A) Scientific ideas are subjected to repeated testing.
22) Regulation in biological systems depends on feedback, which is an example of information flow. When diabetes destroys insulin-producing cells, what information flow is disrupted? A) The body is unable to send signals that indicate the amount of sugar in the blood. B) Cells in the bladder are no longer able to send signals when the bladder fills. C) The pancreas is unable to produce enzymes to break down proteins. D) Appetite signals no longer regulate feeding.
A) The body is unable to send signals that indicate the amount of sugar in the blood.
15) Which of the following is an example of qualitative data? A) The fish swam in a zigzag motion. B) The contents of the stomach are mixed every 20 seconds. C) The temperature decreased from 20°C to 15°C. D) The six pairs of robins hatched an average of three chicks each.
A) The fish swam in a zigzag motion.
11) How do hypotheses differ from theories? A) Theories are more comprehensive than hypotheses. B) Theories must be testable; hypotheses do not need to be testable. C) Hypotheses are educated guesses, and theories are tentative explanations. D) Hypotheses are derived from experimentation, whereas theories are derived from observation.
A) Theories are more comprehensive than hypotheses.
3) A hypothesis is a(n) ________. A) a proposed explanation for a set of observations B) guess made in order to determine what observations and explorations are necessary C) observation made in order to determine a theory D) theory determined after data collection
A) a proposed explanation for a set of observations
36) Higher levels of biological structure demonstrate an increasing complexity that goes well beyond that of all lower levels. This is a reflection of ________. A) emergent properties B) scientific laws C) reductionism D) homology
A) emergent properties
38) The branch of biology that explains both the diversity and the unity of life is ________. A) evolution B) microbiology C) taxonomy D) genetics
A) evolution
27) Which of the following is a producer? A) oak tree B) earthworm C) sun D) cat
A) oak tree
16) A study may be pseudoscience if A) the evidence is anecdotal. B) the results are published in a journal where studies are reviewed by other experts in the field. C) the experimenters used controlled experiments. D) statistical analyses are performed on experimental results.
A) the evidence is anecdotal.
2) Science is ________. A) the inquiry-based effort to describe and explain nature B) the search for truth C) an organized set of principles for how to behave ethically and morally D) all of the answers are correct
A) the inquiry-based effort to describe and explain nature
42) Antibiotic resistance evolves in bacteria when ________. A) the presence of antibiotics favors bacteria that already have genes for resistance B) farmers do not use enough antibiotics in animal feed C) the antibiotics create resistance genes in bacteria D) none of the above
A) the presence of antibiotics favors bacteria that already have genes for resistance
1) What is biology? A) the scientific study of life B) the scientific study of the environment C) the scientific study of DNA D) the scientific study of ecosystems
A) the scientific study of life
12) Which statement about a scientific law is incorrect? A) Scientific laws can often be written as mathematical equations. B Scientific laws have broad explanatory power. C) A scientific law is very often a description of a very specific natural phenomenon. D) All of the above are correct. E)) None of the above is correct.
B
37) Which of these results would you predict to occur if climate change results in increased warming global temperatures? A) Species competition will result in slower evolution in the tropics. B) The tree line (at which it is too cold for trees to grow) moves toward the north and south poles. C) Winters will be longer toward the poles. D) Land animals will suffer fewer consequences than marine animals.
B) The tree line (at which it is too cold for trees to grow) moves toward the north and south poles.
33) All the organisms on the BSU campus make up A) an ecosystem. B) a community. C) a population. D) a taxonomic domain.
B) a community.
35) Which of the following structures can perform all the activities required for life? A) DNA molecules B) cells C) organelles D) oxygen atoms
B) cells
26) Which of the following is NOT recycled but is lost from ecosystems? A) nitrogen B) energy C) magnesium D) carbon
B) energy
23) What are the two main processes upon which ecosystems depend? A) speciation and evolution B) nutrient recycling and energy flow C) decomposition and nutrient recycling D) sunlight and photosynthesis
B) nutrient recycling and energy flow
32) A localized group of organisms that belong to the same species is called a ________. A) community B) population C) ecosystem D) family
B) population
13) A controlled experiment is one that A) proceeds slowly enough that a scientist can make careful records of the results. B) tests experimental and control groups in parallel. C) is repeated many times to make sure the results are accurate. D) keeps all variables constant.
B) tests experimental and control groups in parallel.
41) What does "adaptation" mean in an evolutionary context? A) the way an individual's body adjusts to its environment B) the accumulation of favorable variations in a population over time C) the ability of organisms to alter their appearance under changing environmental conditions D) all of the above
B) the accumulation of favorable variations in a population over time
17) A doctor wants to test the effects of an experimental drug on high blood pressure. Which one of the following groups of patients could serve as a positive control group? A) A group of patients who have high blood pressure and receive a drug already known to lower blood pressure. B) A group of patients who do NOT have high blood pressure and receive a sugar pill. C) A group of patients who have high blood pressure and receive the experimental drug. D) A group of patients who have high blood pressure and receive a sugar pill.
C) A group of patients who have high blood pressure and receive the experimental drug.
5) What is the difference between discovery science and hypothesis-driven science? A) Discovery science "discovers" new knowledge, whereas hypothesis-driven science does not. B) Discovery science is based on deductive reasoning, whereas hypothesis-driven science is based on inductive reasoning. C) Discovery science is mostly about describing nature, whereas hypothesis-driven science tries to explain nature. D) Discovery science involves predictions about outcomes, whereas hypothesis-driven science involves tentative answers to specific questions.
C) Discovery science is mostly about describing nature, whereas hypothesis-driven science tries to explain nature.
14) Which statement best distinguishes hypotheses from theories? A) Theories are hypotheses that have been proved. B) Hypotheses are guesses; theories are correct answers. C) Hypotheses usually are relatively narrow in scope; theories have broad explanatory power. D) Theories are proved true; hypotheses are often contradicted by experimental results.
C) Hypotheses usually are relatively narrow in scope; theories have broad explanatory power.
10) Which of the following are qualities of any good scientific hypothesis? I. It is testable. II. It is falsifiable. III. It produces quantitative data. IV. It produces results that can be replicated. A) I only B) III only C) I and II D) I, III, and IV
C) I and II
31) The lowest level of the biological hierarchy capable of evolution is A) an organism B) a cell C) a population D) a community
C) a population
19) Suppose a scientist wanted to determine if a substance retrieved from outer space alive. Which of these properties of the substance would NOT help her make that determination? A) having a clear orderly arrangement. B) maintaining a constant temperature in an environment in which the temperature is variable C) being multicolored. D) being made of cells.
C) being multicolored.
28) Humans are ________. A) producers B) producers and consumers C) consumers D) producers and decomposers
C) consumers
Using the branching tree of life for bears depicted in the accompanying figure, choose from among the following bear species the one that is most distantly related to the sun bear. A) brown bear B) sloth bear C) spectacled bear D) giant panda
D) giant panda
4) Which sequence shows the steps of the process of science in an order in which they might occur? A) experiment, conclusion, exploration, application B) question, observation, experiment, analysis, prediction C) exploration, hypothesis, prediction, experiment D) exploration, question, opinion, conclusion, hypothesis
C) exploration, hypothesis, prediction, experiment
In the process of evolution by natural selection illustrated in the accompanying figure, which of the following is the mechanism or agent of natural selection? A) artificial selection B) selective breeding C) selective predation D) genetic drift
C) selective predation
24) Plants convert ________. A) chemical energy to mechanical energy. B) sunlight to mechanical energy. C) sunlight to chemical energy. D) mechanical energy to chemical energy.
C) sunlight to chemical energy.
25) For most ecosystems __________ is (are) the ultimate source of energy, and energy leaves the ecosystem in the form of __________. A) producers; consumers B) heat; light C) sunlight; heat D) plants; heat E) plants; animals
C) sunlight; heat
Use the following figure to answer the question. A shows the connection of Bacteria and Archaea. B shows the connection of Archaea to Eukarya "A" is ________; "B" is ________. A) the most recent species to evolve on Earth; an ancestor of group "A" B) the most recent species to evolve on Earth; the last common ancestor of Archaea and Eukarya C) the common ancestor of all life; the common ancestor of Bacteria and Archaea D) the common ancestor of all life; the last common ancestor of Archaea and Eukarya
C) the common ancestor of all life; the common ancestor of Bacteria and Archaea
47) In the figure shown, which animals are most closely related? A) pigs and Hippopotamuses B) deer and Hippopotamuses C) whale and Hippopotamuses. D) pigs and Whales.
C) whale and Hippopotamuses.
30) Which order is correct in terms of the hierarchy of biological organization? A) Ecosystem → Biosphere → Population → Community → Organism B) Biosphere → Ecosystem → Population → Community → Organism C) Ecosystem → Community → Biosphere → Population → Organism D) Biosphere → Ecosystem →Community → Population → Organism
D) Biosphere → Ecosystem →Community → Population → Organism
21) What are eukaryotic genes composed of? A) RNA B) organelles C) RNA and DNA D) DNA
D) DNA
8) Which of these would be a valid scientific hypothesis? A) Human history is determined by a series of supernatural events. B) Humans should help in the conservation of other animal species. C) Humans are controlled by forces beyond our understanding. D) Humans and bacteria share a common genetic code.
D) Humans and bacteria share a common genetic code. This could be a valid scientific hypothesis because it is testable. To be valid scientific hypothesis it has to has to be something that can be supported or refuted through experiments or observation.
20) What is a gene? A) a type of cell B) an organelle that houses DNA C) a type of hormone D) a unit of inheritance
D) a unit of inheritance
40) Which of these is required for natural selection to occur? A) inheritance B) unequal reproductive success C) individual variation D) all of the above
D) all of the above
39) Which of these is most closely associated with Darwin? A) energy flow B) ecosystem structure C) the three domains of life D) natural selection
D) natural selection
29) The phrase "Most ecosystems are solar powered" refers to the fact that A) the sun shines on most ecosystems on earth B) energy in sunlight is turned into (becomes) sugars C) most organisms seek sunlight. D) solar energy is converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis.
D) solar energy is converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis