BIO 201 Quiz 1
A scientist notices that a population of stickleback fish in Lake Henlung has a much higher rate of bacterial infection than the population of the same species of fish in Lake Dianre. She takes measurements of several variables in both lakes and then performs statistical tests to see which variables are different between the two lakes What kind of experiment or study has the researcher performed?
(ANS): A comparison study A causation experiment A mathematical modeling experiment An association study A thought experiment
What is the most important feature of a scientific model for studying a particular phenomenon?
(ANS): A. It provides for new tests of hypotheses that may yield new insights about the phenomenon. B. It contains accurate details about the complexity of the phenomenon in the natural world. C. It is simplified in order to be described by mathematical equations or computer programs. D. It incorporates all observations, patterns, and inferences related to the phenomenon. E. It shows the unobservable world in an observable way using easily visible representations.
Which of the following statements accurately represents how scientists use natural experiments?
(ANS): A. to answer questions about events in nature that are difficult to replicate in a laboratory B. to answer questions about natural phenomena that are not appropriate for model building C. to make causal claims about patterns and processes occurring in large natural systems D. to conduct experiments without manipulations before conducting experiments in a laboratory E. none of the above
Which of the following is TRUE about scientific models?
(ANS): They are built with observations and inferences They allow observations of things that are too small to see with the naked eye They are detailed representations of complex systems Once tested, they provide definitive explanations about the natural world They are built in order to prove the validity of scientific laws
Which of the following statements is FALSE
(ANS): scientific laws explain many natural observations scientific theories cannot become laws both farmers and scientists can use laws about phenomena in nature medical diseases have theories about their underlying causes a scientific theory is always open to new tests
Which of the following concepts are INCORRECTLY paired
(ANS); scientific law - explanation scientific theory - process scientific law - pattern hypothesis - testable statement
A scientist suspects that the presence of a mushroom-forming fungal species, Heterodiaryon macrospora, is responsible for the reduced body size observed recently in a species of forest bird, Pasella rugerae. She visits several local forests and uses photography to measure the average size of 50 Pasella rugerae individuals per site. She also counts the number of H. macrospora mushrooms at each site. She performs statistics to see if the number of H. macrospora mushrooms at a site predicts the average body size of Pasella rugerae. What kind of experiment has she performed?
A natural experiment A causation experiment A mathematical modeling experiment (ANS); An association study None of the above
A scientific law is most closely related to which of the following?
A theory (ANS): A pattern A black box A physical model An inference
Which of the following is an example of a mathematical model?
A wind tunnel used for studying how birds fly (ANS): A set of equations that predicts population growth An idea on how linked computers could act like a network of nerve cells None of the above
Which of the following statements about comparison studies is TRUE?
A. Comparison studies are the only types of studies that can be used to establish cause and effect. B. Comparison studies involve manipulation of two or more groups that are then compared to each other. (ANS): C. Comparison studies are used to test models by showing that two or more groups differ from one another. D. Comparison studies are used to test models by showing that two variables in nature are related to each other.
A researcher studies clover plants, which are the subjects in her experiments. Which of the following is/are required to make causal claims about the impact of soil phosphorus (independent variable) on the growth of clover seedlings (dependent variable)?
A. Controlling for environmental factors that could impact the dependent variable. B. Randomly assigning clover plants to treatment groups. C. Randomly collecting clover plants from their natural habitat. D. All of the above are required to make causal claims about the impact of soil phosphorus on the growth of clover seedlings. (ANS): E. A and B only.
What is the MOST important feature of a scientific model for studying a particular phenomenon?
A. It has enough complexity to be considered realistic. (ANS): B. It leads to opportunities for new insights to be gained. C. It is simplified in order to be described by mathematics. D. It incorporates observations and inferences related to a phenomenon. E. It shows the unobservable world in an observable way.
A researcher studies cockroaches, which are the subjects in his experiments. Which of the following is/are required to make causal claims about the impact of dietary protein (independent variable) on the growth of cockroaches (dependent variable)?
A. Randomly collecting cockroaches from their entire natural habitat. B. Randomly assigning cockroaches to treatment groups. C. Controlling for environmental factors that could impact the dependent variable. D. All of the above are required to make causal claims about the impact of dietary protein on the growth of cockroaches. (ANS); E. B and C only.
Which of the following statements about scientific theories is TRUE?
A. Scientific theories are complex hypotheses about observable patterns in nature. B. Scientific theories remove bias and subjectivity from biological experiments. (ANS): C. Scientific theories should make predictions about data not collected yet. D. Scientific theories become scientific laws once they are well-established.
Which of the following is TRUE about BOTH association studies and comparison studies?
A. both types of study involve random assignment of subjects to treatments (ANS): B. neither type of study involves manipulations by the researcher C. both types of study can be used to establish cause and effect D. neither type of study typically occurs in natural settings
A farmer knows from her training and previous experience that a corn field will have higher production if the crop planted in that field in the previous year was soybeans instead of corn. This is an example of a/an
A. hypothesis (ANS): B. law C. theory D. A and B, but not C E. A, B, and C
Which of the following MOST accurately reflects the working process of a scientist in the correct order?
A. make inferences -> make observations -> form hypotheses -> build model -> test model B. make observations -> build model -> make inferences -> form hypotheses -> test hypotheses C. make conceptual model -> make observations -> make inferences -> build model -> test model (ANS): D. none of the above
Which of the following is an example of a conceptual model?
An idea on how linked computers could act like a network of nerve cells
Which of the following statements about the nature of science is WRONG?
Biologists test hypotheses about unobservable processes Biologists consider evolution to be a pattern and a process Biologists consider natural selection to be a theory (ANS): Biologists think that no new scientific laws will be discovered Biologists develop models by combining observations and inferences
A researcher hypothesizes that water temperature has an effect on the rate of tadpole development in a species of frog. At several randomly chosen field sites, she measures the water temperature and records the body size of a sample of tadpoles over several months. What kind of experiment or test is this?
Causal experiment natural experiment mathematical model conceptual model (ANS): association study
Which of the following is easiest to do in science?
Develop a theory explaining a process Formulate a hypothesis about a process underlying a pattern (ANS);Document a widespread pattern in nature Design and perform an experiment to test a hypothesis about a process
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
Facts can change with additional information or experimentation.
Which of the following is an inference about the quiz you are taking right now? Assume you are taking it on a computer.
It is on Blackboard It consists of multiple choice questions (ANS);It is the same for all students It can be taken on a computer There are multiple questions in the quiz
A biologist studies the impact of soil pH on the growth of oak trees. She sections off four 100x100 meter plots of forest with string. Two of the plots have naturally high soil pH and two have naturally low soil pH. The plots are between 500 and 1,000 meters away from each other. In each of the plots, she finds 50 oak seedlings and marks them with orange tape. She then measures the growth of the seedlings every week for the next year. What type of experiment is this?
Natural experiment (ANS): Comparison experiment Causation experiment Thought Experiment
A graph of CO2 concentrations over time is best described as a:
Pattern
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
The primary goal of scientific work is to find evidence to support one's hypothesis. Experiments are the only way that scientists can prove that their hypothesis is correct. It is impossible to make hypotheses about something that cannot be directly observed. All of the above (ANS): None of the above
Which of the following is TRUE of most processes in biology?
They are unobservable
Which of the following is NOT TRUE of most processes in biology?
They can explain patterns. (ANS): They are observable. Their existence can be supported by experimental data. Models can help provide inferences about them.
Which of the following is NOT true about biological patterns?
They depend on information acquired by the senses They may be the basis of scientific laws They occur with regularity in space and/or time (ANS): They require an understanding of the process causing them in order to be documented
Which of the following is true of most processes in biology?
They do not explain patterns (ANS); They are unobservable They do not require many experiments to confirm Their existence cannot be supported by experimental data
Susan teaches and researches human biology. Which of the following is Susan using as a scientific model?
a physical representation of a knee joint that Susan uses in her class to explain to students how the knee works. a computer simulation of human population growth that Susan uses to demonstrate the rate of overpopulation in a lecture to the general public. (ANS): a drawing of a biochemical pathway made by Susan that reveals to her new insights about an enzyme in the human digestive system. All of the above None of the above
A scientific hypothesis is
a theory an educated guess (ANS): a testable statement an inference a question about nature
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
both patterns and processes in nature are usually directly observable by scientists if enough scientists disagree with a scientific theory, then that theory is proven to be falsified given enough support, a scientific theory eventually becomes a scientific law patterns and processes provide observations and inferences, and theories and laws provide explanations (ANS): none of the above are true
Measuring the relationship between fur length and body temperature in a population of camels is an example of a/an
causation experiment natural experiment (ANS); association study thought experiment
A scientist wants to determine if humidity levels produce differences in sunflower growth rates. She prepares 4 greenhouses, two with high humidity conditions and two with low humidity conditions. All other variables are the same in the 4 greenhouses. She obtains 100 sunflower seeds and randomly sorts them into 4 groups. She plants each group of seeds in one of the 4 greenhouses. After a month, she measures and compares the growth of the plants in the high and low humidity conditions. What type of experiment has she performed?
comparison experiment association experiment (ANS): causation experiment thought experiment natural experiment
A well-established scientific theory should do all of the following EXCEPT
explain all of the available observations be consistent with current inferences predict the outcomes of new experiments be able to be revised when necessary by incorporating new observations and inferences (ANS): be accepted by scientists without considering evidence against it
Which of the following statements is TRUE
scientific laws explain many natural observations scientific theories can become laws given enough evidence a scientific theory is an educated guess about the cause of a phenomenon doctors do not use theories when they are treating patients (ANS): none of the above are true
An observable pattern that occurs with regularity is conceptually the same as a/an
scientific theory (ANS); scientific law hypothesis conceptual model none of the above
[NOS quiz bank figure 1 Su18] A paleontologist finds the above shapes in a slab of rock in the bottom of a stream. She makes four statements about these shapes: (1) The shapes show that the animal had sharp claws, (2) The shapes indicate that this animal had three toes, (3) The direction of the footprints changes in the upper right of the slab of rock. (4) There are 10 sets of footprints. Which of the four statements is purely an observation?
statement (1) statement (1) and (2) statement (3) and (4) All of the above are purely observations (ANS): None of the above are purely observations
[NOS review quiz figure 1] The imprints shown above were found by a paleontologist (a biologist who studies fossils) in a sedimentary rock layer (a layer of rock that was formed from dirt settling out of a body of water). The paleontologist makes three different statements about this find: (1) the imprints occur in pairs, (2) the imprints are the tracks of a bird, (3) the bird is moving by hopping. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
statements (1), (2), and (3) are all observations statements (1), (2), and (3) are all inferences (ANS): statement (1) is an observation and (2) and (3) are inferences statements (1) and (2) are observations and (3) is an inference statements (1) and (3) are observations and (2) is an inference