Biology and Human Concerns: Study Guide for Exam 1

How is life defined?

A) The only requirement for life is the ability to reproduce.

B) Life is defined through a set of shared characteristics that all living things display.

C) A living thing must be able to move.

D) Life is determined by neural activity

B) Life is defined through a set of shared characteristics that all living things display.

Which of the following is not a characteristic of life?

A) The ability to reproduce

B) The ability to move

C) The ability to grow and develop

D) The ability to respond to the environment

B) The ability to move

Fire can move, grow, reproduce, use energy, consume oxygen, and interact with its environment. Why is it not alive?

A) It does not have cells.

B) It does not consist of complex, well-ordered structures.

C) It does not pass on genes for traits to its offspring.

D) All of the above are accurate reasons why fire is not alive.

D) All of the above are accurate reasons why fire is not alive.

Is a virus considered alive?

A) Yes, it possesses all of the requirements for life.

B) Yes, it possesses enough of the requirements for life to be considered living.

C) No, it does not possess all of the requirements for life.

D) No, it does not possess any of the requirements for life.

C) No, it does not possess all of the requirements for life.

Certain parasites, such as intestinal tapeworms, cannot survive outside of their host. Why are they still considered alive?

A) Survival outside of a host is not a requirement for life.

B) Parasites are still considered alive because they are studied by biologists, and biology is the study of life.

C) As long as parasites are made of cells, they are considered to be alive.

D) Because they cannot survive outside of the host, parasites are actually not considered alive

A) Survival outside of a host is not a requirement for life.

A population consists of ________.

A) living and nonliving components

B) interacting populations

C) a group of interacting individuals of one species

D) a group of interacting individuals from different species

C) a group of interacting individuals of one species

The statement, "There are 628 gray squirrels living on campus," describes the ________ of gray squirrels on campus.

A) species

B) community

C) population

D) ecosystem

C) population

What is the smallest unit of life?

A) An atom

B) A molecule

C) A cell

D) An organism

C) A cell

If you were to combine all of the ecosystems on the planet, you would obtain the ________.

A) ionosphere

B) troposphere

C) biosphere

D) envirosphere

C) biosphere

college campus - including the students, birds, trees, sidewalks, and air - makes up one complete ________.

A) community

B) ecosystem

C) population

D) organism

B) ecosystem

Skin is sometimes referred to as the largest organ of the body. Why is skin considered to bean organ and not a tissue or some other structure?

A) Skin consists of multiple cell types functioning as a single integrated unit.

B) Skin consists of multiple tissue types that cooperate to perform a specific task.

C) Skin is a vital component of multiple organ systems.

D) Skin consists of a single cell type.

B) Skin consists of multiple tissue types that cooperate to perform a specific task.

Which of the following is the correct organizational hierarchy, from largest to smallest, in the hierarchical order of life? (Some levels have been omitted, so you are looking for the correct order.)

A) Community → Ecosystem → Population → Tissue → Organ → Cell → Organelle → Atom

B) Ecosystem → Community → Population → Organ → Tissue → Cell → Molecule → Atom

C) Biosphere → Community → Population → Tissue → Organ → Cell → Atom → Molecule

D) Ecosystem → Population → Community → Organ system → Organ → Cell → Molecule →Atom

B) Ecosystem → Community → Population → Organ → Tissue → Cell → Molecule → Atom

What is the main difference between an ecosystem and a community?

A) A community and an ecosystem are the same thing in eology

B) A community consists of both living organisms and their nonliving environment, while an ecosystem consists of nonliving components only

C) A community consists of living organisms only, while an ecosystem consists of both living organisms and their nonliving environment

D) A community consists of nonliving components, while an ecosystem consists of living organisms

C) A community consists of living organisms only, while an ecosystem consists of both living organisms and their nonliving environment

What is the core theme that unifies all of biology?

A) The theory of evolution by natural selection

B) The flow of information from DNA to proteins

C) The transformation of energy and matter

D) The relationship between structure and function

A) The theory of evolution by natural selection

Which of the following is/are major themes in the field of biology?

A) The relationship between structure and function

B) The flow of information from DNA to proteins

C) The interconnections within and between levels of biological organization

D) All of the above are major themes in the field of biology

D) All of the above are major themes in the field of biology

What is typically the first step in the scientific method?

A) Carrying out an experiment

B) Developing a hypothesis

C) Making a prediction

D) Making an observation

D) Making an observation

The scientific method ________.

A) is a linear process that must be precisely followed at all times

B) is a rough recipe for answering questions, but the steps need not always need to be performed in the same order

C) is undertaken only by trained scientists in a controlled laboratory setting

D) is the means by which absolute truth can be uncovered

B) is a rough recipe for answering questions, but the steps need not always need to be performed in the same order

Use the following commercial to answer the question(s) below: A recent commercial advertised for a wristband that claimed to restore health and balance by taking advantage of natural frequencies of your biofield. It supports its claim by showing several people first struggling tobalance without the wristband and then balancing fine with the wristband.

18) Why should you be skeptical of the claims made in this commercial?

A) Health cannot be tested via the scientific method.

B) You cannot believe anything you see on television.

C) The study was too objective.

D) It was not a controlled study, but rather an anecdotal evidence.

D) It was not a controlled study, but rather an anecdotal evidence.

Use the following commercial to answer the question(s) below: A recent commercial advertised for a wristband that claimed to restore health and balance by taking advantage of natural frequencies of your biofield. It supports its claim by showing several people first struggling tobalance without the wristband and then balancing fine with the wristband.

19) Which of the following is a potential problem with the information presented?

A) There was a small sample size (only a few people presented).

B) There were no control groups presented.

C) There was no indication that the results were repeated.

D) All of the above are potential problems with the information presented.

D) All of the above are potential problems with the information presented.

current trend among professional baseball players is to wear braided titanium necklaces. The titanium reportedly regulates the flow of energy through the body. The player wearing the necklace then shows improved strength, tiresless, and recovers more quickly.

20) If you were to evaluate these claims using the scientific method, what would be the first step?

A) Conduct an experiment.

B) Gather testimonials.

C) Develop a hypothesis.

D) Evaluate the results.

C) Develop a hypothesis.

current trend among professional baseball players is to wear braided titanium necklaces. The titanium reportedly regulates the flow of energy through the body. The player wearing the necklace then shows improved strength, tiresless, and recovers more quickly.

21) Which of the following would be the strongest evidence for or against the necklace's effectiveness?

A) A bar graph comparing the percentage of players who wear the necklace with the percentage of players who do not wear the necklace

B) A scatter plot showing days on the disabled list and percentage of players who do or do not wear the necklace

C) A bar graph illustrating the satisfaction levels of the players who wear the necklace

D) A bar graph comparing batting averages of the players who wear the official titanium necklace and those who were unknowingly wearing a fake titanium necklace

D) A bar graph comparing batting averages of the players who wear the official titanium necklace and those who were unknowingly wearing a fake titanium necklace

What should one do if the results of an experiment consistently do not support the original hypothesis?

A) Change the hypothesis to match the results.

B) Change the results to match the hypothesis.

C) Accept the original hypothesis.

D) Reject the original hypothesis and formulate a new hypothesis.

D) Reject the original hypothesis and formulate a new hypothesis.

Which of the following statements is correct regarding the process of science?

A) The process of science is all about testing hypotheses.

B) The process of science involves testing hypotheses, but also collecting data.

C) The process of science involves testing hypotheses, but also phases of exploration,communication and societal outcomes.

D) The process of science is all about developing new technologies

C) The process of science involves testing hypotheses, but also phases of exploration,communication and societal outcomes.

What does the term theory mean to a scientist?

A) A guess

B) A proposed explanation for an observed phenomenon

C) A hypothesis that has been supported by the evidence of one experiment

D) A hypothesis that has been supported by a large number of experiments

D) A hypothesis that has been supported by a large number of experiments

Evaluate the following statements; which statement is accurate?

A) Scientists use the word theory in the same way that they use the word hypothesis; both meana general idea that remains to be well tested.

B) Scientists use the word theory to mean a hypothesis that has been supported by manyexperiments; this is the same way non-scientists use the word theory

.C) Scientists use the word theory to mean a hypothesis that has not been tested many times; thisis the same way non-scientists use the word theory.

D) Scientists use the word theory to mean a hypothesis that has been supported by manyexperiments; non-scientists use the word theory to mean a hypothesis that remains to be welltested.

D) Scientists use the word theory to mean a hypothesis that has been supported by manyexperiments; non-scientists use the word theory to mean a hypothesis that remains to be welltested.

Hypotheses must be ________.

A) testable

B) falsifiable

C) repeatable

D) All of the above are important characteristics of hypotheses.

D) All of the above are important characteristics of hypotheses.

A researcher applies varying amounts of fertilizer (0, 2, 4, 8, 10 units) to 50 potted tomato plants. All other variables that may affect the outcome (watering, temperature, sunlight, plant size, etc.) are kept the same from potto pot. At the end of the growing season, the tomatoes grown on each plant are weighed to determine which fertilizer level produced the largest tomato yield.

27) Which variable is the independent variable?

A) The temperature

B) The tomato yield at the end of the growing season

C) The fertilizer amount

D) The plant size at the end of the growing seaso

C) The fertilizer amount

A researcher applies varying amounts of fertilizer (0, 2, 4, 8, 10 units) to 50 potted tomato plants. All other variables that may affect the outcome (watering, temperature, sunlight, plant size, etc.) are kept the same from potto pot. At the end of the growing season, the tomatoes grown on each plant are weighed to determine which fertilizer level produced the largest tomato yield

28) Which variable is the dependent variable?

A) The temperature

B) The tomato yield at the end of the growing season

C) The fertilizer amount

D) The plant size at the end of the growing season

B) The tomato yield at the end of the growing season

A researcher applies varying amounts of fertilizer (0, 2, 4, 8, 10 units) to 50 potted tomato plants. All other variables that may affect the outcome (watering, temperature, sunlight, plant size, etc.) are kept the same from potto pot. At the end of the growing season, the tomatoes grown on each plant are weighed to determine which fertilizer level produced the largest tomato yield

29) Is the study presented above a controlled experiment?

A) Yes, because only the amount of fertilizer was changed, everything else was kept the same.

B) Yes, because many pots were used.

C) No, because the experiment was done only once.

D) No, because several different amounts of fertilizers were used, not just one amount

A) Yes, because only the amount of fertilizer was changed, everything else was kept the same.

You wake up one morningfeeling slightly under the weather. A close family member enthusiastically suggests that you takesome Echinacea, an herb commonly used as a cold remedy. You then decide to design anexperiment to test Echinacea and see if this claim is true. You think, "If taken at the beginning ofa cold, Echinacea will reduce cold symptoms."

30) Your statement, "If taken at the beginning of a cold, Echinacea will reduce cold symptoms,"is called a(n) ________.

A) observation

B) hypothesis

C) conclusion

D) theory

B) hypothesis

ou decide to test the effects of Echinacea on 100 people who are experiencing similar cold symptoms. Which of the following groups would represent an appropriate control in your experiment?

A) One healthy person given Echinacea tablets

B) One sick person given Echinacea tablets

C) 100 healthy people given tablets similar to Echinacea but with no herb

D) 100 sick people given tablets similar to Echinacea but with no herb

D) 100 sick people given tablets similar to Echinacea but with no herb

If you give 100 sick people tablets similar to Echinacea but with no herb (called a placebo),and do not tell them whether they are receiving the placebo or the Echinacea tablet, what kind ofcontrol would this be?

A) A positive control, since you are expecting a change to happen in this control group

B) A negative control, since you are expecting no change to happen in this control group

C) A blind control, since the sick people do not know whether they are receiving the placebo orthe Echinacea

D) Both B and C are correct

D) Both B and C are correct