Chapter 1 Test
1. What are the goals of science?
- The goals of science are:
1) "to provide natural and testable explanations for events that happen in nature."
2) "to use explanations supported by data to understand patterns in nature."
3) "to make useful predictions about the natural events."
2. What is usually the first step in a scientific investigation?
- The first step is "observing and asking questions."
3. What is a hypothesis? What must be true of a well-constructed hypothesis?
- A hypothesis is "a tentative explanation that can be tested by further observation or experimentation." It must be "a testable statement."
4. What is an inference? (Be able to recognize examples.)
- An inference is "a logical interpretation based on what a scientist already knows."
5. What is a controlled experiment?
- A controlled experiment is "a way to test a hypothesis in which only one variable is changed." All other variables should be "kept unchanged, or controlled."
6. How is an independent variable different from a dependent variable?
- An independent variable is "the variable that is deliberately changed." A dependent variable is "the variable that is observed and that changes in response to the independent variable."
7. How is the experimental group different from the control group?
- The experimental group is "the group(s) in which all of the variables are controlled except for the one independent variable." The control group is "the group in which all of the variables are controlled with no changes to the independent variable."
8. What are controlled variables?
- Controlled variables are "all of the other variables that should be kept unchanged, or controlled."
9. How is qualitative data different from quantitative data?
- Quantitative data are "numbers obtained by counting (e.g., number of plants, height of plants)." Qualitative data are "descriptive information that involves characteristics that can't be measured (e.g., flower color, whether the plant is alive or not)."
10. Describe two instances where experiments aren't possible.
- 1) "How an animal behaves in the wild would need to be tested by field observations that are designed not to disturb the animals."
- 2) "Sometimes it would be unethical to test a hypothesis by experiment—for example, testing whether a chemical causes cancer would have to use volunteers who have already been exposed and a control group using people who had not been exposed."
11. In science, what is a theory?
- A theory is "a tested, highly-reliable scientific explanation of events in the natural world that unifies many repeated observations and incorporates durable, well-supported hypotheses that enable scientists to make predictions."
12. Why do scientists publish their papers for peer review?
- Scientists publish their papers for peer review because "it allows other scientists the chance to try to replicate the experimental results." It "ensures the work is accurate, testable, and truthful."
13. What is bias? Why is bias a bad thing when interpreting data?
- Bias is "a personal, rather than scientific, point of view for or against something." Bias is bad because "data can be interpreted in different ways by scientists with different personal perspectives," and "recommendations from scientists with personal biases may not be in the public interest."
14. How is the work of engineers different from the work of scientists? How is it similar?
- Engineers differ from scientists because "engineers design and build machines and structures." However, "although some of the specifics vary, the steps in scientific inquiry and engineering design are basically the same."
15. What are the 4 science and engineering practices?
- The four practices are:
1) "Developing and Using Models."
2) "Using Mathematical and Computational Thinking."
3) "Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions."
4) "Engaging in Argument from Evidence."
16. What is biology?
- "Biology is the study of life."
17. List the 8 characteristics of life.
- The eight characteristics are:
1) "Living things are made up of units called cells."
2) "Living things reproduce."
3) "Living things are based on a universal genetic code."
4) "Living things grow and develop."
5) "Living things need materials and energy."
6) "Living things respond to their environment."
7) "Living things maintain an internal balance."
8) "Living things evolve."
18. How are unicellular organisms different from multicellular organisms?
- Unicellular organisms are "made of a single cell," while multicellular organisms are "made of hundreds, thousands, or millions of cells."
19. How is asexual reproduction different from sexual reproduction?
- Asexual reproduction involves a new organism that "has a single parent." Sexual reproduction involves "two cells from two different parents unite to produce the first cell of the new organism."
20. How is growth different from development?
- Growth is an "increase in size." Development is a "process in which a simple fertilized egg cell divides repeatedly to produce many cells of a mature organism."
21. What is differentiation?
- Differentiation is the "process in which cells become specialized in structure and function."
22. What is metabolism?
- Metabolism is "the combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials."
23. How is an internal stimulus different from an external stimulus? (Be able to recognize examples.)
- An internal stimulus is "a stimulus that comes from within an organism," such as "decreased level of glucose in blood is stimulus for feeling hungry." An external stimulus is "a stimulus that comes from outside of an organism," such as "water is a stimulus for seeds to grow."
24. What is homeostasis?
- Homeostasis is "the process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable environment."
25. What are the 7 crosscutting concepts in biology? (Be able to recognize examples.)
- The seven crosscutting concepts are:
1) "Cause and Effect: Mechanism and Explanation."
2) "System and System Models."
3) "Stability and Change."
4) "Patterns."
5) "Scale, Proportion and Quantity."
6) "Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles and Conservation."
7) "Structure and Function."
26. What are 5 fields of biology described in your textbook? (Be able to recognize examples.)
- The five fields are:
1) "Global Ecology."
2) "Biotechnology."
3) "Building the Tree of Life."
4) "Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases."
5) "Genomics and Molecular Biology."
27. What is the definition of length, volume, mass, and temperature?
- Length is "the distance between two points."
- Volume is "the amount of space an object takes up."
- Mass is "the amount of matter in a substance."
- Temperature is "the degree of hotness or coldness of an object."
28. What is the base metric unit of length, volume, mass, and temperature?
- Length: "meter."
- Volume: "liter."
- Mass: "gram."
- Temperature: "°Celsius."
29. Be able to convert from one unit to another.
30. What are the metric prefixes from 1/1,000th up through 1,000X?
kilo- (k): Multiplier is 1,000 or 10310^3103.
hecto- (h): Multiplier is 100 or 10210^2102.
deca- (da): Multiplier is 10 or 10110^1101.
base unit (meter, liter, gram): Multiplier is 1.
deci- (d): Multiplier is 0.1 or 10−110^{-1}10−1.
centi- (c): Multiplier is 0.01 or 10−210^{-2}10−2.
milli- (m): Multiplier is 0.001 or 10−310^{-3}10−3.
micro- (µ): Multiplier is 0.000001 or 10−610^{-6}10−6.
nano- (n): Multiplier is 0.000000001 or 10−910^{-9}10−9.
31. What are some common temperatures on the Celsius temperature scale?
- "0°C = freezing point of water."
- "25°C = room temperature."
- "37°C = body temperature."
- "100°C = boiling point of water."
32. According to your book, what are the most important rules for safety in the laboratory?
- "Before performing any activity, you must know the lab safety rules."
- "MOST IMPORTANTLY - follow your teacher's instructions."
- "Always wash your hands after every lab activity."