Raven/Johnson Biology 8e Chapter 01 - Answers

1.  Which of the following is NOT a property of life?

  1. Energy utilization
  2. Movement
  3. Order
  4. Homeostasis

The correct answer is b—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. All living organisms must use energy to support themselves.

The correct answer is b—Movement

B.  Answer b is correct. Although many things that are alive move, not all things that move are alive.

The correct answer is b—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. Order and organization are important properties of all living things.

The correct answer is b—

D.  Answer d is incorrect. Homeostasis, or the ability to maintain a fairly constant internal environment, is important for organisms ranging from single cells to complex multicellular organisms such as you.

2.  Which is the correct order of hierarchical levels of living systems?

  1. Cellular, molecular, population, ecosystem, biosphere
  2. Cellular, organelle, organs, ecosystems, populations
  3. Cellular, organismal, population, community, ecosystem
  4. Species, community, population, ecosystem, biosphere

The correct answer is c—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. Although a molecular level underlies the cellular level of life, molecules are not considered to be alive.

The correct answer is c—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. Organelles are found within cells and do not represent their own independent level of life.

The correct answer is c—Cellular, organismal, population, community, ecosystem

C.  Answer c is correct. Each level represents increasing complexity and encompasses the preceding level.

The correct answer is c—

D.  Answer d is incorrect. The order of these levels is incorrect. Populations represent a lower hierarchical level than either species or communities.

3.  The process of inductive reasoning involves—

  1. the use of general principles to predict a specific result
  2. the generation of specific predictions based on a belief system
  3. the use of specific observations to develop general principles
  4. the use of general principles to support a hypothesis

The correct answer is c—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. Deductive reasoning involves the use of general principles to make predictions about specific results.

The correct answer is c—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. Science is based on observations and experiments, not belief systems.

The correct answer is c—The use of specific observations to develop general principles

C.  Answer c is correct. Inductive reasoning represents the synthesis of information to form a possible explanation (hypothesis) that will apply to all cases.

The correct answer is c—

D.  Answer d is incorrect. A hypothesis represents a possible explanation of a set of specific observations and is supported by experimental testing of predictions.

4.  A hypothesis in biology is best described as—

  1. a possible explanation of an observation
  2. an observation that supports a theory
  3. a general principle that explains some aspect of life
  4. an unchanging statement the correctly predicts some aspect of life

The correct answer is a—a possible explanation of an observation

A.  Answer a is correct. A hypothesis represents a scientist’s “best guess” about how the world works.

The correct answer is a—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. A theory represents the collective understanding of a phenomenon based on well-tested hypotheses.

The correct answer is a—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. A hypothesis is a possible explanation. Without experimental tests it cannot be considered a principle.

The correct answer is a—

D.  Answer d is incorrect. A hypothesis is always open to change. The process of scientific experimentation tests the validity of hypotheses and drives our understanding of the biological world by challenging old ideas with new information.

5.  What is the significance of Pasteur’s experiment to test the germ hypothesis?

  1. It proved that heat can sterilize a broth.
  2. It demonstrated that cells can arise spontaneously.
  3. It demonstrated that some cells are germs.
  4. It demonstrated that cells can only arise from other cells.

The correct answer is d—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. Although the ability to sterilize a liquid using heat is an important aspect of this experiment, it is not the major result.

The correct answer is d—

B. Answer b is incorrect. The result of this experiment disproved the hypothesis that life could arise spontaneously since no cells grew in the unbroken flask.

The correct answer is d—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. The term germ is used here in its sense of origin not in the sense of pathogen as we typically think of it.

The correct answer is d—It demonstrated that cells can only arise from other cells.

D.  Answer d is correct. The germ hypothesis proposed that life only comes from life—or in this case, cells come from preexisting cells.

6.  Which of the following is NOT an example of reductionism?

  1. Analysis of an isolated enzyme’s function in an experimental assay
  2. Investigation of the effect of a hormone on cell growth in a petri dish
  3. Observation of the change in gene expression in response to specific stimulus
  4. An evaluation of the overall behavior of a cell

The correct answer is d—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. Reductionism involves looking at individual molecules and proteins.

The correct answer is d—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. Reductionism involves looking at specific pathways or interactions.

The correct answer is d—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. Reductionism involves examination of specific reactions.

The correct answer is d—An evaluation of the overall behavior of a cell

D.  Answer d is correct. Trying to understand a complex system as a functioning whole is not part of a reductionist approach.

7.  A scientific theory is—

  1. a guess about how things work in the world
  2. a statement of how the world works that is supported by experimental data
  3. a belief held by many scientists
  4. both a and c

The correct answer is b—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. A hypothesis might be categorized as a guess, but a theory is supported by data.

The correct answer is b—a statement of how the world works that is supported by experimental data

B.  Answer b is correct. Scientific theories are based on evidence and are open to revision as new evidence is gathered through the process of scientific discovery.

The correct answer is b—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. Scientific theories must be based on experimental evidence. Just believing something to be true is not enough to make a theory.

The correct answer is b—

D.  Answer d is incorrect. A scientific theory is the product of research and testing of many competing hypotheses. Only when the evidence from many experiments supports a hypothesis is it labeled a theory.

8.  How is the process of natural selection different from that of artificial selection?

  1. Natural selection produces more variation.
  2. Natural selection makes an individual better adapted.
  3. Artificial selection is a result of human intervention.
  4. Artificial selection results in better adaptations.

The correct answer is c—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. Natural selection does produce variation, but not any more than artificial selection. In fact, organisms that undergo artificial selection may be more diverse since humans would protect them from other selective pressures.

The correct answer is c—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. Natural selection works on populations, not on individuals. An individual organism can adapt to its environment, but only those adaptations encoded within its genome will be transferred to the next generation of individuals within the population.

The correct answer is c—Artificial selection is a result of human intervention.

C.  Answer c is correct. Artificial selection occurs when humans control the breeding and survival of organisms with the goal of enhancing one or more desirable traits.

The correct answer is c—

D.  Answer d is incorrect. Artificial selection can produce adaptations or traits that are better from a human’s perspective, but often these organisms would not survive or reproduce in the wild.

9.  How does the fossil record help support the theory of evolution by natural selection?

  1. It demonstrates that simple organisms predate more complex organisms.
  2. It provides evidence of change in the form of organisms over time.
  3. It shows that diversity existed millions of years ago.
  4. Both a and b.

The correct answer is a—It demonstrates that simple organisms predate more complex organisms.

A.  Answer a is correct. The fossil record does show the change from simpler to more complex forms over time. This supports a prediction of evolution by natural selection.

The correct answer is a—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. The fossil record does demonstrate a change in form of organisms over time; however, it does not provide any evidence of the mechanism of change.

The correct answer is a—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. Although the fossil record indicates that diverse forms of life existed millions of years ago, this observation does not support the theory of evolution.

The correct answer is a—

D.  Answer d is incorrect. Although changes in form in the fossil record are evidence for evolution, natural selection predicts that simpler forms will precede more complex forms in time.

10.  The theory of evolution by natural selection is a good example of how science proceeds because—

  1. it rationalizes a large body of observations
  2. it makes predictions that have been tested by a variety of approaches
  3. it represents Darwin’s belief of how life has changed over time
  4. Both a and b

The correct answer is d—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. Evolution explains a large body of observations, but is not the only option that is true.

The correct answer is d—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. Evolution makes a prediction that has been tested in a variety of ways, but is not the only option that is true.

The correct answer is d—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. The theory of evolution by natural selection is not a system of belief held by Darwin or anyone else.

The correct answer is d—Both a and b

D.  Answer d is correct. Both option a and option b correctly complete the sentence.

11.  How does the field of molecular genetics help support the concept of evolution?

  1. Comparisons of genes demonstrate a relationship between all living things.
  2. Different organisms have different genomes.
  3. Sequencing allows for the identification of unique genes.
  4. The number of genes in an organism increase with the complexity of the organism.

The correct answer is a—Comparisons of genes demonstrate a relationship between all living things.

A.  Answer a is correct. The evolutionary distance between organisms is reflected in the divergence in the DNA sequence of certain important genes.

The correct answer is a—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. All living things have certain critical genes in common. Changes in the DNA sequence of these genes, rather than differences in the overall collection of genes, is an indicator of the process of evolution.

The correct answer is a—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. It is the changes in genes found in common with all living organisms that give the most useful picture of evolution.

The correct answer is a—

D.  Answer d is incorrect. The absolute number of genes within an organism’s genome does not seem to be correlated to evolution.

12.  The cell theory states—

  1. cells are small
  2. cells are highly organized
  3. there is only one basic type of cell
  4. all living things are made up of cells

The correct answer is d—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. Cells are small; however, this is not the idea represented by the cell theory.

The correct answer is d—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. The organization of cells is a property of life, but it is not part of the cell theory.

The correct answer is d—Answer c is incorrect. At least three different basic cell types are represented by the three domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

The correct answer is d—all living things are made up of cells

C.  Answer d is correct. The cell theory holds that a cell is the smallest unit of life and that all living things are made up of one or more cells.

13.  The molecule DNA is important to biological systems because—

  1. it can be replicated
  2. it encodes the information for making a new individual
  3. it forms a complex, double-helical structure
  4. nucleotides form genes

The correct answer is b—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. The ability of DNA to replicate is important; however, this property is not the most important aspect of the molecule.

The correct answer is b—it encodes the information for making a new individual

B.  Answer b is correct. The transfer of information between generations is critical for the continuity of life.

The correct answer is b—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. The ability of DNA to form a double helix is a property of the molecules that make it up.

The correct answer is b—

D.  Answer d is incorrect. Genes are important for biological systems, but only because they encode information, not because they are composed of nucleotides.

14.  In which domain of life would you find only single-celled organisms?

  1. Eukarya
  2. Bacteria
  3. Archaea
  4. Both b and c

The correct answer is d—

A.  Answer a is incorrect. The domain Eukarya includes many single-celled organisms; however, it also includes multicellular plants, animals, and fungi.

The correct answer is d—

B.  Answer b is incorrect. The domain Bacteria includes single-celled organisms, but this is not the only domain for which this is true.

The correct answer is d—

C.  Answer c is incorrect. The domain Archaea includes single-celled organisms, but this is not the only domain for which this is true.

The correct answer is d—Both b and c

D.  Answer d is correct. Both domains Bacteria and Archaea include single-celled organisms. These two domains constitute the prokaryotic cellular world.

15.  Evolutionary conservation occurs when a characteristic is—

  1. important to the life of the organism
  2. not influenced by evolution
  3. reduced to its least complex form
  4. found in more primitive organisms

The correct answer is a—important to the life of the organism

A.  Answer a is correct. If the loss of a particular characteristic will result in the death of the organism, then natural selection works to preserve that trait.