Chapter 1
Student: ______
1. Living organisms are characterized by:
A. adapting to the environment.
B. evolving over time.
C. displaying homeostatic mechanisms.
D. all of the choices pertain to living organisms.
2. A ______consists of the interactions between groups of different individuals and the non-living factors in a particular area.
A. population
B. ecosystem
C. community
D. domain
3. Organisms belonging to the same _____ would be the most closely related.
A. kingdom
B. phylum
C. family
D. class
E. order
4. Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of living organisms?
A. to be organized
B. to respond
C. to grow
D. to metabolize
E. All of the choices are characteristics of living organisms.
5. A university biology department wishes to hire a scientist to work on the relationships among the wolves, moose, trees and physical features on an island. If you were charged with writing the job announcement, you should title the position
A. population geneticist.
B. molecular biologist.
C. community ecologist.
D. organismic physiologist.
E. island zoologist.
6. Which term is based on Greek root words meaning "ordered arrangement of the home"?
A. biology
B. biosphere
C. homeostasis
D. photosynthesis
E. ecosystem
7. Which of the following sequences of organization is likely to be seen in a multicellular organism, going from smallest to largest?
A. cell, organ, tissue, organism
B. cell, organ, system, tissue
C. cell, tissue, system, organism
D. organism, system, organ, tissue
E. tissue, system, cell, organ
8. Studying a brick does not predict the design of a skyscraper. Intense examination of muscle tissues does not allow you to predict the design of a kangaroo or clam. The structure of chlorophyll does not dictate the unique structure of a tree. These cases demonstrate
A. essential properties of life.
B. levels of organization from atom to biosphere.
C. determinism, or how all phenomena are predictable effects of causes.
D. emergent properties that are easily predicted by examining their parts.
E. emergent properties that cannot be predicted by examining their parts.
9. Which of the following characteristics is NOT required for the life of an individual organism to continue?
A. to be organized
B. to respond
C. to metabolize
D. to reproduce
10. One classic definition of life is "a self-replicating molecular assemblage." However, clay particles (in clay soil) contain layered aluminum and iron compounds that determine the pattern of the adjacent layers of sediment. This is technically a self-replicating molecular assemblage.
A. Therefore, it is living.
B. It is not living because it cannot think.
C. It is not living because there were no molecular changes (or chemistry) involved.
D. It is not living because there is no carbon involved; otherwise, such duplication would be living.
E. It is not living because it is a simple repetitive process without the ability to evolve or respond to the environment.
11. Which of the following organisms is NOT ultimately dependent on the sun as a source of energy?
A. A night-blooming flower is pollinated by night-flying bats.
B. An underground earthworm avoids the sun.
C. A cave fish feeds on debris that washes down to it.
D. All of the choices ARE ultimately dependent on the sun.
E. All of the choices are NOT ultimately dependent on the sun.
12. Which statement is FALSE about nearly all living things?
A. Living things are made up of cells.
B. Living things must obey the laws of chemistry and physics.
C. Living things show biological organization and other common characteristics of life.
D. Emergent properties can be used to distinguish living things from nonliving things.
E. Living things are composed only of organic elements, whereas nonliving things are made up of inorganic elements.
13. What is the process by which the sun's energy is trapped as the source of energy used by virtually all living organisms?
A. evolution
B. metabolism
C. adaptation
D. homeostasis
E. photosynthesis
14. What is the name of all the chemical energy transformations that occur within a cell?
A. evolution
B. metabolism
C. adaptation
D. homeostasis
E. photosynthesis
15. Metabolism is the sum of chemical reactions that occur in living cells, and we are accustomed to living cells continuously using energy and respiring. Even when plants and seeds are "dormant," we expect that they are carrying on metabolism but at a very slow rate. "Cryptobiosis" is a state of almost total loss of water seen in some roundworms, rotifers, and tardigrades and has been considered a near cessation of metabolism. Recently, a botanist working in a British museum accidentally spilled fluid on 120+ year old herbarium mounts. Fearing damage to the plant specimen, he immediately inspected it under the microscope only to find small tardigrades "waking up." Such observations
A. support the claim that the tardigrades were always alive but respiring at a very slow rate.
B. generate the possibility that we can bring most dead animals back to life.
C. contradict the cell theory that all life comes from life.
D. indicate that metabolism probably did totally stop, and that organization may be sufficient to maintain the possibility for "life."
E. suggest that a "vital force" may be involved in defining when life is present.
16. What do we call the maintenance of internal conditions of an organism within a certain boundary range?
A. evolution
B. metabolism
C. adaptation
D. homeostasis
E. photosynthesis
17. Which of the following terms is based on the Greek root words for "holding still" or "to be standing"?
A. evolution
B. metabolism
C. adaptation
D. homeostasis
E. photosynthesis
18. Which of the following does NOT represent homeostasis?
A. Sensors detect CO2 levels in the blood and trigger an increase or decrease in the rate of breathing.
B. When body temperature drops, you shiver to generate heat; when your body heats up, you sweat and the evaporation cools you.
C. Feelings of hunger and then fullness affect the length of time and quantity of food you eat, keeping your weight near a "set point."
D. Energy is captured by plants, then transferred to consumers and decomposers, and eventually lost as heat.
E. Cells adjusting the openings on the bottom of leaves respond to differences in water stress in order to maintain moisture inside the leaf.
19. Which of these is a peculiarity of form, function, or behavior that promotes the likelihood of a species' continued existence?
A. evolution
B. metabolism
C. adaptation
D. homeostasis
E. photosynthesis
20. Which of these is the process by which changes occur in the characteristics of species of organisms over time?
A. evolution
B. metabolism
C. adaptation
D. homeostasis
E. photosynthesis
21. All ecosystems taken together make up a
A. niche.
B. biosphere.
C. community.
D. population.
E. habitat.
22. The two parts of a species name, in order, are the
A. kingdom and genus names.
B. genus and species names.
C. genus name and specific epithet.
D. specific epithet and genus name.
E. species and genus names.
23. Which of the following sequences correctly gives the different classification levels of an organism, going from the largest grouping to the smallest? (Some are left out.)
A. species, genus, family, class, phylum
B. kingdom, phylum, class, order, species
C. class, family, kingdom, species, genus
D. genus, class, phylum, species, family
24. Which term is based on the Greek root words for "laws" of "classification"?
A. species, genus, family, class, phylum
B. taxonomy
C. homeostasis
D. nomenclature
E. hypothesis
25. An earlier classification grouped organisms by whether they inhabited the air, land or sea. However, the five-kingdoms-of-life and three-domains system divided into class-order-family-genus-species as described in this chapter is superior because it
A. better represents the origin of features held in common–the unity of life in DNA, etc.
B. better reflects the origin of adaptations–the diversity of life for differing environments.
C. allows the organization of over 900,000 different species.
D. groups organisms based on similarities related to their structure and evolution.
E. All of the choices are correct.
26. Which of the following domains contains the most primitive bacteria that live in extreme environments?
A. Archaea
B. Bacteria
C. Plantae
D. Fungi
E. Eukarya
27. Which of the following domains contains the common advanced plants and animals and fungi?
A. Archaea
B. Bacteria
C. Plantae
D. Fungi
E. Eukarya
28. Which of the following kingdoms contains multicellular organisms that ingest their food?
A. Protista
B. Animalia
C. Plantae
D. Archaea
E. Fungi
29. Which of the following kingdoms contains primarily multicellular, larger-celled, photosynthetic organisms?
A. Protista
B. Animalia
C. Plantae
D. Archaea
E. Fungi
30. Which of the following kingdoms contains organisms that obtain their food by absorption through filments called hyphae?
A. Protista
B. Animalia
C. Plantae
D. Archaea
E. Fungi
31. A researcher reports he has conducted many experiments where a galvanometer (lie detector) was hooked up to detect the plant's responses. He reports that when a spider was released near the plant, the spider's decision to escape was picked up by the plant, "causing a reaction in the leaf." When other researchers repeated the experiment, they could not get any galvanometer responses. The researcher then concluded that plants could be put into a faint by humans.
A. This is a justified conclusion from a research design that appears to follow the scientific method.
B. The only problem with this general research plan is that it lacks a control.
C. Results must be somewhat repeatable and these results that only work for this researcher do not qualify as science.
D. The design is scientific; it just lacks a hypothesis.
E. If the researcher has actual numerical counts, this must be accepted as valid science.
32. An elementary student decides to conduct an experiment comparing the effectiveness of two commercial soaps as cleaning agents, using each in paired tests of different types of stains and colors of cloth, where the only variable is the soap used. The student will use the judgment of classmates to decide if the stains remain equal or if soap one cleans better than the other in each test run. However, the student makes no prediction of which soap is expected to perform best.
A. This lacks a hypothesis and is therefore not a scientific test.
B. This lacks any control group (no-soap treatment) and therefore will provide no meaningful results.
C. Because this is based on the subjective judgments of students, it is not objective and therefore not scientific.
D. This is a scientific procedure, although it does lack a stated hypothesis describing an anticipated outcome.
E. This experimental design has all the components and procedures of the scientific method.
33. What is inductive reasoning?
A. a tentative statement, based on data, that can be used to guide further observations and experiments
B. a report of the findings of scientific experiments
C. a general statement made to infer a specific conclusion, often in an "if . . . then" format
D. using isolated observations and facts to reach a general idea that may explain a phenomenon
34. What is deductive reasoning?
A. a tentative statement, based on data, that can be used to guide further observations and experiments
B. a report of the findings of scientific experiments
C. a general statement made to infer a specific conclusion, often in "if . . . then" format
D. using isolated facts to reach a general idea that may explain a phenomenon
35. What is a hypothesis?
A. a tentative statement, based on data, that can be used to guide further observations and experiments
B. a report of the findings of scientific experiments
C. a general statement made to infer a specific conclusion, often in an "if . . . then" format
D. using isolated facts to reach a general idea that may explain a phenomenon
36. Which statement is NOT true about a hypothesis?
A. Experiments or observations are undertaken to test a hypothesis.
B. A hypothesis cannot be proven true.
C. A hypothesis cannot be proven false.
D. Data that support a hypothesis do not actually prove it.
E. If data from experiments do not support a hypothesis, the hypothesis must be rejected or revised.
37. Which best describes a control group in an experiment?
A. the condition that is being tested
B. a sample taken through all experimental steps except the one being tested
C. a variable that is being deliberately varied in the experiment
D. the dependent variable
38. Four groups of mice consume different amounts of sweetener in their food. The control group is the one that receives
A. 10 mg/day of sweetener.
B. 50 mg/day of sweetener.
C. no sweetener.
D. extra food.
E. milk instead of water.
39. Which statement is NOT true about experimental design?
A. All conditions are held the same except for the condition being tested by the experiment.
B. It is best to use genetically identical mice to reduce the uncontrolled variables.
C. Mice for each group should be selected at random.
D. The condition being tested in an experiment is the control variable.
E. The dependent variable is observed at the end of the experiment when statistical comparisons are made between groups.
40. Which of the following terms best describes the collection of scientific data through observation in the field, such as observing the behavior of birds?
A. a scientific model
B. an experiment
C. descriptive research
D. a scientific theory or principle
E. experimental results
41. Some biologists study the complex interactions of animals and plants in forests or prairies. Such ecology field research often produces slightly different results for different researchers. In contrast, ecology experiments that are run indoors with one organism in a terrarium usually produce results that are repeatable. What is the most likely explanation?
A. The scientific method is only useful in laboratory settings.
B. It is not possible to establish a control group outside of a laboratory.
C. It is easier to hold all but one variable constant in a laboratory.
D. Field research is only descriptive, and descriptive research is not strictly "science."
E. Fieldwork is inductive; lab work is deductive.
42. You are interested in the effect of increased carbon dioxide versus normal air, and also in the effect of green light versus full sunlight on the growth of corn plants in a greenhouse. Although you can set up your experiment inside a greenhouse, it is possible that there will be plant growth effects due to effects that you do not know and may never know. Which of the following are important to ensure control of unknown variables?
A. An increase in carbon dioxide does not result in a substantial decrease of other necessary gases.
B. All seedlings are from one uniform strain.
C. The intensity or brightness of the green light equals the intensity of the full sunlight.
D. All temperatures and available water remain the same.
E. All of the choices are important.
43. You probably believe that the earth is spherical, but it is obvious that the earth is flat. Look around; where do you see the curvature? One classmate suggests that if you call someone on the "other side" of the world by phone, he or she will answer and, for instance, it will be midnight there at the instant it is noon here. Another student reminds you of the picture taken of the spherical earth from the moon landing. Your teacher explains the ancient observation that when the sun was directly overhead on one day near the equator, a pole some hundreds of miles away to the north still cast a shadow. What is the best scientific basis for still considering that the earth is spherical?
A. "Seeing is believing" and, therefore, you must suspend judgment until you can ride on the Concorde and see the curvature of the earth for yourself.
B. If scientists say it, it must be correct until they vote otherwise.
C. If it is in a science book, it is correct until another explanation is published.
D. The observation that the earth is flat is direct and objective, whereas all of the other observations are indirect and subjective or based on extrapolated judgment.
E. Reasoning must be used to arrive at a model that best fits the observations.
44. From Kansas to central Indiana to Pennsylvania, many people believe that they have water moccasins (also called "cottonmouths") in their ponds. Some assert they have seen them, although they are certainly not so foolish as to try to capture one alive. Meanwhile, the fish and game offices and the range maps in the herpetology books indicate that this poisonous snake does not breed this far north. What is the most scientific attitude to assume on this issue?
A. Observations by both the public and the fish and game officers are subjective so this is not easily resolved objectively.
B. A simple field trip to the pond locations–that captured and confirmed the identity of the snakes–would settle the matter.
C. Scientific books with range maps are based on field research and, therefore, determine the truth in this case.
D. Because living organisms are active, scientific theories in biology always change.
45. For five years, you wake up before the alarm is set to ring each morning. This leads you to conclude that people have a built-in "alarm clock" capable of waking them up. From a science viewpoint, this conclusion
A. is science because it is based on real observations.
B. is science because it is predictive of what will happen tomorrow morning.
C. is scientifically valid because 5 years x 365 days is a large number of trials.
D. may not be valid because it generalizes about all people, and there may have been other variables that could awaken you without a built-in clock.
E. cannot be scientifically treated because it involves human behavior.
46. Which statement is NOT true about science?
A. Science is concerned about understanding the natural world.
B. Science approaches data in a subjective manner.
C. Science gains information by observing and testing the natural world.
D. The conclusions of science are subject to change based on new findings.
E. Science attempts to avoid prejudice in making judgments.
47. Which of the following terms best describes a conceptual scheme in science that is strongly supported, has not yet been found incorrect, and is based on the results of many observations?
A. a scientific model
B. an experiment
C. descriptive research
D. a scientific theory or principle
E. experimental results
48. Which of the following concepts is NOT one of the unifying theories of biology?
A. Virtually all organisms are composed of cells.
B. Life may arise through spontaneous generation.
C. Life comes only from life.
D. Organisms contain coded information that dictates their form, function, and behavior.
E. All living things have a common ancestor and are adapted to a particular way of life.
49. The characteristic of an individual that is necessary to the survival of the species but NOT to the survival of that individual is