Test Bank for Biology: The Core 3rd Edition by Eric Simon Updated 2026

Test Bank for Biology: The Core, 3rd Edition by Eric J. Simon


Biology: The Core, 3e (Simon) All Chapters ✅
Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Science of Life

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.
Answer: B
Module: 1.1
Skill: Remembering/Understanding
Learning Outcome: 1.1

2) 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
Answer: B
Module: 1.1
Skill: Remembering/Understanding
Learning Outcome: 1.1
Global Learning: G2

3) 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.
Answer: D
Module: 1.1
Skill: Applying/Analyzing
Learning Outcome: 1.1
Global Learning: G2

4) 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.
Answer: C
Module: 1.1
Skill: Applying/Analyzing
Learning Outcome: 1.1


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,5) 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.
Answer: A
Module: 1.1
Skill: Synthesizing/Evaluating
Learning Outcome: 1.1
Global Learning: G2

6) 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
Answer: C
Module: 1.2
Skill: Remembering/Understanding
Learning Outcome: 1.2

7) 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
Answer: C
Module: 1.2
Skill: Applying/Analyzing
Learning Outcome: 1.2

8) What is the smallest unit of life?
A) An atom
B) A molecule
C) A cell
D) An organism
Answer: C
Module: 1.2
Skill: Remembering/Understanding
Learning Outcome: 1.2
Global Learning: G2




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,9) If you were to combine all of the ecosystems on the planet, you would obtain the ________.
A) ionosphere
B) troposphere
C) biosphere
D) envirosphere
Answer: C
Module: 1.2
Skill: Remembering/Understanding
Learning Outcome: 1.2

10) A college campus – including the students, birds, trees, sidewalks, and air – makes up one
complete ________.
A) community
B) ecosystem
C) population
D) organism
Answer: B
Module: 1.2
Skill: Applying/Analyzing
Learning Outcome: 1.2

11) Skin is sometimes referred to as the largest organ of the body. Why is skin considered to be
an 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.
Answer: B
Module: 1.2
Skill: Synthesizing/Evaluating
Learning Outcome: 1.2
Global Learning: G2

12) 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
Answer: B
Module: 1.2
Skill: Remembering/Understanding
Learning Outcome: 1.2


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, 13) 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
Answer: C
Module: 1.2
Skill: Applying/Analyzing
Learning Outcome: 1.2

14) 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
Answer: A
Module: 1.3
Skill: Applying/Analyzing
Learning Outcome: 1.2

15) 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
Answer: D
Module: 1.3
Skill: Remembering/Understanding
Learning Outcome: 1.2

16) 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
Answer: D
Module: 1.4
Skill: Remembering/Understanding
Learning Outcome: 1.3
Global Learning: G1




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