BIO 152 EXAM 1 Questions with Correct Solutions
Question:
1. What is a hypothesis?
Answer:
A hypothesis is a testable and falsifiable explanation or prediction about something in the
natural world.
Question:
2. What is a fact?
Answer:
A fact is an observation that has been repeatedly confirmed.
Question:
3. What is a scientific theory?
Answer:
A scientific theory is a broad explanation supported by a large amount of evidence from many
observations and experiments.
Question:
4. Why are scientific theories considered fact?
Answer:
scientific theories are supported by facts rather than being the same thing as a single fact. A
theory explains a large collection of established observations and has survived repeated
testing.
Question:
5. What is life?
Answer:
Life is a self-sustaining biological system capable of metabolism, reproduction, heredity, and
evolution. One important detail: individual organisms do not evolve; populations evolve.
Living things: Are made of cells Contain genetic information Use energy Maintain internal
conditions, or homeostasis Grow and develop Respond to the environment Reproduce Are
capable of evolution at the population level
Question:
6. Define evolution. Provide examples of evidence for evolution.
, Answer:
a change in allele frequencies in a population over generations DNA similarities Species that
are more closely related tend to have more similar DNA sequences. Direct observation
Evolution can happen quickly enough to observe. Vestigial traits Structures inherited from
ancestors that have become reduced or changed.
Question:
7. "All living things share common ancestry." What evidence supports this?
Answer:
same basic genetic system. Across organisms: DNA stores hereditary information. DNA uses
the same four nucleotide bases. RNA is involved in gene expression. Ribosomes make
proteins. The genetic code is nearly universal. Proteins are built from largely the same set of
amino acids. ATP is widely used as an energy carrier.
Question:
8. What are the 4 evolutionary forces?
Answer:
mutation - creates new alleles through changes in DNA. genetic drift - allele frequencies
change due to random chance gene flow - alleles move between populations when individuals
migrate and reproduce. natural selection - individuals with certain heritable traits have
greater reproductive success than others. ’
Question:
9. Which forces increase/decrease genetic variation?
Answer:
Mutation INCREASES variation Mutation creates new alleles that did not previously exist. ’
Gene flow CAN increase OR decrease variation Within a population, gene flow can increase
genetic variation by bringing in alleles from another population. However, gene flow can
decrease genetic differences BETWEEN populations because the populations become more
genetically similar. ’ Genetic drift DECREASES variation Because drift occurs randomly, an
allele can disappear from a population simply by chance.
Question:
10. what is a mutation
Answer:
change in DNA sequence
Question:
11. what is selection
Question:
1. What is a hypothesis?
Answer:
A hypothesis is a testable and falsifiable explanation or prediction about something in the
natural world.
Question:
2. What is a fact?
Answer:
A fact is an observation that has been repeatedly confirmed.
Question:
3. What is a scientific theory?
Answer:
A scientific theory is a broad explanation supported by a large amount of evidence from many
observations and experiments.
Question:
4. Why are scientific theories considered fact?
Answer:
scientific theories are supported by facts rather than being the same thing as a single fact. A
theory explains a large collection of established observations and has survived repeated
testing.
Question:
5. What is life?
Answer:
Life is a self-sustaining biological system capable of metabolism, reproduction, heredity, and
evolution. One important detail: individual organisms do not evolve; populations evolve.
Living things: Are made of cells Contain genetic information Use energy Maintain internal
conditions, or homeostasis Grow and develop Respond to the environment Reproduce Are
capable of evolution at the population level
Question:
6. Define evolution. Provide examples of evidence for evolution.
, Answer:
a change in allele frequencies in a population over generations DNA similarities Species that
are more closely related tend to have more similar DNA sequences. Direct observation
Evolution can happen quickly enough to observe. Vestigial traits Structures inherited from
ancestors that have become reduced or changed.
Question:
7. "All living things share common ancestry." What evidence supports this?
Answer:
same basic genetic system. Across organisms: DNA stores hereditary information. DNA uses
the same four nucleotide bases. RNA is involved in gene expression. Ribosomes make
proteins. The genetic code is nearly universal. Proteins are built from largely the same set of
amino acids. ATP is widely used as an energy carrier.
Question:
8. What are the 4 evolutionary forces?
Answer:
mutation - creates new alleles through changes in DNA. genetic drift - allele frequencies
change due to random chance gene flow - alleles move between populations when individuals
migrate and reproduce. natural selection - individuals with certain heritable traits have
greater reproductive success than others. ’
Question:
9. Which forces increase/decrease genetic variation?
Answer:
Mutation INCREASES variation Mutation creates new alleles that did not previously exist. ’
Gene flow CAN increase OR decrease variation Within a population, gene flow can increase
genetic variation by bringing in alleles from another population. However, gene flow can
decrease genetic differences BETWEEN populations because the populations become more
genetically similar. ’ Genetic drift DECREASES variation Because drift occurs randomly, an
allele can disappear from a population simply by chance.
Question:
10. what is a mutation
Answer:
change in DNA sequence
Question:
11. what is selection
