Biology: Science for Life with Physiology, 4e (Belk)
Chapter 1 Can Science Cure the Common Cold? Introduction to the Scientific Method
1) The scientific method is used to
A) answer specific questions about the natural world.
B) determine absolute truth.
C) distinguish good from evil.
D) establish moral codes.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
2) A scientific hypothesis has which of the following features?
A) It is able to be proven true.
B) It is falsifiable.
C) It is a theory about something.
D) It is not based on observations.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
3) Which of the following is an appropriate scientific hypothesis?
A) Bad people catch more colds than good people.
B) Cold viruses should be allowed to reproduce just like anything else.
C) It is unethical to go to school when you have a cold.
D) People catch colds because of exposure to cold temperature.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
4) A scientific theory is
A) an explanation supported by a very large amount of experimental evidence.
B) an explanation that cannot be modified in light of new experimental evidence.
C) little more than an educated guess.
D) any testable explanation for a question or problem.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
1
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
,5) Deductive reasoning is used to make ________ based on a hypothesis.
A) correlations
B) data
C) predictions
D) statistical tests
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
6) What hypothesis was tested by Warren and Marshall during their research involving Helicobacter
pylori bacteria and stomach ulcers?
A) Eating spicy food increases populations of H. pylori in the stomachs of people susceptible to ulcers.
B) The cause of many stomach ulcers is the bacterium H. pylori, not spicy food.
C) Stomach acid production is decreased by H. pylori bacteria in the stomachs of people who have
ulcers.
D) Acute stomach pain is often caused by H. pylori bacteria, not ulcers.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Conceptual
7) The germ theory was developed by microbiologists, including
A) Warren and Marshall.
B) Pasteur and Koch.
C) Watson and Crick.
D) Jacob and Monad.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
8) If an inductively reasoned hypothesis makes sense, based on all available and historical observations,
then
A) the hypothesis must be true.
B) the hypothesis cannot possibly be true.
C) the hypothesis might be false.
D) experimentation is not necessary.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Conceptual
2
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
,9) Why are hypotheses never accepted by scientists?
A) A hypothesis cannot ever be true or false because it is an opinion.
B) Experimentation cannot support a hypothesis because it only tests predictions.
C) Hypotheses change every time a new experiment is conducted.
D) Alternative hypotheses might provide a better answer to the research question.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Conceptual
10) When a hypothesis is extensively tested and supported by a large number of studies conducted by
many different scientists, then
A) it is considered a scientific theory.
B) the hypothesis is referred to as a prediction.
C) further experimentation will not occur unless an alternative hypothesis is proposed.
D) it is a fact that cannot be refuted.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
11) Consider this hypothesis: "Drinking Echinacea tea reduces the duration and severity of colds."
Which of the following statements is the best prediction based on this hypothesis?
A) If people with a cold drink Echinacea tea, then they will feel better sooner than people who don't
consume the tea.
B) If people with a cold drink Echinacea tea, then an ingredient in the tea will bind to cold viruses and
destroy them.
C) If people with a cold drink Echinacea tea, then the tea will reduce their stress, making them feel
better.
D) If a person doesn't drink Echinacea tea, then he or she will catch a cold very easily.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
12) Which of the following is a testable hypothesis?
A) Taking zinc lozenges at the first sign of cold symptoms is wise.
B) Avoiding contact with other people reduces the chance of catching a cold.
C) Being a good driver makes you less likely to catch a cold.
D) Sleeping eight hours a night makes you feel better when you have a cold.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
3
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
, 13) Which of the following hypotheses is testable using scientific methods?
A) Bees can see ultraviolet light that humans can't.
B) The dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex was a scavenger, not a predator.
C) Peacocks like to display their large tail feathers.
D) People with type O blood are natural meat eaters.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
14) Which of the following statements is a testable scientific hypothesis?
A) Antioxidants from food are better than antioxidants from a vitamin pill.
B) Eating fish reduces the chance of having a stroke.
C) Embryonic stem cell research will allow scientists to find a cure for diabetes.
D) Smoking makes people less attractive.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
15) Which of the following statements is the best prediction based on the hypothesis that bird species
have decreased in number in a particular wetland because of construction traffic?
A) If a wetland area is disturbed by construction vehicles, then the number of bird species will decrease.
B) If construction vehicles are in a wetland, then the birds will become too frightened to reproduce.
C) If bird numbers decrease in a wetland, then construction vehicles must have affected the
environment.
D) If construction vehicles enter a wetland, then new predators will enter the area and reduce the size of
bird populations.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
16) Certain researchers have published peer-reviewed reports that the use of zinc lozenges reduces the
length and severity of cold symptoms. What is one reason why some scientists are still skeptical about
the merits of using zinc lozenges during a cold?
A) Because most people get zinc in their diet anyway, there's no reason to believe that zinc lozenges
could affect a cold.
B) Previous ideas about vitamin C usage have been discredited, so there's no reason to believe new ideas
about zinc lozenges.
C) There is no way of knowing if the original work was properly controlled or statistically significant.
D) There may be other reasons why the people taking zinc lozenges recovered faster, such as stress
levels or differences in their immune systems.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
4
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 1 Can Science Cure the Common Cold? Introduction to the Scientific Method
1) The scientific method is used to
A) answer specific questions about the natural world.
B) determine absolute truth.
C) distinguish good from evil.
D) establish moral codes.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
2) A scientific hypothesis has which of the following features?
A) It is able to be proven true.
B) It is falsifiable.
C) It is a theory about something.
D) It is not based on observations.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
3) Which of the following is an appropriate scientific hypothesis?
A) Bad people catch more colds than good people.
B) Cold viruses should be allowed to reproduce just like anything else.
C) It is unethical to go to school when you have a cold.
D) People catch colds because of exposure to cold temperature.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
4) A scientific theory is
A) an explanation supported by a very large amount of experimental evidence.
B) an explanation that cannot be modified in light of new experimental evidence.
C) little more than an educated guess.
D) any testable explanation for a question or problem.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
1
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
,5) Deductive reasoning is used to make ________ based on a hypothesis.
A) correlations
B) data
C) predictions
D) statistical tests
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
6) What hypothesis was tested by Warren and Marshall during their research involving Helicobacter
pylori bacteria and stomach ulcers?
A) Eating spicy food increases populations of H. pylori in the stomachs of people susceptible to ulcers.
B) The cause of many stomach ulcers is the bacterium H. pylori, not spicy food.
C) Stomach acid production is decreased by H. pylori bacteria in the stomachs of people who have
ulcers.
D) Acute stomach pain is often caused by H. pylori bacteria, not ulcers.
Answer: B
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Conceptual
7) The germ theory was developed by microbiologists, including
A) Warren and Marshall.
B) Pasteur and Koch.
C) Watson and Crick.
D) Jacob and Monad.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
8) If an inductively reasoned hypothesis makes sense, based on all available and historical observations,
then
A) the hypothesis must be true.
B) the hypothesis cannot possibly be true.
C) the hypothesis might be false.
D) experimentation is not necessary.
Answer: C
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Conceptual
2
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
,9) Why are hypotheses never accepted by scientists?
A) A hypothesis cannot ever be true or false because it is an opinion.
B) Experimentation cannot support a hypothesis because it only tests predictions.
C) Hypotheses change every time a new experiment is conducted.
D) Alternative hypotheses might provide a better answer to the research question.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Conceptual
10) When a hypothesis is extensively tested and supported by a large number of studies conducted by
many different scientists, then
A) it is considered a scientific theory.
B) the hypothesis is referred to as a prediction.
C) further experimentation will not occur unless an alternative hypothesis is proposed.
D) it is a fact that cannot be refuted.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual
11) Consider this hypothesis: "Drinking Echinacea tea reduces the duration and severity of colds."
Which of the following statements is the best prediction based on this hypothesis?
A) If people with a cold drink Echinacea tea, then they will feel better sooner than people who don't
consume the tea.
B) If people with a cold drink Echinacea tea, then an ingredient in the tea will bind to cold viruses and
destroy them.
C) If people with a cold drink Echinacea tea, then the tea will reduce their stress, making them feel
better.
D) If a person doesn't drink Echinacea tea, then he or she will catch a cold very easily.
Answer: A
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
12) Which of the following is a testable hypothesis?
A) Taking zinc lozenges at the first sign of cold symptoms is wise.
B) Avoiding contact with other people reduces the chance of catching a cold.
C) Being a good driver makes you less likely to catch a cold.
D) Sleeping eight hours a night makes you feel better when you have a cold.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
3
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
, 13) Which of the following hypotheses is testable using scientific methods?
A) Bees can see ultraviolet light that humans can't.
B) The dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex was a scavenger, not a predator.
C) Peacocks like to display their large tail feathers.
D) People with type O blood are natural meat eaters.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
14) Which of the following statements is a testable scientific hypothesis?
A) Antioxidants from food are better than antioxidants from a vitamin pill.
B) Eating fish reduces the chance of having a stroke.
C) Embryonic stem cell research will allow scientists to find a cure for diabetes.
D) Smoking makes people less attractive.
Answer: B
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
15) Which of the following statements is the best prediction based on the hypothesis that bird species
have decreased in number in a particular wetland because of construction traffic?
A) If a wetland area is disturbed by construction vehicles, then the number of bird species will decrease.
B) If construction vehicles are in a wetland, then the birds will become too frightened to reproduce.
C) If bird numbers decrease in a wetland, then construction vehicles must have affected the
environment.
D) If construction vehicles enter a wetland, then new predators will enter the area and reduce the size of
bird populations.
Answer: A
Diff: 1
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
16) Certain researchers have published peer-reviewed reports that the use of zinc lozenges reduces the
length and severity of cold symptoms. What is one reason why some scientists are still skeptical about
the merits of using zinc lozenges during a cold?
A) Because most people get zinc in their diet anyway, there's no reason to believe that zinc lozenges
could affect a cold.
B) Previous ideas about vitamin C usage have been discredited, so there's no reason to believe new ideas
about zinc lozenges.
C) There is no way of knowing if the original work was properly controlled or statistically significant.
D) There may be other reasons why the people taking zinc lozenges recovered faster, such as stress
levels or differences in their immune systems.
Answer: D
Diff: 2
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Applied
4
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
