Test Bank for Biology: How Life Works 4e Morris
Full Chapters included Chap 1 to 48 - Answers included
Chap 01 4e Morris
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. When we say that the cell is the fundamental unit of life, we mean that:
a. life doesn't exist in the absence of cells.
b. all living things are made up of one or more cells.
c. the smallest entity that can be considered living is a cell.
d. a single cell can carry out all life processes.
e. all of these choices are correct.
2. The metabolic pathway that harvests energy molecules from glucose is highly conserved across many different
organisms. From this observation, scientists conclude that the metabolic pathway:
a. is nonessential.
b. arose late in the evolution of life.
c. was conserved simply by chance.
d. arose early in the evolution of life.
e. None of the other answer options is correct.
3. Barrett’s esophagus is a heartburn-related problem that occurs when stomach acid backs up into the throat,
causing normal esophageal lining to be replaced by abnormal growth. A recent study reported that burning
away abnormal, precancerous cells in the throat may lower the risk of later developing esophageal cancer.
127 people suffering from Barrett’s esophagus participated in the study. Of those who had a procedure that
uses heat to burn off precancerous spots, only about 1% developed cancer over the next year, whereas, of
those who received a “fake treatment” in which no cells were destroyed, 9% went on to develop cancer.
What is the prediction tested by this study?
a. The presence of abnormal cells in the stomach lining of people with Barrett’s esophagus leads to cancer
b. If precancerous cells in the abnormal lining of the esophagus in people with Barrett’s esophagus are
removed, the likelihood of developing cancer will be reduced.
c. Heartburn leads to cancer.
4. When you eat a hamburger, some of the energy in the food is converted to ATP that your cells can use to do
all kinds of work, some of the energy is stored for later use, and some of the energy is dissipated as heat. In
other words, you can only make use of a portion of the energy available in the hamburger because some is
always lost as heat. This is a consequence of the:
a. second law of thermodynamics.
b. first law of thermodynamics.
c. cell theory.
d. theory of evolution.
e. central dogma.
. Page 1
,Name: Class: Date:
Chap 01 4e Morris
5. Interactions between organisms lead to the evolution of particular traits in populations of those organisms over
time.
a. true
b. false
6. Let's say you feel very strongly that cigarette smoke does not increase the probability of getting cancer, and
you base your view on something you read on the Internet. This is a good example of a(n):
a. experiment.
b. observation.
c. hypothesis.
d. theory.
e. None of the other answer options is correct.
7. Some people like spicy, hot food. Some of these people even grow their own hot peppers to make different
kinds of sauces. Imagine that you are one of these people and are growing your own pepper plants from seed.
In the past, you have noticed that the seeds take a long time to germinate (germination is when little plants,
called seedlings, emerge from seeds). You read someplace that some seeds will speed up the germination
process. To see if there is a relationship between temperature and germination, you place one set of twenty
seeds in potting soil on the counter and place a second set of twenty seeds on top of a heating pad on the
same counter. You add water and wait for the seeds to germinate. Which of these is the test group?
a. the seeds on the heating pad
b. the seeds on the counter without a heating pad
c. the number of seeds in each pot
d. the amount of water added to the seeds
. Page 2
,Name: Class: Date:
Chap 01 4e Morris
8. The figure illustrates the projected changes in distributions of beech trees and chinquapin oak trees in Japan if
human activities continue to cause global temperatures to rise.
Which of the statements accurately reflects these predictions?
a. Beech trees will become extinct
b. The distribution of beech and chinquapin oak in areas where they are found together will stay the same.
c. Beech distribution will increase to the south of its present-day distribution.
d. Chinquapin oak distribution will increase with rising temperatures.
9. Mutations always result in the death of the organism that acquires them.
a. true
b. false
10. Read the scenario: You get in your car to drive to class. You turn the key, and the engine starts making a
clicking sound but does not start (1). You think to yourself, "The battery must be dead" (2). So, you borrow
the battery from your neighbor's car (with permission, of course) and exchange it for the one in your car (3).
You figure that if the battery in your car is dead and you replace it, then the car will start (4). You get in the car
again, turn the key, and the car starts right up, and you make it to class on time (5).
Notice that there are numbers at the end of the sentences in the scenario. Refer to these numbers when
answering the question.
Which sentence in the story is a hypothesis?
a. 2
b. 1
c. 3
d. 4
e. 5
. Page 3
, Name: Class: Date:
Chap 01 4e Morris
11. Santiago Elena and Richard Lenski performed long-term artificial selection experiments with bacteria. Over
time, the bacteria evolved an ability to use glucose as a food source. Which of the statements is a conclusion
of these experiments?
a. All of these choices are correct.
b. Evolution can occur in the laboratory.
c. Bacteria can evolve over time.
d. Bacteria can evolve an improved ability to use glucose.
e. Natural selection can occur in the laboratory.
12. Which one of the elements makes up more than 40% of both living organisms and the Earth's crust?
a. hydrogen
b. oxygen
c. silicon
d. carbon
e. nitrogen
13. Barrett’s esophagus is a heartburn-related problem that occurs when stomach acid backs up into the throat,
causing normal esophageal lining to be replaced by abnormal growth. A recent study reported that burning
away abnormal, precancerous cells in the throat may lower the risk of later developing esophageal cancer.
One hundred and twenty-seven people suffering from Barrett’s esophagus participated in the study. Of those
who had a procedure that uses heat to burn off precancerous spots, only about 1% developed cancer over
the next year, whereas, of those who received a ‘fake treatment’ in which no cells were destroyed, 9% went
on to develop cancer. What is the test group in the study?
a. the people treated whose abnormal cells were removed with heat
b. the group of doctors who controlled what went on in the study
c. the people suffering from heartburn since they controlled whether they got the heat or the ‘fake
treatment’
d. the people who had the ‘fake treatment’
14. Transcription is the process by which:
a. DNA is synthesized from protein.
b. proteins are synthesized from RNA molecules.
c. proteins are synthesized from DNA molecules.
d. RNA is synthesized from protein.
e. RNA is synthesized from DNA.
. Page 4
Full Chapters included Chap 1 to 48 - Answers included
Chap 01 4e Morris
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. When we say that the cell is the fundamental unit of life, we mean that:
a. life doesn't exist in the absence of cells.
b. all living things are made up of one or more cells.
c. the smallest entity that can be considered living is a cell.
d. a single cell can carry out all life processes.
e. all of these choices are correct.
2. The metabolic pathway that harvests energy molecules from glucose is highly conserved across many different
organisms. From this observation, scientists conclude that the metabolic pathway:
a. is nonessential.
b. arose late in the evolution of life.
c. was conserved simply by chance.
d. arose early in the evolution of life.
e. None of the other answer options is correct.
3. Barrett’s esophagus is a heartburn-related problem that occurs when stomach acid backs up into the throat,
causing normal esophageal lining to be replaced by abnormal growth. A recent study reported that burning
away abnormal, precancerous cells in the throat may lower the risk of later developing esophageal cancer.
127 people suffering from Barrett’s esophagus participated in the study. Of those who had a procedure that
uses heat to burn off precancerous spots, only about 1% developed cancer over the next year, whereas, of
those who received a “fake treatment” in which no cells were destroyed, 9% went on to develop cancer.
What is the prediction tested by this study?
a. The presence of abnormal cells in the stomach lining of people with Barrett’s esophagus leads to cancer
b. If precancerous cells in the abnormal lining of the esophagus in people with Barrett’s esophagus are
removed, the likelihood of developing cancer will be reduced.
c. Heartburn leads to cancer.
4. When you eat a hamburger, some of the energy in the food is converted to ATP that your cells can use to do
all kinds of work, some of the energy is stored for later use, and some of the energy is dissipated as heat. In
other words, you can only make use of a portion of the energy available in the hamburger because some is
always lost as heat. This is a consequence of the:
a. second law of thermodynamics.
b. first law of thermodynamics.
c. cell theory.
d. theory of evolution.
e. central dogma.
. Page 1
,Name: Class: Date:
Chap 01 4e Morris
5. Interactions between organisms lead to the evolution of particular traits in populations of those organisms over
time.
a. true
b. false
6. Let's say you feel very strongly that cigarette smoke does not increase the probability of getting cancer, and
you base your view on something you read on the Internet. This is a good example of a(n):
a. experiment.
b. observation.
c. hypothesis.
d. theory.
e. None of the other answer options is correct.
7. Some people like spicy, hot food. Some of these people even grow their own hot peppers to make different
kinds of sauces. Imagine that you are one of these people and are growing your own pepper plants from seed.
In the past, you have noticed that the seeds take a long time to germinate (germination is when little plants,
called seedlings, emerge from seeds). You read someplace that some seeds will speed up the germination
process. To see if there is a relationship between temperature and germination, you place one set of twenty
seeds in potting soil on the counter and place a second set of twenty seeds on top of a heating pad on the
same counter. You add water and wait for the seeds to germinate. Which of these is the test group?
a. the seeds on the heating pad
b. the seeds on the counter without a heating pad
c. the number of seeds in each pot
d. the amount of water added to the seeds
. Page 2
,Name: Class: Date:
Chap 01 4e Morris
8. The figure illustrates the projected changes in distributions of beech trees and chinquapin oak trees in Japan if
human activities continue to cause global temperatures to rise.
Which of the statements accurately reflects these predictions?
a. Beech trees will become extinct
b. The distribution of beech and chinquapin oak in areas where they are found together will stay the same.
c. Beech distribution will increase to the south of its present-day distribution.
d. Chinquapin oak distribution will increase with rising temperatures.
9. Mutations always result in the death of the organism that acquires them.
a. true
b. false
10. Read the scenario: You get in your car to drive to class. You turn the key, and the engine starts making a
clicking sound but does not start (1). You think to yourself, "The battery must be dead" (2). So, you borrow
the battery from your neighbor's car (with permission, of course) and exchange it for the one in your car (3).
You figure that if the battery in your car is dead and you replace it, then the car will start (4). You get in the car
again, turn the key, and the car starts right up, and you make it to class on time (5).
Notice that there are numbers at the end of the sentences in the scenario. Refer to these numbers when
answering the question.
Which sentence in the story is a hypothesis?
a. 2
b. 1
c. 3
d. 4
e. 5
. Page 3
, Name: Class: Date:
Chap 01 4e Morris
11. Santiago Elena and Richard Lenski performed long-term artificial selection experiments with bacteria. Over
time, the bacteria evolved an ability to use glucose as a food source. Which of the statements is a conclusion
of these experiments?
a. All of these choices are correct.
b. Evolution can occur in the laboratory.
c. Bacteria can evolve over time.
d. Bacteria can evolve an improved ability to use glucose.
e. Natural selection can occur in the laboratory.
12. Which one of the elements makes up more than 40% of both living organisms and the Earth's crust?
a. hydrogen
b. oxygen
c. silicon
d. carbon
e. nitrogen
13. Barrett’s esophagus is a heartburn-related problem that occurs when stomach acid backs up into the throat,
causing normal esophageal lining to be replaced by abnormal growth. A recent study reported that burning
away abnormal, precancerous cells in the throat may lower the risk of later developing esophageal cancer.
One hundred and twenty-seven people suffering from Barrett’s esophagus participated in the study. Of those
who had a procedure that uses heat to burn off precancerous spots, only about 1% developed cancer over
the next year, whereas, of those who received a ‘fake treatment’ in which no cells were destroyed, 9% went
on to develop cancer. What is the test group in the study?
a. the people treated whose abnormal cells were removed with heat
b. the group of doctors who controlled what went on in the study
c. the people suffering from heartburn since they controlled whether they got the heat or the ‘fake
treatment’
d. the people who had the ‘fake treatment’
14. Transcription is the process by which:
a. DNA is synthesized from protein.
b. proteins are synthesized from RNA molecules.
c. proteins are synthesized from DNA molecules.
d. RNA is synthesized from protein.
e. RNA is synthesized from DNA.
. Page 4
