BIOL 1500 CH 1 PRACTICE TEST
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Eukaryotic organisms that decompose dead organisms and absorb the nutrients are
generally found in which kingdom?
Archaea
Plantae
Bacteria
Fungi
Animalia - ANSWER-fungi
Natural selection tends to act at which of the following levels?
species
class
kingdom
population
phylum - ANSWER-population
Which of the following observations and inferences led Charles Darwin to his theory
of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution?
A population of any species has the potential to produce far more offspring than will
survive to produce offspring of their own.
Individuals in a population of any species vary in many heritable traits.
Individuals of a population are unequal in the likelihood of surviving and reproducing.
Individuals with heritable traits best-suited to the local environment will generally
produce a disproportionate number of healthy, fertile offspring.
Darwin synthesized his theory of natural selection from all of the above observations
and inferences. - ANSWER-Darwin synthesized his theory of natural selection from
all of the above observations and inferences
With evolution as the core theme of biology, we can explain traits shared by
organisms as evidence of __________ and traits that differ among organisms as
evidence of __________.
, qualitative data ... quantitative data
coincidence ... adaptation
descent from a common ancestor ... chance
systems biology ... reductionism
descent from a common ancestor ... adaptation through natural selection -
ANSWER-descent from a common ancestor ... adaptation through natural selection
Experimentation is only one part of the process of scientific inquiry, but it is a very
important step because it __________.
gives the investigator a systematic, unbiased result
allows rejection of a hypotheses
gives scientists a chance to work in the laboratory
ensures that hypotheses can be confirmed with certainty
ensures that the variable being tested is measured without error - ANSWER-allows
rejection of a hypotheses
Radon is a radioactive gas that seeps into homes from the soil. It is thought to be a
cause of lung cancer. A research team investigates this theory. They gather large
amounts of data on basement radon concentrations and lung cancer rates and
conclude that the more radon there is in a home, the more likely that people living in
those homes will develop lung cancer. After the study is published, other researchers
criticize it by asserting that the studied neighborhoods with higher radon
concentrations also have a higher percentage of older people and a higher
percentage of cigarette smokers than the low-radon neighborhoods. Both advanced
age and cigarette smoking increase the risk of lung cancer. This criticism, if correct,
shows that the radon study suffered from __________.
an unfalsifiable hypothesis
uncontrolled variables
a small sample size
nonsystematic observation and analysis of data
a lack of replication - ANSWER-uncontrolled variables
Which of the following statements is most clearly inductively derived?
If all flying animals are birds, then it can be concluded that bats are birds.
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Eukaryotic organisms that decompose dead organisms and absorb the nutrients are
generally found in which kingdom?
Archaea
Plantae
Bacteria
Fungi
Animalia - ANSWER-fungi
Natural selection tends to act at which of the following levels?
species
class
kingdom
population
phylum - ANSWER-population
Which of the following observations and inferences led Charles Darwin to his theory
of natural selection as a mechanism for evolution?
A population of any species has the potential to produce far more offspring than will
survive to produce offspring of their own.
Individuals in a population of any species vary in many heritable traits.
Individuals of a population are unequal in the likelihood of surviving and reproducing.
Individuals with heritable traits best-suited to the local environment will generally
produce a disproportionate number of healthy, fertile offspring.
Darwin synthesized his theory of natural selection from all of the above observations
and inferences. - ANSWER-Darwin synthesized his theory of natural selection from
all of the above observations and inferences
With evolution as the core theme of biology, we can explain traits shared by
organisms as evidence of __________ and traits that differ among organisms as
evidence of __________.
, qualitative data ... quantitative data
coincidence ... adaptation
descent from a common ancestor ... chance
systems biology ... reductionism
descent from a common ancestor ... adaptation through natural selection -
ANSWER-descent from a common ancestor ... adaptation through natural selection
Experimentation is only one part of the process of scientific inquiry, but it is a very
important step because it __________.
gives the investigator a systematic, unbiased result
allows rejection of a hypotheses
gives scientists a chance to work in the laboratory
ensures that hypotheses can be confirmed with certainty
ensures that the variable being tested is measured without error - ANSWER-allows
rejection of a hypotheses
Radon is a radioactive gas that seeps into homes from the soil. It is thought to be a
cause of lung cancer. A research team investigates this theory. They gather large
amounts of data on basement radon concentrations and lung cancer rates and
conclude that the more radon there is in a home, the more likely that people living in
those homes will develop lung cancer. After the study is published, other researchers
criticize it by asserting that the studied neighborhoods with higher radon
concentrations also have a higher percentage of older people and a higher
percentage of cigarette smokers than the low-radon neighborhoods. Both advanced
age and cigarette smoking increase the risk of lung cancer. This criticism, if correct,
shows that the radon study suffered from __________.
an unfalsifiable hypothesis
uncontrolled variables
a small sample size
nonsystematic observation and analysis of data
a lack of replication - ANSWER-uncontrolled variables
Which of the following statements is most clearly inductively derived?
If all flying animals are birds, then it can be concluded that bats are birds.
