Question 1

Which of the following statements describes an individual that is likely to be the most successful in an evolutionary sense?

Accepted Answer

A) a reproductively sterile individual who never falls ill 
B) an organism that dies after five days of life but leaves 10 offspring,all of whom survive to reproduce 
C) a male who mates with 20 females and fathers one offspring 
D) an organism that lives 100 years and leaves two offspring,both of whom survive to reproduce 
E) a female who mates with 20 males and produces two offspring who live to reproduce 
A) a reproductively sterile individual who never falls ill 
B) an organism that dies after five days of life but leaves 10 offspring,all of whom survive to reproduce 
C) a male who mates with 20 females and fathers one offspring 
D) an organism that lives 100 years and leaves two offspring,both of whom survive to reproduce 
E) a female who mates with 20 males and produces two offspring who live to reproduce B

Question 2

All the living things on Earth along with all the places where life exists are collectively described by which of the following terms?

Accepted Answer

A) an ecosystem 
B) the biosphere 
C) a biological community 
D) a population 
A) an ecosystem 
B) the biosphere 
C) a biological community 
D) a population B

Question 3

The variation observed among the finches Darwin collected from the Galápagos Islands illustrate which of the following principles associated with the evolution of species?

Accepted Answer

A) mutation frequency 
B) production of more offspring than can survive 
C) descent with modification 
D) the accuracy of the fossil record 
A) mutation frequency 
B) production of more offspring than can survive 
C) descent with modification 
D) the accuracy of the fossil record C

Question 4

Which of the following best demonstrates the unity among all organisms?

Accepted Answer

A) emergent properties 
B) descent with modification 
C) DNA structure and function 
D) natural selection 
A) emergent properties 
B) descent with modification 
C) DNA structure and function 
D) natural selection

Question 5

All the individuals of a particular species living within the bounds of a specified area are collectively described by which of the following terms?

Accepted Answer

A) a biological system 
B) a biosphere 
C) a biological community 
D) a population 
A) a biological system 
B) a biosphere 
C) a biological community 
D) a population

Question 6

Why is it important that scientific discoveries and ideas be discussed by people with various points of view,from a variety of subdisciplines,and with diverse cultural backgrounds?

Accepted Answer

A) They can correct each other's approach to make it truly scientific. 
B) Robust and critical discussion between diverse groups improves scientific thinking. 
C) Scientists need to exchange their ideas with other disciplines and cultures so that all groups are in agreement regarding the course of future research. 
D) This is another way of ensuring that everyone gets the same results. 
A) They can correct each other's approach to make it truly scientific. 
B) Robust and critical discussion between diverse groups improves scientific thinking. 
C) Scientists need to exchange their ideas with other disciplines and cultures so that all groups are in agreement regarding the course of future research. 
D) This is another way of ensuring that everyone gets the same results.

Question 7

Which of the following statements best distinguishes hypotheses from theories in science?

Accepted Answer

A) Theories are hypotheses that have been proved. 
B) Hypotheses are guesses;theories are correct answers. 
C) Hypotheses usually are relatively narrow in scope;theories have broad explanatory power. 
D) Theories are proved true;hypotheses are often contradicted by experimental results. 
A) Theories are hypotheses that have been proved. 
B) Hypotheses are guesses;theories are correct answers. 
C) Hypotheses usually are relatively narrow in scope;theories have broad explanatory power. 
D) Theories are proved true;hypotheses are often contradicted by experimental results.

Question 8

Which of the following represents the correct hierarchy of biological organization from large scale to smaller scale?

Accepted Answer

A) ecosystems → biosphere → communities → populations → organisms 
B) communities → populations → organisms → ecosystems → biosphere 
C) biosphere → communities → populations → ecosystems → organisms 
D) biosphere → ecosystems → communities → populations → organisms 
E) biosphere → ecosystems → populations→ communities → organisms 
A) ecosystems → biosphere → communities → populations → organisms 
B) communities → populations → organisms → ecosystems → biosphere 
C) biosphere → communities → populations → ecosystems → organisms 
D) biosphere → ecosystems → communities → populations → organisms 
E) biosphere → ecosystems → populations→ communities → organisms

Question 9

Which of the following statements describes Charles Darwin's most significant original contribution to understanding both the unity and the diversity of life?

Accepted Answer

A) He documented examples of organisms that had evolved over time. 
B) He proposed a mechanism to explain the process of evolution. 
C) He explained the relationship between genes and evolution. 
D) He observed that individuals in a population generally displayed variation for a number of traits. 
E) He suggested that survival depends upon competition. 
A) He documented examples of organisms that had evolved over time. 
B) He proposed a mechanism to explain the process of evolution. 
C) He explained the relationship between genes and evolution. 
D) He observed that individuals in a population generally displayed variation for a number of traits. 
E) He suggested that survival depends upon competition.

Question 10

Which of the following terms describes membrane-enclosed components of cells that carry out specialized functions?

Accepted Answer

A) tissues 
B) organs 
C) organelles 
D) cells 
A) tissues 
B) organs 
C) organelles 
D) cells

Question 11

Which of the following statements is a distinguishing characteristic of fungi?

Accepted Answer

A) obtaining nutrients by absorbing them from the environment 
B) obtaining nutrients by ingesting other organisms 
C) converting light energy to chemical energy in the form of sugars 
D) living in extreme environments like boiling hot springs 
A) obtaining nutrients by absorbing them from the environment 
B) obtaining nutrients by ingesting other organisms 
C) converting light energy to chemical energy in the form of sugars 
D) living in extreme environments like boiling hot springs

Question 12

All of the organisms living in a particular ecosystem are collectively known as a(n)

Accepted Answer

A) biological community. 
B) order. 
C) family. 
D) population. 
A) biological community. 
B) order. 
C) family. 
D) population.

Question 13

Which of the following is a requirement for a good scientific hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A) It must generate quantitative data. 
B) It must explain a large body of specific observations. 
C) It must lead to testable predictions. 
D) It must be able to be proven true. 
A) It must generate quantitative data. 
B) It must explain a large body of specific observations. 
C) It must lead to testable predictions. 
D) It must be able to be proven true.

Question 14

All the organisms on your campus make up

Accepted Answer

A) an ecosystem. 
B) a community. 
C) a population. 
D) a taxonomic domain. 
A) an ecosystem. 
B) a community. 
C) a population. 
D) a taxonomic domain.

Question 15

In her studies of chimpanzee behavior,Jane Goodall collected both qualitative and quantitative data.Which of the following is an example of quantitative data?

Accepted Answer

A) Chimpanzees typically travel together in small groups. 
B) Pairs of animals take turns grooming each other. 
C) Young chimpanzees play games in the trees and on the ground. 
D) Mothers and their infants typically nap for two to three hours each afternoon. 
A) Chimpanzees typically travel together in small groups. 
B) Pairs of animals take turns grooming each other. 
C) Young chimpanzees play games in the trees and on the ground. 
D) Mothers and their infants typically nap for two to three hours each afternoon.

Question 16

Many properties of living things involve the transfer and transformation of energy and matter.For example,plant chloroplasts convert energy from sunlight to which of the following forms of energy or matter?

Accepted Answer

A) the energy of motion 
B) carbon dioxide and water 
C) chemical energy 
D) oxygen 
E) kinetic energy 
A) the energy of motion 
B) carbon dioxide and water 
C) chemical energy 
D) oxygen 
E) kinetic energy

Question 17

Which of the following types of cells lack(s)a nucleus?

Accepted Answer

A) animal 
B) plant 
C) archaea 
D) fungi 
A) animal 
B) plant 
C) archaea 
D) fungi

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of inductive reasoning?

Accepted Answer

A) If a banana is not ripe,then an ape will not eat it. 
B) Numerous different species live in sunny parts of an ecosystem;therefore,they are all photosynthetic. 
C) Hundreds of cultures of a unicellular alga are incubated in the presence of light,and in all of the samples the cells congregate on the side of the culture toward the light.Therefore,the alga is phototactic (attracted to light). 
D) If two species are members of the same genus,then they are more similar to each other than they are to members of a different genus. 
A) If a banana is not ripe,then an ape will not eat it. 
B) Numerous different species live in sunny parts of an ecosystem;therefore,they are all photosynthetic. 
C) Hundreds of cultures of a unicellular alga are incubated in the presence of light,and in all of the samples the cells congregate on the side of the culture toward the light.Therefore,the alga is phototactic (attracted to light). 
D) If two species are members of the same genus,then they are more similar to each other than they are to members of a different genus.

Question 19

A controlled experiment is one that

Accepted Answer

A) proceeds slowly enough that a scientist can make careful records of the results. 
B) tests experimental and control groups in parallel. 
C) is repeated many times to make sure the results are accurate. 
D) keeps all variables constant. 
A) proceeds slowly enough that a scientist can make careful records of the results. 
B) tests experimental and control groups in parallel. 
C) is repeated many times to make sure the results are accurate. 
D) keeps all variables constant.

Question 20

Which of the following correctly describes the forms by which energy flows through an ecosystem from entry to exit?

Accepted Answer

A) heat → chemical → heat 
B) light → heat → chemical 
C) light → chemical → heat 
D) chemical → heat → light 
A) heat → chemical → heat 
B) light → heat → chemical 
C) light → chemical → heat 
D) chemical → heat → light

Exam 1: Introduction: Evolution and the Foundations of Biology

Which of the following statements describes an individual that is likely to be the most successful in an evolutionary sense?

All the living things on Earth along with all the places where life exists are collectively described by which of the following terms?

The variation observed among the finches Darwin collected from the Galápagos Islands illustrate which of the following principles associated with the evolution of species?

Which of the following best demonstrates the unity among all organisms?

All the individuals of a particular species living within the bounds of a specified area are collectively described by which of the following terms?

Why is it important that scientific discoveries and ideas be discussed by people with various points of view,from a variety of subdisciplines,and with diverse cultural backgrounds?

Which of the following statements best distinguishes hypotheses from theories in science?

Which of the following represents the correct hierarchy of biological organization from large scale to smaller scale?

Which of the following statements describes Charles Darwin's most significant original contribution to understanding both the unity and the diversity of life?

Which of the following terms describes membrane-enclosed components of cells that carry out specialized functions?

Which of the following statements is a distinguishing characteristic of fungi?

All of the organisms living in a particular ecosystem are collectively known as a(n)

Which of the following is a requirement for a good scientific hypothesis?

All the organisms on your campus make up

In her studies of chimpanzee behavior,Jane Goodall collected both qualitative and quantitative data.Which of the following is an example of quantitative data?

Many properties of living things involve the transfer and transformation of energy and matter.For example,plant chloroplasts convert energy from sunlight to which of the following forms of energy or matter?

Which of the following types of cells lack(s)a nucleus?

Which of the following is an example of inductive reasoning?

A controlled experiment is one that

Which of the following correctly describes the forms by which energy flows through an ecosystem from entry to exit?

The Chemical Context of Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Transport and Cell Signaling

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

Gene Expression: From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Development,stem Cells,and Cancer

Viruses

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent With Modification

Phylogeny

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

Broad Patterns of Evolution

Early Life and the Diversification of Prokaryotes

The Origin and Diversification of Eukaryotes

The Colonization of Land by Plants and Fungi

The Rise of Animal Diversity

Plant Structure and Growth

Resource Acquisition,nutrition,and Transport in Vascular Plants

Reproduction and Domestication of Flowering Plants

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Homeostasis and Endocrine Signaling

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Reproduction and Development

Neurons,synapses,and Signaling

Nervous and Sensory Systems

Motor Mechanisms and Behavior

Population Ecology and the Distribution of Organisms

Ecological Communities

Ecosystems and Energy

Conservation Biology and Global Change

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