Deck 2: Principles of Science and Systems

Question 1

The process of science is characterized by all of the following except

A) that science attempts to keep explanations as simple as possible.
B) that science normally provides absolute proof.
C) that science attempts to be objective.
D) that science is inherently skeptical.

Answer 1

that science normally provides absolute proof.

Question 2

If something cannot be directly experimented upon, it is not considered to be a part of science.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Which of the following is not an example of a disturbance in an ecosystem?

A) Fire
B) Drought
C) Flash flood
D) Shade

Answer 3

Shade

Question 4

_________________ is a process for producing knowledge methodically and logically.

A) Universalism
B) Science
C) Relativism
D) Morality
E) Parsimony

Question 5

Homeostasis refers to

A) a tendency to change.
B) equilibrium.
C) spatial homogeneity.
D) the environment.

Question 6

Scientific paradigms can be characterized by all of the following except

A) once agreed upon remain unchanged forever.
B) are broad patterns of thought that guide thinking.
C) influence how we interpret evidence.
D) determine which questions we understand to be relevant to issues at hand.

Question 7

Positive feedback is a process

A) that is self-perpetuating.
B) where increases in a state variable lead to further increases.
C) that suppresses change.
D) that is self-perpetuating and where increases in a state variable lead to further increases.

Question 8

Which of the following does not apply to manipulative experiments?

A) Extraneous variables are held constant
B) Most experiments are done in the laboratory
C) They are useful for studying large scale geologic forces
D) They can be affected by experimenter bias

Question 9

In an ecosystem, throughput can refer to

A) matter that flows into the system but not out.
B) energy that originates in the system and flows out.
C) something that can expand the size of state variables.
D) the equilibrium state.

Question 10

Which of the following is not an important feature of science?

A) Reproducibility
B) Parsimony
C) Empiricism
D) Positive proof

Question 11

In science, a theory is

A) speculative and unsupported by facts.
B) a tentative explanation, comparable to a hypothesis.
C) an explanation supported by a substantial body of evidence.
D) something that can never be proven wrong.

Question 12

Ecological systems often undergo periodic disturbances

A) such as floods and fires.
B) and show resilience when they recover quickly.
C) only in arid environments.
D) such as floods, fires, and show resilience when they recover quickly.

Question 13

Ideally, science

A) Always has the right answers
B) Tells us what we expected to find
C) Uses new technology
D) Is orderly and methodical
E) Proves that our hypotheses are correct

Question 14

Manipulative experiments

A) are not useful to ecologists because they depend on the natural environment.
B) are most often conducted in a laboratory.
C) do not allow the scientist to control variables.
D) are not possible.

Question 15

The process by which science works is useful to the general public as well as to scientists.

Question 16

Statistical tests

A) provide us with raw numbers such as the number of people in a given city.
B) focus on determining the probability that observed phenomena occurred by chance.
C) are only used in science to influence political decision-making.
D) provide only fake numbers.

Question 17

Sometimes severe disturbances can lead to a ______, in which conditions do not return to normal.

A) paradigm shift
B) state shift
C) feedback loop
D) system

Question 18

Which of the following is not a basic principle of science?

A) We can learn through observation
B) Simpler explanations are preferable
C) Nothing can be absolutely proven
D) All of these choices are correct

Question 19

A person carefully gathering pieces of information to uncover a larger pattern is engaged in deductive reasoning.

Question 20

Creating a generalization based on several observations is an example of deductive reasoning.

Question 21

When referencing the above scenario, why did Susan average the resulting heights of the plants?

A) To account for the genetic variation in the plants.
B) Because two numbers are easier to compare than 50.
C) She liked showing off her knowledge of simple statistical analysis.
D) To account for differences in temperature and sunlight between the groups.

Question 22

Generally, distinguished scientists

A) Always agree if they really are expert scientists
B) May have different interpretations of the same evidence
C) Never disagree once a theory is established
D) Believe each other and support each other in their work
E) Always disagree so they can prove theories

Question 23

The statement, "Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs" is an example of

A) Inductive reasoning
B) Deductive reasoning
C) Hypothesis testing
D) Reductive reasoning
E) Parsimony

Question 24

The ability of an ecosystem to recover from a disturbance is known as

A) resilience
B) stability
C) fitness
D) emergence

Question 25

In a food chain, grass absorbs sunlight to make sugar, the grass is eaten by a rabbit, and the rabbit is eaten by a fox. What is a throughput that connects this system?

A) energy
B) sugar
C) the will to survive
D) ATP

Question 26

Which of the following is an example of a negative feedback loop?

A) A small island is home to both wolves and deer. When the deer have high numbers, the wolves have plenty of prey to feed pups and their numbers increase. When the deer are heavily predated upon, the deer numbers decrease causing some of the wolves to starve.
B) Grass begins to grow on a recently plowed field.
C) Locusts begin to swarm, and when they encounter other non-swarming locusts, they too being to swarm.
D) A person is driving and is cut off by another driver, this causes the person to become angry and they begin to drive more aggressively, cutting off other drivers.

Question 27

Which of the following scenarios are free from bias?

A) A scientist is conducting an experiment on liver disease that is funded by a university, and has set up the experiment as a double-blind study testing of a new medication.
B) A scientist is conducting an experiment on liver disease that is funded by a pharmaceutical company, and has set up the experiment as a double-blind study testing of a new medication.
C) A scientist is conducting an experiment on liver disease that is funded by a university, and has set up the experiment study testing of a new medication and only give the medicine to the healthiest patitents.
D) A scientist is conducting an experiment on liver disease that is funded by a pharmaceutical company, and has set up the experiment as a double-blind study testing of a new medication on people without liver disease as well as those with liver disease.

Question 28

Although your sister is not a scientist, she says that she uses scientific techniques in her everyday life. You do not believe her but she insists it is true. Which of the following examples could she use to best persuade you?

A) When she cooks, she measures ingredients and puts them together to form something else (e.g., a cake)
B) When she drives in her car, she hypothesizes about things (e.g., when the red light will turn green)
C) She put some tomatoes in the sun and some in the shade to see if the sun causes them to ripen faster
D) She buys a brand of toothpaste based on statistical data (four out of five dentists recommend it)
E) All of these are examples of using scientific techniques in her everyday life

Question 29

In the above scenario, why did Susan place the plants in a greenhouse and control the amount of sunlight and temperature?

A) Keeping any factor that can influence a plant's growth, other than fertilizer, equal to all plants, ensures that if there is a difference at the end, it will most likely be due to the fertilizer.
B) It was an easy place to keep the plants.
C) It did not make a difference. The fertilizer would have influence growth even if the plants were part in sunlight and part in shade.
D) The plants would have adapted to the situation no matter if the temperatures is different.

Question 30

Which of the following is a closed system?

A) A cave with abundant life that was sealed off from the outside world during a landslide 100 years ago.
B) An underwater ocean cave
C) an aquarium
D) a forest habitat

Question 31

Proof in science is always

A) Firmly established
B) Beyond question
C) An impossible goal
D) constantly changing with little contiunity between diciplines.
E) Open to question or new evidence

Question 32

In the scenario described above, the plants that received fertilizer are the _______________ group, and the plants that did not receive fertilizer are the ___________ group.

A) treatment; control
B) control; treatemnt
C) treatment; exposed
D) controlled; non-treatment

Question 33

In experimentation, dependent variables are also known as _____________ variables.

A) Conventional
B) Blind
C) Response
D) Model
E) Distribution

Question 34

A scientific consensus

A) is typically broad in its statements.
B) uses feedback from many scientists.
C) can lead to paradigm shifts.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 35

From the following statements and questions, which is the best example of deductive reasoning?

A) If all insects have six legs, then butterflies have six legs
B) In repeated tosses of a coin, there is a 50/50 chance of each toss resulting in a "head"
C) How many times will the toss of coins turn "heads-up" if 100 times toss a coin?
D) Since every insect I have examined so far has six legs, I conclude that all insects must have six legs
E) All of these are examples of deductive reasoning

Question 36

Networks of interactions among interdependent factors are known as

A) Science
B) Ecology
C) Systems
D) Processes
E) Negative feedback loops

Question 37

The damage to an ecosystem caused by a hurricane or flood can be referred to as

A) An open system
B) An emergent property
C) Equilibrium in nature
D) A disturbance
E) Negative feedback loop

Question 38

Double-blind studies are especially useful in

A) Genetic experiments
B) Health studies
C) Statistical analysis
D) Opinion surveys
E) Double-blind studies are not useful in any situation

Question 39

Experiments in which conditions are deliberately altered and all other variables are held constant are known as ___________ experiments.

A) Manipulative
B) Natural
C) Hypothetical
D) Probability
E) Double-blind

Question 40

___________ allow scientists to gather information about complicated and interrelated environmental systems.

A) Charts
B) Graphs
C) Models
D) Figures
E) Paradigm shifts

Question 41

Paradigm shifts occur when ethical considerations are incorporated into scientific theory.

Question 42

An important value of science is that it provides the methodology to prove that a theory is correct.

Question 43

The progress of science is mainly happens when a scientist working in isolation and discovers something very important.