Deck 1: What Is Life

Question 1

Characteristics usually associated with life include all of the following except

A)motility.
B)responsiveness to stimuli.
C)reproduction.
D)lack of change from generation to generation.
E)a high degree of organization.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The simplest entity that exhibits all of the properties of life is called a(n)

A)cell.
B)molecule.
C)organ.
D)tissue.
E)organism.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The units of inheritance are

A)heredities.
B)evolutions.
C)twins.
D)metabolic activities.
E)genes.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which list is organized from smallest to largest level of organization of life?

A)organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms
B)organelles, tissues, cells, organ systems, organs, organisms
C)cells, tissues, organ systems, organelles, organs, organisms
D)organisms, organ systems, organs, tissues, cells, organelles
E)tissues, cells, organelles, organs, organ systems, organisms

Question 5

Which of the following includes other levels of hierarchy?

A)kingdom
B)domain
C)order
D)phylum
E)family

Question 6

Scientists have found that ancient fossils

A)are very similar to present-day organisms.
B)are more similar to present-day organisms than more recent fossils.
C)are just as similar to present-day organisms as more recent fossils.
D)are less similar to present-day organisms than more recent fossils.
E)bear no resemblance to present-day organisms.

Question 7

The scientific name for the black-footed ferret is Mustela nigripes. The name Mustela indicates the ____________ to which this organism belongs.

A)class
B)family
C)genus
D)phylum
E)species

Question 8

Which of the following is considered to be the most basic living unit?

A)molecule
B)organelle
C)organ system
D)tissue
E)cell

Question 9

Organisms that have descended from the same initial group and have the ability to interbreed belong to the same

A)genus.
B)species.
C)class.
D)family.
E)order.

Question 10

The binomial nomenclature for humans is Homo sapiens. The term "Homo" refers to the

A)genus name.
B)species name.
C)scientific name.
D)trivial name.
E)ordinal name.

Question 11

If an ecologist is studying the cycling of carbon through a particular environment (which involves the movement of carbon through living things as well as through rock, air, and water), the scientist is studying at what level of ecology?

A)community
B)biosphere
C)ecosystem
D)organismal
E)population

Question 12

Young multicelled organisms usually start out small, then grow in size and increase in complexity. This process is called

A)reproduction.
B)heredity.
C)development.
D)evolution.
E)metabolism.

Question 13

An organ is made up of several

A)biological molecules.
B)organ systems.
C)tissues.
D)cells.
E)organisms.

Question 14

Organisms that undergo asexual reproduction

A)produce offspring that are identical to each other and to the parent.
B)are usually very complex.
C)do not require energy to reproduce.
D)produce offspring that are different from each other.
E)require another organism to reproduce.

Question 15

All the living organisms in a particular area at a particular time make up a

A)population.
B)community.
C)ecosystem.
D)biosphere.
E)biosystem.

Question 16

All living things have the following characteristics except

A)responsiveness to external and/or internal stimuli.
B)utilization of energy.
C)self-replication.
D)growth.
E)sexual reproduction.

Question 17

The first step in the scientific method is to

A)identify a problem.
B)propose a solution.
C)predict the results of an experiment.
D)perform an experiment.
E)draw a conclusion.

Question 18

An independent individual that possesses the characteristics of life is called a(n)

A)cell.
B)organism.
C)organ.
D)tissue.
E)atom.

Question 19

In populations, adaptation usually arises through

A)natural selection.
B)heredity.
C)development.
D)metabolism.
E)responsiveness.

Question 20

To maintain order within their cells and organs, all living things must

A)extract energy from sunlight.
B)constantly change.
C)carry on metabolism.
D)reproduce.
E)be able to move.

Question 21

The presence of DNA is not one of the major characteristics of life. Why, then, might scientists look for the presence of DNA to help confirm the existence of life?

Question 22

List the units of the hierarchy of life in order from smallest to largest.

Question 23

Describe natural selection. Who first coined this phrase?

Question 24

Match the following domains with the appropriate characteristic.
1. Domain Bacteria
2. Domain Archaea
3. Domain Eu karya

A. often live in extreme environments
B. includes only plants and animals
C. complex cells with a nucleus
D. includes the species that causes strep throat

Question 25

List the 9 characteristics that living things share.

Question 26

Which of the following concepts best describes the wide variety of dog species we observe, ranging from the domesticated golden retriever or the basset hound, to the wild dogs of Africa, to foxes?

A)evolution
B)taxonomy
C)special creation
D)preadaptation
E)inheritance of acquired characteristics

Question 27

Match the following examples with the correct descriptive term.
4.The portion of the earth where life exists
5.Group of organisms of the same species
6. All living organisms in an area
7. All living organisms and the nonliving physical environment
8. Living biological entity

A. organisms
B. community
C. eoosystem
D. biosystem
E. population
F. biosphere

Question 28

Match the following organisms with the domain in which they are classified.
14. _____fung
15. _____ plants
16. _____ animals
17. _____ pwtists
18. _____ single-celled organisms that typically live in extreme, hostile environments
A. Euvlana
B. FPung
C. Archaea
D. Bacteria
E. cells that are produced in the bone marrow, ave never chan ged by the
thupmus, and manwfacture antibodies

Question 29

When examining the hierarchy of life, which of the following terms is most inclusive?

A)population
B)species
C)biosphere
D)ecosystem
E)population

Question 30

List the five steps of the scientific method in order.

Question 31

What is the term that describes the study of the relationship between living things and components of their environment?

A)zoology
B)ecology
C)herpetology
D)analogy
E)ichnology

Question 32

Match the following characteristics with the proper description.
9.motility
10. hierarchy of order
11. development
12. metabolism
13. responsiveness

A. organisms are composed of cells; cells form tissues; tissues are arnnged into organs; and organ systems compose the organism
B. a characteristic by which organisms make accommodations based on the external or internal environment
C. ability to move
D. the process by which an organism grows and changes over time
E. the characteristic by which cells use energy

Question 33

Some bacteria are able to thrive in very warm environments such as the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. Explain how natural selection may have allowed these organisms to inhabit this harsh environment.

Question 34

To support the existence of life on Mars (or any other planet), why is it important to demonstrate the availability of liquid water?

Question 35

Define the term evolution.

Question 36

Many studies of potentially useful new drugs involve the use of two groups of people: One group takes the drug and another group takes a placebo (like a sugar pill). Members of both groups do not know whether they are taking the drug or the placebo. What is the reason for designing these experiments this way?

Question 37

List in order the eight categories into which organisms are classified, beginning with the most general (or most inclusive)category.

Question 38

Consider the following statement: Plants violate one of the major characteristics of life because they are immobile. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Defend your answer.

Question 39

If you were studying a soil sample from another planet and you discovered some interesting specimens that seemed to be alive, what procedure could you use to verify that they were indeed alive?

Question 40

Compare and contrast sexual and asexual reproduction.

Question 41

Some scientists believe that any Martian organisms would most closely resemble members of the Archaea on Earth. What is the basis for their thinking?

Question 43

Biologists think that all organisms alive today descended from organisms that lived before. In fact, they feel that we can trace any living organism back to the origin of life on Earth. Explain how metabolism fits into this thinking.

Question 44

How do the characteristics of life apply to situations such as individuals on life support, organs on life support, frozen organisms (including embryos), genetically engineered organisms, test tube babies, and hybrids between computers and living things?

Question 45

You will be learning much about evolution in this course. A friend says to you that evolution isn't true because it's "just a theory." How would you respond to this?

Question 46

One of the major characteristics of life is reproduction. There are two types of reproduction: asexual and sexual reproduction. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of both types of reproduction. What do you think is the benefit of sexual reproduction that makes it so much more prevalent among living things?

Question 47

There is a standing debate among biologists involved in looking for life on other planets as to how any alien organisms should be handled. Some feel that alien organisms should not be introduced on Earth; others feel that investigating these alien organisms will provide important information. What are some of the arguments on both sides?

Question 48

If you were studying the ecology of a marsh community, what components would you need to consider?

Question 49

Use the scientific method to analyze this question: Why has the population of kangaroo rats declined in Riverside County?

Question 50

How might you abbreviate the genus and species name of Apteralcydion lapierri? Why might you want to abbreviate it?