Deck 2: Science Literacy and the Process of Science Fungal Attacker Threatens North American Bats

Question 1

Is the following a valid hypothesis? Natural disasters around the world are a result of a supernatural deity punishing humanity for our actions.

Answer 1

No.Predictions from the hypothesis are not testable,nor are they falsifiable.

Question 2

Cell theory states that all living organisms are made up of one or more cells.Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding this theory?

A)All living organisms discovered so far have been made of one or more cells.
B)A newly discovered organism is very likely to be made out of one or more cells.
C)Cells are the basic units of structure for all known living organisms.
D)No living organism will ever be discovered that is not made out of cells.
E)All of these answers are true.

Answer 2

No living organism will ever be discovered that is not made out of cells.

Question 3

Why can scientific opinions change over time?

A)All conclusions in science are considered tentative and open to revision.
B)Our understanding of a concept or process can change as scientists learn more.
C)New evidence may be used to overturn a prevailing conclusion.
D)All of these statements are true.
E)None of these statements are true.

Answer 3

All of these statements are true.

Question 4

What criteria must be met for a hypothesis to be valid?

Question 5

Is the following a valid hypothesis? Cancer patients who are prayed for will have better outcomes compared with patients with similar prognoses (likely outcomes)who are not prayed for.

Question 6

Infographic 1

Refer to Infographic 1.What are the possible outcomes after using the scientific method to analyze the data?

Question 7

Which of the following hypotheses is NOT testable?

A)The white fungus is causing death of bats.
B)Bacterial water pollution increases risk of infectious disease.
C)Increased salt intake leads to high blood pressure.
D)Reincarnation exists.
E)Increased UV exposure increases the risk of skin cancer.

Question 8

A(n)______ is a widely accepted explanation of a natural phenomenon that has been extensively and rigorously tested scientifically.

A)theory
B)fact
C)explanation
D)definition
E)proof

Question 9

The first step of the scientific process is a(n)__________.

A)prediction
B)hypothesis
C)experiment
D)peer review
E)observation

Question 10

Which of the following is FALSE regarding a scientific theory?

A)It can be modified over time as new information is discovered.
B)It is the result of a hypothesis being repeatedly supported by many lines of inquiry.
C)It has strong predictive powers that can explain observed phenomena.
D)It is an idea based only on observations.
E)It is a very well-supported hypothesis.

Question 11

Describe the importance of peer review to the scientific process.

Question 12

Which of the following lists the steps of the scientific process in the correct order?

A)observe,create a testable prediction,form a hypothesis,experiment,support or refute the hypothesis
B)observe,form a hypothesis,create a testable prediction,experiment,support or refute the hypothesis
C)form a hypothesis,create a testable prediction,observe,experiment,support or refute the hypothesis
D)create a testable prediction,form a hypothesis,observe,experiment,support or refute the hypothesis

Question 13

Which of the following questions can be solved with empirical evidence?

A)Do ghosts exist?
B)What is the meaning of life?
C)What is my cat thinking?
D)What causes the changing of the seasons?
E)Is the death penalty wrong?

Question 14

Peer review is _______________.

A)the process a scientist undergoes to analyze the results of the experiment
B)a measure of how well the report is received by the general public
C)a method for measuring the results of an experiment
D)a panel of editors who proofread the report after it is accepted for publication
E)a process by which a group of scientists in the field evaluate the report and determine if it is of high enough quality to publish in a journal

Question 15

Which of the following statements is NOT falsifiable?

A)Car exhaust contributes to ozone depletion.
B)Iced wings of a plane contribute to some plane crashes.
C)Dogs become tired when they are hungry.
D)People should not litter because it is wrong to do so.
E)All of these are falsifiable statements.

Question 16

Scientists use the scientific method to investigate the natural world.The scientific method is based on gathering empirical evidence.What is empirical evidence,and why are empirical data a hallmark of good science?

Question 17

Which of the following ensures that only quality scientific studies that have been well controlled and avoid bias appear in scientific journals?

A)peer review
B)funding agencies
C)an independent variable
D)anecdotal evidence
E)the scientist responsible for the experiment

Question 18

What is TRUE regarding the following statements? (1)"Higher levels of greenhouse gases cause increased warming of the troposphere."
(2)"People who are good go to heaven when they die."

A)Both statements are obviously wrong.
B)Both statements have been proven true by long-standing scientific theories.
C)Only statement (1)is a scientific hypothesis testable by scientific methods.
D)Only statement (2)can generate falsifiable predictions.
E)Neither statement is suitable for science.

Question 19

How does a peer-reviewed article compare to an Internet blog?

A)Both are equally analyzed and evaluated by scientists in the field prior to publication.
B)Any person can easily create and publish a peer-reviewed article.
C)A peer-reviewed article is likely to contain opinions that are not supported by data.
D)A blog must be written by a researcher and not a reporter.
E)The study design and results are evaluated in a peer-reviewed article.

Question 20

A(n)_____ is a possible explanation for what is observed that is based on some previous knowledge.

A)peer review
B)prediction
C)hypothesis
D)theory
E)anecdote

Question 21

How did the comparative study on amphibians help scientists studying the white-nose syndrome in bats?

Question 22

How would you respond to someone who says,"Evolution is just a theory"?

Question 23

In the following example,what is the independent variable? Hypothesis: Mice on a restricted low-caloric diet will live longer than mice that can eat as much as they want.
Experiment: A large population of genetically identical mice is divided into two groups.Half receive as much food as they care to eat each day.The other half receive 20% less food than a typical mouse eats each day.The day of death (lifespan)is recorded for all mice.All mice live in the same room,in the same type of cage,with access to water.

A)amount of food available
B)volume of water available
C)genetically identical mice
D)happiness of each mouse
E)lifespan of each mouse

Question 24

Scientists looked at comparative studies to help their work with bats and a fungal infection.What organism was used in the comparative studies?

A)birds
B)fish
C)rats
D)frogs
E)humans

Question 25

In an experimental study,what is TRUE about the independent variable?

A)It shows a response.
B)It is charted on the y-axis (vertical axis).
C)It is what you manipulate.
D)It is what you measure.
E)It is the same for both the control and experimental groups.

Question 26

The disease caused by a novel fungus affecting some species of North American bats is called ____________.

A)white-nose syndrome
B)reduced torpor disease
C)chytridiomycosis
D)white-wing syndrome
E)bat hibernacula disease

Question 27

The highest level of certainty a scientific explanation can attain is a(n)___________.

A)observation
B)inference
C)hypothesis
D)theory
E)study

Question 28

When data are shown in a graph,the independent variable should be plotted on the _______.

A)vertical axis
B)x-axis
C)response
D)ordinate
E)y-axis

Question 29

Which type of study manipulates a variable in a test group and compares the responses to a control group?

A)anecdotal
B)observational
C)experimental
D)inferential
E)natural

Question 30

A researcher wants to know how effective a new suntan lotion is at preventing skin cancer caused by UV radiation.She uses mice as test subjects to model the effects on humans.Which of the following is the best control for this experiment?

A)Only mice in the control group are shaded during the experiment.
B)Mice in the test group receive twice as much UV radiation as those in the control group.
C)No suntan lotion is applied to mice in the control group; lotion is applied only to the test group.
D)Mice in the test group are from a genetic line that increases their susceptibility to UV radiation.
E)Mice in the control group are provided lotion in their drinking water to maximize effectiveness.

Question 31

In an experimental study,what is TRUE about the dependent variable?

A)It is charted on the x-axis (horizontal axis).
B)It pertains only to the experimental group.
C)It is what you manipulate.
D)It is a measured response.
E)It is what can be changed to see if it produces an effect.

Question 32

Scientists generally require a level of certainty of at least ______ to be sure their conclusions are correct.

A)50%
B)60%
C)75%
D)80%
E)95%

Question 33

Why did scientists initially think bats with white-nose syndrome were dying?

Question 34

In this chapter it has been made clear that the process used to obtain a body of knowledge (facts and explanations)is more important than the body of knowledge itself.Why is this?

Question 35

Which type of experiment collects data in the real world,without manipulating the subject of study?

A)experimental
B)anecdotal
C)theoretical
D)observational
E)randomized

Question 36

Why do scientists use comparative studies?

A)Most species are all the same,so a comparative study can be used instead of performing an experiment.
B)Similar phenomena in other species or regions can provide clues to events being investigated.
C)Comparative studies can replace an observational study,saving time and money.
D)Scientists use comparative studies to prove a hypothesis.
E)Scientists use comparative studies for research to publish peer-reviewed papers.

Question 37

Bats found with white-nose syndrome appeared to die because _____________.

A)the fungal infection affected their wings and they could not fly,making them easy prey for other animals
B)the fungal infection attacked the areas needed to maintain body temperature,so the bats froze to death
C)the fungal infection caused them to wake more often and use up their fat reserves,so they died of starvation
D)their immune system was suppressed,so they contracted other deadly infections
E)their torpor became so deep they could wake from their hibernation

Question 38

Which of the following did the researchers suspect about the fungus that was affecting bats and its effect on the bats?

A)Hibernating bats were more susceptible to the fungus,since their body temperature was lower than normal and their immune system was suppressed.
B)Active bats were more susceptible to the fungus,since their body temperature was lower than normal and their immune system was suppressed.
C)Hibernating bats were more susceptible to the fungus,since their body temperature was higher than normal and their immune system was suppressed.
D)Active bats were more susceptible to the fungus,since their body temperature was higher than normal and their immune system was suppressed.
E)None of these reflects what researchers thought about the fungus and the bats.

Question 39

Describe the difference between a hypothesis and a scientific theory.

Question 40

What did the comparative study on chytridiomycosis teach scientists studying white-nose syndrome in bats?

A)It was probably not a fungal infection affecting the bats and scientists needed to look elsewhere for a cause.
B)Chytridiomycosis affected only certain amphibians,so the comparative study could not teach the scientists anything useful.
C)A novel fungal infection could spread to colonies and cause dramatic population crashes,as seen in the comparative study.
D)Humans were responsible for the spread of chytridiomycosis,but not white-nose syndrome.
E)White-nose syndrome affects bats but does not cause death in organisms like chytridiomycosis does in amphibians.

Question 41

When conducting an experimental study,scientists manipulate the ________ variable and measure the _____________ variable to see if it is affected.

A)dependent; independent
B)independent; dependent
C)observational; dependent
D)experimental; independent
E)observational; experimental

Question 42

Infographic 4

Refer to Infographic 4.In Warnecke et al.,what is the independent variable? What is the dependent variable? List as many qualities as possible that should be the same between bats in the two groups (control and test groups).Ideally,what should be the only difference between the two groups of bats?

Question 43

The health and lifestyle of 10,000 nurses are tracked for a period of 30 years.It is discovered that of the nurses who smoked cigarettes for at least 10 years,35% had lung cancer.Is this an observational or an experimental study? Does this study demonstrate that cigarettes cause lung cancer?

Question 44

What is TRUE about establishing environmental policy?

A)It is easy and straightforward to establish good environmental policy.
B)Stakeholders all agree on the same way to deal with an environmental issue.
C)Policies need to wait until we have all the data on an issue.
D)Policies must be flexible and adapt to new scientific findings.
E)Policies need to address only the environmental problem.

Question 45

The group in an experimental study that is manipulated such that it differs from the control group in only one way is the _________ group.

A)confirmation
B)test
C)validation
D)placebo
E)independent

Question 46

What is a correlation?

A)when changing one variable affects a change in another variable
B)when two things occur together,but one does not necessarily cause the other to happen
C)a study where a variable is manipulated in one group to compare the response to another group
D)research that gathers data in a real-world setting without manipulating any variables
E)the mathematical evaluation of experimental data to determine likely differences due to an observed variable

Question 47

What type of studies can provide correlations?

A)experimental
B)variable
C)correlational
D)observational
E)demonstrative

Question 48

Infographic 4

Refer to Infographic 4.In the observational study ( Reeder et al.),explain why the bat condition is the independent variable and the mean torpor length is the dependent variable.

Question 49

When it rains,you often notice people outside holding open umbrellas.You hypothesize that opening an umbrella causes rain to fall.What type of experiment can be used to test this? Explain what is meant by the phrase "correlation is not causation."

Question 50

Explain how scientists use probability to apply a level of certainty to their conclusions.

Question 51

In Warnecke's experimental study,fewer individual bats exposed to WNS fungus survived than did bats not exposed.This is an example of a(n)_____________.

A)correlation
B)cause-and-effect relationship
C)observation
D)relationship
E)variable

Question 52

What is a correlation,and how does it differ from a cause-and-effect relationship? Give an example of each and note what type of study can provide that information.

Question 53

In an experiment examining the effect of the Pd fungus on the torpor of bats,the presence of Pd fungus would be the _____________ variable.

A)independent
B)dependent
C)non-independent
D)control
E)extraneous

Question 54

What type of evidence shows that smoking causes lung cancer in humans?

A)cause-and-effect
B)experimental
C)correlational
D)statistical
E)hypothetical

Question 55

Explain the function of a control group in an experimental study.

Question 56

A formalized plan that addresses a desired outcome of goal is a(n)___________.

A)policy
B)treaty
C)law
D)correlation
E)outcome

Question 57

Tests of significance help to determine if an event was due to chance or something else.The probability value is expressed as a p-value.What does it mean to have a p-value equal to 0.05?

Question 58

Policies should address the triple bottom line-that is,they should ___________.

A)address environmental problems,fit scientific data,and not affect economics
B)address environmental problems,fit societal needs,and be economically viable
C)address environmental problems and fit scientific data regardless of economic considerations
D)focus on social and economic needs before environmental issues
E)use evidence that supports our beliefs no matter how compelling other evidence may be

Question 59

Infographic 4

Refer to Infographic 4.Which study depicted in the infographic provides stronger support for the stated hypothesis? Briefly explain why.

Question 60

In terms of manipulating variables,what is the difference between an observational study and an experimental study? Which type of study can test cause-and-effect relationships?

Question 61

Science Literacy Use Infographic 5 below to answer the next questions.
The bat colony affected by the WNS fungus reached the lowest winter count in which year?

A)1985
B)1995
C)2005
D)2010

Question 62

Which of the following hypotheses is NOT testable in your experiment?

A)Foxes are preying on the snowshoe hares and decreasing their survival.
B)Something supernatural is decreasing the population of snowshoe hares.
C)A predator other than foxes is preying on snowshoe hares and decreasing their survival.
D)Something other than a predator is decreasing the survival of snowshoe hares.

Question 63

Why is it difficult to establish policies to deal with environmental problems?

Question 64

Science Literacy Use Infographic 5 below to answer the next questions.
In the experimental study,what was the independent variable?

A)number of bats during the winter count
B)number of individual bats surviving
C)the day of study
D)exposure to the WNS fungus

Question 65

Your study will provide which type of results?

A)correlation
B)cause-and-effect
C)control
D)observational

Question 66

Science Literacy Use Infographic 5 below to answer the next five questions.
How long did it take to see a decrease in survival of bats exposed to the WNS fugus?

A)80 days
B)120 days
C)4 years
D)over 20 years

Question 67

Science Literacy Use Infographic 5 below to answer the next five questions.
When bats were exposed to WNS fungus,how many were still alive on day 120?

A)18
B)16
C)8
D)6

Question 68

The dependent variable in your study is the ______________.

A)number of foxes
B)type of forest
C)size of the area
D)number of hares surviving

Question 69

Match each term in the left-hand column to the statement that it best exemplifies.

Question 70

When we are presented with evidence that supports our current beliefs,we strengthen our beliefs.If evidence contradicts our beliefs,we dismiss it.This is called a ____________.

A)belief bias
B)confirmation bias
C)validation belief
D)contradiction belief
E)scientific evidence

Question 71

What did scientists find that could help treat WNS in bats?

A)a different fungus
B)an antibiotic
C)a bacterium
D)a vaccine
E)a virus

Question 72

The type of study you are setting up is a(n)__________________ study.

A)experimental
B)observational
C)variable
D)independent

Question 73

What are some approaches used to protect bats from WNS?

Question 74

Science Literacy Use Infographic 5 below to answer the next five questions.
What did the observational study find?

A)A cause-and-effect relationship was found between bats and exposure to WNS fungus.
B)The winter count of bats in colonies where WNS was present declined after the appearance of WNS in the colony.
C)Bats who were not exposed to WNS fungus survived longer than bats who were exposed to the fungus.

Question 75

After you carry out your experiment and collect your data,what is the next step for you in the scientific process?

A)make a new observation
B)publish your conclusions
C)analyze your data
D)form a hypothesis