Question 1

Which of the following is the correct organizational hierarchy, from largest to smallest, in the hierarchical order of life? (Some levels have been omitted, so you are looking for the correct order.)

Accepted Answer

A) Community → Ecosystem → Population → Tissue → Organ → Cell → Organelle → Atom 
B) Ecosystem → Community → Population → Organ → Tissue → Cell → Molecule → Atom 
C) Biosphere → Community → Population → Tissue → Organ → Cell → Atom → Molecule 
D) Ecosystem → Population → Community → Organ system → Organ → Cell → Molecule → Atom

Question 2

Hypotheses must be ________.

Accepted Answer

A) testable 
B) falsifiable 
C) repeatable 
D) All of the above are important characteristics of hypotheses.

Question 3

How is life defined?

Accepted Answer

A) The only requirement for life is the ability to reproduce. 
B) Life is defined through a set of shared characteristics that all living things display. 
C) A living thing must be able to move. 
D) Life is determined by neural activity.

Question 4

Use the following commercial to answer the question(s) below: A recent commercial advertised for a wristband that claimed to restore health and balance by taking advantage of natural frequencies of your biofield.It supports its claim by showing several people first struggling to balance without the wristband and then balancing fine with the wristband.
-Which of the following is a potential problem with the information presented?

Accepted Answer

A) There was a small sample size (only a few people presented). 
B) There were no control groups presented. 
C) There was no indication that the results were repeated. 
D) All of the above are potential problems with the information presented.

Question 5

A college campus - including the students, birds, trees, sidewalks, and air - makes up one complete ________.

Accepted Answer

A) community 
B) ecosystem 
C) population 
D) organism

Question 6

Many medical studies show that patients who receive a treatment feel better even if the treatment was an ineffective sugar pill.What is this phenomenon called?

Accepted Answer

A) The control group 
B) The placebo effect 
C) The fake effect 
D) The blind effect

Question 7

The statement, "There are 628 gray squirrels living on campus," describes the ________ of gray squirrels on campus.

Accepted Answer

A) species 
B) community 
C) population 
D) ecosystem

Question 8

Fire can move, grow, reproduce, use energy, consume oxygen, and interact with its environment.Why is it not alive?

Accepted Answer

A) It does not have cells. 
B) It does not consist of complex, well-ordered structures. 
C) It does not pass on genes for traits to its offspring. 
D) All of the above are accurate reasons why fire is not alive.

Question 9

Use the following table to answer the following question(s).
Table 1: Cookie parameters with varying fat levels  Data from Pareyt, Bram, Faisal Talhaoui, Greet Kerckhofs, Kristof Brijs, Hans Goesaert, Martine Wevers, and Jan A.Delcour, "The Role of Sugar and Fat in Sugar-Snap Cookies: Structural and Textural Properties." Journal of Food Engineering 90, 3 (Feb.1, 2009): 400-408.
-Based on the table above, which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) The amount of fat and sugar in the cookies affects not only the cookies' weight and size but also their moisture. 
B) The amount of fat in the cookies affects not only the cookies' weight and size but also their moisture.The effects of sugar on the cookies are unknown. 
C) The amount of sugar in the cookies affects not only the cookies' weight and size but also their moisture.The effects of far on the cookies are unknown. 
D) Fat and sugar do not affect the cookies' weight, size, and moisture.

Question 10

Use the following study to answer the following question(s): A researcher applies varying amounts of fertilizer (0, 2, 4, 8, 10 units) to 50 potted tomato plants.All other variables that may affect the outcome (watering, temperature, sunlight, plant size, etc.) are kept the same from pot to pot.At the end of the growing season, the tomatoes grown on each plant are weighed to determine which fertilizer level produced the largest tomato yield.
-Which variable is the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

A) The temperature 
B) The tomato yield at the end of the growing season 
C) The fertilizer amount 
D) The plant size at the end of the growing season

Question 11

A controlled experiment is one in which ________.

Accepted Answer

A) there are at least two groups, one differing from the other by two or more variables 
B) the experiment is repeated many times to ensure that the results are accurate 
C) the experiment proceeds at a slow pace to guarantee that the scientist can carefully observe all reactions and process all experimental data 
D) there are at least two groups, one of which does not receive the experimental treatment

Question 12

Which of the following is/are major themes in the field of biology?

Accepted Answer

A) The relationship between structure and function 
B) The flow of information from DNA to proteins 
C) The interconnections within and between levels of biological organization 
D) All of the above are major themes in the field of biology

Question 13

The amount of fat does not affect the frequency of the size of cells found in cookies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Many medical studies include a control group in which patients receive a medically ineffective treatment that resembles the treatment tested.What do we call the ineffective treatment?

Accepted Answer

A) The placebo 
B) The dependent variable 
C) The controlled experiment 
D) The hypothesis

Question 15

Use the following table to answer the following question(s).
Table 1: Cookie parameters with varying fat levels  Data from Pareyt, Bram, Faisal Talhaoui, Greet Kerckhofs, Kristof Brijs, Hans Goesaert, Martine Wevers, and Jan A.Delcour, "The Role of Sugar and Fat in Sugar-Snap Cookies: Structural and Textural Properties." Journal of Food Engineering 90, 3 (Feb.1, 2009): 400-408.
-Based on the table above, which of the following statements is not correct?

Accepted Answer

A) Cookies with the most fat were the cookies that were not only the flattest but also the largest in diameter. 
B) Cookies with the most fat were the cookies that were not only the flattest but also the driest with the least moisture. 
C) Cookies with the most fat were the cookies that were not only the thickest but also the largest in diameter. 
D) Cookies with the least fat were not only the heaviest but also the thickest cookies.

Question 16

A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observations and experiments, is referred to as a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

A) idea 
B) hypothesis 
C) theory 
D) fact

Question 17

How can you recognize a reliable source of information?

Accepted Answer

A) By checking whether the authors are well qualified 
B) By checking whether the source of information is primary 
C) By checking whether the information was peer-reviewed 
D) All of the above are ways to check whether a source is reliable

Exam 1: An Introduction to the Science of Life