Question 1

The attempt to disprove a hypothesis is accomplished by which of the following tasks?

Accepted Answer

A) conducting experiments 
B) making initial observations 
C) proposing a theory A

Question 2

What is the main purpose of conducting experiments?

Accepted Answer

A) proving a theory 
B) making initial observations 
C) disproving a hypothesis C

Question 3

A scientist wants to determine whether a new chemical she isolated can cure a certain disease.To test her hypothesis that the new chemical cures the disease more effectively than current treatments, she infects mice with the disease and gives them the new chemical.She then assesses how many mice were cured of the disease.What is missing from her experimental design?

Accepted Answer

A) She is not missing anything-her experimental design is adequate to test her hypothesis. 
B) She is missing a control group of mice that received a half dose of the new chemical. 
C) She is missing a control group of mice that did not receive the new chemical. C

Question 4

Which of the following lists correctly presents levels of organization from most complex to simplest?

Accepted Answer

A) cell, organelle, atom, molecule 
B) biosphere, community, organism, organ system 
C) macromolecule, population, community, ecosystem

Question 5

A scientist discovers a putative new life form and notes that the creature's body is bilaterally symmetrical and consequently satisfies the criteria for defining life in which of the following categories?

Accepted Answer

A) none, symmetry is not a basic characteristic of life 
B) order 
C) growth and development

Question 6

A scientist wishes to test a new antibiotic's ability to treat stubborn bacterial infections.He tests his hypothesis that the antibiotic works better than existing treatments by giving bacterial infections to mice and treating them with the antibiotic.He then determines how many of the mice recover from their infections.What is missing from his experimental design?

Accepted Answer

A) He is missing a control group of mice that received a half dose of the new antibiotic. 
B) He is missing a control group of mice that did not receive the new antibiotic. 
C) Nothing is missing-he has done everything he needs to do for this to be a successful experiment.

Question 7

Which of the following lists correctly presents levels of organization from simplest to most complex?

Accepted Answer

A) organs, organ systems, organelles, organisms 
B) biosphere, atoms, communities, organisms 
C) molecules, cells, populations, ecosystems

Question 8

A scientist believes that she has found a new life form.Which of the following conditions is not considered essential in determining whether the putative new life form is alive?

Accepted Answer

A) The creature possesses purposeful anatomical structures that differ from one another. 
B) The creature's body is bilaterally symmetrical. 
C) The creature seems to react to being touched.

Question 9

Why are theories stronger and more reliable than hypotheses?

Accepted Answer

A) because we believe in them more 
B) because they have a control group 
C) because they are based on many experimentally tested hypotheses

Question 10

A scientist wants to test the hypothesis that a certain bird species in her back yard changes its songs to warning calls whenever it detects the presence of a potential predator.Which of the following most likely describes her initial observations?

Accepted Answer

A) The scientist noticed that whenever she opened a door to her house, she heard birds beginning to sing. 
B) Each time the scientist let her cat outside, the birds abruptly changed their songs. 
C) The scientist noticed that the birds only appeared at certain times of the day, always singing the same song during those times.

Question 11

A scientist observes that when she opens the back door of her house to let her cat out, the songs of a certain species of bird abruptly change.She wants to follow up on her observations with an informal experiment.Which of the following is the best hypothesis for explaining the birds' song changes?

Accepted Answer

A) The bird species switches from song to warning call whenever it sees a potential predator. 
B) The bird species has a variety of songs that it sings, regardless of what is happening in its environment. 
C) The scientist is mistaken and the songs do not change.

Question 12

An "educated guess" as to what causes an observed phenomenon is known as a:

Accepted Answer

A) theory 
B) hypothesis 
C) control

Exam 1: Introduction to Biology