Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
Chapter 01
The Science of Biology
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Science is subdivided into specific areas of study termed disciplines. These divisions are
artificial but are helpful to narrow the massive scope of scientific knowledge to a manageable
amount. Given what you know about each, which scientific division is likely to present the
best answer to a question about how fluid dynamics affect blood pressure in mammals?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
Clarify Question
• What is the key concept addressed by the question? The question is about the differences
• What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
Gather Content
• What do you know about different divisions of biology?How does it relate to the
question?
Consider Possibilities
• What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
Choose Answer
• Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most
likely to produce the correct answer?The best answer is biophysics because the movement of
Reflect on Process
• Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
2. Based on hierarchical levels of biological organization, which of these choices represents
the broadest level?
3. Experiments are carried out to test a hypothesis by changing one variable at a time and
including an unchanged variable termed a(n) _____.
4. The method of reasoning that uses construction of general principles by careful
examination of many specific cases is called:
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
5. Dr. Ratard was trying to determine the cause of a mysterious epidemic affecting fish in the
gulf of New Mexico. His proposal that the deaths were caused by an organism called a protist
is considered a(n) _________
6. After Darwin concluded his voyage on the Beagle, he proposed that the process of natural
selection was a mechanism for:
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
7. A scientific theory is:
8. What common life characteristic would cells from a daisy, an apple and a dog all have?
9. A yellow jacket, an insect in the order hymenoptera, stung me. A wasp, an insect in
hymenoptera, stung me. A hornet, an insect in hymenoptera, stung me. I see a pattern. All
insects in this order must have stingers. What type of reasoning does this represent?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
10. You explain to your study group that a hypothesis is:
11. A suggested explanation that might be true and is subject to testing by further
observations is a(n):
12. Based on the literature, you hypothesize that students in traditional biology lectures will
have the same grades as students in online biology lectures. You decide to test your
hypothesis by comparing grades of students in traditional and online biology lectures over a
semester. As a result of the experiment, you observe that the grades in the traditional lectures
and the grades in the online lectures are not significantly different. What do these
observations allow you to do?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
Clarify Question
• What is the key concept addressed by the question? The question is about hypotheses.
• What type of thinking is required? This question is asking to apply your knowledge of a
hypothesis to interpret the results of an experiment.
• What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
Gather Content
• What do you know about hypotheses?How does it relate to the question?
Consider Possibilities
•
What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
Choose Answer
• Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most
likely to produce the correct answer?The correct answer is to reject the null hypothesis which
Reflect on Process
• Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
13. Your microwave will not turn on, and you speculate that a circuit breaker in the house has
been tripped. In scientific terminology, the steps would be described as:
14. A student poses the question: How does the presence of dissolved salt affect the freezing
point of water? To answer this question, the student set up two conditions. In the first
condition, the student added salt to water in a container and referred to this condition as the
variable. In the second condition, the student did not add any salt to water in a second
container and referred to this condition as the control. The student took both containers and
attempted to freeze the water at various temperatures to assess the freezing point. Would this
be a valid experiment?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
15. Karl Popper suggested that scientists use “imaginative preconception,” which means that
successful scientists:
16. The proposal that one type of organism can change gradually into another type over a
long period of time is known as:
17. Darwin’s ideas on evolution were advanced for his time. His approach to science and
natural selection were supported by what main tenet?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
18. Besides Darwin, the theory of evolution by means of natural selection was also
independently proposed by:
19. The term that Darwin used to describe the concept that those with superior physical,
behavior or other attributes are more likely to survive than those that are not so well endowed,
and thus are more likely to pass their traits to the next generation, is called:
20. A key contribution to Darwin’s thinking was the concept of limits put on the geometric
growth of populations by nature, originally proposed by:
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
21. Darwin’s book in which he described his views on evolution is:
22. Recent discoveries of microscopic fossils have extended the known history of life to
about:
23. In California, a species of salamanders were geographically separated over time. The
group that lived in southern California relied heavily on large gold blotches on their skin that
helped to camouflage them from predators. The group that lived along the coast adopted a
color pattern that mimicked a poisonous, colorful newt common to that area. Instead of being
camouflaged, these salamanders advertised their colors. What type of selection process has
occurred over time?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
Clarify Question
• What is the key concept addressed by the question? The question is about different forms
of selection.
• What type of thinking is required? This question is asking you to apply the definition of
different forms of selection to a specific example.
• What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
Gather Content
• What do you know about selection?How does it relate to the question? Selection works on
Consider Possibilities
• What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
Choose Answer
• Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most
likely to produce the correct answer? This is an example of natural selection due to
Reflect on Process
•
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
24. The same basic array of bones is modified to give rise to the wing of a bat and the fin of a
porpoise. Such anatomical structures are called:
25. Structures that have similar structure and function but different evolutionary origins are
called:
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
26. The rate at which evolution is occurring cannot be estimated by:
27. Differences in domesticated animals over relatively short periods of time most likely
occur through:
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
As part of your research project, you travel to an island to learn more about the habitats and
relationships of flies, spiders, and centipedes. You and your assistant plot out five different
areas on the island and count the numbers of flies, spiders, and centipedes living in each plot.
Your results show the following:
Plot
Flies
Spiders
Centipedes
1
300
25
4
2
426
17
10
3
147
15
21
4
739
78
0
5
79
13
93
LO: 01.02.01 Compare the different types of reasoning used by biologists.
LO: 01.02.02 Demonstrate how to formulate a hypothesis.
Section: 01.02
Topic: The Nature of Science
28. The most plausible explanation for the high number of spiders in plot 4 is:
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
Clarify Question
• What is the key concept addressed by the question? The question is about a food web.
• What type of thinking is required? This question is asking to analyze data on a food web.
• What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
Gather Content
• What do you know about food webs?How does it relate to the question?In a food web an
Consider Possibilities
• What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
• Which food webs make sense?
Choose Answer
• Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most
likely to produce the correct answer?The best answer is that there are a lot of flies (prey) and
few predators (centipedes) which leads to an abundance of spiders.
Reflect on Process
• Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
29. The plots that were staked out on the island were part of the:
30. Based in the information provided, the best explanation for the low numbers of spiders
and flies in plot 5 is:
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
Clarify Question
• What is the key concept addressed by the question? The question is about a food web,
specifically why flies and spiders are less abundant.
• What type of thinking is required? This question is asking to evaluate explanations about a
food web.
• What key words does the question contain and what do they mean?
Gather Content
• What do you know about food webs?How does it relate to the question?In a food web an
Consider Possibilities
• What other information is related to the question? Which information is most useful?
Choose Answer
• Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most
likely to produce the correct answer?Which food webs would be consistent with these
Reflect on Process
• Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did
the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to
produce a more desirable result?
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
31. The hypothesis that closely matches the data provided is:
32. If you were to design a long-term research study to determine why there are no human
births in Lapland during the months of August, September, and October, you would need to
also examine a comparison population of humans in which births took place every month. The
primary reason for including a comparison population within the design of this experiment
would be to:
Chapter 01 – The Science of Biology
33. Essay on the Principle of Population, written by Thomas Malthus in 1798, influenced
Darwin’s thoughts as he struggled to understand what mechanisms could be at work to
produce evolution. Malthus proposed that populations of animals and plants, including
humans,
34. A student set up an experiment to test if plants give off water vapor. Fifty pea plants,
growing in pots, were covered with individual glass containers and left overnight. The next
morning, the inside of each lid was covered in droplets of water. The lab student concluded
that plants generally give off water vapor. What critique would you make of the experimental
design?