Biology Chapter 1

An organ, such as the liver, is made of?
A.     Organs
B.     Communities
C.     Populations
D.     Tissues

Which of these is an organ system?
A.      Digestive
B.      Gamete
C.      Dog
D.      Stomach
E.      Mucous

What are the two main types of cells?
A.      bacteria and protists
B.      plant and animal
C.      bacteria and eukaryotes
D.      bacteria and archaea
E.      prokaryotes and eukaryotes

DNA is composed of building blocks called?
A.      nucleic acids
B.      nucleotides
C.      adenines
D.      Gs
E.      amino acids

In eukaryotic cells DNA has the appearance of a?
A.      circle
B.      double helix
C.      triple helix
D.      letter U
E.      single strand

Which of the following attributes is common to both prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells?
A.      generally about the same size
B.      the use of proteins as the information storage molecule
C.      the use of DNA as the information storage molecule
D.      membrane-enclosed organelles
E.      membrane-enclosed nucleus

Competition is central to the theory of natural selection. Why does competition occur?
A.      Males must defend their territories.
B.      Females must choose among possible mates.
C.      Organisms typically produce too many offspring, and resources are limited.
D.      Organisms are naturally antagonistic
E.      All of the above

In order for a hypothesis to be able to be used in science, which of the following must be true?     
A.      It must be popularly accepted.
B.      It must be reproducible.
C.      It must be proven correct.
D.      It represents established facts.
E.      It is testable and falsifiable.

Which of the following is true of a scientific theory?
A.      It is a method or device that applies scientific knowledge for some specific purpose.        
B.      It is formulated by many scientists over drinks at a convention.        
C.      It generates testable hypotheses, is supported by a large body of evidence, and is broad in scope.
D.      It is only accepted after the person who came up with it has died.
E.      It must demonstrate the effect of one variable by testing control groups and experimental groups.

In animal populations, DDT causes?
A.      birth defects
B.      the flu
C.      tuberculosis
D.      malaria
E.      sleeping sickness

DDT is _____-soluble so it accumulates in _____.
A.      fat... milk
B.      water... oceans
C.      water ... milk
D.      streams... fat
E.      water... streams

Which one of the following statements is true?    
A.      DDT does not help prevent disease from passing from agricultural animals to humans.        
B.      Many African governments concluded that the potential long-term health effects of DDT were not as serious as the immediate problem of insect control.        
C.      The DDT ban in the United States has made it very difficult to control agricultural insect pests.
D.      DDT cannot accumulate in the fat of animals.
E.      Cost was a major factor in the United States government's decision to ban DDT.

The universal genetic language of DNA is common to virtually all organisms on Earth, however diverse. What is the best explanation for this fact?
A.     The universal genetic language is explained by the chemistry of DNA and proteins.
B.     The universal nature of the genetic language of DNA is due to coincidence.
C.     All living things share a common genetic language of DNA because they share a common ancestry.

Select the correct statement about the process of scientific inquiry.
A.       If the results of an experiment do not support the hypothesis that is tested, the experiment is badly designed.
B.      The goal of scientific research is to prove the stated hypothesis.
C.     It is possible to test hypotheses, such as those involving historical events, without conducting experiments.

Which of the following is a correct match of cell type with structure?
A.       skin cell ... has long extensions
B.      nerve cell ... closely joined
C.      intestinal cell ... closely joined
D.      muscle cells ... has proteins that slide back and forth
E.      skin cell ... has a large volume

What is the correct order for the hierarchy of biological organization from the least to the most complex?
A.      molecule, cell, tissue, organelle, organ, organ system, organism, population, community, ecosystem
B.      molecule, organelle, tissue, cell, organ, organ system, organism, population, community, ecosystem
C.      molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism, ecosystem, community, population
D.      molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism, population, ecosystem, community
E.      molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism, population, community, ecosystem

No amino acid molecule by itself can speed up or catalyze reactions between other molecules; however, when amino acids are joined together to make a protein with catalytic properties, the new structure (enzymatic protein) can speed up the rate of a specific chemical reaction. What does this illustrate?
A.      the complexity/simplicity paradox
B.      polymer duality
C.      the summation theory
D.      emergent properties
E.      energy flow, processing, and utilization

Which of the following statements is true about chemical nutrients in an ecosystem
A.      They depend on sunlight as their source.
B.       They exit the ecosystem in the form of heat.
C.      They recycle within the ecosystem, being constantly reused.
D.      They flow through the system, losing some nutrients in the process.
E.      They cannot be obtained from decomposition.

Which taxonomic domain includes multicellular photosynthetic organisms?
A.      Eukarya
B.      Bacteria
C.      Fungi
D.      Archaea
E.      Plantae

Which of the following is an example of "unity in diversity"?
A.      All organisms, including prokaryotes and eukaryotes, use essentially the same genetic code.
B.      Cilia and flagella in all eukaryotes have the same basic structure.
C.      The forelimbs of all mammals have the same basic structure, modified for different environments.
D.      The structure of DNA is the same in all organisms.
E.       All of the above are correct.

Which of the following statements is not true of scientific experiments?
A.      They yield useful results regardless of whether the hypothesis is supported or rejected.
B.      They must occur under carefully controlled conditions found in a laboratory.
C.      They must be well documented.

In an experiment, investigators try to control all of the variables except one—the one that tests the hypothesis. Which of the following reasons is the primary rationale for controlling variables in an experiment?
A.      To create a control group
B.      To eliminate alternative explanations for the results of an experiment
C.      To enable investigators to repeat the test

Which of the following statements could not be supported or rejected by a scientific experiment?
A.      Grass is green because it contains chlorophyll.
B.      The first living cell on Earth came from outer space
C.      College students think football is more fun to watch than baseball.

Which of the following statements is true of a hypothesis?
A.     A hypothesis can be supported or rejected through experimentation.
B.     A hypothesis can be proved.

Which of the following variables did Pasteur change in his experiment to test the hypothesis of spontaneous generation?
A.      The broth used in each flask.
B.      The shape of the flask.
C.      The length of time that the flasks were allowed to sit before being sampled for organisms.
D.      The length of time that the broth was boiled.

In Pasteur's experiment to test the hypothesis of spontaneous generation, why did he boil the broth in both flasks?
A.      To expose the broth to a source of organisms
B.      To provide nutrients to stimulate the growth of microorganisms
C.      To attract dust particles to each flask
D.      To kill any existing organisms in the broth

All the organisms on your campus make up
A.      an ecosystem.
B.      a community.
C.      a population.
D.      a taxonomic domain.
E.      an experimental group.

Which of the following is a correct sequence of levels in life's hierarchy, proceeding downward from an individual animal?
A.      brain, organ system, nerve cell, nervous tissue
B.      organ system, tissue, molecule, cell
C.      nervous system, brain, nervous tissue, nerve cell
D.      organism, organ system, tissue, cell, organ
E.       organ system, nervous tissue, brain

Which of the following is not an observation or inference on which Darwin's theory of natural selection is based?
A.      There is heritable variation among individuals.
B.      Poorly adapted individuals never produce offspring.
C.      A population can become adapted to its environment over time.
D.      Individuals whose inherited characteristics best fit them to the environment will generally produce more offspring.
E.      Because of overproduction of offspring, there is competition for limited resources.

Systems biology is mainly an attempt to
A.      build high-throughput machines for the rapid acquisition of biological data.
B.      understand the behavior of entire biological systems.
C.      simplify complex problems by reducing the system into smaller, less complex units.
D.      speed up the technological application of scientific­knowledge.
E.      analyze genomes from different species.

Protists and bacteria are grouped into different domains because
A.      protists eat bacteria.
B.      bacteria decompose protists.
C.      protists are photosynthetic.
D.      bacteria are not made of cells.
E.      protists have a membrane-bounded nucleus, which bacterial cells lack.

Which of the following best demonstrates the unity among all organisms?
A.      natural selection
B.      the structure and function of DNA
C.      matching DNA nucleotide sequences
D.      emergent properties 
E.      descent with modification

A controlled experiment is one that
A.      tests experimental and control groups in parallel.
B.      proceeds slowly enough that a scientist can make careful records of the results.
C.      is supervised by an experienced scientist.
D.      is repeated many times to make sure the results are accurate.
E.      keeps all variables constant.

Which of the following statements best distinguishes ­hypotheses from theories in science?
A.      Theories are proved true; hypotheses are often falsified.
B.      Hypotheses are guesses; theories are correct answers.
C.      Hypotheses and theories are essentially the same thing.
D.      Theories are hypotheses that have been proved.
E.      Hypotheses usually are relatively narrow in scope; theories have broad explanatory power.

Which of the following is an example of qualitative data?
A.      The fish swam in a zigzag motion.
B.       The plant's height is 25 centimeters (cm).
C.      The temperature decreased from 20°C to 15°C.
D.      The contents of the stomach are mixed every 20 seconds.
E.      The six pairs of robins hatched an average of three chicks.

Which of the following best describes the logic of scientific inquiry?
A.      If my prediction is correct, it will lead to a testable ­hypothesis.
B.      If my observations are accurate, they will support my ­hypothesis.
C.      If my hypothesis is correct, I can expect certain test results.
D.      If my experiments are set up right, they will lead to a testable hypothesis.
E.      If I generate a testable hypothesis, tests and observations will support it.

Which example illustrates a property that emerges at the community level?
A.      Nitrogen cycling is the process by which nitrogen from the atmosphere and decomposed organic material are converted by soil bacteria to compounds that can be assimilated by plants.
B.      Metabolic cooperation between prokaryotic cells forms a biofilm that allows bacterial colonies to transport nutrients and wastes. Biofilms may damage industrial equipment or cause tooth decay.
C.      Photosynthesis takes place only when pigment molecules are arranged in a specific way in an intact chloroplast.

Select the most accurate statement about the interaction between a tree and its physical environment.
A.      A tree and its physical environment alter each other.
B.      A tree is affected by its physical environment. 
C.      A tree alters its physical environment.

Which of these examples illustrates inductive reasoning?
A.      You and your roommate both drank two cups of coffee before an exam, and both of you got a better than average mark on the exam. You hypothesize that coffee drinking improves academic performance.
B.      You come down with the flu after you pretended to be sick so you could skip work to attend a concert. Now you decide that fate always punishes you for bad behavior.
C.      You learned in elementary school that as temperature drops, liquids change into solid form. You are given an unfamiliar liquid and hypothesize that it will become solid if you put it in the freezer.