Bloe8 Chapter 1
2 15-question online student quizzes.
Questions are organized by section number and have an (F), (C), or (A) at the beginning to
designate the modified Bloom categories.
Quiz 1
(F)1. Science assumes that natural laws (such as the law of gravity) __________.
a. apply uniformly through space and through time
b. apply in the laboratory but not in nature
c. change with time
d. differ depending on the location of the observer
Answer: a
Hint: Eliminate answers that, if true, would make doing science obsolete, because the results wouldn’t
generalize beyond a very specific situation. Please review section 1.3 of your text.
Feedback:
a. Correct. If the scientific laws couldn’t generalize across space and time, then they would be meaningless.
b. Incorrect. A basic assumption of science is that the natural laws observed at one place in the universe
(including a laboratory) will be the same in other places in the universe.
c. Incorrect. A basic assumption of science is that the natural laws we observe today similarly existed in the
past and will exist in the future.
d. Incorrect. A basic assumption of science is that the natural laws observed at one place in the universe will
be the same in other places in the universe.
(C)2. Your baby starts crying. Since she hasn't eaten in two hours, you declare, "The baby must be hungry."
Your statement is a(n) __________.
a. hypothesis
b. experiment
c. conclusion
d. observation
Answer: a
Hint: Define the steps of the scientific method. Review section 1.1
Feedback:
a. Correct. It is an educated guess based on past experiences.
b. Incorrect. An experiment would have been if you fed the baby to see if that was why she was crying.
c. Incorrect. A conclusion is based on interpreting facts from an experiment. No experiment was done here.
d. Incorrect. The observation is that the baby is crying.
(C)3. Why is a control needed in an experiment?
a. to provide a comparison with the experimental results obtained when changing the variable
b. to keep scientists from pursuing unethical questions and practices
c. to increase the complexity of the experiment
d. to duplicate the results of the experiment
Answer: a
Hint: Have you ever had a headache that went away on its own? If a new headache medicine was being
tested, how would the researchers know if the test subjects headaches went away on their own or because
of the new medicine? See section 1.1 in the textbook.
Feedback:
a. Correct. Without a control comparison, it is impossible to determine if the variable being tested was
responsible for the results observed.
b .Incorrect. We are referring to an experimental control.
c. Incorrect. Having a control usually helps to simplify an experiment.
d. Incorrect. While the control may give the same results as the experiment, the purpose of the control is to
provide a comparison.
(C)4. In a famous experiment that helped disprove the possibility of spontaneous generation, Francesco
Redi hypothesized that, contrary to popular belief, maggots did not appear spontaneously but came from
flies. He predicted that if flies were kept away from meat then maggots would not appear. To test his
hypothesis, Redi placed identical pieces of meat in two identical jars and placed the two jars on the same
windowsill. He placed a lid on one jar and left the other uncovered for several days. In the experiment the
control is:
a. the jar.
b. the meat in the jar.
c. the time left on the windowsill.
d. the meat in the jar with the lid.
Answer: d
Hint: Does a good control act as a comparison to the experimental condition by being exactly the same or
slightly different? See section 1.1 in the textbook.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect.The two jars were identical
b. Incorrect.The meat was identical
c. Incorrect. The jars with meat were left out for the same amount of time
d. Correct. The flies' access to the meat was the one element that varied. Without a control Redi could not
have proven that any of the other possible variables could have been responsible for generating, or
preventing the generation of, maggots on the meat.
(F)5. Experiments are carefully designed in an attempt to __________.
a. test a single experimental variable
b. test multiple experimental variables
c. prove a hypothesis
d. none of the above
Answer: a
Hint: Which of the choices represents a type of experiment that would offer the easiest interpretation of the
results Review section 1.1.
Feedback:
a. Correct. Testing a single variable allows you to minimize errors in interpretation of results.
b. Incorrect. Experiments designed in an effort to test multiple variables are very difficult to interpret.
c. Incorrect. You are never CERTAIN that you have controlled all but the "experimental" variable; therefore,
a hypothesis can be supported but NOT proven.
d. Incorrect. There is one correct answer.
(C)6. The three natural processes that form the basis for evolution are
a. adaptation, natural selection, and inheritance
b. predation, genetic variation, and natural selection
c. mutation, genetic variation, and adaptation
d. fossils, natural selection, and adaptation
e. genetic variation, inheritance, and natural selection
Answer: e
Hint: You must distinguish between processes that CAUSE evolution and those that are results of evolution.
Some of the processes listed are causes of evolution but are specific examples of the general cause. You
must choose the list that has three general necessary causes of evolution. Review section 1.2 in the text.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Adaptation is a result of evolution, not the basis for it.
b. Incorrect. Predation is a specific example of natural selection which means you are missing a third crucial
process.
c. Incorrect. Mutation can contribute to genetic variation and adaptation can be a result of evolution, but
neither of these cause evolution directly.
d. Incorrect. Fossils are evidence of evolution, not the basis for it.
e. Correct. If there is no genetic variability in a population then there is nothing for nature to select from,
everyone either reproduces and the population doesn’t change, or no one reproduces and the population
becomes extinct. Without inheritance, the winning combination of genes doesn’t get passed on to the next
population, so again, no evolution. And finally, if there is no natural selection, the passing on genes to the
next generation is random and the population doesn’t change in ways that make the population better suited
to the environment.
(C)7. The diversity of life is mainly due to __________.
a. atoms
b. genetic variation
c. prokaryotic cells
d. organ systems
Answer: b
Hint: See section 1.2. What underlies the differences between you and your siblings or you and your
parents?
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Every living organism is made up of the same subset of elements/atoms.
b. Correct. Most of the traits that cause living organisms to differ from one another are controlled by
genes/DNA.
c. Incorrect. Eukaryotic organisms also show a great degree of diversity, so being made up of prokaryotic
cells can not be the factor that determines diversity.
d. Incorrect. Only a subset of living organisms have organ systems, so that can not be the factor that
determines diversity.
(F)8. Which statement is correct?
a. Eukaryotic cells are simpler than prokaryotic cells.
b. Heterotroph means "self-feeder."
c. Mutations are accidental changes in genes.
d. A scientific theory is similar to an educated guess.
e. Genes are proteins that produce DNA.
Answer: c
Hint: What is a cause of genetic variation? Review all sections of chapter one, particularly section 1.2.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Eukaryotes are more structurally complex than prokaryotes.
b. Incorrect. Autotrophs, not heterotrophs are “self-feeders”.
c. Correct. It is a prevalent misconception that mutations are directed by the environment, but they are not.
There is no way for the environment to “speak” to genes and “tell” them how they should mutate to make
more useful genes. Mutations are random processes. Most of the time they are either neutral or harmful,
but on occasion they produce genes that make the carrier better adapted to the environment and are passed
on to the next generation.
d. Incorrect. Hypotheses, not theories, are similar to education guesses.
e. Incorrect. Genes are DNA sequences that act as patterns for producing proteins.
(C)9. Your textbook lists seven characteristics that living organisms possess as a group. However, if you
could distill these seven characteristics down to two general descriptive properties exclusive to all living
organisms, what would they be?
a. macromolecular complexity and multiple levels of organization
b. atoms and elements
c. cellular structure and RNA based inheritance.
d. chemical relationships and diversity
Answer: a
Hint: This is a little tough, but try to think "outside the box" on this question. Look for characteristics/features
that link the listed characteristics shared by living organisms. Review section 1.3.
Feedback:
a. Correct. Living organisms are composed of organic macromolecules arranged along hierarchical levels of
organization.
b. Incorrect. All matter (e.g., rocks, glass, plastics) is made of atoms and elements too, not just living
organisms.
c. Incorrect. Inheritance is DNA-based.
d. Incorrect. Chemical interactions are found in all matter. "Diversity" is too vague to be generally
descriptive.
(F)10. The organic complexity and organization of living organisms depends on the periodic capture of raw
materials and energy. Ultimately, the source of these materials and energy is __________.
a. metabolism
b. photosynthesis
c. the sun
d. other life-forms
Answer: c
Hint: Which answer doesn’t use energy from a source other than itself in its present form? Review section
1.3
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Metabolic reactions use energy from another source.
b. Incorrect. This is a metabolic process that captures one energy form (sunlight), and converts it to another
(glucose).
c. Correct. Energy from the sun, converted by photosynthetic plants, is passed along the food chain through
the vast majority of organisms. Exception: deep-sea organisms dependent upon geothermal energy that
vents through rifts in the seafloor.
d. Incorrect. Living organisms utilize, or burn, energy in the form of the carbohydrate, glucose.
(F)11. Energy, like gasoline for your car, is required for organisms to survive, and even thrive, in the face of
diverse environments. An autotrophic organism __________
a. would be one who derived its energy from internalizing the cellular matter of other organisms (i.e., eats
others)
b. would be one who derived its energy from a renewable external energy source such as sunlight (i.e.,
photosynthetic organisms)
c. would include cucumbers growing in your garden
d. Both the second and third answers are correct.
Answer: d
Hint: Would you expect an organism referred to as AUTO to “eat” others or make its own food? Review
section 1.3
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. This is the definition of heterotroph.
b. Incorret. This is not the only correct answer.
c. Incorrect. This is not the only correct answer.
d. Correct. This is the best answer, because it includes the definition and an example of an autotroph.
(C)12. Living systems need energy to:
a. replace worn-out parts and build new parts.
b. help maintain a constant internal environment.
c. grow larger.
d. all of the above
Answer: d
Hint: What characteristics of life require energy? See section 1.3 of the textbook for review.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. This is not the only correct answer.
b. Incorrect. This is not the only correct answer.
c. Incorrect. This is not the only correct answer.
d. Correct. Almost everything about being alive takes energy, which is why acquiring and using energy are
characteristics of life.
(C)13. You are a NASA scientist and have discovered an organism in outer space that contains its genetic
material in the cytoplasm rather than in a nucleus. Given this characteristic, how might you classify this
organism?
a. heterotroph
b. eukaryote
c. prokaryote
d. autotroph
Answer: c
Hint: See section 1.4. Which of these choices is a cell type that doesn’t house its DNA in a nucleus?
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. This category is related to energy acquisition, which is not addressed in this question.
b. Incorrect. Eukaryotes do contain a nucleus.
c. Correct. Prokaryotes do not contain a nucleus, so their DNA is present in the cytoplasm.
d. Incorrect. This category is related to energy acquisition, which is not addressed in this question.
(C)14. A scientist examines an organism and finds that it is eukaryotic, heterotrophic, multicellular, and it
absorbs nutrients. She concludes that the organism is most likely a member of the kingdom
a. Bacteria
b. Protista
c. Plantae
d. Fungi
e. Animalia
Answer: d
Hint: Eukaryotic kingdoms are roughly divided by preferred feeding method and the proportion of the
kingdom that is single versus multi-celled. Review section 1.4 in the text.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Bacteria are neither eukaryotic or multicellular.
b. Incorrect. Protists are not multicellular.
c. Incorrect. Plants are not heterotrophic.
d. Correct. All fungi are eukaryotic heterotrophs that absorb their nutrients and most, but not all, are
multicellular.
e. Incorrect. Animals acquire nutrient by ingestion, not absorption.
(C)15. A basic understanding of basic biological concepts __________.
a. permits a deeper, and sometimes profound, appreciation of the world around us
b. is just a set of facts and ideas about the world around us
c. is necessary only for biology majors
d. often decreases our appreciation (i.e., effectively dehumanizes) of the world around us
Answer: a
Hint: This is something of a philosophical question, but it has direct relevance to our daily lives. Review
section 1.5.
Feedback:
a. Correct. As much as we try to set ourselves apart, and above, other organisms, we need to understand
the biological relationships that link us to the world around us.
b. Incorrect. Biology means "the study of life." To study biological life, you must be equipped with more than
a set of facts.
c. Incorrect. Since we and much of our world are alive, this is a benefit to everyone, not just scienctists.
d. Incorrect. This is typically the opposite of what occurs with increased understanding of biology .
Quiz 2
(C)1. Which of the following experiments would best test the hypothesis below?
"Bacteria do not arise spontaneously on meat; they are carried onto meat by droplets of water."
a. Place a piece of meat in a container full of water and determine if bacteria grow.
b. Place meat in two separate containers: Add droplets of water to one container and no water to the second
container. Cover the containers and compare the growth of bacteria in the two containers.
c. Place meat in two separate containers: Leave one container uncovered and cover the other. Compare the
growth of bacteria in the two containers.
d. Place meat in two flasks: Leave one flask open to the air and bend the neck of the second flask. Compare
the growth of bacteria in the two containers.
Answer: b
Hint: What is the crucial variable that needs to be tested? Review section 1.1 in the text.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. This is not the best approach as you should be focusing on ‘droplets’ of water. Also, there is
no control in this experiment.
b. Correct. In this experiment, the only difference between the jars is the addition of water droplets to one
jar, thus making that the experimental variable to be tested.
c. Incorrect. Covering the meat is not needed as you should be investigating the role of water droplets on
bacterial contamination.
d. Incorrect. Bending the flask neck is not needed as you should be investigating the role of water droplets
on bacterial contamination.
(A)2. A group of researchers developed a hypothesis and tested it by designing an experiment. The results
of the experiment did not support the original hypothesis. What should the researchers do next?
a. They should continue developing experiments to test the hypothesis.
b. They should throw out the results that did not support their hypothesis.
c. They should reject the original hypothesis and develop a new hypothesis.
d. They should conduct an experiment without a control.
Answer: c
Hint: If you filled your gas tank and your car still didn’t start, what would you do next? Review Section 1.1 in
your text.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Unless there was a flaw in the methods that required retesting or an observation that was
overlooked, then additional experiments are probably not needed.
b. Incorrect. Negative results are just as valid as supportive results.
c. Correct. If your results negate your hypothesis, then you must either modify the original hypothesis
accordingly, or completely throw out the hypothesis and develop a new one according to the findings of the
original experiments.
d. Incorrect. A control should always be performed as part of an experiment.
(C)3. A scientist is testing whether a new cancer drug will work on prostate cancer in humans. To properly
interpret results of an experiment, control experiments are needed. Which of the following treatments would
serve as a control in these experiments, so that the researchers can conclude that the changes that they
see in the patients are due to the drug?
a. Different doses of the drug are administered to patients.
b. Some patients receive a "mock" injection that contains the same solution base and the same volume as
the drug but does not actually contain the drug itself.
c. At least 1000 individuals are treated with the drug.
d. Patients at three different hospitals, each in a different state, are treated with the drug.
e. Both the second and fourth answers are correct.
Answer: e
Hint: How does a good control act as a comparison in an experiment? Please review section 1.1 of the text.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Administering different doses doesn't tell the researcher whether the changes observed in the
patients are due to the drug itself.
b. Incorrect. Results from this experiment will allow the researchers to conclude that any changes seen with
the drug treatment are actually due to the drug and not some other factor. Look for a better answer.
c. Incorrect. This aspect of the experiment will test whether the results are reproducible.
d. Incorrect. This aspect of the experiment will test whether the results are reproducible at other hospitals. If
improvements are seen at one hospital but not another, it would indicate that factors other than the drug
treatment are important.
e. Correct. A control is intended to isolate and eliminate all potential influences but the drug, process, or
therapy being tested.
(C)4. In a famous experiment that helped disprove the possibility of spontaneous generation, Francesco
Redi hypothesized that, contrary to popular belief, maggots did not appear spontaneously but came from
flies. He predicted that if flies were kept away from meat, then maggots would not appear. To test his
hypothesis, Redi placed identical pieces of meat in two identical jars and placed the two jars on the same
windowsill. He placed a lid on one jar and left the other uncovered for several days. In the experiment the
variable being tested is:
a. flies with access to the meat.
b. time exposed to the sun.
c. heat applied to the meat.
d. effect of jar shape on the meat.
Answer: a
Hint: What variable is different between the experiment and control? See section 1.1 in the textbook.
Feedback:
a. Correct. Redi believed that if he kept flies from the meat, then no maggots would appear. He tested the
variable by leaving one jar open and the other covered.
b. Incorrect. Redi did not test this variable but kept it the same for both pieces of meat.
c. Incorrect. Redi did not test this variable but kept it the same for both pieces of meat.
d. Incorrect. Redi did not test this variable but kept it the same for both pieces of meat.
(F)5. Simple experiments generally isolate and test one ______ at a time.
a. hypothesis
b. observation
c. control
d. variable
Answer: d
Hint: What is the purpose of a control? See section 1.1 in the textbook.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. More than one hypothesis may be tested in a single experiment.
b. Incorrect. The results of an experiment will be made up of many observations.
c. Incorrect. A control is a part of an experiment that helps to isolate this.
d. Correct. All variables except for the experimental variable must be kept constant or “controlled”.
(C)6. The process of evolution involves __________.
a. natural selection of organisms that produce more offspring under certain environmental conditions
b. the use of the scientific method in the laboratory
c. an individual organism acquiring a trait in response to a change in its environment
d. all of the above are correct
Answer: a.
Hint: Evolution is a natural process. Please review section 1.2 of your text.
Feedback:
a. Correct. Natural selection is the primary mechanism for populations to evolve.
b. Incorrect. While the scientific method is used to study evolution, it is not required for evolution, a natural
process, to occur.
c. Incorrect. New traits arise through random processes like mutations, they are not directed by the
environment. Thus, individuals cannot evolve in response to their environment, only populations can evolve.
d. Incorrect. There is only one correct answer.
(C)7. Natural selection would be best illustrated by which of the following?
a. a bacterial cell in the human body that dies when a person takes antibiotics
b. a bacterial cell in the human body with a genetic variation that allows it to survive when the person take
antibiotics
c. a bacterial cell in the human body that mutates itself when a person takes antibiotics
Answer: b
Hint: What does it mean for the environment in which an organism lives (nature) to “select” an individual?
Review section 1.2.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Natural selection would involve the bacterial cell surviving.
b. Correct. This cell has a change that allows it to survive in the new environment with the antibiotics.
c. Incorrect. Natural selection involves survival of organisms with favorable traits, not the development of
favorable traits.
(F)8. A fundamental characteristic of life on Earth is that __________.
a. living things have a complex, organized structure based on inorganic molecules
b. living things passively acquire materials and energy from their environment and convert them into different
forms
c. living things grow and reproduce
d. living things reproduce, using information stored in RNA
e. none of the above
Answer: c
Hint: Which of these statements is a true description of you? Please review section 1.3 of your text.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Living things are based largely on organic (carbon-containing) molecules.
b. Incorrect. Living things actively acquire material and energy.
c. Correct. Living things share a set of characteristics, like growth and reproduction. etc., that non-living
things do not share.
d. Incorrect. Information for reproduction and other processes is stored in DNA.
e. Incorrect. At least one of the statements above is correct.
9. Identify a characteristic that is representative of some, but not all, life-forms.
a. change over time in order to adapt to changing environments
b. acquisition and use of energy
c. maintenance of a constant internal environment despite changing external environments
d. movement over great distances
Answer: d
Hint: Look for the choice that is NOT a characteristic used to distinguish life from non-life. See section 1.3 of
your textbook for review.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Does life evolve? Is this a description of evolution?
b. Incorrect. Do the activities and maintenance of life require energy?
c. Incorrect. What does homeostasis achieve?
d. Correct. Not all living things are capable of movement.
(F)10. Organisms that can make their own food are called __________; organisms that must obtain energy
from molecules made by other organisms are called __________.
a. herbivores, carnivores
b. photosynthetic, herbivores
c. heterotroph, autotroph
d. autotroph, heterotroph
Answer: d
Hint: If you make your own food with an external energy source you are a “self-feeder”. If you must “eat”
food made by other organisms, you are an “other-feeder”. Please review section 1.3 of your text.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Both of these terms refer to organisms that must obtain their energy from molecules
synthesized by other organisms.
b. Incorrect. Not all organisms that must obtain their energy from molecules synthesized by other organisms
are herbivores. In addition, a different term is more accurate for describing organisms that can extract
energy from light.
c. Incorrect. You're on the right track—reread the question and recall what "auto" means.
d. Correct. If organisms do not rely on other living organisms to produce molecules for them to acquire
energy then they are considered self-sufficient and referred to as autotrophs, while organisms that do rely on
other living things to produce molecules for them are called heterotrophs.
(F)11. The process of homeostasis is:
a. the mechanism by which living organisms evolve.
b. how cells produce energy.
c. how organisms maintain a constant internal environment.
d. a good name for a rock and roll band.
Answer: c
Hint: What does the root “homeo” mean? See section 1.3 of the textbook for review.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. Natural selection is the mechanism by which populations evolve.
b. Incorrect. Homeostasis may use energy, but it is not the process by which cells produce energy.
c. Correct. Homeostasis is the maintenance of a constant internal environment even in changing external
environments.
d. Incorrect. This may be true, but it is not the best answer!
(F)12. The complexity of living systems:
a. is also highly organized.
b. is unique to living systems.
c. is the single defining characteristic of living things.
d. is found only in humans.
Answer: a
Hint: How does the complexity of life compare to nonliving systems? See section 1.3 of your textbook for
review.
Feedback:
a. Correct. Living systems exhibit a combination of complexity and organization that is unique.
b. Incorrect. Many complex things are not alive. Examples are water in an ocean or a major lake; these are
complex mixtures but could not be said to be alive.
c. Incorrect. Complexity is a feature of life but does not define it completely.
d. Incorrect. Humans are indeed complex, but this is not a unique characteristic of being human
(F)13. Which of the following groups of organisms contains prokaryotic cells? Please select the most
appropriate answer.
a. Bacteria
b. Archaea
c. Plantae
d. Bacteria and Archaea
Answer: d
Hint: Of the three domains of life, two are prokaryotic. Please review section 1.4 of your text.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. This is not the only correct answer.
b. Incorrect. This is not the only correct. Answer.
c. Incorrect. Plants contain only eukaryotic cells.
d. Correct. Bacteria and Archaea represent the two domains of life that are prokaryotic. The third domain,
Eukarya contains only eukaryotic organisms.
(C)14. You discover a new type of organism in the back of your fridge. Luckily, your roommate is a major in
Biology and takes you to the lab where he works. You put a small piece of the fuzzy critter under the
microscope and see that it is made of very simple, single cells with no nucleus. What type of organism is this
MOST likely to be?
a. Bacterium
b. Archaean
c. Protistan
d. Fungus
Answer: a
Hint: Which of these choices is a cell type that doesn’t house its DNA in a nucleus are likely to be found in a
common environment like your fridge? Please review section 1.4 of your text.
Feedback:
a. Correct. This one is a little bit tricky because both Bacteria and Archaea are prokaryotes (cells without
nuclei), but you are more likely to find a bacterium than an archaean in your fridge.
b. Incorrect. This one is a little bit tricky. It is true that Archaea are single-celled prokaryotes. However,
organisms in the domain Archaea typically grow in very harsh environments such as boiling water springs.
You won't typically find one in your fridge.
c. Incorrect. Organisms in the Kingdom Protista are eukaryotic.
d. Incorrect. Organisms in the Kingdom Fungi are eukaryotic.
(C)15. Why is studying biology a worthwhile endeavor?
a. It allows for a greater appreciation of the natural world.
b. It allows us to make more informed decisions on how humans should manage themselves.
c. It allows us to make sense of the biological activity that occurs around us every day.
d. It allows us to make more informed decisions on health and natural resource management issues.
e. All of the above are possibilities.
Answer: e
Hint: This is something of a philosophical question, but it has direct relevance to our daily lives. Review
section 1.5.
Feedback:
a. Incorrect. This is not the only correct answer.
b. Incorrect. This is not the only correct answer.
c. Incorrect. This is not the only correct answer.
d. Incorrect. This is not the only correct answer.
e. Correct. All statements are good reasons for studying biology.