Question 1

Which of the following is the best description of a control for an experiment?

Accepted Answer

A)  The control group is kept in an unchanging environment. 
B)  The control group is matched with the experimental group except for one experimental variable. 
C)  The control group is exposed to only one variable rather than several. 
D)  Only the experimental group is tested or measured. 
E)  The control group is left alone by the experimenters. 
A)  The control group is kept in an unchanging environment. 
B)  The control group is matched with the experimental group except for one experimental variable. 
C)  The control group is exposed to only one variable rather than several. 
D)  Only the experimental group is tested or measured. 
E)  The control group is left alone by the experimenters.

Question 2

The "heat" in chili peppers is due to a molecule called capsaicin. Suppose you breed chili peppers that have low amounts of capsaicin over many generations in order to make them milder have less capsaicin). What process is occurring?

Accepted Answer

A)  environmental change 
B)  heritable variation 
C)  natural selection 
D)  artificial selection 
A)  environmental change 
B)  heritable variation 
C)  natural selection 
D)  artificial selection

Question 3

A friend of yours calls to say that his car would not start this morning. He asks for your help. You say that you think the battery must be dead, and that if so, then jump- starting the car from a good battery will solve the problem. In doing so, you are

Accepted Answer

A)  only stating a hypothesis for why the car won't start. 
B)  stating both a specific hypothesis about why the car won't start and a prediction of the hypothesis. 
C)  performing an experimental test of a hypothesis for why the car won't start. 
D)  searching for observations that might inspire a hypothesis for why the car won't start. 
A)  only stating a hypothesis for why the car won't start. 
B)  stating both a specific hypothesis about why the car won't start and a prediction of the hypothesis. 
C)  performing an experimental test of a hypothesis for why the car won't start. 
D)  searching for observations that might inspire a hypothesis for why the car won't start.

Question 4

Louis Pasteur's experiment had a good design because

Accepted Answer

A)  simple equipment was used. 
B)  the experiment was a success. 
C)  a major question, spontaneous generation, was tested. 
D)  the possible outcomes led to distinct, unambiguous conclusions. 
A)  simple equipment was used. 
B)  the experiment was a success. 
C)  a major question, spontaneous generation, was tested. 
D)  the possible outcomes led to distinct, unambiguous conclusions.

Question 5

Which of the following is a powerful way to test a hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  Formulate a null hypothesis. 
B)  Perform an experiment that tests a prediction that follows from the hypothesis. 
C)  Formulate a competing or alternative hypothesis. 
D)  Incorporate the hypothesis into a more general theory. 
A)  Formulate a null hypothesis. 
B)  Perform an experiment that tests a prediction that follows from the hypothesis. 
C)  Formulate a competing or alternative hypothesis. 
D)  Incorporate the hypothesis into a more general theory.

Question 6

What do the nodes and branch points on a phylogenetic tree represent?

Accepted Answer

A)  species 
B)  groups that got new names 
C)  ancestral groups that split into two descendant groups 
D)  new kingdoms or domains 
A)  species 
B)  groups that got new names 
C)  ancestral groups that split into two descendant groups 
D)  new kingdoms or domains

Question 7

On an evolutionary tree, any group that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants is called monophyletic "one- tribe"). Draw the tree for Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya that we think best represents the current data. According to this tree, are all organisms alive today monophyletic?

Accepted Answer

A)  yes 
B)  no 
A)  yes 
B)  no

Question 8

Recall Pasteur's experiment on spontaneous generation. Originally, he used sealed and unsealed flasks instead of swan- necked and unsealed flasks. Critics claimed that the experiment was inconclusive. Which of the following criticisms would be addressed by using a swan- necked flask instead of the sealed flask?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fresh air is required for spontaneous generation. 
B)  The broth was not nutritious enough. 
C)  There had not been enough time for spontaneous generation to occur. 
D)  The broth was heated too intensively. 
A)  Fresh air is required for spontaneous generation. 
B)  The broth was not nutritious enough. 
C)  There had not been enough time for spontaneous generation to occur. 
D)  The broth was heated too intensively.

Question 9

How does a scientific theory differ from a scientific hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  Theories define scientific laws; hypotheses are used to set up experiments. 
B)  A hypothesis is an explanation for a very general phenomenon; theories treat more specific issues. 
C)  There is no difference-the terms are interchangeable. 
D)  A theory is an explanation for a very general phenomenon or observation; hypotheses treat more specific observations. 
A)  Theories define scientific laws; hypotheses are used to set up experiments. 
B)  A hypothesis is an explanation for a very general phenomenon; theories treat more specific issues. 
C)  There is no difference-the terms are interchangeable. 
D)  A theory is an explanation for a very general phenomenon or observation; hypotheses treat more specific observations.

Question 10

Which of the following observations demonstrates the fundamental characteristic of life known as energy?

Accepted Answer

A)  Organisms are made of membrane- bound units called cells. 
B)  A bacterium replicates to become two bacteria. 
C)  Plants absorb sunlight to stay alive and reproduce. 
D)  The use of antibiotics has increased the frequency of bacteria populations that are resistant to those antibiotics. 
E)  The gene that specifies skin colour in frogs is passed from parent to offspring. 
A)  Organisms are made of membrane- bound units called cells. 
B)  A bacterium replicates to become two bacteria. 
C)  Plants absorb sunlight to stay alive and reproduce. 
D)  The use of antibiotics has increased the frequency of bacteria populations that are resistant to those antibiotics. 
E)  The gene that specifies skin colour in frogs is passed from parent to offspring.

Question 11

On an evolutionary tree, any group that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants is called monophyletic "one- tribe"). Draw the tree for Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Are prokaryotes monophyletic?

Accepted Answer

A)  yes 
B)  no 
A)  yes 
B)  no

Question 12

One aspect of Darwin's theory of natural selection is that adaptations not useful to fitness are lost faster if they have a greater cost. With this in mind, which of the following explanation is most likely true?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is a mystery why we do not have tails. 
B)  Our little toe is not going away in the near future. 
C)  The human appendix must currently serve an essential function or it would not be in our bodies. 
D)  Humans are relatively hairless because we look better without hair. 
A)  It is a mystery why we do not have tails. 
B)  Our little toe is not going away in the near future. 
C)  The human appendix must currently serve an essential function or it would not be in our bodies. 
D)  Humans are relatively hairless because we look better without hair.

Question 13

Which taxon would generally include the largest number of species?

Accepted Answer

A)  phylum 
B)  genus 
C)  species 
D)  domain 
A)  phylum 
B)  genus 
C)  species 
D)  domain

Question 14

Over the past several decades, natural selection has caused populations of Staphylococcus aureus an infectious wound bacterium) to evolve resistance to most antibiotics. If antibiotic use were stopped, what would you predict would happen to these S. aureus populations?

Accepted Answer

A)  The frequency of resistant forms will definitely increase in these populations. 
B)  The frequency of nonresistant forms will increase in these populations. 
C)  They will go extinct without the antibiotic. 
D)  The populations will begin colonizing new environments. 
A)  The frequency of resistant forms will definitely increase in these populations. 
B)  The frequency of nonresistant forms will increase in these populations. 
C)  They will go extinct without the antibiotic. 
D)  The populations will begin colonizing new environments.

Question 15

How does artificial selection differ from natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A)  Artificial selection occurs only with plants. 
B)  Artificial selection is not based on heritable variation, but on new mutations. 
C)  Artificial selection occurs only in computer simulations, not with actual organisms. 
D)  Artificial selection is based on conscious choices by humans. 
A)  Artificial selection occurs only with plants. 
B)  Artificial selection is not based on heritable variation, but on new mutations. 
C)  Artificial selection occurs only in computer simulations, not with actual organisms. 
D)  Artificial selection is based on conscious choices by humans.

Exam 1: Biology and the Tree of Life

Which of the following is the best description of a control for an experiment?

The "heat" in chili peppers is due to a molecule called capsaicin. Suppose you breed chili peppers that have low amounts of capsaicin over many generations in order to make them milder have less capsaicin). What process is occurring?

A friend of yours calls to say that his car would not start this morning. He asks for your help. You say that you think the battery must be dead, and that if so, then jump- starting the car from a good battery will solve the problem. In doing so, you are

Louis Pasteur's experiment had a good design because

Which of the following is a powerful way to test a hypothesis?

What do the nodes and branch points on a phylogenetic tree represent?

On an evolutionary tree, any group that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants is called monophyletic "one- tribe"). Draw the tree for Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya that we think best represents the current data. According to this tree, are all organisms alive today monophyletic?

How does a scientific theory differ from a scientific hypothesis?

Which of the following observations demonstrates the fundamental characteristic of life known as energy?

On an evolutionary tree, any group that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants is called monophyletic "one- tribe"). Draw the tree for Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Are prokaryotes monophyletic?

One aspect of Darwin's theory of natural selection is that adaptations not useful to fitness are lost faster if they have a greater cost. With this in mind, which of the following explanation is most likely true?

Which taxon would generally include the largest number of species?

Over the past several decades, natural selection has caused populations of Staphylococcus aureus an infectious wound bacterium) to evolve resistance to most antibiotics. If antibiotic use were stopped, what would you predict would happen to these S. aureus populations?

How does artificial selection differ from natural selection?

Water and Carbon: the Chemical Basis of Life

Protein Structure and Function

Nucleic Acids and the Rna World

An Introduction to Carbohydrates

Lipids, Membranes, and the First Cells

Inside the Cell

Energy and Enzymes

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

Cellcell Interactions

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis

Mendel and the Gene

Dna and the Gene: Synthesis and Repair

How Genes Work

Transcription, Rna Processing, and Translation

Control of Gene Expression in Bacteria

Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes

The Molecular Revolution: Biotechnology and Beyond

Gene Structure and Development

Evolution by Natural Selection

Evolutionary Processes

Speciation

Phylogenies and the History of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Green Algae and Land Plants

Fungi

An Introduction to Animals

Protostome Animals

Deuterostome Animals

Viruses

Plant Form and Function

Water and Sugar Transport in Plants

Plant Nutrition

Plant Sensory Systems, Signals, and Responses

Plant Reproduction and Development

Animal Form and Function

Water and Electrolyte Balance in Animals

Animal Nutrition

Gas Exchange and Circulation

Animal Nervous Systems

Animal Sensory Systems

Animal Movement

Chemical Signals in Animals

Animal Reproduction and Development

The Immune System in Animals

An Introduction to Ecology

Behavioural Ecology

Population Ecology

Community Ecology

Ecosystems and Global Ecology

Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

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