Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

Which of the following is the most probable order of appearance of molecules and structures that led to the evolution of life on Earth?

A) Nucleic acids,proteins,membranes,cells
B) Proteins,membranes,nucleic acids,cells
C) Membranes,nucleic acids,proteins,cells
D) Cells,membranes,nucleic acids,proteins
E) Proteins,cells,nucleic acids,membranes

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Suppose you were leading a team looking for extraterrestrial life on distant planets.You find something that you suspect might be a living organism.Which characteristic would be a requirement in order for it to be classified as a living organism?

A) Ability to self-replicate
B) Genetic material in the form of DNA
C) Cellular structure that includes a nucleus
D) Ability to transform energy from the sun through photosynthesis
E) Aerobic metabolism

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Earth is approximately _______ years old.

A) 2-3 thousand
B) 4-5 million
C) 40-50 million
D) 4-5 billion
E) 5 trillion

Answer 3

D

Question 4

For a multicellular organism to have evolved from a unicellular ancestor,what new feature must have been present that was not necessary for unicellular life-forms?

A) A mechanism for cell division
B) Adhesion molecules on the surfaces of the cells
C) Specialization of cellular functions
D) Chloroplasts
E) A mechanism for cell movement

Question 5

Which structure(s)is/are necessary in the forming of a cell?

A) Nucleus
B) Organelles
C) Membrane
D) Chloroplast
E) Mitochondria

Question 6

The Curiosity rover is currently searching for signs of life on Mars.What kind of evidence would most likely indicate the presence of living organisms on Mars?

A) Fossilized prokaryotic cells
B) Different nucleic acids and amino acids than those found on Earth
C) Fatty acid molecules
D) Complex molecules containing genetic information
E) Simple organic molecules

Question 7

Evidence indicates that all life on Earth today

A) has a single common ancestor.
B) requires oxygen for life.
C) is able to extract energy from the sun.
D) evolved from ancestors containing genetic material in the form of proteins.
E) is multicellular.

Question 8

Every living organism on Earth can be assigned to one of three separate

A) species.
B) genus groups.
C) domains.
D) ancestors.
E) genomes.

Question 9

If you were able to travel back in time 4 billion years to when life first appeared on Earth,what feature of Earth would make it immediately impossible for you to survive?

A) The high ozone content of the air would interfere with metabolic processes.
B) There would be no water on Earth.
C) There would not be enough ultraviolet radiation to support photosynthesis.
D) There would not be any protein-containing organisms for food.
E) The oxygen content of the air would be too low to support aerobic metabolism.

Question 10

The chemical formula for molecular oxygen is

A) O.
B) O₂.
C) H₂O₂.
D) O₃.
E) CO₂.

Question 11

One reason biologists consider viruses to be a part of life is that viruses

A) are composed of cells.
B) evolve.
C) live independently.
D) carry out physiological functions,independently of cells.
E) extract energy from the environment.

Question 12

A prerequisite for the survival of life on land was the accumulation of a protective layer of

A) O₂ in the atmosphere.
B) CO₂ in the atmosphere.
C) water vapor in the atmosphere.
D) ozone in the atmosphere.
E) bacteria in the soil.

Question 13

What is one major reason that the earliest organisms on Earth were confined to the oceans?

A) The oxygen in the atmosphere was toxic.
B) There was not enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support life.
C) Not enough ultraviolet light could penetrate the atmosphere to support life.
D) The oceans created a shield against the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation.
E) The salt within the oceans provided the raw materials for making proteins.

Question 14

If we picture the history of Earth as a 30-day month,modern humans arose

A) at the beginning of week 4.
B) on day 27.
C) in the last 5 minutes of day 30.
D) on day 15.
E) in the early morning of day 30.

Question 15

Which of the following is classified as a living organism by biologists?

A) DNA molecule
B) Bacterium
C) Metabolic energy
D) Feather
E) Meteorite

Question 16

The abundance of O₂ led to the evolution of

A) anaerobic eukaryotes.
B) aerobic eukaryotes.
C) anaerobic prokaryotes.
D) aerobic prokaryotes.
E) Both b and d

Question 17

Scientists estimate that for more than _______ years after cells originated,all organisms consisted of one cell.

A) 250,000
B) 2 million
C) 200 million
D) 2 billion
E) 20 billion

Question 18

One reason we consider the dormant seed of a desert plant to be alive is that it

A) is extracting energy from the environment.
B) formed within a nonliving structure.
C) is evolving.
D) contains genetic material.
E) is always converting molecules into new biological molecules.

Question 19

Ozone is important to life on Earth because it

A) is used for aerobic metabolism.
B) can be used in place of oxygen.
C) helps block ultraviolet radiation.
D) provides energy to some basic forms of life.
E) sits in the lower atmosphere as a protective layer.

Question 20

What is the correct order in which the following appeared during the early evolution of life on Earth?

A) Oxygen,ozone,photosynthesis,life on land
B) Photosynthesis,oxygen,ozone,life on land
C) Life on land,photosynthesis,oxygen,ozone
D) Ozone,oxygen,photosynthesis,life on land
E) Oxygen,photosynthesis,life on land,ozone

Question 21

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the figure below.
In the image above,what is the largest (highest)level of biological organization that is visible?

A) Community
B) Organism
C) Landscape
D) Biosphere
E) Population

Question 22

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the figure below.
In the image above,what is the smallest (lowest)level of biological organization that is visible?

A) Community
B) Organism
C) Molecule
D) Cell
E) Population

Question 23

By studying yeasts,we can discover facts about human cells because yeasts and humans

A) are both prokaryotes.
B) use the same genetic code.
C) contain the same genome.
D) use chloroplasts to make sugars.
E) share a common viral ancestor.

Question 24

In looking at prepared slides of organisms from pond water using a microscope,you see a unicellular organism that has genetic material but no nucleus.Which group could this organism possibly belong to?

A) Bacteria
B) Plants
C) Fungi
D) Animals
E) Protists

Question 25

Biologists have organized the diversity of life into three domains based largely on

A) physical similarities.
B) ecological niches.
C) chronological order.
D) molecular data.
E) numbers of species.

Question 26

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the figure below showing a tree of life.
What is one conclusion that you can draw from the figure?

A) Plants are more closely related to Archaea than they are to animals.
B) Animals are more closely related to fungi than they are to plants.
C) Animals and plants belong to different domains.
D) Chloroplasts are found only in plants.
E) Chloroplasts evolved before mitochondria.

Question 27

While going through a museum,you see the fossilized skeletons of the organisms listed below.Which one is a member of the genus that is our closest relative?

A) Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
B) Neanderthal (Homo neaderthalensis)
C) Lucy,a member of Australopithecus afarensis
D) Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
E) Gibbon (Hylobates lar)

Question 28

Which of the scientific names below is written correctly?

A) homo sapiens
B) Branta Canadensis
C) Roundworm
D) Neanderthalensis homo
E) Canis lupis

Question 29

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the figure below showing a tree of life.
Which statement concerning the figure is true?

A) All protists are more closely related to other protists than they are to other organisms.
B) Only one domain includes single-celled prokaryotes.
C) Two of the domains had endosymbiotic events leading to the formation of mitochondria and chloroplasts.
D) All three domains split from a common ancestor.
E) Two of the domains include multicellular organisms.

Question 30

It is hypothesized that mitochondria in eukaryotic cells evolved by endosymbiosis,when a larger cell ingested a smaller cell.If you were examining eukaryotic cells using a high-powered microscope,what evidence would you look for that would best support this hypothesis?

A) Nuclei within the mitochondria
B) Chloroplasts within the mitochondria
C) Two membranes around each mitochondrion
D) A rupture in the membrane of the cell
E) A second cell within each mitochondrion

Question 31

If you were trying to create rapid evolutionary change in a population of bacteria,what treatment would be most effective?

A) Exposing the bacteria to UV light,which damages DNA
B) Growing the bacteria under optimal conditions for growth
C) Maintaining the bacteria at 4°C,which slows growth
D) Freezing the bacteria in liquid nitrogen
E) There is no treatment that could induce evolutionary change.

Question 32

A phylogenetic tree

A) shows evolutionary relationships.
B) relies for its construction on evidence from fossils,metabolic processes,and molecular analyses of genomes.
C) helps us understand the history and relationships of living organisms.
D) shows the order in which populations split and evolved into new species.
E) All of the above

Question 33

The initial accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere was the result of photosynthesis from an organism most like modern

A) algae.
B) mosses.
C) kelp.
D) eukaryotes.
E) cyanobacteria.

Question 34

Which list represents a correct ordering of the levels of complexity at which life is studied,from most simple to most complex?

A) Community,population,organism,organ,tissue,cell
B) Cell,organ,tissue,organism,population,community
C) Cell,tissue,organ,organism,population,community
D) Cell,tissue,organ,population,organism,community
E) Tissue,organ,cell,population,organism,community

Question 35

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the figure below showing a tree of life.
From the figure you can conclude that plants evolved from

A) protists.
B) endosymbiotic bacteria.
C) mitochondria.
D) Bacteria.
E) Archaea.

Question 36

Which process would be most effective at preventing evolutionary change in a population of bacteria?

A) Imperfect replication of genetic material
B) Formation of spontaneous mutations
C) Cell division
D) Perfectly accurate copying of DNA
E) Production of functional proteins

Question 37

Cells

A) are composed of many types of tissues.
B) are found in plants and animals,but not bacteria.
C) are the smallest entity studied by biologists.
D) can be building blocks for complex organisms.
E) must contain DNA within a nucleus.

Question 38

Use the following to answer questions :
Refer to the figure below showing a tree of life.
If the estimates on the figure are accurate,then you can conclude that

A) more animal species exist than species of plants or fungi.
B) most Archaea species have been described.
C) more species of fungi exist than species of animals.
D) fewer species remain to be described than have already been described.
E) there are more species of protists than any other group.

Question 39

A phylogenetic tree

A) classifies all plant species based on their habitats.
B) diagrams the evolutionary history of a particular group of organisms.
C) is based on binomial nomenclature.
D) only catalogs fossil plants.
E) only uses genome sequencing data.

Question 40

Plants are _______ organisms that are _______ of oxygen production.

A) eukaryotic unicellular;capable
B) eukaryotic multicellular;incapable
C) prokaryotic multicellular;capable
D) prokaryotic unicellular;incapable
E) eukaryotic multicellular;capable

Question 41

Which trait or function is the same in muscle cells and brain cells?

A) Cell function
B) Extracellular environment
C) Expressed genes
D) Genome
E) Proteins formed

Question 42

During childbirth,the hormone oxytocin causes uterine contractions.These contractions move the baby toward the birth canal (vagina),where it pushes on pressure-sensing receptors.These receptors signal the mother's hypothalamus to produce more oxytocin,which in turn increases the uterine contractions.This is an example of

A) gene regulation.
B) positive feedback.
C) a cellular-level system.
D) a computational model.
E) negative feedback.

Question 43

Which statement about evolution is true?

A) The diversity of life depends on the existence of similar environments and ecological communities throughout the globe.
B) Sexual selection contributes to the diversity of life.
C) Earth has existed and changed over a few thousand years,at most.
D) All ancestral forms of life were very similar to organisms that currently exist.
E) Some organisms that exist do not share common ancestors with other organisms.

Question 44

Genes are

A) nucleotides that code for DNA.
B) segments of proteins.
C) sequences of DNA that code for proteins.
D) static and do not change over time.
E) each made up of billions of nucleotides.

Question 45

A systems analysis approach to understanding how biological systems function is used to

A) predict how a complicated metabolic network will change over time.
B) analyze the fossil record.
C) indicate phylogenetic relationships.
D) determine the age of Earth.
E) examine organelles within a cell.

Question 46

If a mutation arises spontaneously in one of your blood cells,

A) you can pass that mutation on to your offspring.
B) it would most likely improve the function of that blood cell.
C) the blood cell is evolving.
D) it could have been caused by exposure to radiation.
E) it will be passed on to all the other cells in your body.

Question 47

The sequencing of the human genome

A) started at the beginning of 2001,but has not yet been completed.
B) is not possible,because the human genome is too large.
C) involved figuring out the order of approximately 1000 nucleotides.
D) revealed that humans have fewer genes than expected.
E) will allow us to compare the human genome with that of other primates but not other organisms such as roundworms.

Question 48

Which of the following is one of the key points in Darwin's explanation of evolution?

A) The biological structures most likely to be inherited are those that have become best suited to the environment through constant use.
B) All mutations that occur are those that will help future generations fit more successfully into their environments.
C) Any trait that confers even a small increase in the probability that its possessor will survive and reproduce will be strongly favored and will spread through the population.
D) Genes change in order to help organisms cope with problems encountered within their environments.
E) Extinction is nature's way of weeding out undeserving organisms.

Question 49

A scientist walking by a pristine stream,and then a polluted pond below a mill,observes that fish are present in the stream but not in the pond.The scientist then says,"polluted water kills fish." This statement is an example of

A) an evaluation of experiment results.
B) scientific inquiry.
C) quantifiable data.
D) a hypothesis.
E) a fact.

Question 50

The toe pads of tree frogs and the spines of cacti are examples of

A) behavioral traits.
B) structural adaptations.
C) sexually selected traits.
D) artificially selected traits..
E) proximate explanations.

Question 51

Evolution is the change in the genetic makeup of

A) cells within an organism.
B) organs within an organism.
C) populations of organisms over time.
D) fossils from the distant past.
E) future organisms within the biosphere.

Question 52

The cells in your body

A) are static once your body reaches maturity.
B) replace molecules throughout your life.
C) use energy when you are awake but not when you are asleep.
D) break down and rebuild proteins slowly over a matter of years.
E) release hydrogen from food and combine it with water to create carbon dioxide.

Question 53

Mutations

A) occur in proteins.
B) are alterations in an organism's DNA.
C) are not caused by chemicals.
D) usually improve the function of the organism.
E) are not passed on from one generation to the next.

Question 54

Darwin referred to the differential reproductive success of individuals with particular variations as

A) evolution.
B) artificial selection.
C) the cell theory.
D) natural selection.
E) the inheritance of acquired characteristics.

Question 55

Evolutionary theory is a

A) hypothesis based on theories.
B) historical model showing how organisms changed in the ancient past.
C) body of facts that allows us to make predictions.
D) useful tool for long-term predictions,but it is not useful for short-term predictions.
E) set of mechanisms that explains exactly how biological populations change over time.

Question 56

In formulating his theory of evolution,Darwin used information available to him through observation and common knowledge,including the knowledge that

A) offspring differ from their parents and that populations of species display variation.
B) genes are the basis for inheritance and that mutations in DNA lead to evolutionary change.
C) populations do not change over time,though individuals within a population do.
D) the fossil record includes all forms of present day life.
E) cells pass on their genetic material through cell division and all cells within an organism have the same genome.

Question 57

Natural selection acts

A) by causing mutations in the genome.
B) by producing structural and functional changes within organisms.
C) through differential probabilities of survival and reproductive success.
D) through the selection of breeding pairs that produce offspring with specialized characteristics.
E) by allowing unlimited growth of populations.

Question 58

Darwin noted that all populations have _______ potential to grow,but in nature most populations _______ over time.

A) limited;are stable
B) unlimited;grow slowly
C) limited;fluctuate unpredictably
D) unlimited;do not have unchecked growth
E) limited;decrease in growth

Question 59

Refer to the figure below showing a community containing voles,grass,owls,and foxes.In this community,interactions determine the number of voles.What would initially happen to this community if foxes were removed?

A) The number of owls would diminish.
B) The number of voles would diminish.
C) The abundance of grass would increase.
D) The community would collapse.
E) The number of voles would increase.

Question 60

Your body constitutes a system of organized units controlling your internal environment,such as the concentration of Na⁺ in your blood.If this concentration falls below normal,you would have hyponatremia,a condition that can cause headaches,mental confusion,and even seizures.Which event would most likely cause hyponatremia?

A) Gut cells absorbing too much Na⁺ from food
B) Kidney cells absorbing too much Na⁺ from urine
C) Sweating profusely,followed by drinking large quantities of water
D) Producing increased amounts of urine after drinking several cups of coffee
E) Kidney cells excreting Na⁺ into the urine

Question 61

A comparative experiment

A) has only independent variables.
B) has only one dependent variable.
C) compares one independent variable with one dependent variable.
D) starts with groups or samples that are as similar as possible.
E) starts with the prediction that there will be a difference between groups or samples.

Question 62

A scientific hypothesis

A) can be falsified through predictions.
B) is used to make untestable predictions.
C) is based on observations.
D) cannot be tested by experimentation.
E) cannot be tested by observational analysis.

Question 63

Which of the following can result from a scientific investigation?

A) Refinement of the experimental design
B) Formulation of new questions that result in additional experimentation
C) Use of statistical tests to evaluate the significance of the results
D) Experiments that will be repeated and verified by later experiments
E) All of the above

Question 64

The main purpose of any single experiment is to

A) obtain accurate quantitative measurements.
B) prove unambiguously that a particular hypothesis is correct.
C) avoid a merely comparative analysis.
D) answer as many key questions as possible.
E) test a prediction that is based on a hypothesis.

Question 65

Which question cannot be answered by means of the hypothesis‒prediction approach?

A) Are eastern meadowlark populations declining faster than western meadowlark populations?
B) Is the song of the western meadowlark prettier than that of the eastern meadowlark?
C) Do eastern and western meadowlarks interbreed?
D) Do meadowlarks benefit from prairie habitat restoration?
E) Have the migration paths of western meadowlarks been affected by climate change?

Question 66

Scientific explanations for a natural phenomenon

A) can be tested only in the laboratory.
B) are always based on an ethical point of view.
C) are based on reproducible and quantifiable observations.
D) are based on hypotheses.
E) cannot be rejected.

Question 67

Which statement represents a scientific point of view?

A) Earth was created by a supernatural force.
B) The positions of the sun,moon,and stars provide guidance for making decisions.
C) Inner strength comes from the beauty in nature.
D) Testing the effect of antibiotics on pathogens can lead to tools for fighting disease.
E) Meditation helps to solve ethical problems.

Question 68

Which question can be directly answered through controlled experiments?

A) Are bees more attracted to red roses than to yellow roses?
B) Are red roses more beautiful than yellow roses?
C) Did an asteroid hitting Earth cause the mass extinction of dinosaurs?
D) When did the first life forms appear on Earth?
E) Is the increase in the severity of storms being caused by climate change?

Question 69

In scientific methodology,a hypothesis is

A) formed before any observations are made.
B) a guess that cannot be tested.
C) a tentative answer to a question that can be tested.
D) formed after an experiment has been designed.
E) a set of data obtained from an experiment.

Question 70

Which statement about the scientific method is true?

A) After forming a hypothesis,scientists apply logic to make predictions from the hypothesis.
B) The most informative experiments are those that have the ability to show that a hypothesis is correct.
C) In a comparative experiment,a scientist compares groups that differ in terms of a variable that has been manipulated in one of the groups and left unaltered in the other group.
D) Controlled experiments are valuable when we do not know or cannot control the critical variables.
E) A statistical test of a hypothesis starts with the premise that a significant difference exists between the groups in the study.

Question 71

Despite numerous studies showing the negative effects of atrazine on frog development,the Environmental Protection Agency continues to allow restricted use of atrazine as long as environmental levels do not exceed 30 to 40 ppb.What will be the likely result of this policy?

A) The occurrences of frog abnormalities will gradually decline.
B) Abnormalities will continue to appear in frogs.
C) No new abnormalities in frogs will appear.
D) Abnormal frogs that reproduce will have offspring that all develop normally.
E) Both c and d

Question 72

Which statement about statistical analysis in science is true?

A) Statistical methods are applied to data in order to prove that the null hypothesis is incorrect.
B) Statistical tests analyze variation to determine whether the variation is due to chance.
C) Statistical tests can be used to evaluate results from controlled experiments but not comparative experiments.
D) Scientists use statistics to prove their conclusions are true.
E) Statistics are used to measure the probability that an observed difference is due to chance.

Question 73

A biologist hypothesizes that the sounds made by lions at night in the Serengeti are territoriality calls and predicts that two lions inhabiting the same territory will roar even louder.She selects an area inhabited by one lion,records its calls,and plays them back in the same area.She records her observations,and notes that the lion does indeed roar more often as a result of this experiment.What would be the next step in the hypothesis-prediction method?

A) Asking new questions
B) Making an observation
C) Forming a hypothesis
D) Making a prediction
E) Testing a prediction

Question 74

Many possible applications of scientific knowledge raise ethical issues for some people.Which application,however,would be rejected by all responsible scientists?

A) Selecting the sex of one's children
B) Using stem cells as part of medical treatments
C) Modifying the human genome
D) Using scientific knowledge to dictate how the world ought to be
E) All of the above would be rejected by scientists.

Question 75

Which statement about the experiments of Tyrone Hayes on abnormalities of male frog sex organs is correct?

A) In a set of controlled experiments,Hayes had to reject his hypothesis that atrazine was causing abnormalities in male frogs.
B) As a result of the comparative experiments,Hayes formed a new hypothesis that snails were causing the limb deformities in the frogs.
C) The controlled experiments compared the effects of various atrazine concentrations on reproductive tissues.
D) Hayes reasoned that if atrazine caused abnormal testes development,then all testes abnormalities in tadpoles are caused by various concentrations of atrazine.
E) The experiments showed that the abnormality rate was proportional to the level of atrazine exposure.

Question 76

A biologist listens to frogs singing at a local pond and hypothesizes that the sounds are mating calls.What would be the next step in the hypothesis-prediction method?

A) Controlling an environment
B) Making an observation
C) Forming a hypothesis
D) Making a prediction
E) Testing a prediction

Question 77

The advantage of controlled scientific experiments is that

A) all variables except one are held constant.
B) the hypothesis can be proven correct.
C) patterns can be predicted.
D) investigations can be carried out in the field.
E) a massive amount of data can be synthesized.

Question 78

A rapid decline of amphibian populations has been observed worldwide.Which of the following could not be a reasonable hypothesis to explain this decline?

A) A fungal disease
B) Increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation
C) Exposure to agricultural chemicals
D) Exposure to atrazine
E) Deaths from natural causes

Question 79

A statistical test starts with

A) a null hypothesis.
B) deductive logic.
C) inductive logic.
D) a hypothesis.
E) a model system.

Question 80

Comparative experiments are designed to answer questions that require

A) experimental groups and control groups.
B) little or no data collection.
C) a final,definitive answer.
D) the collection of qualitative data.
E) observation and comparison rather than controlled variables.