Question 1

A kind of study that does not treat groups and compare the results is known as &#8230;&#10;A) A double-blind trial&#10;B) A test-tube study&#10;C) A nonintervention study&#10;D) A cautionary trial

Accepted Answer

A nonintervention study is a type of research where the researchers do not intervene, meaning they do not manipulate or treat the subjects or groups in any way, but rather observe them as they are.

Question 2

The conditional argument that expresses the logical pattern of disconfirming a hypothesis is called&#8230;&#10;A) Modus ponens&#10;B) Denying the antecedent&#10;C) Affirming the consequent&#10;D) Modus tollens

Accepted Answer

Modus tollens is the logical pattern used to disconfirm a hypothesis by demonstrating that if a certain premise is true, then a certain consequence must follow, and if that consequence is not observed, the premise is false.

Question 3

Science is not&#8230;&#10;A) Motivated reasoning&#10;B) Empirical&#10;C) Evidence based&#10;D) Fallible

Accepted Answer

Science is based on empirical evidence and is inherently fallible, as it is open to revision and correction. Motivated reasoning, however, is a bias where the conclusion influences the process of reasoning, which is contrary to the objective and systematic approach of science.

Question 4

The standards used to judge the worth of scientific theories are known as&#8230;&#10;A) The rules of consistency&#10;B) The criteria of evaluation&#10;C) The criteria of adequacy&#10;D) The scientific method

Accepted Answer

The criteria of adequacy are standards used to evaluate the worthiness and effectiveness of scientific theories. These criteria include testability, fruitfulness, scope, simplicity, and conservatism.

Question 5

Compared to Ptolemy's geocentric theory, Copernicus's heliocentric theory was&#8230;&#10;A) More conservative&#10;B) Superior in scope&#10;C) More complicated&#10;D) Simpler

Accepted Answer

Copernicus's heliocentric theory was simpler because it placed the Sun at the center of the universe, which eliminated the need for the complex system of epicycles used in Ptolemy's geocentric model.

Question 6

The theory of creationism is&#8230;&#10;A) Conservative&#10;B) Testable&#10;C) Untestable&#10;D) Fruitful

Accepted Answer

The answer of The theory of creationism is&#8230;&#10;A) Conservative&#10;B) Testable&#10;C)...

Question 7

The fallacious leap to a nonnatural explanation for a phenomenon is an example of the fallacy of&#8230;&#10;A) Appeal to ignorance&#10;B) Begging the question&#10;C) Straw man&#10;D) Division

Accepted Answer

The fallacy of appeal to ignorance occurs when one argues that a lack of evidence against a position is proof of that position's correctness. In this context, suggesting a nonnatural explanation for a phenomenon because it cannot currently be explained naturally falls into this category, as it assumes that if we cannot explain something through natural means, then it must be explained through nonnatural or supernatural means. This is a classic example of arguing from ignorance, as it relies on the absence of evidence rather than the presence of evidence to support a claim.

Question 8

If a theory is testable&#8230;&#10;A) It is true&#10;B) There is some way to determine whether it is true or false&#10;C) It is more likely to be true than other theories&#10;D) It cannot predict anything

Accepted Answer

Being testable means there is a method to evaluate the theory's validity, not that it is inherently true, more likely to be true, or unable to predict anything.

Question 9

The concept of evolution began with&#8230;&#10;A) Darwin&#10;B) Anaximander&#10;C) Thales&#10;D) Plato

Accepted Answer

Anaximander, a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived in Miletus, is credited with one of the earliest accounts of evolution. He proposed that life began in the water and that species evolved over time.

Question 10

Science seeks to acquire knowledge and understanding of reality through the formulation, testing, and evaluating of&#8230;&#10;A) Deductive reasoning&#10;B) Theories&#10;C) Technology&#10;D) Scientific method

Accepted Answer

The answer of Science seeks to acquire knowledge and understanding...

Question 11

The scientific method cannot be identified with any particular set of experimental or observational procedures because&#8230;&#10;A) Science is not empirical&#10;B) There is only one procedure used in science&#10;C) Science is philosophical&#10;D) There are many different methods to evaluate the worth of a hypothesis

Accepted Answer

The answer of The scientific method cannot be identified with...

Question 12

The simplest theory is the one that&#8230;&#10;A) Is physically possible&#10;B) Doesn't need to be tested&#10;C) Makes the fewest assumptions&#10;D) Is the most beautiful

Accepted Answer

The answer of The simplest theory is the one that&#8230;&#10;A)...

Question 13

To test a hypothesis, scientists must&#8230;&#10;A) Not reason deductively&#10;B) Accurately predict the outcome of tests&#10;C) Ignore test implications of the hypothesis&#10;D) Derive a test implication from the hypothesis

Accepted Answer

The answer of To test a hypothesis, scientists must&#8230;&#10;A) Not...

Question 14

In double-blind experiments&#8230;&#10;A) Test results are unacceptable&#10;B) Neither the participants nor experimenters know who receives the real treatment&#10;C) Only the experimenters know who receives the real treatment&#10;D) Placebos are not used

Accepted Answer

The answer of In double-blind experiments&#8230;&#10;A) Test results are unacceptable&#10;B)...

Question 15

The criterion of conservatism is a measure of&#8230;&#10;A) How well a theory fits with existing knowledge&#10;B) The amount of diverse phenomena explained&#10;C) The number of novel predictions made&#10;D) The number of assumptions made

Accepted Answer

The answer of The criterion of conservatism is a measure...

Question 16

The main problem with conspiracy theories is that&#8230;&#10;A) They violate laws of science&#10;B) They fail the criteria of adequacy, especially the criterion of simplicity&#10;C) People reject them for no good reason&#10;D) They are difficult to understand

Accepted Answer

The answer of The main problem with conspiracy theories is...

Question 17

In most cases, a single scientific study, a small study, or a case study&#8230;&#10;A) Can yield strong evidence of cause and effect&#10;B) Cannot prove very much&#10;C) Can prove that a medical treatment works&#10;D) Are superior to double-blind trials

Accepted Answer

The answer of In most cases, a single scientific study,...

Question 18

One approach that definitely does not yield a random sample in opinion polls is&#8230;&#10;A) Margin of error&#10;B) Inverted sampling&#10;C) Self-selecting sampling&#10;D) Confidence level

Accepted Answer

The answer of One approach that definitely does not yield...

Question 19

Maintaining a hypothesis in the face of mounting negative evidence is&#8230;&#10;A) Unreasonable&#10;B) Impossible&#10;C) Acceptable&#10;D) Reasonable

Accepted Answer

The answer of Maintaining a hypothesis in the face of...

Question 20

What is the TEST formula? How is it applied to theories?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the TEST formula? How is...

Question 21

What are the criteria of adequacy? How are they used to evaluate theories?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the criteria of adequacy? How...

Question 22

Why is a fruitful theory more likely to be true than an unfruitful theory?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is a fruitful theory more likely...

Question 23

What is the minimum requirement of consistency? What is the difference between internal and external consistency?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the minimum requirement of consistency?...

Question 24

Why are conservative theories more likely to be true than ones that aren't conservative?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why are conservative theories more likely to...

Deck 8: Science, Nonscience, and the Media