dtu10e

REVIEW & REHEARSE 1 SCIENTIFIC THINKING

!ques! <i>Check Your Knowledge</i>

All questions are not created equal …

We’ve determined the difficulty of these questions based on more than four hundred million responses from students nationwide using the online adaptive quizzing system Prep-U.

The difficulty meter below each question indicates the proportion of students answering the question incorrectly.

How can this help you?

We’ve included questions with a wide range of difficulties. It’s okay if you get some wrong. By noting the difficulty level of those giving you trouble, you can better assess where you stand as you master the material.

Question 1.16

Science is:

a) a field of study that requires certain “laws of nature” to be taken on faith.
b) both a body of knowledge and an intellectual activity encompassing observation, description, experimentation, and explanation of natural phenomena.
c) a process that can be applied only within the scientific disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, and physics.
d) the only way to understand the natural world.
e) None of the above are correct.

Question 1.17

All of the following are elements of biological literacy except:

a) the ability to use the process of scientific inquiry to think creatively about real-world issues having a biological component.
b) reading the most important books in biology.
c) the ability to integrate into your decision making a consideration of issues having a biological component.
d) the ability to communicate with others about issues having a biological component.
e) All of the above are elements of biological literacy.

1.1–1.3: More than just a collection of facts, science is a process for understanding the world.

Through objective observation, description, and experimentation, science helps us to discover and better understand the world around us.

1.4–1.10: A beginner’s guide: what are the steps of the scientific method?

The scientific method is a flexible, adaptable, and efficient pathway to understanding the world.

Question 1.18

Superstitions are:

a) held by many humans, but not by any non-human species.
b) just one of many possible forms of scientific thinking.
c) true beliefs that have yet to be fully understood.
d) irrational beliefs that actions not logically related to a course of events influence its outcome.
e) proof that the scientific method is not perfect.

Question 1.19

To be useful in the scientific method, an observation must be:

a) definite.
b) measurable.
c) proven to be true.
d) hypothetical.
e) All of the above are correct.

Question 1.20

Empirical results:

a) rely on intuition.
b) are generated by theories.
c) are based on observation.
d) cannot be replicated.
e) must support a tested hypothesis.

Question 1.21

To be useful, a hypothesis will:

a) generate a testable prediction.
b) lead you to the conclusions you feel confident are true.
c) establish many overlapping explanations for a phenomenon.
d) be based on evidence that cannot be falsified by scientific experimentation.
e) be deduced from a critical experiment.

Question 1.22

Which of the following statements is correct?

a) A hypothesis that does not generate a testable prediction is not useful.
b) Common sense is usually a good substitute for the scientific method when trying to understand the world.
c) The scientific method can be used only to understand scientific phenomena.
d) It is not necessary to make observations as part of the scientific method.
e) All of the above are correct.

1.11–1.14: Well-designed experiments are essential to testing hypotheses.

To draw clear conclusions from experiments, variables not of interest should be held constant, outcomes must be repeatable, and biases should be minimized.

Question 1.23

The placebo effect:

a) is the frequently observed phenomenon that people tend to respond favorably to any treatment.
b) reveals that sugar pills are more effective than actual medications.
c) reveals that experimental treatments cannot be proven effective.
d) demonstrates that most scientific studies cannot be replicated.
e) is an urban legend.

Question 1.24

Which of the following correctly describes a double-blind test?

a) The researchers apply two-layered blindfolds to prevent the subjects from seeing the treatment drug.
b) Neither the researchers nor the study participants know who is receiving the drug and who is receiving the placebo.
c) The researchers know who is receiving the drug and who is receiving the placebo, but they do not know what the supposed effects of the drug should be.
d) The researchers do not know who receives the drug or the placebo, but the participants do.
e) None of the above are correct.

Question 1.25

In controlled experiments:

a) one variable is manipulated while others are held constant.
b) all variables are dependent on each other.
c) all variables are held constant.
d) all variables are independent of each other.
e) all critical variables are manipulated.

Question 1.26

If a researcher uses the same experimental setup as in another study, but with different research subjects, the process is considered:

a) an uncontrolled experiment.
b) intuitive reasoning.
c) extrapolation.
d) replication.
e) exploration.

Question 1.27

An independent variable:

a) can cause a change in a dependent variable.
b) is generally less variable than a dependent variable.
c) is plotted on the y-axis in a line graph.
d) can be controlled less well than a dependent variable.
e) is typically more important than a dependent variable.

1.15–1.18: Scientific thinking can help us make wise decisions.

Visual displays of data can help readers think about and compare data, ultimately helping them to synthesize the information and see useful patterns.

Question 1.28

Statistical methods make it possible to:

a) prove that any hypothesis is true.
b) determine how likely it is that certain results have occurred by chance.
c) unambiguously learn the truth.
d) reject any hypothesis.
e) test non-falsifiable hypotheses.

Question 1.29

Anecdotal evidence:

a) is the basis of scientific thinking.
b) tends to be more reliable than data based on observations of large numbers of diverse individuals.
c) is a necessary part of the scientific method.
d) is often the only way to prove important causal links between two phenomena.
e) can seem to reveal links between two phenomena, but the links do not actually exist.

Question 1.30

A relationship between phenomena that has been established on the basis of large amounts of observational and experimental data is referred to as:

a) a theory.
b) a fact.
c) an assumption.
d) a conjecture.
e) an experimental control.

Question 1.31

Which of the following issues would be least helped by application of the scientific method?

a) developing more effective high school curricula
b) evaluating the relationship between violence in video games and criminal behavior in teens
c) determining the most effective safety products for automobiles
d) formulating public policy on euthanasia
e) comparing the effectiveness of two potential antibiotics

Question 1.32

What is the meaning of the statement “Correlation does not imply causation”?

a) Just because two variables vary in a similar pattern does not mean that changing one variable causes a change in the other.
b) It is not possible to demonstrate a correlation between two variables.
c) When a change in one variable causes a change in another variable, the two variables are not necessarily related to each other.
d) It is not possible to prove the cause of any natural phenomenon.
e) Just because two variables vary in a similar pattern does not mean that they have a relationship to each other.

1.19: On the road to biological literacy: what are the major themes in biology?

Although the diversity of life on earth is tremendous, the study of life is unified by the themes of hierarchical organization and the power of evolution.

WHAT’S THIS?

When I was a student, one of my professors had a policy of allowing students to bring a single 8½" × 11" sheet of paper into our exams. We were allowed to write whatever we wanted on this page beforehand and use it during the exam. I spent hours trying to distill the course material to its essential ideas and information. I mastered the art of tiny writing. And I was always very proud of the summary documents that I crafted.

It was with those little “cheat-sheets” in mind that I created the “Review & Rehear se” R&R guides. Please understand that they are not meant to be a replacement for the chapter itself. Rather, they are a prompt, to help you recall, review, and contemplate the most important material from the chapter after you have spent time reading and studying it. I hope they help you!

–Jay Phelan