Deck 1: Introduction to Biological Concepts and Research

Question 1

____ is a large, double-stranded, helical molecule that contains instructions for assembling a living organism from simpler molecules.

A) RNA
B) DNA
C) ATP
D) NADPH
E) Protein

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A cell is minimally defined by which of the following:

A) an organized chemical system.
B) specialized molecules.
C) a nucleus.
D) a membrane.
E) an organized chemical system and specialized molecules surrounded by a membrane.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

All the populations of different organisms that live in the same place form a(n) ____.

A) ecosystem
B) community
C) biosphere
D) organ
E) population

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Living organisms must gather energy and materials from their surroundings to ____.

A) build new biochemicals
B) grow
C) maintain and repair their parts
D) produce offspring
E) all of these

Question 5

A(n) ____ includes the community and the nonliving environmental factors with which it interacts.

A) community
B) biosphere
C) ecosystem
D) multicellular organism
E) earth

Question 6

Every population of animals has an age structure.The individuals that make up the population are all of a specific age, but individuals do not have an age structure.Age structure is an example of a(n) _____.

A) emergent property.
B) environmental property.
C) hierarchical property.
D) organizational property.
E) cellular property.

Question 7

As long as a cell has access to a usable energy source, has the necessary raw materials, and is in appropriate environmental conditions, the cell will:

A) survive and reproduce.
B) stay in stasis.
C) not be in homeostasis.
D) remain dormant.
E) no longer be emergent.

Question 8

The difference between living and nonliving matter depends not only on the kinds of atoms and molecules present, it also depends on ____.

A) their electrons
B) their chemical interactions
C) their compounds
D) their organization and interactions
E) their chemical complexity

Question 9

The most fundamental and important molecule that distinguishes living systems from nonliving matter is ____.

A) DNA
B) deoxyribonucleic acid
C) glucose
D) fructose
E) a and b only

Question 10

____ contain DNA, but are not considered to be alive because they cannot reproduce independently of their host.

A) Prions
B) Eukaryotes
C) Prokaryotes
D) Viruses
E) Cells

Question 11

It is through ____ that we further our knowledge of living things.

A) ideologies
B) biological research
C) philosophy
D) ethics
E) logic

Question 12

Emergent properties are

A) characteristics of nonliving matter.
B) exclusive to atoms but not molecules.
C) neither exclusive to molecules nor compounds.
D) characteristics that depend on the level of organization of matter but do not exist at lower levels of organization.
E) exclusive to multicellular organisms.

Question 13

The information in DNA is copied into molecules of ____.

A) lipid
B) carbohydrates
C) hydrogen peroxide
D) oxygen
E) RNA

Question 14

Destruction of forest ecosystems in Brazil affects the amount of CO₂ taken up from the atmosphere.In consequence, altered levels of atmospheric CO₂ may affect the climate in the American midwest.A person who studies these types of interactions would probably be called a(n) _____.

A) biosphere biologist
B) community biologist
C) ecosystem biologist
D) physiological ecologist
E) population biologist

Question 15

Bacteria and protozoans are ____.

A) multicellular organisms
B) unicellular organisms
C) both unicellular and multicellular organisms
D) the sole organisms of the oceans
E) precursors to cells

Question 16

The science of ____ explains the origin of life, the persistence of life, and studies the changes in living things.

A) nanotechnology
B) mathematics
C) biology
D) chemistry
E) pharmacology

Question 17

The highest level of the hierarchy of life is the ____.

A) population
B) biosphere
C) ecosystem
D) multicellular organism
E) cell

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a logical hierarchy of biological organization?

A) cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms
B) family, order, class, phylum, kingdom
C) cells, molecules, organelles, tissues, systems
D) molecules, cells, tissues, organ systems, populations
E) organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biosphere

Question 19

A group of organisms of the same species that live together in the same place make up a(n) ____.

A) cell
B) ecosystem
C) tissue
D) population
E) biosphere

Question 20

The lowest level of biological organization that can survive and reproduce is the ____.

A) proton
B) DNA
C) nucleus
D) tissue
E) cell

Question 21

Our understanding of the evolutionary process reveals that:

A) all organisms change through time.
B) all populations are related through a shared ancestry.
C) evolution has produced the spectacular diversity of life on Earth.
D) development has produced the spectacular diversity of life on Earth.
E) all organisms change through time and all populations are related through a shared ancestry

Question 22

Mutations

A) can be beneficial.
B) can be harmful.
C) can be neutral.
D) can be beneficial, harmful or neutral.
E) can evolve within an individual.

Question 23

Living systems have the capacity to detect environmental changes and compensate for them through controlled responses.This is possible because living systems have ____.

A) diverse and varied receptors
B) nerves
C) photoreceptors
D) hormones
E) sensitivity

Question 24

Adaptations

A) are characteristics that arise during an organism's lifetime and that help an organism survive longer or reproduce more.
B) occur primarily in the form of useful molecules.
C) are characteristics that arise via natural selection and that help an organism survive longer or reproduce more.
D) are characteristics that mainly enhance feeding.
E) are characteristics that arise during an organism's lifetime and that help an organism survive longer or reproduce more and are characteristics that arise via natural selection and that help an organism survive longer or reproduce more.

Question 25

The sequential stages through which individuals develop, grow, maintain themselves, and reproduce are known as the ____.

A) life cycle
B) transformation
C) catabolic reactions
D) anabolic reactions
E) central dogma

Question 26

While running on a treadmill, your heart rate will increase and your breathing will be deeper and more rapid.Among other things, this helps ensure that your muscles get adequate supplies of O₂ as you exercise.These changes are the result of _____.

A) compensatory mechanisms
B) developmental mechanisms
C) emergent properties
D) homeostatic mechanisms
E) multicellularity

Question 27

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are examples of ____.

A) anabolism
B) catabolism
C) synthesis
D) metabolism
E) cleavage

Question 28

A series of programmed changes encoded in DNA, through which a fertilized egg divides into many cells that ultimately are transformed into an adult organism, is known as ____.

A) inheritance
B) compensation
C) homeostasis
D) transformation
E) development

Question 29

Populations of all organisms change from one generation to the next because their DNA changes over time.This is known as:

A) artificial selection.
B) biological evolution.
C) natural selection.
D) artificial selection and natural selection only
E) developmental selection.

Question 30

Why have scientists developed classification systems?

A) To arrange living and dead organisms into groups reflecting their relationships and evolutionary origins.
B) To make sense of the past and present diversity of life on Earth.
C) To help scientists distinguish two different groups of organisms with the same common name.
D) To arrange living and dead organisms into groups that reflect their relationships and evolutionary origins and to make sense of the past and present diversity of life on Earth.
E) To arrange living and dead organisms into groups that reflect their relationships and evolutionary origins, to make sense of the past and present diversity of life on Earth, and to help scientists distinguish two different groups of organisms with the same common name.

Question 31

DNA is

A) composed of protein and lipid subunits.
B) organized into functional units called genes.
C) organized into functional units called chromosomes.
D) organized into functional units called ribosomes.
E) organized from information contained in proteins.

Question 32

In the mid-nineteenth century Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace observed many organisms.Based on these observations they arrived to an explanation on how populations change through time.They termed it:

A) evolution.
B) natural selection.
C) creationism.
D) natural evolution.
E) genetics.

Question 33

Cryptic coloration means

A) males and females look different.
B) blending with the background.
C) camouflage.
D) standing out against a background.
E) blending with the background and camouflage

Question 34

The process by which parents produce offspring is called:

A) reproduction.
B) homeostasis.
C) compensation.
D) feeding.
E) artificial selection.

Question 35

Mutations

A) are the basis of variability among individuals.
B) are the basis of homogeneity in a population.
C) are always bad for populations.
D) are always good for populations.
E) are always harmful for individuals.

Question 36

Inheritance

A) is the process by which genetic information is transmitted to offspring.
B) occurs only in animals.
C) is a process by which proteins are transmitted to offspring.
D) is not a biological process.
E) is the process by which genetic information is transmitted to offspring and occurs only in animals

Question 37

What molecule carries out most of the activities of life, including the synthesis of all other biological molecules?

A) carbohydrate
B) lipid
C) protein
D) nucleic acid
E) carbon

Question 38

Biological evolution according to Darwin and Wallace states that

A) organisms produce numerous offspring, but environmental factors limit the number of reproducing survivors.
B) heritable variations allow some individuals to outcompete others.
C) the offspring of successful individuals inherit the favorable characteristics of their parents.
D) a and b
E) a, b, and c

Question 39

Metabolism describes the ability of a cell or organism to:

A) extract energy from its surroundings.
B) maintain itself.
C) grow.
D) reproduce.
E) all of these

Question 40

Maintaining your body's internal temperature within narrow tolerable range is one example of:

A) sebaceous glands working to lower your body temperature.
B) stasis.
C) homeostasis.
D) compensation.
E) hydrolysis.

Question 41

Which of the following pairs would be classified as prokaryotes?

A) Animalia and Plantae
B) Bacteria and Archaea
C) Fungi and Plantae
D) Bacteria, Archaea and Fungi
E) Fungi, Plantae and Animalia

Question 42

Shitake mushrooms are decomposers that break down biological molecules from dead organisms.These organisms belong to the ____ kingdom.

A) Plantae
B) Fungi
C) Animalia
D) "Protist"
E) Bacteria

Question 43

A group of similar species that share the most recent common ancestry is a(n) ____.

A) kingdom
B) class
C) order
D) genus
E) species

Question 44

A student encounters an organism that resembles a plant and whose cells contain a nucleus.The organism is most likely classified as a(n) ____.

A) Bacteria
B) Archaea
C) Eukarya
D) Animalia
E) Amoeba

Question 45

This kingdom includes the algae that are used to make sushi rolls.

A) Plantae
B) Fungi
C) Animalia
D) "Protist"
E) Bacteria

Question 46

A researcher in a lab finds a microscopic organism that has no nucleus, but has distinctive structural molecules and mechanisms of photosynthesis.The organisms are abundant in virtually every habitat on Earth.The researcher has identified an organism belonging to the domain ____.

A) Bacteria
B) "Protist"
C) Eukarya
D) Animalia
E) Amoeba

Question 47

The group that is the most inclusive and has recently been added to the classification scheme is ____.

A) kingdom
B) protista
C) eukarya
D) domain
E) eukarya and domain

Question 48

The pages of your textbook consist mainly of material made by multicellular, photosynthetic organisms that function as producers in ecosystems.These organisms belong to the kingdom ____.

A) Plantae
B) Fungi
C) Animalia
D) "Protist"
E) Bacteria

Question 49

The observations you make and experimental data you collect in your biology laboratory class are examples of:

A) statistical analysis.
B) hypothesis building.
C) biological dogma.
D) model systems.
E) biological research.

Question 50

A randomly selected group of organisms from a family would show more genetic and anatomical variability than a similar group randomly picked from a _____.

A) class
B) genus
C) order
D) phylum
E) kingdom

Question 51

Use the figure above for the following question(s).
In the illustration, which group is the least inclusive?

A) Canis familiaris
B) Animalia
C) Chordata
D) Mammalia
E) Canidae

Question 52

Use the figure above for the following question(s).
Which of the following represents a kingdom?

A) Animalia
B) Chordata
C) Canis
D) Canidae
E) Mammalia

Question 53

A cell that is observed under the microscope is found to have its DNA enclosed in a nucleus, and has other specialized internal compartments.The cell is a(n) ____.

A) prokaryote
B) bacterium
C) eukaryote
D) E.coli
E) P.aureus

Question 54

Scientific names

A) are always written in all capital letters and in italics.
B) are always written in italics in lower case.
C) are always written in lower case and underlined.
D) are always written in italics with both genus and species capitalized.
E) are always written in italics with only the genus capitalized.

Question 55

The most fundamental grouping in the classification of living organisms is the _____.

A) class
B) genus
C) family
D) order
E) species

Question 56

Cats, dogs, and fish are consumers that have the ability to move actively from one place to another.These organisms belong to the ____ kingdom.

A) Plantae
B) Fungi
C) Animalia
D) "Protist"
E) Bacteria

Question 57

A researcher in a lab finds a microscopic organism that is a producer.The organisms are found in extreme environments (i.e., hot springs).The researcher has identified an organism belonging to the domain ____.

A) Bacteria
B) Archaea
C) Eukarya
D) Animalia
E) Amoeba

Question 58

The scientific name of an organism is composed of two names.The first part identifies the ____ while the second part designates the ____.

A) genus; species
B) species; genus
C) genera; genus
D) phylum; species
E) family; genus

Question 59

Use the figure above for the following question(s).
In the illustration, which group is the most inclusive group?

A) Canis familiaris
B) Animalia
C) Chordata
D) Mammalia
E) Eukarya

Question 60

A group of organisms in which the individuals are so closely related in structure, biochemistry, and behavior that they can successfully interbreed is a(n) ____.

A) kingdom
B) class
C) order
D) species
E) genus

Question 61

Applied researchers conduct their work to:

A) solve specific practical problems.
B) solve any problem they face.
C) answer all questions.
D) advance our collective knowledge of living systems.
E) prove hypotheses.

Question 62

When conducting descriptive research, a scientist primarily uses:

A) control data.
B) data.
C) experiments.
D) observational data.
E) experimental data.

Question 63

Temperatures in all animal species are regulated primarily by behavioral mechanisms.

Question 64

If a biologist searches for explanations about natural phenomena solely to satisfy his or her curiosity and advance our collective knowledge of living systems, then, this researcher is a(n):

A) applied researcher.
B) basic researcher.
C) general researcher.
D) simple researcher.
E) scientist.

Question 65

What are the contributions of Beadle, Tatum, Watson, and Crick to biology? What techniques did they use to revolutionize biological science?

Question 66

Why do scientists use model organisms?

Question 67

An approach in which scientists make observations about the natural world, develop tentative explanations about what they observe, and then test those explanations by collecting more information is referred to as ____.

A) science
B) education
C) the scientific method
D) the method
E) the biological method

Question 68

If a researcher collects basic information on biological structures or the details of biological processes, then the researcher's approach is considered to be:

A) science.
B) scientific.
C) descriptive science.
D) not scientific.
E) science and scientific only

Question 69

You are at a stage in your research in which you must design an experiment to test your hypothesis.What factors must you include to insure that your experimental data is good valid data?

Question 70

Populations can be described in terms of their diversity and stability

Question 71

Explain the need for a null hypothesis, especially in ecology and evolution.What does a null hypothesis accomplish?

Question 72

Hypotheses that are falsifiable fall within the realm of:

A) science.
B) history.
C) not science.
D) philosophy.
E) English.

Question 73

Protists do not constitute a kingdom because they do not share a unique common ancestor.

Question 74

Scientific theories are of fundamental importance in science.Explain the difference between the term "theory" as employed in science versus "theory" as employed in everyday language.

Question 75

The example of an adaptation provided by the rock pocket mice illustrates the observation that genetic differences often develop between individuals.

Question 76

When a student manipulates a system under study, he or she is collecting:

A) empirical data.
B) experimental data.
C) observational data.
D) data.
E) facts.

Question 77

Although Darwin and Wallace understood the central importance of heritability among organisms to the process of evolution, they could not explain how new variations arose or how they were passed to the next generation.

Question 78

Much of our understanding of how large organisms respond to environmental variation is based on using model species.

Question 79

If the results of a set of experiments match predictions, the hypothesis must be rejected or revised.

Question 80

You are studying an ecosystem in your campus; after a solid base of carefully observed and described facts, your next step would be to:

A) make more observations.
B) share your data with others.
C) design an experiment.
D) wait for instructions.
E) make a hypothesis.