Question 1

The first step in the scientific method is&#8230;&#10;A) Observe&#10;B) Derive a test implication or prediction&#10;C) Identify the problem or pose a question&#10;D) Perform a test

Accepted Answer

The first step in the scientific method involves identifying the problem or posing a question that the researcher seeks to answer. This step sets the direction for the research and subsequent steps in the scientific method.

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 specific outcome should follow, and if that outcome does not occur, the initial premise is false.

Question 3

A clinical trial without a control group is generally&#8230;&#10;A) Unreliable&#10;B) Reliable&#10;C) Replicated&#10;D) Confirmed

Accepted Answer

Clinical trials without a control group are generally considered unreliable because there is no baseline or comparison group to determine whether the observed effects are due to the intervention or other factors.

Question 4

Science is distinct from technology because unlike technology, science&#8230;&#10;A) Is a specific worldview&#10;B) Has no particular methodology&#10;C) Is a way of searching for truth&#10;D) Is irrelevant to the practical concerns of life

Accepted Answer

Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe, essentially searching for truth. Technology, on the other hand, applies scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

Question 5

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 its correctness, or that a lack of evidence for a position is proof of its incorrectness. In this context, jumping to a nonnatural explanation because there is no current natural explanation falls under 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.

Question 6

A nonintervention study is also known as a&#8230;&#10;A) Noninvasive study&#10;B) Population study&#10;C) Group study&#10;D) Double-blind trial

Accepted Answer

A nonintervention study, also known as a population study, observes populations or groups without manipulating the study environment or applying specific treatments. It contrasts with experimental studies where the researcher intervenes or manipulates variables.

Question 7

According to actively publishing climate scientists, climate change is best explained by&#8230;&#10;A) The Earth's natural cycles of warming and cooling&#10;B) Human activity&#10;C) Surges in the sun's energy&#10;D) Volcanic eruptions

Accepted Answer

The overwhelming consensus among climate scientists is that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, are the primary drivers of recent climate change.

Question 8

Reasoning for the purpose of supporting a predetermined conclusion, rather than for the purpose of uncovering the truth is known as&#8230;&#10;A) Confirmation bias&#10;B) Fallacious reasoning&#10;C) Motivated reasoning&#10;D) Scientism

Accepted Answer

Motivated reasoning is the process where people form conclusions that are desirable to them, ignoring contrary evidence or finding justifications to support their preconceived notions, rather than seeking the truth objectively.

Question 9

The scientific method cannot be identified with any particular set of experimental or observational&#8230;&#10;A) Parameters&#10;B) Goals&#10;C) Formulas&#10;D) Procedures

Accepted Answer

The scientific method is a flexible guide for conducting research and experimentation, rather than a strict set of procedures. It allows for various approaches depending on the nature of the research question, making it adaptable to different fields and situations.

Question 10

If something violates a law of science, it is &#8230;&#10;A) Physically possible&#10;B) Experimentally possible&#10;C) Physically impossible&#10;D) Technically possible

Accepted Answer

If something violates a law of science, it is considered physically impossible because it cannot occur within the bounds of known physical laws.

Question 11

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 12

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 13

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 14

Something is logically impossible if&#8230;&#10;A) It violates a law of science&#10;B) It violates a principle of logic&#10;C) It cannot be tested&#10;D) It is difficult to understand

Accepted Answer

The answer of Something is logically impossible if&#8230;&#10;A) It violates...

Question 15

The best theory to explain the performances of psychics who claim to speak to spirits of the dead is&#8230;&#10;A) Blind reading&#10;B) Cold reading&#10;C) Electromagnetism&#10;D) Slight of hand

Accepted Answer

The answer of The best theory to explain the performances...

Question 16

The worst fault of the theory that global warming is caused by natural cycles of warming and cooling is that it falls short on the criterion of&#8230;&#10;A) Scope&#10;B) Testability&#10;C) Simplicity&#10;D) Conservatism

Accepted Answer

The answer of The worst fault of the theory that...

Question 17

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 18

Why is science such a reliable way to acquire knowledge?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is science such a reliable way...

Question 19

Why do scientists derive test implications from hypotheses?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why do scientists derive test implications from...

Question 20

What conditional arguments are used in the testing of hypotheses?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What conditional arguments are used in the...

Question 21

What is the difference between physical impossibility and logical possible?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the difference between physical impossibility...

Deck 11: Judging Scientific Theories