Deck 12: Science

Question 1

Which of the following is true of observations according to science?

A) Observations must be made without the aid of instruments.
B) Observation should, in general, be guided by hypotheses.
C) Observations cannot be trusted because we can never be sure that we are not dreaming.
D) Measuring devices cannot supplement direct observation.

Answer 1

B
Explanation: Observations are used chiefly to confirm (or disconfirm) hypotheses; what observations should be made is often determined by what hypothesis is being tested. Observations do not always need be made directly by human beings. Instruments such as telescopes, barometers, and tape recorders can be used to aid in making observations.

Question 2

Which of the following in an experiment is a variable that is manipulated by the experimenter?

A) independent variable
B) dependent variable
C) coextensive variable
D) objective variable

Answer 2

A
Explanation: Experimenters manipulate independent variables in order to see how this manipulation affects the dependent variable. For example, an experimenter may alter the dosage of an experimental medication (the independent variable) in order to see what its effects are on patients (the dependent variable).

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the assumption of science called unity?

A) The physical world is predictable.
B) Only physical objects exist.
C) The world possesses a unified dynamic structure.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 3

C
Explanation: Unity is the assumption that the physical world possesses an underlying unity. That is, the world can be explained in terms of scientific laws that apply at all times and places. It is commonly believed that the world is predictable because it is unified. In other words, the assumption known as predictability is explained in terms of unity.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes experimental material?

A) a variable that is not accounted for by the experimental design
B) the set of objects studied in an experiment
C) a randomly assigned condition that serves as the independent variable of an experiment
D) clothing worn by an experimenter that has not yet been approved by the FDA

Question 5

Which of the following is true of a good hypothesis?

A) It is simple.
B) It is testable.
C) It can be used to make predictions.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 6

Which of the following is true of a good hypothesis?

A) It is unrelated to the studied problem.
B) It cannot possibly be refuted even by the most careful observations.
C) It is consistent with well-established theories.
D) It cannot guide observation.

Question 7

Which of the following best describes pseudoscience?

A) attempts at explanation based on observation and testing
B) a method of collecting data without using instruments such as telescopes and barometers
C) attempts at explanation based chiefly on unverifiable claims and emotional appeals
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 8

Which of the following is one of the basic steps of the scientific method?

A) Consult a religious text.
B) Identify the problem.
C) Ignore conflicting information.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 9

Taking objectivity as their ideal,scientists strive to do which of the following?

A) to use precise language
B) to make careful and objective observations
C) to be aware of their biases
D) All of these answers are correct

Question 10

Which of the following is a proposed explanation for a particular set of phenomena?

A) a hypothesis
B) an observation
C) an experiment
D) a formal fallacy

Question 11

Measurements in an experiment are considered reliable when they meet which of the following conditions?

A) The measurements are inconsistent with each other over a long period of time.
B) The measurements are consistent no matter who does the measuring.
C) The measurements are precise to the nearest nanogram.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 12

Which of the following is the attitude of most scientists?

A) When science and religion conflict, we should side with science.
B) When science and religion conflict, we should side with religion.
C) Science and religion cannot conflict since they both describe the same reality.
D) Science and religion cannot conflict because they are concerned with different aspects of reality.

Question 13

Science attempts to explain which of the following?

A) measurable facts
B) untestable explanations
C) spiritual forces
D) hypotheses

Question 14

Which of the following best describes the assumption of modern science called objectivity?

A) There are objects that must be studied.
B) The physical world can be studied without bias on the part of scientists.
C) The Earth is the center of the universe.
D) The material universe is basically unpredictable.

Question 15

Which of the following helped launch the scientific revolution by claiming that the Sun,rather than the Earth,is the center of the universe?

A) Francis Bacon
B) Thomas Kuhn
C) Nicolaus Copernicus
D) Albert Einstein

Question 16

Belief in a nonmaterial or spiritual realm in addition to a physical realm is known as which of the following?

A) idealism
B) monism
C) materialism
D) dualism

Question 17

Francis Bacon systematized scientific method.

Question 18

Which of the following methods do scientists consider the only reliable one for obtaining knowledge?

A) keeping a dream journal
B) modus ponens
C) careful reflection
D) the empirical method

Question 19

Which of the following is an approach to scientific research that is carried out in controlled (or partially controlled)conditions and involves statistical reasoning?

A) statistics
B) research program
C) experimentation
D) telepathy

Question 20

Which of the following is an advantage of field experiments over experiments conducted in a laboratory?

A) Field experiments are typically easier to control than experiments in a laboratory.
B) Field experiments better allow the experimenter to precisely determine if there is a causal relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
C) Field experiments can better replicate natural conditions.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 21

Science is not based on a worldview or set of assumptions.

Question 22

A placebo is a substance that has no significant therapeutic effect.

Question 23

Science can prove claims beyond all possible doubt.

Question 24

Francis Bacon is the author of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

Question 25

Scientific problems can only initially be identified by scientists.

Question 26

The testing of hypotheses always occurs in tightly controlled conditions such as laboratories.

Question 27

Some scientific observations are indirect.

Question 28

A good experiment is replicable.

Question 29

Perfect objectivity is obtainable in science.

Question 30

A paradigm shift may take a long time to be fully completed.

Question 31

Some experimental designs are unethical.

Question 32

In science,the collection of data is always an ongoing process.

Question 33

A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis of many experiments concerning similar subject matters.

Question 34

The existence of the physical world can be proven by science.

Question 35

A scientific paradigm is an accepted view of the world and how it should be studied.

Question 36

All scientists have equal confidence in field experiments.

Question 37

Experiments must always have both a control group and an experimental group.

Question 38

The confidence level in an experimental result decreases as the margin of error decreases.