A researcher wants to know how effective a new suntan lotion is at preventing skin cancer caused by UV radiation.She uses mice as test subjects to model the effects on humans.Which of the following is the best control for this experiment?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best control for this experiment would be to have a group of mice (control group) that do not receive any suntan lotion, while the test group receives the new suntan lotion. This will allow the researcher to compare the incidence of skin cancer between the two groups and determine whether the suntan lotion is effective at preventing skin cancer caused by UV radiation. The other options do not serve as appropriate controls:

A) Shading mice during the experiment is not an appropriate control for evaluating the effectiveness of a suntan lotion against UV radiation.

B) Exposing the test group to twice as much UV radiation could confound the results, making it hard to determine whether the suntan is effective or not.

D) Using mice from a genetic line that increases their susceptibility to UV radiation would not be a good control because it would not represent the general population.

E) Providing lotion in the drinking water to the control group would not be an appropriate control because it would be difficult to control the amount of lotion each mouse consumes, and it could also affect the behavior of the mice.

A Researcher Wants to Know How Effective a New Suntan