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Life, 4/e

Ricki Lewis, University of New York at Albany
Mariëlle Hoefnagels, University of Oklahoma
Douglas Gaffin, University of Oklahoma
Bruce Parker, Utah Valley State College

What is Life?

Chapter Quiz


1	One of these is not a characteristic of living things. Choose that trait.
		A)	organization
		B)	ability to think
		C)	maintenance of internal constancy
		D)	response to the environment


2	Presently, humans define death by ____________.
		A)	the point at which breathing stops
		B)	no discernible heartbeat
		C)	lack of brain activity
		D)	no pulse in the extremities


3	True or false. At most levels, and in all but certain types of organisms, structure is closely related to function.
		A)	True
		B)	False


4	Which of the following statements best describes “emergent properties”?
		A)	The properties of individual molecules which perform a specific chemical function.
		B)	The interactions of groups of molecules that allows specific functions to occur within the cell.
		C)	The magical interaction of molecules in water.
		D)	All of these statements are examples of “emergent properties”.


5	True or false. Living organisms require some form of energy in order to survive, reproduce, and maintain their cellular organization.
		A)	True
		B)	False


6	Organisms that obtain their energy by eating other organisms, living or dead, are called _____________.
		A)	producers
		B)	consumers
		C)	decomposers
		D)	Both “B” and “C” are correct.


7	True or false. Homeostasis is defined as the maintenance of the cell’s external environment such that optimal growth and acquisition of food (the processes of life) can occur.
		A)	True
		B)	False


8	The accumulation of adaptive traits in a population of individuals is a result of ____________.
		A)	evolution
		B)	irritability
		C)	natural selection
		D)	reproduction


9	All of the organisms found on earth, regardless of the strange and exotic places in which they are found, comprise the earth’s ____________.
		A)	biodiversity
		B)	ecosystem
		C)	biosphere
		D)	population


10	The term “Eukarya” refers to the ______________ to which numerous organisms belong.
		A)	kingdom
		B)	phylum
		C)	domain
		D)	genus


11	True or false. DNA’s ability to mutate provides the variation upon which natural selection may act.
		A)	True
		B)	False


12	What is a “theory” in biology?
		A)	an educated guess
		B)	similar to a hypothesis
		C)	a systematically-organized body of knowledge that applies to a variety of situations
		D)	the usual conclusion of an experiment


13	The process of answering questions through observation, reasoning, prediction, and testing is called ______________?
		A)	the scientific method
		B)	hypothesis testing
		C)	experimentation
		D)	science


14	Which of the following lists correctly outlines the cycle of inquiry?
		A)	observation, interpretation, experimentation, hypothesis, conclusions
		B)	observation, hypothesis, experimentation, interpretation, conclusions
		C)	experimentation, observation, interpretation, hypothesis, conclusions
		D)	experimentation, hypothesis, observation, conclusions, interpretation


15	True or false. A hypothesis is always set up as a non-testable statement.
		A)	True
		B)	False


16	True or false. It is true that an experiment can disprove the hypothesis but can never prove it.
		A)	True
		B)	False


17	True or false. It is always feasible to have a large sample from which to draw data.
		A)	True
		B)	False


18	In most experiments, scientists only want to test the effect of one factor (variable) at a time. In order to have a result with which to compare the effects of a treatment, it is necessary to have a experimental _________________.
		A)	treatment
		B)	hypothesis
		C)	design
		D)	control


19	The term used to describe an experimental control used in medicinal trials in which the test drug is replaced by an inactive substance is called a __________.
		A)	placebo
		B)	variable
		C)	fraud
		D)	sugar pill


20	An experimental trial in which neither researchers nor subjects know whether the test substance is real or is a placebo is called __________.
		A)	an experimental variable
		B)	double blind
		C)	an experimental control
		D)	random


21	True or false. Scientific discoveries do not depend on our willingness to accept unusual ideas.
		A)	True
		B)	False

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