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1 | | Which statement best describes scientists?
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| | A) | Scientists prefer to work alone and not to be associated with large groups of people. |
| | B) | Most scientists work for the federal government. |
| | C) | Scientists are like most people, having a wide range of interests and enjoying many types of work environments. |
| | D) | Scientists are mainly interested in applied research that leads to new consumer products. |
| | E) | Scientists are not influenced by personal or religious beliefs in the way that most people are. |
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2 | | In what way was the science of primitive people like the science of today?
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| | A) | Primitive people kept detailed records of discoveries made about the natural world. |
| | B) | Primitive people used the knowledge they had to understand their world in ways that made sense to them, much as we do today. |
| | C) | Primitive people did not let fear or superstition influence their thinking about the natural world. |
| | D) | Primitive people understood that Earth was a slowly evolving planet. |
| | E) | The beliefs of primitive people were influenced more by reasoning than by emotions. |
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3 | | Which of the following beliefs is characteristic of the science of Aristotle?
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| | A) | The heavens are in a fixed location above Earth. |
| | B) | All motion takes place along curving lines. |
| | C) | There are many elements that make up the world. |
| | D) | The Sun is at the center of the universe. |
| | E) | Evolution of life forms does not occur. |
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4 | | What is the most important advance in scientific thinking that occurred during the Renaissance?
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| | A) | a move away from the idea that all objects in nature are made up of combinations of elements |
| | B) | a move away from the idea that the universe centers on Earth and nature centers on human beings |
| | C) | a new understanding that human beings may be biologically related to many other species |
| | D) | a realization that Earth may not be flat as many people believed |
| | E) | a realization that the Moon contains land formations similar to land formations found on Earth |
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5 | | What role should personal beliefs play in the study of science?
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| | A) | Personal beliefs should focus on those questions for which science cannot provide an answer. These are mainly religious questions and questions relating to personal values. |
| | B) | Personal beliefs should be valued more highly than scientific discoveries. |
| | C) | Personal beliefs have no place in science. |
| | D) | Personal beliefs are always incorrect concerning scientific discoveries. |
| | E) | Personal beliefs can be proved to be correct or incorrect by doing scientific experiments. |
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6 | | As a scientific word, what is the best definition of the term evolution?
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| | A) | a slow rise in Earth's temperature |
| | B) | the slow loss of Earth's atmosphere into space |
| | C) | a slow change over time brought about by natural processes |
| | D) | the pattern of growth where the young of a species mature over time into adults |
| | E) | the idea that life originated on another planet, such as Mars, and was brought to Earth by an impacting asteroid |
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7 | | Which statement most accurately reflects the view that scientists have today regarding the structure of matter?
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| | A) | All matter is composed of the four elements mentioned by Aristotle: earth, fire, air, and water. |
| | B) | All matter is composed of one type of atom, and different materials simply have different numbers of atoms. |
| | C) | Living matter is chemically different than nonliving matter. |
| | D) | All matter is composed of a limited number of elements, where each element is a group of similar atoms. |
| | E) | All matter is composed of atoms that change over time. |
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8 | | In what process is DNA involved?
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| | A) | volcanic eruptions |
| | B) | earthquakes |
| | C) | chemical reaction rates |
| | D) | motion of planets |
| | E) | heredity |
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