Biology 1.2 - How Scientists Work

The term spontaneous generation means that

• living things can arise form nonliving matter.
• living things arise from other living things.
• a maggot is part of the life cycle of a fly.
• living things evolve over time. 

Which of the following statements about a controlled experiment is true?

• All the variables must be kept the same.
• Only one variable is tested at a time.
• Scientists always use controlled experiments.
• Controlled experiments cannot be performed on living things. 

A scientific theory is 

• another word for hypothesis.
• a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.
• the same as the conclusion of an experiment. 
• the first step in a controlled experiment. 

A researcher investigated two groups of fruit flies. Population A was kept in a 0.5 liter container. Population B was kept in a 1 liter container. The manipulated variable was what?

• number of flies.
• number of groups studied.
• time in days.
• size of containers. 

Which of the following is a logical inference based on the contents of the graph?

• The flies in Group B were healthier than those in Group A.
• A fly population with more available space will grow larger than a population with less space. 
• If Group B were observed for 40 more days, the size of the population would double.
• In 40 more days, the sizes of both populations would decrease at teh same rate. 

Which describes this statement, "the frog is 4 cm long"?

• quantitative data
• inference
• control group
• qualitative data

Which is a testable explanation?

• dependent variable
• independent variable
• hypothesis
• observation

Many scientific discoveries begin with direct observations. Which could be a direct observation?

• Ants communicate by airborne chemicals.
• Birds navigate by using magnetic fields.
• Butterflies eat nectar from flowers.
• Fish feel vibrations through special sensors. 

Which is a scientific explanation of a natural phenomenon supported by many observations and experiments?

• factor
• hypothesis
• result
• theory

If science can be characterized as discovery, then technology can be characterized as which?

• application
• information
• manufacturing
• reasoning