Chapter 12 - 13

Who among the following helped launch the scientific revolution by claiming that the sun, rather than the Earth, is the center of the universe?

• Francis Bacon

• Thomas Kuhn

• Nicolaus Copernicus

• Albert Einstein

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

• Keeping a dream journal

• Modus ponens

• Careful Reflection

• The empirical method

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

• There are objects that must be studied.

• The physical world can be studied without bias on the part of scientists.

• The Earth is the center of the universe.

• The material universe is basically unpredictable.

Which of the following does science attempt to explain?

• Measurable facts

• Untestable explanations

• Subjective reality

• Assumptions

Which of the following positions has been adopted by most scientists and Western philosophers?

• Science always trumps religion when there is a conflict.

• Religion always trumps science when there is a conflict.

• Science and religion operate in two separate and mutually exclusive realities.

• Science and religion are concerned with the same reality and are compatible and complementary.

Which of the following is the first step of the scientific method?

• Developing a hypothesis

• Identifying a problem

• Testing a hypothesis

• Gathering information about a problem

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

• A hypothesis

• An observation

• An experiment

• A formal fallacy

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

• Observations must be made without the aid of instruments.

• Observations should, in general, be guided by hypotheses.

• Observations cannot be trusted because we can never be sure that we are not dreaming.

• Measuring devices cannot supplement direct observation.

Which of the following is true of a good hypothesis?

• It is unrelated to the studied problem.

• It cannot possibly be refuted even by the most careful observations.

• It is consistent with well-established theories.

• It cannot guide observation.

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

• Statistics

• A research program

• Experimentation

• Telepathy