Q&A Hero

Q: A unifying principle of biology states that there is a gradual modification of populations of living things over time that sometimes results in new species. This principle is called ________.

Q: A set of disciplines that focuses on varying aspects of the living world falls under the category of ________.

Q: The scientist who demonstrated that the Earth moves around the sun was ________.

Q: In terms of the hierarchical organization of life, a bacterium is at the ________ level of organization, and a human is at the ________ level of organization.

Q: All of the kinds of living things in a given area are called a ________.

Q: A hypothesis must be supported by evidence.

Q: A theory must be supported by evidence.

Q: The experiments of Louis Pasteur to disprove spontaneous generation illustrate the process of the scientific method.

Q: Observation of a natural event by more than one human or scientific instrument is the basis of the scientific method.

Q: It doesn't matter whether a hypothesis is correct when it is first stated.

Q: Goats can be cloned to provide us with human medicines.

Q: Most U.S.-grown corn is genetically modified.

Q: Evolution allows us to explain: A) only the origin of life. B) only the unity of life. C) only the diversity of life. D) both the diversity of life and how all living things are related.

Q: Imagine you're a biology instructor lecturing to a group of students interested in ecology, the branch of biology that studies interactions between organisms and their environments. The students complain bitterly that they're not interested in atoms and molecules because these are irrelevant to their interests. As a responsible instructor aiming to provide a complete and meaningful education, you would state: A) "You need to study atoms and molecules because the organization of life is hierarchical; this implies that, to understand the complex (ecology), you first need to understand the simpler underlying levels." B) "You need to study atoms and molecules because life exists at the level of the atom." C) "You need to study atoms and molecules because they're important for many things." D) "You need to study atoms and molecules because all biologists, regardless of their specific interests, should know about them." E) "You need to study atoms and molecules because it's in the book."

Q: Biology developed as a science later than physics because: A) biology is less complex than physics. B) it is more difficult to come up with ways of describing nature. C) biologists had to invent rules of the living world before they could describe the forms. D) the living world is tremendously diverse compared to the non-living world.

Q: Which of the following is an example of how living things assimilate energy? A) blinking at a bright light B) producing a new generation of offspring C) eating a meal D) solving a mathematics problem

Q: What is the difference between a tissue and an organ system? A) Tissues are composed of organ systems. B) Tissues are not composed of cells, but organ systems are composed of cells. C) A tissue cannot exist unless it is part of an organ system, but an organ system can exist independently of tissues. D) An organ system includes tissues.

Q: Tissues are grouped together in functional units called: A) organelles. B) cells. C) organisms. D) organs.

Q: Organelles are: A) cells. B) organisms. C) a group of cells that serve a common function. D) like tiny organs within cells. E) proteins.

Q: Which of the following is the correct order of complexity, going from least to most complex? A) atom, molecule, organelle, cell, tissue, organ B) organ, tissue, cell, organelle, atom, molecule C) organ, tissue, cell, organelle, molecule, atom D) molecule, atom, organ, tissue, cell, organelle E) atom, molecule, organelle, cell, organ, tissue

Q: The liver releases glucose into the bloodstream if you don't eat for a long time. This represents an example of a characteristic possessed by all living things. Which is it? A) being composed of cells B) being able to reproduce C) possessing an inherited information base D) maintaining a relatively constant internal environment

Q: Living things inherit information from their parents encoded in: A) fats. B) atoms. C) proteins. D) DNA.

Q: A tree in your backyard is home to robins, squirrels, beetles, and lichens. Together all these organisms compose a/an: A) biosphere. B) organism. C) population. D) community. E) niche.

Q: Which of the following is the most complex level of organization? A) a heart B) a water molecule C) a rainforest D) the circulatory system

Q: The questions that can be answered by science are: A) limited by religious doctrine. B) without limit. C) limited by what can be investigated using the scientific method. D) limited by what is found in the living world. E) limited only by imagination.

Q: When Pasteur tested the hypothesis of spontaneous generation, he compared the ability of a sterilized growth medium (meat broth) to produce a population of bacteria in two different types of flasks. One had a simple neck open to the outside, and the other had a "goose neck" bend that also was open to the environment. Pasteur expected that bacteria would appear in the flask with the standard neck. In this experiment, the standard neck flask served as a/an: A) observation. B) variable. C) control. D) statistic. E) hypothesis.

Q: Which one of the following is true about scientific knowledge? A) Scientific knowledge is derived from careful thinking about the way things must work based on application of a few fundamental principles. B) When based on many experiments, scientific knowledge is absolutely true. C) Scientific knowledge is acquired though teachings passed on by great scientists. D) Scientific knowledge is not absolute, because the possibility is always held open that new experiments may one day prove it wrong. E) Scientific knowledge is derived from the strongest arguments made by the brightest scientists.

Q: If you flip the light switch in your living room and nothing happens, what might be a good hypothesis to explain the absence of light? A) Electricity sometimes flows backward in a wire, preventing the light from shining. B) The circuit breaker for the living room might be the "off" position. C) You might have made too many telephone calls this month, thereby reducing the amount of electricity in your lines. D) The air conditioner is also running upstairs, and it might be using all of the electricity available in your house at the moment.

Q: A good hypothesis must: A) be falsifiable. B) be false. C) be theoretical. D) lead to a question. E) be true.

Q: A scientific finding is believed to be true until new evidence arises. This view is referred to as: A) provisional assent. B) immutable laws. C) a theory. D) a supernatural explanation.

Q: Which scientist disproved the theory of spontaneous generation? A) Einstein B) Watson C) Pauling D) Crick E) Pasteur

Q: The difference between a theory and a hypothesis is that a: A) theory must be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. B) hypothesis must be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. C) hypothesis must be supported by evidence. D) theory must be supported by evidence.

Q: Which of the following is a theory? A) There is molecular and biochemical evidence that all organisms are related. B) Many people believe echinacea cures their colds. C) A boy finds a chipped rock he believes is an arrowhead. D) Many people claim that the Earth is only 6,000 years old.

Q: A scientific explanation that is tentative and testable is termed a/an: A) hypothesis. B) theory. C) fact. D) control. E) observation.

Q: We use the scientific method every day. Imagine your car doesn't start one morning before school. Which of these is a reasonable hypothesis regarding the problem? A) I'm going to be late. B) I'm out of gas. C) Check to see whether your lights were left on all night. D) Add a quart of oil.

Q: The role of a control in an experiment is to: A) prove a hypothesis is correct. B) ensure the experiment can be repeated. C) prove that a hypothesis is correct and ensure repeatability. D) provide a basis of comparison to an experimental group.

Q: Choose the answer that best describes the sequence of the scientific method. A) experiment, observation, hypothesis, conclusion B) hypothesis, experiment, observation, conclusion C) guess, hypothesis, experiment, conclusion D) observation, hypothesis, experiment, absolute fact E) observation, hypothesis, experiment, conclusion

Q: Which of the following is true? A) A scientific theory is a hunch about a natural event. B) A scientific fact and a scientific theory carry the same weight in the scientific community. C) A scientific theory explains what we know to this date about a natural event. D) A scientific theory is the final answer to a question about a natural event.

Q: Which of the following is at the root cause for all cancers? A) antibiotic resistance B) obesity C) the normal cell division process D) a breakdown of the cell division process

Q: Because scientists are in the business of investigating nature, scientists function as: A) society's eyes and ears on the natural world. B) political advisors. C) authorities on the natural world. D) protectors of the natural world.

Q: Science presents society with ________, about which society then makes decisions. A) values B) theories C) options D) worst-case scenarios

Q: What invention by Bell Labs in 1947 brought about modern electronics? A) the invention of software B) the invention of the transistor C) the invention of the CD D) the invention of the computer

Q: Use the events in the life cycle of Schistoma mansoni to propose two different strategies to reduce the incidence of snail fever.

Q: How are trypanosome diseases similar to malaria? How are they different than malaria?

Q: Why are systemic fungal infections seen only in a subset of the population, even though most people contact fungi and fungal spores in soil and dust all of the time? Contrast the epidemiology of systemic fungal infections with giardiasis, which infects virtually everyone that comes in contact with the pathogen.

Q: You and your friends are hiking the Appalachian trail in North Carolina. You run out of water and your friends want to fill up from a beautiful clear stream in the middle of the forest. What precautions should you take before drinking the water and why?

Q: Why do so many eukaryotic pathogens cause highly refractory and long-term chronic infections that are difficult to treat in contrast with prokaryotic pathogens?

Q: Fifteen high school students visited a local farm in central Wisconsin for a weekend where they enjoyed petting farm animals, riding horses, and campfire meals. With sanitation in mind, only one individual remembered to wash her hands with water pumped from a well after petting the animals before dinner. After two weeks of the girl passing out at random occasions, she was rushed into the emergency room where doctors determined she was severely dehydrated. Explain how it took direct observation of a fecal sample to solve this potential life-threatening disease and how this disease was treated in the otherwise healthy girl. Also mention any necessary precautions the individual should have taken after being diagnosed with the disease.

Q: With respect to their life cycles, how are fungal pathogens different than bacterial pathogens?

Q: How does insect ecology and the life cycle of Plasmodium impact the epidemiology and pathogenesis of classic malaria?

Q: Systemic fungal infections are difficult to treat because active antifungal drugs cause significant host toxicity.

Q: Parasitic helminths only cause very rare tropical diseases.

Q: Eukaryotic human parasites are ALL respiratory aerobes.

Q: Protists that produce spores are especially difficult to kill because they contain cell membranes that are resistant to common disinfecting chemicals.

Q: Giardia cysts are found in MOST surface water sources in the United States.

Q: MOST fungi are harmless to humans, although certain superficial infections are quite common.

Q: Plasmodium vivax causes a more serious form of malaria than does P. falciparum.

Q: The MOST effective malarial control measure is to interrupt the life cycle of the parasite by eliminating the obligate host, the Anopheles mosquito.

Q: As a malarial infection (Plasmodium falciparum) progresses, gametocytes are formed. The gametocytes unite in the bloodstream before being picked up by the insect vector.

Q: The malarial parasite growing within erythrocytes is more resistant than the free parasite to the drug chloroquine.

Q: Which of the following filariases are transmitted by insect vectors? A) elephantiasis B) river blindness C) trichinosis D) elephantiasis and river blindness

Q: Which of the following filariases can be controlled by thoroughly cooking pork and wild game? A) elephantiasis B) river blindness C) trichinosis D) schistosomiasis

Q: Based on the life cycle of Schistosoma species, which of the following would be MOST effective in controlling schistosomiasis? A) elimination of stagnate water B) bed nets C) proper sewage and water treatment D) frequent sanitization of shared toilets, showers, and saunas

Q: Schistosoma and Plasmodium species both require A) direct sexual contact for transmission. B) immunocompromised hosts. C) transmission by insect vectors. D) two hosts to complete their life cycle and reproduce.

Q: Hemoflagellates cause tropical diseases such as sleeping sickness and Chagas' disease that are ALL transmitted by A) contact with fecal contaminated soil. B) contact with contaminated water. C) insect vectors. D) sexual contact.

Q: Humans are incidental hosts for ________, thus infected humans CANNOT spread the disease. A) Toxoplasma gondii B) Trichomoniasis vaginalis C) Entamoeba histolytica D) Plasmodium vivax

Q: Giardia intestinalis and Trichomoniasis vaginalis lack ________ and have ________. A) a flagellum / cilia instead B) mitochondria / an anaerobic metabolism C) a cell wall / a rigid cell membrane D) cysts / sporozoites instead

Q: Which of the following is considered an opportunistic pathogen? A) Toxoplasma gondii B) Trichomoniasis vaginalis C) Candida albicans D) Plasmodium vivax

Q: Systemic fungal infections are often transmitted by ________; however, a recent outbreak of fungal disease was traced to ________. A) accidental inhalation of spores / contaminated injectable pharmaceuticals B) ingestion of contaminated food / contaminated toilet seats C) direct contact with skin lesions / sexual contact D) sexual contact / contaminated toilet seats

Q: How are trypanosome diseases similar to malaria? A) They are transmitted by insect vectors. B) They cause intermittent fevers. C) They are acute, self-limiting diseases. D) They are all endemic to Africa.

Q: Trypanosoma and Leshmania species are transmitted by A) direct person-to-person contact. B) insect vectors. C) contaminated food or water. D) contaminated needles and syringes.

Q: Which of the following is the MOST common mode of transmission of parasitic infections? A) direct person-to-person contact B) contaminated fomites C) contaminated food or water D) contaminated needles and syringes

Q: Roughly half of all adults in the United States are infected with ________ but are asymptomatic. A) Toxoplasma gondii B) Trichomoniasis vaginalis C) Cryptosporidium parvum D) Cyclospora cayetanensis

Q: Trichomoniasis vaginalis is a sexually transmitted disease that can also survive on moist surfaces and in urine for several hours. As a result, trichomoniasis A) is difficult to treat. B) is not a good candidate for eradication. C) can be spread by contact with contaminated toilet seats, sauna benches, and towels. D) is more common in males.

Q: What is the infective form of Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia intestinalis? A) cysts B) trophozoites C) merozoites D) sporozoites

Q: Which of the following is MOST likely to cause an infection in HIV/AIDS patients? A) Candida albicans B) Giardia intestinalis C) Leishmania tropica D) Schistosoma mansoni

Q: Naegleria fowleri is a free-living ________ that causes infection by ________. A) amoeba / entering through the nose and burrowing into the brain B) fungus / entering the lungs when contaminated soil is disturbed C) flagellated protist / crossing the intestinal mucosa into the blood D) protist / entering the vagina in women, the prostate and seminal vesicles of men, or the urethra of both males and females

Q: A common method used in the diagnosis of giardiasis is detection of Giardia A) cysts in stool. B) antigens in blood. C) antigens in stool. D) cysts or antigens in stool.

Q: An untreated Entamoeba histolytica infection can invade the A) liver. B) lungs. C) brain. D) liver, lungs, and brain.

Q: The treatment regimen for people with normal immunity recovering from cryptosporidiosis includes A) multiple antibiotics. B) antihelmenthic chemotherapy. C) multiple antibiotics and careful monitoring of fluid levels. D) oral rehydration only.