BSC 2010C CHAPTER 1 STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 2026
List the hierarchy of structural levels in biological organization from the simplest to the most complex
level and give a short description of each level. - Answers Biosphere, ecosystem, communities,
populations, oranisms, tissues, cells, organelles, molecules
How do chemical nutrients move through an ecosystem - Answers Chemicals cycle through the
ecosystem. Producer to consumer to decomposer back to producer.
How does energy move through an ecosystem? - Answers Energy flows through the ecosystem.
Sunlight to producer to consumer into heat
What is an emergent property? - Answers New properties emerge as you go up in hierarchy
Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. - Answers Eukaryotic have membrane-bound
organelles inside, DNA inside the nucleus and they are bigger. Prokaryotic don't have a membrane-
bound organelle, the DNA is not in the nucleus, and it is smaller.
What characteristics do all cells have? - Answers They all have DNA and cell membrane
What is homeostasis? - Answers Maintaining a stable internal environment
Distinguish between positive and negative feedback - Answers positive feedback=> response
increases the original stimulus; negative feedback=> response decreases the original stimulus
What are the three domains of life - Answers Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya
List and distinguish among the three kingdoms of multicellular eukaryotic life - Answers Plantae-Most
plants produce their own surgars and food by photosynthesis
Fungi- Most fungi are decomposers that absorb nutrients by breaking down dead organisms and
organic waste.
Animalla- Animals obtain food by ingesting other organisms
List the groups that taxonomists organize life into from most broad to most specific. - Answers
Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
What is the proper way to write the scientific name of an organism - Answers Italicized, or if hand
written underline/ the first part of the name, which is the genus name is capitalized/ the second part
of the name, which is the species name is all lowercase
What is evolution - Answers the process of change over time
What is natural selection? - Answers The idea that the fittest survive and pass along their traits to
their offspring.
Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative data - Answers Quantitative - numerical data
Qualitative data - observation based data (color, texture)
What is a controlled scientific experiment? - Answers Designed to compare an experimental group
with a control group
What is a control group - Answers the group that does not receive the treatment
What is an experimental group - Answers the group that receives the treatment
What is a hypothesis? What are the characteristics of a good hypothesis? - Answers Hypothesis-
proposed explanation for one or more observations. "ideas about how things work."
Characteristics are:
They must be testable
They must be falsifiable
cannot be supernatural
Distinguish between the independent variable and dependent variable? - Answers Independent
Variable: You manipulate
Dependent Variable: You measure to see the effects
On which axis of a graph does the independent variable go? - Answers x-axis
List the hierarchy of structural levels in biological organization from the simplest to the most complex
level and give a short description of each level. - Answers Biosphere, ecosystem, communities,
populations, oranisms, tissues, cells, organelles, molecules
How do chemical nutrients move through an ecosystem - Answers Chemicals cycle through the
ecosystem. Producer to consumer to decomposer back to producer.
How does energy move through an ecosystem? - Answers Energy flows through the ecosystem.
Sunlight to producer to consumer into heat
What is an emergent property? - Answers New properties emerge as you go up in hierarchy
Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. - Answers Eukaryotic have membrane-bound
organelles inside, DNA inside the nucleus and they are bigger. Prokaryotic don't have a membrane-
bound organelle, the DNA is not in the nucleus, and it is smaller.
What characteristics do all cells have? - Answers They all have DNA and cell membrane
What is homeostasis? - Answers Maintaining a stable internal environment
Distinguish between positive and negative feedback - Answers positive feedback=> response
increases the original stimulus; negative feedback=> response decreases the original stimulus
What are the three domains of life - Answers Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya
List and distinguish among the three kingdoms of multicellular eukaryotic life - Answers Plantae-Most
plants produce their own surgars and food by photosynthesis
Fungi- Most fungi are decomposers that absorb nutrients by breaking down dead organisms and
organic waste.
Animalla- Animals obtain food by ingesting other organisms
List the groups that taxonomists organize life into from most broad to most specific. - Answers
Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
What is the proper way to write the scientific name of an organism - Answers Italicized, or if hand
written underline/ the first part of the name, which is the genus name is capitalized/ the second part
of the name, which is the species name is all lowercase
What is evolution - Answers the process of change over time
What is natural selection? - Answers The idea that the fittest survive and pass along their traits to
their offspring.
Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative data - Answers Quantitative - numerical data
Qualitative data - observation based data (color, texture)
What is a controlled scientific experiment? - Answers Designed to compare an experimental group
with a control group
What is a control group - Answers the group that does not receive the treatment
What is an experimental group - Answers the group that receives the treatment
What is a hypothesis? What are the characteristics of a good hypothesis? - Answers Hypothesis-
proposed explanation for one or more observations. "ideas about how things work."
Characteristics are:
They must be testable
They must be falsifiable
cannot be supernatural
Distinguish between the independent variable and dependent variable? - Answers Independent
Variable: You manipulate
Dependent Variable: You measure to see the effects
On which axis of a graph does the independent variable go? - Answers x-axis
