Chapter 1
Introduction: The Scientific Study of Life
Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Which of the following statements about the leopard is false?
A) Leopards are the largest cat in the genus Panthera.
B) Leopards, like lions, can roar.
C) Leopards prefer to eat their kill in trees.
D) Leopards are well-adapted for nocturnal hunting.
E) Leopards are normally solitary animals.
Answer: A
Topic: Opening Essay
Skill: Factual Recall
2) Life is organized in a hierarchical fashion. Which of the following sequences
correctly lists that hierarchy as it increases in complexity?
A) ecosystem, population, organ system, cell, community, molecule, organ,
organism, tissue
B) cell, molecule, organ system, organ, population, tissue, organism, ecosystem,
community
C) organism, organ system, tissue, population, organ, community, cell, ecosystem,
molecule
D) molecule, cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism, population, community,
,ecosystem
E) ecosystem, molecule, cell, tissue, organism, organ system, organ, community
Answer: D
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual Recall
3) What is the difference between a tissue and an organ system?
A) The tissue level of organization is more inclusive than the organ system level.
B) Tissues are not composed of cells; organ systems are composed of cells.
C) A tissue cannot exist unless it is a component of an organ system, whereas an
organ system can exist independently of
tissues.
D) An organ system includes tissues.
E) Tissues are not considered to be living; organ systems are considered to be
living.
Answer: D
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Factual Recall
4) The tree in your backyard is home to two cardinals, a colony of ants, a wasp's
nest, two squirrels, and millions of bacteria. Together, all of these organisms
represent
A) a species.
B) a community.
C) a population.
D) an ecosystem.
,E) the biosphere.
Answer: B
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Application
5) If you eat a hamburger, you are mainly eating ground-up beef muscle. What
levels of organization are represented in
this ground-up muscle?
A) organism, population, and community
B) organ, organ system, and organism
C) community, ecosystem, and biosphere
D) organelle, cell, and tissue
E) tissue, organ, and organ system
Answer: D
Topic: 1.1
Skill: Application
6) Which of the following statements about ecosystems is false?
A) The "web of relationships" within an ecosystem includes the nonliving
components of the environment.
B) Bacteria and fungi recycle energy within an ecosystem.
C) Plants and other photosynthetic organisms are producers in ecosystems.
D) Chemical nutrients cycle within an ecosystem's structural web.
E) In the process of energy conversions within an ecosystem, energy is eventually
converted to heat.
, Answer: B
Topic: 1.2
Skill: Factual Recall
7) The ultimate source of energy flowing into nearly all ecosystems is
A) wind.
B) sunlight.
C) electricity.
D) geothermal vents.
E) radioactivity.
Answer: B
Topic: 1.2
Skill: Conceptual Understanding
8) A consumer eating a producer represents
A) a transfer of chemical nutrients and energy.
B) a transfer of chemical nutrients but not a transfer of energy.
C) a transfer of energy but not a transfer of chemical nutrients.
D) neither a transfer of chemical nutrients nor a transfer of energy.
Answer: A
Topic: 1.2
Skill: Conceptual Understanding