[READING QUIZZES] BIOLOGY 180 EXAM 1 to 3
(FALL 2022 COMPLETE)
What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?
Only scale--theories deal with "big ideas" that impact large parts of the physical or
natural world; hypotheses are more focused or narrower in scope
What is the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction?
A hypothesis is an idea--a testable explanation; a prediction is something that follows
from a hypothesis and that you can measure
Which of the following is a prediction based on the cell theory that all organisms are
made of cells, and all cells come from preexisting cells?
If you boil nutrient broth and place it in an air-tight flask, no cells will appear in the broth
What was important about the experimental design for Pasteur's flask experiment?
He compared results from two experimental setups which differed only in the type of
flask in which the nutrient broth was placed
How do biologists test their ideas about the natural world?
Scientists make predictions based on hypotheses they have developed, and then
design experiments or other types of studies to test those predictions.
Why is it important to perform multiple trials in an experiment -- meaning that you
include many test individuals or samples?
To make it more likely that the results are not due to a few unusual individuals or
circumstances
The remaining questions refer to this situation: Researchers do an experiment to test
the hypothesis that Douglas fir trees put more resources into reproduction when they
are infected with a fungus that causes a fatal disease. They establish study plots in a
group of 50-year-old Douglas fir where the disease is not present. At random, they inject
half the trees with the disease-causing fungus. Then they measure how many cones
and seeds are produced by infected versus uninfected trees.
What prediction follows from the hypothesis?
On average, the infected trees will produce more seeds than uninfected trees
Which treatment would be considered the control?
The uninfected trees
Why is it important to do the experiment in the same group of same-aged trees?
To eliminate the possibility that the results are due to differences in age, soil, moisture,
or other relevant variables
Why is it important that they assigned trees to the infected versus uninfected groups at
random?
If assignment were not done at random, the result could be do to something other than
the difference in infection
If the hypothesis is wrong, and being infected with the fungus has no impact at all on
reproduction, what should they observe?
There will be no difference in the number of seeds produced by infected versus
uninfected seeds
,A friend says that this experimental design would be better if the researchers had
injected the control group trees with a solution that was identical to that used in the
experimental group, but without the fungus. Do you agree?
Yes. As is, it would be reasonable for a critic to claim that seed production changed
because of the injection itself, not the presence of the fungus.
How many hours a day will you study?
0.0 (with margin: 1.0)
0.0 (with margin: 2.0)
0.0 (with margin: 3.0)
0.0 (with margin: 4.0)
0.0 (with margin: 5.0)
When you do your individual studying (review class notes, reading before class, Piazza
posts, study questions, blue questions in textbook and so on), where will you do it?
Piazza posts--Anywhere outside of class.
How will you use the textbook?
Read prior to class and do the reading quiz without looking. Then check your reading
quiz answers with the text, before submitting. After class, re-read small sections on
issues that were covered in class but you are still confused about. Do the blue
questions on issues covered in class.
Which help resources will you use on a daily or weekly basis?
TA office hours in Hitchcock 302
Faculty office hours in Kane 234.
Workshops at the Instructional Center (if you qualify).Exam review sessions in Kane
130.
Tribeta (Biology Club) tutoring sessions in the 4th floor Hitchcock study area.
Piazza (online bulletin board), making sure to both post and answer questions.
How will you use the study questions that are posted each week?
Answer them on your own, under time pressure and without using any resources. Then
discuss them with your study group, to compare answers. Then check the sample
answer with your study group and grade yourselves.
How will you form a study group--find people who can meet with you at least weekly?
Active-Learning structure allows struggling students to work together to solve problems
—instead of depending on explanations from better prepared peers.
How will you manage your study group to avoid the two most common problems: 1)
some people coming in unprepared and being passive during the session, and 2)
certain students dominating and spending most of the session telling everyone else
what they think.
Encourage listening before answering: "To answer before listening--that is folly and
shame." Encourage communication and high-level collaboration and discourage
arguments: "It is to one's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel." Above
all else, love your neighbor as yourself; be caring and understanding.
, At Google (and many other companies and clinics/hospitals), almost all work is done in
teams. Google has researched the attributes of their high-functioning teams vs.
dysfunctional teams and found two common patterns in the successful groups: 1) they
start each work session by visiting--inquiring about each others' families or hobbies or
interests--and, 2) they practice productive disagreement. Google says that the key to
productive disagreement is what they call "psychological safety"--meaning that team
members trust each other so much that they feel safe disagreeing or throwing an idea
out that turns out to be incorrect or not well thought-out. There is no judgment; team
members focus on the task and getting better.
How can you cultivate these attributes in your study group?
Whenever our team makes a mistake, I'll be first to recognize and admit my fault. I will
always encourage and avoid saying that someone's idea is wrong. I'll give everyone
credit to whom it is due. To motivate others to be comfortable in a group that isn't self-
sorted by ethnicity or gender I will praise even the slightest improvements amongst
fellow members.
What specific tasks do you want your study group to do? And how could you structure
the sessions, so that they are efficient and productive?
I want our study group to do well in content knowledge and discovery sections of higher
order processing skills. Including the willingness to work together to solve problems—
instead of depending on explanations from better prepared peers. Listen before
answering. "Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; discerning when they
hold their tongue."
What does the p in "p-value" represent?
Probability (of getting the observed result, just by chance)
Suppose we run a statistical test, and learn that p = 0.01. What does this mean?
There is a 1 in 100 chance of observing a difference between treatment groups this
extreme if the null hypothesis is correct.
If we want to plot the distribution of scores on Exam 1, we should use a...
Histogram
If we want to plot the exam scores of 1st-year students versus 2nd-year students, we
would use a ...
Bar Chart
If we want to compare the scores of 1st-year and 2nd-year students using a statistical
test, our null hypothesis will be...
There is no difference in exam performance between students in year 1 and 2.
If we calculate means (averages) based on scores from 100 1st-year students and 400
2nd-year students, which is likely to have the smaller standard error?
2nd-year students, because we sampled more.
Which of the following statements is the best way to characterize the standard error?
A measure of how precise our estimate of the mean is.
When sample size increases ...
Rare events have less influence on the estimate of the average or slope.
If you are doing a linear regression, what is the slope of the line predicted by the null
hypothesis?
0
(FALL 2022 COMPLETE)
What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?
Only scale--theories deal with "big ideas" that impact large parts of the physical or
natural world; hypotheses are more focused or narrower in scope
What is the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction?
A hypothesis is an idea--a testable explanation; a prediction is something that follows
from a hypothesis and that you can measure
Which of the following is a prediction based on the cell theory that all organisms are
made of cells, and all cells come from preexisting cells?
If you boil nutrient broth and place it in an air-tight flask, no cells will appear in the broth
What was important about the experimental design for Pasteur's flask experiment?
He compared results from two experimental setups which differed only in the type of
flask in which the nutrient broth was placed
How do biologists test their ideas about the natural world?
Scientists make predictions based on hypotheses they have developed, and then
design experiments or other types of studies to test those predictions.
Why is it important to perform multiple trials in an experiment -- meaning that you
include many test individuals or samples?
To make it more likely that the results are not due to a few unusual individuals or
circumstances
The remaining questions refer to this situation: Researchers do an experiment to test
the hypothesis that Douglas fir trees put more resources into reproduction when they
are infected with a fungus that causes a fatal disease. They establish study plots in a
group of 50-year-old Douglas fir where the disease is not present. At random, they inject
half the trees with the disease-causing fungus. Then they measure how many cones
and seeds are produced by infected versus uninfected trees.
What prediction follows from the hypothesis?
On average, the infected trees will produce more seeds than uninfected trees
Which treatment would be considered the control?
The uninfected trees
Why is it important to do the experiment in the same group of same-aged trees?
To eliminate the possibility that the results are due to differences in age, soil, moisture,
or other relevant variables
Why is it important that they assigned trees to the infected versus uninfected groups at
random?
If assignment were not done at random, the result could be do to something other than
the difference in infection
If the hypothesis is wrong, and being infected with the fungus has no impact at all on
reproduction, what should they observe?
There will be no difference in the number of seeds produced by infected versus
uninfected seeds
,A friend says that this experimental design would be better if the researchers had
injected the control group trees with a solution that was identical to that used in the
experimental group, but without the fungus. Do you agree?
Yes. As is, it would be reasonable for a critic to claim that seed production changed
because of the injection itself, not the presence of the fungus.
How many hours a day will you study?
0.0 (with margin: 1.0)
0.0 (with margin: 2.0)
0.0 (with margin: 3.0)
0.0 (with margin: 4.0)
0.0 (with margin: 5.0)
When you do your individual studying (review class notes, reading before class, Piazza
posts, study questions, blue questions in textbook and so on), where will you do it?
Piazza posts--Anywhere outside of class.
How will you use the textbook?
Read prior to class and do the reading quiz without looking. Then check your reading
quiz answers with the text, before submitting. After class, re-read small sections on
issues that were covered in class but you are still confused about. Do the blue
questions on issues covered in class.
Which help resources will you use on a daily or weekly basis?
TA office hours in Hitchcock 302
Faculty office hours in Kane 234.
Workshops at the Instructional Center (if you qualify).Exam review sessions in Kane
130.
Tribeta (Biology Club) tutoring sessions in the 4th floor Hitchcock study area.
Piazza (online bulletin board), making sure to both post and answer questions.
How will you use the study questions that are posted each week?
Answer them on your own, under time pressure and without using any resources. Then
discuss them with your study group, to compare answers. Then check the sample
answer with your study group and grade yourselves.
How will you form a study group--find people who can meet with you at least weekly?
Active-Learning structure allows struggling students to work together to solve problems
—instead of depending on explanations from better prepared peers.
How will you manage your study group to avoid the two most common problems: 1)
some people coming in unprepared and being passive during the session, and 2)
certain students dominating and spending most of the session telling everyone else
what they think.
Encourage listening before answering: "To answer before listening--that is folly and
shame." Encourage communication and high-level collaboration and discourage
arguments: "It is to one's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel." Above
all else, love your neighbor as yourself; be caring and understanding.
, At Google (and many other companies and clinics/hospitals), almost all work is done in
teams. Google has researched the attributes of their high-functioning teams vs.
dysfunctional teams and found two common patterns in the successful groups: 1) they
start each work session by visiting--inquiring about each others' families or hobbies or
interests--and, 2) they practice productive disagreement. Google says that the key to
productive disagreement is what they call "psychological safety"--meaning that team
members trust each other so much that they feel safe disagreeing or throwing an idea
out that turns out to be incorrect or not well thought-out. There is no judgment; team
members focus on the task and getting better.
How can you cultivate these attributes in your study group?
Whenever our team makes a mistake, I'll be first to recognize and admit my fault. I will
always encourage and avoid saying that someone's idea is wrong. I'll give everyone
credit to whom it is due. To motivate others to be comfortable in a group that isn't self-
sorted by ethnicity or gender I will praise even the slightest improvements amongst
fellow members.
What specific tasks do you want your study group to do? And how could you structure
the sessions, so that they are efficient and productive?
I want our study group to do well in content knowledge and discovery sections of higher
order processing skills. Including the willingness to work together to solve problems—
instead of depending on explanations from better prepared peers. Listen before
answering. "Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; discerning when they
hold their tongue."
What does the p in "p-value" represent?
Probability (of getting the observed result, just by chance)
Suppose we run a statistical test, and learn that p = 0.01. What does this mean?
There is a 1 in 100 chance of observing a difference between treatment groups this
extreme if the null hypothesis is correct.
If we want to plot the distribution of scores on Exam 1, we should use a...
Histogram
If we want to plot the exam scores of 1st-year students versus 2nd-year students, we
would use a ...
Bar Chart
If we want to compare the scores of 1st-year and 2nd-year students using a statistical
test, our null hypothesis will be...
There is no difference in exam performance between students in year 1 and 2.
If we calculate means (averages) based on scores from 100 1st-year students and 400
2nd-year students, which is likely to have the smaller standard error?
2nd-year students, because we sampled more.
Which of the following statements is the best way to characterize the standard error?
A measure of how precise our estimate of the mean is.
When sample size increases ...
Rare events have less influence on the estimate of the average or slope.
If you are doing a linear regression, what is the slope of the line predicted by the null
hypothesis?
0
