BIOL 191 Unit 1 Exam questions with
correct answers
You want to figure out which concentration of a disinfectant is most effective at killing
bacteria. You apply a range of different concentrations and then record the number of
bacteria that grew. What is your independent variable in this experiment?
The number of times you repeated the experiment
The brand of disinfectant
The concentration of disinfectant
The number of bacteria - verified answers; The concentration of disinfectant
Recall that the dependent variable is what you measure, in this case, the # of bacteria. The IV
is what you changed to determine its effect on the DV. In this experiment, it is the
concentration of disinfectant.
One difference between a prediction and a hypothesis is that only a prediction must include:
the broad question you are answering
at least two independent variables
,a specific outcome that can be directly measured
an explanation for the research question - verified answers; a specific outcome that can be
directly measured
You are curious if the hours of sleep you get before a test impacts your grade. Which of the
following would be the best hypothesis to address this question?
Getting fewer hours of sleep the night before an exam is harmful for your health.
Low exam scores will cause you to lose sleep.
If you sleep for 8 hrs before an exam, your exam score will be 10 points higher than if you
sleep for 6 hrs.
Getting fewer hours of sleep the night before an exam is associated with decreased exam
scores. - verified answers; Getting fewer hours of sleep the night before an exam is associated
with decreased exam scores.
True or False? An experiment will prove whether your hypothesis is true.
True
False - verified answers; FALSE- you cannot prove a hypothesis to be true, only not false
You are curious what type of wood termites like to eat. You collect a maple and an oak branch
and place them equally distant from a group of termites. Which of the following is a
reasonable dependent variable for this experiment?
, The type of wood
The number of termites on each type of branch
The length of each branch
The survival of the termites after 48 hrs - verified answers; The number of termites on each
type of branch
The independent variable (type of wood) is what you are manipulating to see if impacts the
dependent variable. The dependent variable is the attribute you are measuring in your
experiment. In this case, you are measuring the preference of the termites based on how
many go to each type of tree.
You are curious if vitamins can help prevent colds. You ask your friends if they take vitamins
and then count how many colds each person gets over the next year. Two of your friends get
no colds, three get 1 cold, and 5 get 2 colds. What is your research question?
Do vitamins decrease the frequency of colds?
If someone takes vitamins, they will have one less cold per year than someone who does not.
The more vitamins you eat, the fewer colds you get.
Vitamins increase the number of immune cells active in the body. - verified answers; Do
vitamins decrease the frequency of colds?
correct answers
You want to figure out which concentration of a disinfectant is most effective at killing
bacteria. You apply a range of different concentrations and then record the number of
bacteria that grew. What is your independent variable in this experiment?
The number of times you repeated the experiment
The brand of disinfectant
The concentration of disinfectant
The number of bacteria - verified answers; The concentration of disinfectant
Recall that the dependent variable is what you measure, in this case, the # of bacteria. The IV
is what you changed to determine its effect on the DV. In this experiment, it is the
concentration of disinfectant.
One difference between a prediction and a hypothesis is that only a prediction must include:
the broad question you are answering
at least two independent variables
,a specific outcome that can be directly measured
an explanation for the research question - verified answers; a specific outcome that can be
directly measured
You are curious if the hours of sleep you get before a test impacts your grade. Which of the
following would be the best hypothesis to address this question?
Getting fewer hours of sleep the night before an exam is harmful for your health.
Low exam scores will cause you to lose sleep.
If you sleep for 8 hrs before an exam, your exam score will be 10 points higher than if you
sleep for 6 hrs.
Getting fewer hours of sleep the night before an exam is associated with decreased exam
scores. - verified answers; Getting fewer hours of sleep the night before an exam is associated
with decreased exam scores.
True or False? An experiment will prove whether your hypothesis is true.
True
False - verified answers; FALSE- you cannot prove a hypothesis to be true, only not false
You are curious what type of wood termites like to eat. You collect a maple and an oak branch
and place them equally distant from a group of termites. Which of the following is a
reasonable dependent variable for this experiment?
, The type of wood
The number of termites on each type of branch
The length of each branch
The survival of the termites after 48 hrs - verified answers; The number of termites on each
type of branch
The independent variable (type of wood) is what you are manipulating to see if impacts the
dependent variable. The dependent variable is the attribute you are measuring in your
experiment. In this case, you are measuring the preference of the termites based on how
many go to each type of tree.
You are curious if vitamins can help prevent colds. You ask your friends if they take vitamins
and then count how many colds each person gets over the next year. Two of your friends get
no colds, three get 1 cold, and 5 get 2 colds. What is your research question?
Do vitamins decrease the frequency of colds?
If someone takes vitamins, they will have one less cold per year than someone who does not.
The more vitamins you eat, the fewer colds you get.
Vitamins increase the number of immune cells active in the body. - verified answers; Do
vitamins decrease the frequency of colds?
