Expert: Louise Wootton - 7/27/2006

Question
Hello,Please check my answers to my questions.Thanks

1. By studying the nucleotides in DNA, we get support for the theory of natural selection from observing that
A. what goes around, comes around
B. life has a great potential for creating diversity
C. geographic separation doesn't affect natural selection
D. genetics doesn't affect offspring

My answer is B

2. In a pond or lake, the limiting factor that may affect the growth of algae is the level of dissolved
A. phosphate
B. carbon dioxide
C. oxygen
D. nitrogen

My answer is A

3. One way in which unicellular organisms protect themselves from extinction is through a process called
A. transposition
B. recombination
C. transformation
D. segmentation

My answer is B

4. The term nitrogen fixation refers to the
A. application of fertilizer with nitrogen to farmland
B. release of sewage with nitrogen into waterways
C. conversion of nitrogen gas to a usuable form
D. vast amount of nitrogen present in the Earth's atmosphere

My answer is C

5. Over the history of the human population, the average increase rate of populations has been
A. arithmetic
B. deceptive
C. exponential
D. fluctuating

My answer is C

6. A clear-cut example of mutualism is found in
A. cows
B. lichens
C. night-flying moths
D. carnivores that feed on herbivores

My answer is B

7. In the grazer food chain, the carnivores are members of the _______ trophic level
A. first
B. second
C. third
D. fourth

My answer is C

8. If you were a biophiliac, which one of the following statements would best describe you?
A. You love life because of its beauty
B. You love biology for its own sake
C. You sense that what we don't know expresses what we do know
D. You sense the connectedness of all life

My answer is B

9.
Which one of the following items should be excluded from an explanation of the concept of Earth's carrying capacity?
A. Human ingenuity
B. Food production
C. Earth's recycling of environmental pollutants
D. The supply of resources

My answer is A

10. According to the theory of evolution, the feathers on a sparrow evolved from
A. hide
B. scales
C. joints
D. claws

My answer is B

11. Which of the following statements best illustrates one of Darwin's insights into the theory of natural selection?
A. Humans produce more offspring than our food supply can sustain
B. Natural selection necessarily eliminates all animals that are not swift and aggressive
C. Living creatures possess a built-in drive to become increasingly complex
D. The accumulation of minor adaptive traits, over time, leads to new species

My answer is D

12. If Charles Darwin were to sit down to debate Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, which one of the following arguments would Darwin be most likely to accept as sound?
A. Behind the theory of evolution is a preordained plan
B. A giraffe's neck gets longer when it must stretch to reach leaves higher up on a tree
C. It's likely that organisms, including bacteria, are always changing
D. Experiences acquired by an organism are passed on to its offspring

My answer is C

13. Which one of the following biomes would most likely be found near the equator?
A. Tundra
B. Tropical rain forest
C. Boreal forest
D. Temperate grassland

My answer is B

14. If you were a plasmid, you would
A. be able to reproduce by conjugation
B. serve no useful purpose even to so simple an organism as a bacterium
C. form a little circle and reproduce on your own.
D. eventually be reincorporated into your original nucleotide sequence

My answer is C

15. Which of the following environments is the most likely candidate for primary succession?
A. A forest reduced to ash by an intense fire
B. A newly formed volcanic island
C. Any environment that can be reached by wind-blown seeds that cross oceans
D. A weed-ridden, abandoned corn field

My answer is C

16. As a wildebeest herd migrated across the Serengeti, some of the animals died. The gene pool of this herd will
A. lose much adaptive DNA information
B. remain, on average, undisturbed
C. retain the most adaptive, or best, DNA information
D. both lose and gain adaptive DNA information

My answer is B

17. You've been assigned the task of finding ways to reduce global warming. After doing meticulous research, you report that decreasing the amount of _______ in the atmosphere would have a positive effect on both global warming and acid deposition
A. carbon dioxide
B. nitric acid
C. nitrogen
D. aluminum oxide

My answer is C

18. The largest number of organisms in a grazer food chain will be
A. herbivores
B. decomposers
C. plants and algae
D. omnivores

My answer is A

19. Regarding resources used by humans, which of the following statements is most accurate?
A. The remaining tropical forests could be destroyed within the period of a human life span
B. The important first step in addressing the limits of oil reserves is producing alternative fuels
C. Water shortages can most effectively be reversed by the use of ocean waters
D. Renewable energy sources will help, but they can't supply the energy we now get from fossil fuels like coal and oil.

My answer is C

20. Presently, all of the following areas are experiencing overpopulation except
A. Latin America
B. Europe
C. North America
D. Asia

My answer is B


Answer
Hi,

Lets have a look at this question set:

1. By studying the nucleotides in DNA, we get support for the theory of natural selection from observing that
A. what goes around, comes around
B. life has a great potential for creating diversity
C. geographic separation doesn't affect natural selection
D. genetics doesn't affect offspring

My answer is B
I agree

2. In a pond or lake, the limiting factor that may affect the growth of algae is the level of dissolved
A. phosphate
B. carbon dioxide
C. oxygen
D. nitrogen

My answer is A
Usually true in freshwater so probably the best answer yes

3. One way in which unicellular organisms protect themselves from extinction is through a process called
A. transposition
B. recombination
C. transformation
D. segmentation

My answer is B
That works

4. The term nitrogen fixation refers to the
A. application of fertilizer with nitrogen to farmland
B. release of sewage with nitrogen into waterways
C. conversion of nitrogen gas to a usuable form
D. vast amount of nitrogen present in the Earth's atmosphere

My answer is C
Yeup

5. Over the history of the human population, the average increase rate of populations has been
A. arithmetic
B. deceptive
C. exponential
D. fluctuating

My answer is C
Yeup

6. A clear-cut example of mutualism is found in
A. cows
B. lichens
C. night-flying moths
D. carnivores that feed on herbivores

My answer is B
This is the best answer in the list.  It is however a bad question, since many people now see lichens as being more like the fungus parasitizing the alga in this relationship


7. In the grazer food chain, the carnivores are members of the _______ trophic level
A. first
B. second
C. third
D. fourth

My answer is C
Could be C or D, but I'm thinking your teacher is likely looking for C.

8. If you were a biophiliac, which one of the following statements would best describe you?
A. You love life because of its beauty
B. You love biology for its own sake
C. You sense that what we don't know expresses what we do know
D. You sense the connectedness of all life

My answer is B
I had never heard this term before your question but the definition I found was "someone who values life of all kinds for its own sake" so I guess B is the closest fit to that.

9. Which one of the following items should be excluded from an explanation of the concept of Earth's carrying capacity?
A. Human ingenuity
B. Food production
C. Earth's recycling of environmental pollutants
D. The supply of resources

My answer is A
I agree, I guess.  Though I would argue that A has helped change that carrying capacity for the human species so I don't see why it should be excluded.  However the others are clearly wrong, so what else can you do?

10. According to the theory of evolution, the feathers on a sparrow evolved from
A. hide
B. scales
C. joints
D. claws

My answer is B
I agree

11. Which of the following statements best illustrates one of Darwin's insights into the theory of natural selection?
A. Humans produce more offspring than our food supply can sustain
B. Natural selection necessarily eliminates all animals that are not swift and aggressive
C. Living creatures possess a built-in drive to become increasingly complex
D. The accumulation of minor adaptive traits, over time, leads to new species

My answer is D
I agree

12. If Charles Darwin were to sit down to debate Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, which one of the following arguments would Darwin be most likely to accept as sound?
A. Behind the theory of evolution is a preordained plan
B. A giraffe's neck gets longer when it must stretch to reach leaves higher up on a tree
C. It's likely that organisms, including bacteria, are always changing
D. Experiences acquired by an organism are passed on to its offspring

My answer is C
I agree

13. Which one of the following biomes would most likely be found near the equator?
A. Tundra
B. Tropical rain forest
C. Boreal forest
D. Temperate grassland

My answer is B
I agree

14. If you were a plasmid, you would
A. be able to reproduce by conjugation
B. serve no useful purpose even to so simple an organism as a bacterium
C. form a little circle and reproduce on your own.
D. eventually be reincorporated into your original nucleotide sequence

My answer is C
That's the best answer of the ones you were offered.  I'm not excited by any of your choices here!

15. Which of the following environments is the most likely candidate for primary succession?
A. A forest reduced to ash by an intense fire
B. A newly formed volcanic island
C. Any environment that can be reached by wind-blown seeds that cross oceans
D. A weed-ridden, abandoned corn field

My answer is C
I would look at this one again.  What is special about primary succession that makes it different from say secondary succession?  Would your answer mean that the seeds would only enter that specific kind of habitat?  There is a better answer on this list than the one you chose.

16. As a wildebeest herd migrated across the Serengeti, some of the animals died. The gene pool of this herd will
A. lose much adaptive DNA information
B. remain, on average, undisturbed
C. retain the most adaptive, or best, DNA information
D. both lose and gain adaptive DNA information

My answer is B
It really depends on WHY they died. If it was random which ones lived and which died then your answer is OK.  However if you think that the ones that died were the weakest ones (The ones whose DNA gave them traits that weren't as well adapted to their environment).  If this seems likely to you then there's a better answer on the list.

17. You've been assigned the task of finding ways to reduce global warming. After doing meticulous research, you report that decreasing the amount of _______ in the atmosphere would have a positive effect on both global warming and acid deposition
A. carbon dioxide
B. nitric acid
C. nitrogen
D. aluminum oxide

My answer is C
I would look at this one again.  Nitrogen N2 gas is 70% of the gas in the atmosphere, it is transparent to both light and heat and it doesn't dissolve in water to make an acid.  Two of the others make acid, but only one of them is usually implicated in global warming (google global warming and I'll bet it will pop right up!)

18. The largest number of organisms in a grazer food chain will be
A. herbivores
B. decomposers
C. plants and algae
D. omnivores

My answer is A
You would actually be correct if this food chain is in the ocean.  However I don't think this is what your teacher means in this case.  Think about cows in a field.  Which is more abundant?  Grass plants or cows?


19. Regarding resources used by humans, which of the following statements is most accurate?
A. The remaining tropical forests could be destroyed within the period of a human life span
B. The important first step in addressing the limits of oil reserves is producing alternative fuels
C. Water shortages can most effectively be reversed by the use of ocean waters
D. Renewable energy sources will help, but they can't supply the energy we now get from fossil fuels like coal and oil.

My answer is C
I don't know what your teacher has said in class so this is hard for me.  Both A B and C have some truth in them.  I would argue that the cost of getting drinking water from the ocean (removing the salt) means this is unlikely to solve the problem of water shortage.  It seems to me that it is likely that producing alternative fuels is a good idea to solve the problem of oil shortage but is the first step?  To me the first step is to get people to use what we have left more effectively so we get more time to figure out alternatives.  I am pretty sure that A is just plain true (unless we change our behavior).


20. Presently, all of the following areas are experiencing overpopulation except
A. Latin America
B. Europe
C. North America
D. Asia

My answer is B
I think this is the answer your teacher wants to hear but its a silly answer.  Europe is currently one of the most overpopulated continents.  However it is the only one on your list where the GROWTH RATE (increase) has actually slowed down and in some countries has actually started to decrease.  However that doesn't mean the continent isn't overpopulated.  Just that its not becoming MORE overpopulated.

Hope this helps,

Best wishes,

Dr. W