Environmental Biology Chapter 2

Question 1

Science is both the accumulated body of knowledge produced by many scientists and __.

Answer 1

a process for understanding the natural world

Question 2

Which two of the following are considered valid by modern scientists?

Answer 2

The world is knowable.

We can learn about the world through careful observation.

Question 3

______ in science means that observations focus on real, observable phenomena, and ______ describes the scientific understanding that basic patterns and processes are similar across time and space.

Answer 3

Empiricism; uniformitarianism

Question 4

The work of a scientist goes through a(n)
___review process in order to check for errors and biases

Answer 4

peer

Question 5

Reproducibility and replication are ______.

Answer 5

demanded by scientists; they won’t accept just a single test result

Question 6

____ is a process through which we understand the natural world by making precise observations, and conduct methodical research to test hypotheses. It is also a cumulative body of knowledge. (

Answer 6

science

Question 7

accuracy

Answer 7

How close you are to the real measurement

Question 8

precision

Answer 8

How close your measurements are to each other

Question 9

Modern science is based on the assumptions that the world is both knowable and we can learn about it through careful

Answer 9

observation

Question 10

Reporting a numeric measurement to a certain number of significant figures is important in science because ______.

Answer 10

it reveals the level of accuracy of your measurement

Question 11

Empiricism

Answer 11

It is important to learn about the world through careful observation of real, observable phenomena.

Question 12

Uniformitarianism

Answer 12

It is important to know that basic patterns and processes are similar across time and space and that the forces at work today are the same as those that shaped the world in the past.

Question 13

Parsimony

Answer 13

When two plausible explanations are reasonable, the simpler one is preferred. This rule is also known as Ockham’s razor.

Question 14

Uncertainty

Answer 14

When new evidence appears, knowledge changes and existing theories are tested.

Question 15

______ reasoning logically follows a general principle and applies it to a specific instance, whereas ______ reasoning uses specific observations to create a general rule.

Answer 15

Deductive; inductive

Question 16

Why does scientific work get peer-reviewed?

Answer 16

To check for errors and biases, and to maintain high standards in a particular field of study

Question 17

A scientist observes that birds appear and disappear each year on a seasonal basis. She reasons that birds migrate seasonally. This is an example of ______ reasoning.

Answer 17

inductive

Question 18

Scientists will not accept a test or experimental result just once; they demand replication and___

Answer 18

reproductability

Question 19

Put the steps of the scientific method in the correct order with the first step at the top and the last step at the bottom.

Answer 19

1. Make observations
2. propose a hypothesis
   3.develop a test for your hypothesis
3. gather test data
4. interpret test results
5. accept or alter the hypothesis

Question 20

You have a group of 5 students who all measure the length of a salamander that is 17 cm long. The measurements are: 16.1 cm, 16. 2 cm, 16.1 cm, 16.2 cm, and 16.2 cm. These measurements are ______.

Answer 20

precise but not accurate

Question 21

A(n) ___
is a possible explanation of scientific phenomena that is testable.

Answer 21

hypothesis

Question 22

A researcher reports the total amount of rain for the month of January by measuring daily values for rain. The researcher used a ruler measuring centimeters that could not provide values of anything less than a half centimeter. Which of the following shows the correct number of significant figures that could be presented accurately?

Answer 22

6

Question 23

A study of events that have already happened is a(n)
____
experiment.

Answer 23

natural

Question 24

One of the primary benefits of using a numeric model to represent an environmental system is that ______.

Answer 24

variables can be altered without actually destroying anything

Question 25

In statistics, a sample is defined as ______.

Answer 25

a subset but representative portion of a population, often used to estimate the characteristics of the entire class

Question 26

What is the most apparent weakness of simulation models, such as those that determine how much sea level will rise with a distinct amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere?

Answer 26

They are only as good as the data used to create them.

Question 27

A(n) ___
is a network of processes and interdependent components through which matter and energy flow.

Answer 27

(eco)system

Question 28

___are used to represent environmental systems. Although some are physical, most are numeric, and they vary from the simple to the very complex. At the present time, these are often used to predict climate change.

Answer 28

Models

Question 29

Homeostasis

Answer 29

Tendency for a system to remain stable

Question 30

Disturbance

Answer 30

An event that changes a system

Question 31

Resilience

Answer 31

The ability for a system to recover from a change

Question 32

State shift

Answer 32

A large-scale change to a system due to multiple disturbances

Question 33

Which of the following correctly describe a river’s emergent properties?

Answer 33

It carries sediment and nutrients to river floodplains, increasing the land’s fertility.

It provides a habitat for numerous aquatic organisms.

Question 34

The goal of studying a group of related natural phenomena as a(n)
is to help us organize and understand the numerous and complex relationships between them.

Answer 34

system

Question 35

Scientific ______ involves the work of many people exchanging, debating, testing, and retesting problems and hypotheses to improve our understanding of natural processes because 100 percent proof in science is not common.

Answer 35

consensus

Question 36

A(n) ___
system receives inputs from its surroundings and produces outputs that leave the system. A(n) ___
system, which is extremely rare, exchanges no energy or matter with its surroundings. (Use only one word per blank.)

Answer 36

open
closed

Question 37

Major changes in scientific thought are ______ that occur when old explanations no longer are adequate for explaining new observations.

Answer 37

paradigm shifts

Question 38

Which of the following is not an example of an emergent property of a forest tree?

Answer 38

It is a mass of stored carbon.

Question 39

Which of the following would be the least appropriate step in evaluating the validity of scientific claims?

Answer 39

Conducting internet research on your own and examining the top links found on major search engines