01
Choose one
1 point
Which statement best distinguishes a scientific hypothesis from a scientific theory?
Free Practice Quiz Question List
Foundations of Biology and Scientific Inquiry Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review Foundations of Biology and Scientific Inquiry, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
An investigator changes fertilizer concentration and measures the increase in plant height. Which pair correctly identifies the independent and dependent variables?
- A
Plant height increase is the independent variable, and fertilizer concentration is the dependent variable.
- B
Plant species is the independent variable, and soil type is the dependent variable.
- C
Fertilizer concentration is the independent variable, and plant height increase is the dependent variable.
- D
Light exposure is the independent variable, and fertilizer concentration is the dependent variable.
03
Choose one
1 point
Why is an appropriate control group important in a controlled experiment?
- A
It provides a comparison condition that lacks the treatment being tested while other relevant conditions are kept comparable.
- B
It guarantees that every measurement will be accurate and precise.
- C
It receives every possible treatment so that all variables are changed together.
- D
It eliminates the need for replication because the comparison is already available.
04
Choose all
1 point
Which two procedures can help reduce bias or the influence of unknown variation in an investigation? Select all that apply.
- A
Randomly assigning subjects or samples to treatment groups
- B
Increasing the number of technical measurements on one sample without adding independent samples
- C
Preventing a data collector from knowing which treatment a sample received
- D
Changing several experimental variables at once
05
Choose all
1 point
Which two study designs are controlled experiments rather than observational studies? Select all correct answers.
- A
The researcher assigns identical groups of bean seedlings to 4, 8, or 12 hours of light per day and compares their height increase over 14 days.
- B
The researcher assigns seeds to distilled water or solutions with different salt concentrations and compares the percentage that germinate.
- C
The researcher records naturally occurring differences in sunlight exposure and compares the growth of plants without changing their exposure.
- D
The researcher measures temperature and plant growth in a forest without assigning temperatures to study sites.
06
True or false
1 point
True or false: If two variables are correlated, the data alone establish that one variable causes the other.
- A
True
- B
False
07
True or false
1 point
True or false: Measuring one plant three times is not necessarily equivalent to measuring three independent plants once each when estimating biological variation.
- A
True
- B
False
08
Written response
1 point
What biological term describes the regulation of internal conditions within suitable ranges?
09
Written response
1 point
In a group of 20 seeds, 14 germinate. What percentage germinated? Enter the value as a number; the answer is shown in percentage points.
10
Fill in the blank
1 point
In an experiment, the factor measured as the response is the , while conditions held constant to prevent alternative explanations are .
11
Fill in the blank
1 point
A balance consistently reports masses 0.20 g higher than the accepted values because it is miscalibrated. This is an example of .
12
Choose one
1 point
A student wants to examine the relationship between fertilizer concentration and plant height, with both variables recorded numerically. Which graph is most appropriate?
- A
A bar graph
- B
A histogram
- C
A box-and-whisker plot
- D
A scatterplot
13
Choose one
1 point
Which laboratory-record practice best supports transparent and reproducible data analysis?
- A
Average all observations immediately and discard the individual measurements.
- B
Preserve the raw observations separately from calculated values and record any corrections transparently.
- C
Remove measurements that do not fit the hypothesis before calculating the mean.
- D
Record only the final graph because it contains the relevant information.
14
Open ended
1 point
Describe how you would write a scientifically responsible conclusion after an experiment testing whether salinity affects seed germination.
15
Choose one
1 point
A student investigates how fertilizer concentration affects plant height. Which factor is the independent variable that the student deliberately changes?
- A
The fertilizer concentration assigned to each group
- B
The increase in plant height measured after the experiment
- C
The temperature maintained for all groups
- D
The plant species used in every group
16
True or false
1 point
True or false: In science, a theory is simply an untested guess.
- A
True
- B
False
17
Choose one
1 point
In an investigation of how salinity affects seed germination, which is the dependent variable?
- A
Salt concentration of the solution
- B
The number of seeds placed in each group
- C
Percentage of seeds that germinate
- D
Seed species used in the investigation
18
Written response
1 point
What term describes the factor measured as the response in an experiment?
19
Choose one
1 point
Ice-cream sales and sunburn cases increase during the same months. Which conclusion is best supported by this observation?
- A
Warmer weather could increase both ice-cream sales and sunburn cases.
- B
Buying ice cream directly causes people to get sunburned.
- C
Sunburn cases cause people to buy ice cream.
- D
The two variables cannot be related because neither is controlled.
20
Written response
1 point
A student records three measurements: 4, 6, and 8. What is the arithmetic mean of these measurements?