Unit 3 Pretest Engineering, technology and society

The data table lists characteristics of 4 different materials.

What material would you most likely use if you were an electrician and wanted to connect a light o the source of electricity in a home?

• Material A

• Material B

• Material C

• Material D

What is the best example of the designed world?

• desert

• city

• mountain

• rainforest

Which of the following is the best example of a technology changing over time in response to a social problem?

• cell phones being redesigned to feature different colors, shapes, and ring tones

• personal computers becoming smaller while being able to perform more operations

• solar cells becoming more widespread to generate electricity without burning fossil fuels

• video editing software being created to take advantage of increasing numbers of people who own digital cameras

When designing technology, designers must consider factors that limit the design.

What are these factors called?

• trade-offs

• constraints

• prototypes

• methodical thinking

Which of the following is the best example of the interdependence between technology and the environment?

• The invention of the telephone allowed people to communicate over very long distances.

• The invention of the automobile resulted in increased air pollution from vehicle emissions.

• The invention of the steam engine helped to pave the way for the invention of the internal combustion engine.

• The invention of photographs and motion pictures gave people the opportunity to experience places they could not actually visit.

Which of the following is the best example of an adaptive technology?

• a dialysis machine cleans the blood of a person suffering from kidney failure

• a computer provides a person with a place to store her music and document

• a pick-up truck helps a person to transport heavy materials across long distances

• a microscope allows a person to study organisms that would otherwise be too tiny to see

The following Pugh Chart lists characteristics of various types of transportation over a distance of 200 miles.

According to this chart, what is the best way to travel a distance of 200 miles?

• car

• train

• airplane

• walking

Many people who have a disease called multiple sclerosis use drugs called interferons to help keep the disease at bay. Even though interferons give most people who take them flu-like symptoms, people still take them.

What best describes this scenario?

• a trade-off in which a certain benefit is lost to gain another benefit

• a trade-off in which a certain benefit is used to gain another benefit

• a trade-off in which a small negative effect is allowed to gain a large benefit

• a trade-off in which a small negative effect leads to a more significant negative effect

A computer is a type of system, with many inputs and outputs. Which of the following is most directly responsible for outputs?

• mouse

• electricity

• printer

• keyboard

Which of the following is the best example of interconnected technological systems?

• A person swings a baseball bat to hit a baseball, then runs around the bases.

• A person rides a bicycle down a steep hill, which causes the bicycle to increase speed.

• A person selects the “Print” function on a computer, which causes a printer to print the person’s document.

• A person mixes several different ingredients to make a cake batter, then places the batter in the oven to bake.