QB 1 - REVIEW - NOS

On March 24, 1989, an oil tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and spilled millions of liters of crude oil. The graph shows pink salmon populations in Prince William Sound from 1970 to 1999.

What do these data suggest about the effect the oil spill had on pink salmon?

• Pink salmon populations steadily declined in the 10 years following the spill.

• Pink salmon were nearly eliminated after the oil spill.

• Pink salmon populations declined and never fully recovered.

• Pink salmon populations seemed to be minimally affected.

Answer explanation

Pink salmon populations seemed to be minimally affected - in the graph, as you can see, salmon population (numbers) increased immediately after the spill (1990), decreased for the next three years (1991-1993) but then increased again.

A student hypothesized that lettuce seeds would not germinate (sprout) unless they were exposed to darkness. The student planted 10 lettuce seeds under a layer of soil and scattered 10 lettuce seeds on top of the soil. The student found that 9 of the seeds under the soil sprouted, while 8 of the seeds left on top of the soil sprouted. Which of the following would most likely allow the student to improve the validity of these results?

• repeating the experiment

• concluding that light is necessary for lettuce seed germination

• determining that darkness is necessary for lettuce seed germination

• revising the hypothesis

Answer explanation

Remember: repetition, replication and using a large sample size are ways to improve the validity of an experiment

In astrology, personality traits are linked to a person's birthday. According to astrology, personality traits are related to the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets at the time of a person's birth. Which statement explains why the field of astrology is NOT considered science?

• Astrology is widely accepted by people who are not trained in scientific fields.

• Astrology predictions are not testable, as many factors affect personality.

• Astrological research is not shared in publications of any type.

• Astrological structures are always changing positions.

Answer explanation

If something cannot be tested - then it is NOT SCIENCE!

A botanist is trying to determine the best medium for growing new juvenile orchids. He collected data on the four different types of media that were used to grow the juvenile orchids, as shown in the table below.

Based on the data, which medium would be best for growing juvenile orchids?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Answer explanation

In medium 3 orchids had slightly bigger stems, but also more leaves (average 2.51) and the leaves grew more (0.62)

A mineral supplement designed to prevent the common cold was given to two groups of people during a scientific study.

Group # Dosage

Group 1 50 mg/day

Group 2 100 mg/day

After eight weeks, neither group reported a case of the common cold. Which of the following would have made the outcome of this study more valid to see the effect of the mineral supplement?

• Create a third group that does not receive the supplement.

• Create a third group that receives 75 mg of the supplement.

• Give the supplement to both groups for only 6 weeks.

• A

  Test only one group with 150 mg of the supplement.

Answer explanation

The group that does not receive treatment is the control group, which serves for comparison

The average depth in Rookery Bay Estuary is 1 meter. According to the graph, as the temperature of the water increases during the summer, how might the organisms that live in the estuary be affected?

• salinity levels will increase making the water too toxic for aquatic life.

• dissolved oxygen levels will increase making the conditions more favorable for fish and other aquatic organisms.

• the water temperature will be too low for some organisms and they will die out.

• lower oxygen levels may adversely affect fish and other aquatic animals that depend on higher levels of oxygen.

Answer explanation

Look at the trend in the graph: as temperature increases, the oxygen levels decrease.

Mullet are estuarine fish that move in schools and feed on plankton and plant matter. Natural predators of the mullet include spotted sea trout, sharks, pelicans and dolphins. The graph shows how the number of mullet in an area has changed over time.

Based on the data, one student concludes that a new predator was introduced into the area during this time period. Which of the following is a likely alternate explanation for the change in the mullet population?

• The birth rate of mullet increased.

• The food supply for mullet decreased.

• the average available oxygen increased.

• the shark population stopped feeding on mullet.

Since the early 1990s, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been widely used to treat acid reflux disease. Although clinical tests in the 1980s deemed PPIs to be safe for humans, in 2012 the FDA announced warnings that long-term use of PPIs could increase the risk of bone fractures, kidney disease, and some intestinal infections.

Which statement best explains why the safety of PPIs is now in question when clinical experiments in the 1980s provided evidence that they were safe?

• Researchers have been able to collect more data than were available in the 1980s

• Fewer people had acid reflux in the 1980s compared to today

• The medication containing PPIs has changes since the 1980s when tests were done

• The original experiments in the 1980s used only test animals and did not use human subjects

The table contains information about glucose production in a species of plant that lives in the water of a salt marsh.

Which terms describe temperature in this investigation?

Biotic factor, density independent, and independent variable

Biotic factor, density dependent, and dependent variable

• Abiotic factor and independent variable

• Abiotic factor and dependent variable

• Biotic factor and dependent variable

• Biotic factor and independent variable

Honeybees have a very cooperative way of living. Scout bees find food, return to the hive, and do the “waggle dance” to communicate the location of the food source to other bees in the hive. The waggle, represented by the wavy line in the diagram below, indicates the direction of the food source, while the speed of the dance indicates the distance of the food. Different species of honeybees use the same basic dance pattern in slightly different ways as shown in the table.

Which of the following statements BEST represents the relationship between the distance to the food source and the number of waggle runs in 15 seconds?

• There is no relationship between the number of waggle runs in 15 seconds and the distance to the food source.

• The closer the food is to the hive, the greater the number of waggle runs in 15 seconds.

• The closer the food is to the hive, the fewer the number of waggle runs in 15 seconds.

• The farther the food is from the hive, the greater the number of waggle runs in 15 seconds

Answer explanation

According to the table, the closer to food (line 1 - 50 feet), the higher the number of waggle runs in 15 seconds (10.6 and 10.5) for both types of honeybees