Curriculum Development Instruments

Student Content Assessments

Instrument 7: Understanding Biological Change

Project: A Model Integrated Introductory Science Course
Westminster College

Funding Source: NSF: Course and Curriculum Development (DUE)

Purpose: To assess student science background (biological change, science concepts, and literacy)

Administered To: Non-science and elementary education majors

Topics Covered:

• Attitudes & Beliefs (Student): content, profession
• Content Specific Assessment: biology, earth & space, inquiry concepts

Format/Length: 74 questions total, 24 multiple-choice, 44 true/false, and 6 open-ended questions

Name _________________________________________

Date _____________________

Question 1: Cheetahs

Modern day cheetahs can run at speeds of over 60 miles per hour. Suppose their ancestors ran at a much slower speed. The ability to run fast probably:

1. developed for all the cheetahs in a few generations,
2. involved an increase in the percentage of cheetahs that can run faster,

   BECAUSE:

1. there was first a random genetic change in a few individuals.
2. the more the cheetahs used their muscles, the faster they became.
3. The need to catch prey caused them to run faster.

Other comments:

Question 2: Birds

Birds with webbed feet can swim in water much better than can birds without webbed feet. If a large population of birds without webbed feet were transported to a remote island covered with very little dry land and lots of marshes, swamps, and ponds:

1. some birds would live and some would die,
2. the birds would gradually developed webbed feet,

   BECAUSE:

1. all of the birds' feet would slowly change so they would be better for swimming.
2. The few birds starting out with webbed feet would survive to reproduce.
3. The feet of every bird would change in the same way since they are all related.

Other comments:

Question 3: Squirrels

A population of squirrels exists in an area that has had several years of very cold winters. If the winters continue to be severe in the future, we would expect that:

1. most of the squirrels will be able to live through the winter,
2. many of the squirrels will live but some will freeze to death,

   BECAUSE:

1. some individuals, by chance, have thicker fur than others.
2. The squirrels will adapt to the cold weather.
3. The need to survive the cold will cause the squirrels to develop thicker fur.

Other comments:

Question 4: Alaskan Wolves

Wolves that live in Alaska have very thick fur. Their ancestors may not have had fur as thick as it is today. Over the centuries, changes in the wolves have occurred since:

1. the need to keep warm caused the fir of every wolf to get thicker,
2. more wolves each generation have had thicker fur,

   BECAUSE:

1. the wolves wanted to adapt to their surroundings.
2. The offspring inherited thicker fur from their parents.
3. The few individuals that had thicker fur lived to produce offspring.

Other comments:

Question 5: Head lice

Many years ago, the spread of head lice was controlled with the chemical DDT. Recently, health workers have found that lice do not seem to be harmed as much by the DDT. The reason for this change is that:

1. a greater number of lice each generation are unaffected by the DDT,
2. over the years, all of the lice gradually because less affected by DDT,

   BECAUSE:

1. every generation, the individual lice who survived the DDT had offspring.
2. The need to survive caused the lice to change.
3. The use of DDT led to a mutation of the DNA in the lice.

Other comments:

Question 6: Caterpillars

A population of caterpillars contains individuals that have either light or dark colored bodies. The forest where the caterpillars live used to have trees with both and dark trunks. Recently, a disease has wiped out all of the types of trees except those with the darkest trunks. The effect on the caterpillars would be that every generation:

1. the light colored caterpillars would develop slightly darker bodies,
2. there would be a greater proportion of dark caterpillars in the population,

   BECAUSE:

1. the caterpillars would adapt to the change in the environment.
2. The need to survive would cause the caterpillars to shift their color.
3. only those caterpillars with dark bodies would escape predators and live to reproduce.

Other comments:

Question 7: Kangaroos

Kangaroos can jump over 20 feet in a single hop. Suppose that the kangaroos alive today had ancestors that could not jump as far. The ability to hop large distance probably:

1. developed for all the kangaroos in a few generations,
2. involved an increase in the percentage of kangaroos that could hop far,

   BECAUSE:

1. the more that kangaroos used their muscles, the further they could jump.
2. there was first a random genetic change in a few individuals.
3. The need to avoid predators caused them to jump further.

Other comments:

Question 8: Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds with long beaks can reach the nectar at the base of flowers better than can hummingbirds with shorter beaks. Some flowers have shallow tubes with nectar at the bottom while other flowers have much deeper and narrower tubes. If a large population of hummingbirds with short beaks were transported to a desert oasis covered entirely with plants whose flowers had very long tubes:

1. some hummingbirds would live and some would die,
2. the hummingbirds would gradually develop longer beaks,

   BECAUSE:

1. the few hummingbirds starting out with longer beaks would survive to reproduce.
2. The beak of every hummingbird would change in the same way since they are all related.
3. all of the hummingbirds' beaks would slowly change so they would be better for reaching the nectar.

Other comments:

Question 9: Trees

A population of trees exists in an area that has had several years of very hot and dry summers. If the summers continue to be severe in the future, we would expect that:

1. many of the trees will live but some will die because of the dryness,
2. most of the trees will be able to live through the summer,

   BECAUSE:

1. the need to survive the summers will cause the trees to develop better ways to avoid drying out.
2. some individual trees have, by chance, better ways of conserving water.
3. The plants will adapt to the hot and dry weather.

Other comments:

Question 10: Pilot whales

Pilot whales that live in the polar seas have a very thick layer of body fat. Their ancestors may not have had as much body fat as today. Over the centuries, changes in the whales have occurred since:

1. the need to keep warm caused the amount of fat of every whale to increase,
2. more whales each generation have had more fat,

   BECAUSE:

1. the pilot whales wanted to adapt to their surroundings.
2. The offspring inherited more fat from their parents.
3. The few individuals that had more fat lived to produce offspring.

Other comments:

Question 11: Strep throat bacteria

Many years ago, bacteria that caused strep throat were controlled with the antibiotic penicillin. Recently, doctors have found that these types of bacteria do not seem to be harmed as much by the penicillin. The reason for this change is that:

1. over the years, all of the bacteria gradually became less affected by penicillin,
2. a greater proportion of bacteria are unaffected by the penicillin each generation,

   BECAUSE:

1. the need to survive caused the bacteria to change.
2. The use of penicillin led to a mutation of the DNA in the bacteria.
3. every generation, the individual bacteria who survived the penicillin reproduced.

Other comments:

Question 12: Prarie grasshoppers

A population of grasshoppers contains individuals that have either green or tan bodies. The prairie where the grasshoppers live used to have grass plants with both green and tan colored leaves. Recently, a disease has wiped out all of the types of grass except those with the green leaves. The effect on the grasshoppers would be that every generation:

1. the tan grasshoppers would develop slightly more green bodies,
2. there would be a greater proportion of individuals with green bodies,

   BECAUSE:

1. only those grasshoppers with green bodies would escape predators and live to reproduce.
2. The grasshoppers would adapt to the change in the environment.
3. The need to survive would cause grasshoppers to change their body color.

Other comments:

Physics 104
Spring Semester, 1997

Approximately how old is the earth? Has its major physical features changed during this period of time? If so, describe some of the major changes.

Physics 104
Spring Semester, 1997

Define the term biological evolution. Given an example of evolution. How does this process work?

Physics 104
Spring Semester, 1997

Cheetahs (large African cats) are able to run faster than 60 miles per hour when chasing prey. How would a biologist explain how the ability to run fast evolved in cheetahs, assuming their ancestors could only run 20 miles per hour?

Name __________________________________
Date _______________________

Please read the following items and indicate if the item is true (T), false (F), or you are not sure (?) by circling the appropriate letter.

T	F	?	1.	In science, the testing , improving, and discarding of theories goes on all the time.
T	F	?	2.	Offspring (i.e., young) always differ in some respects from their parents.
T	F	?	3.	Every object in the universe exerts gravitational forces on every other object.
T	F	?	4.	Living organisms do not share with other natural systems the same principles of the conservation of matter and energy.
T	F	?	5.	Almost all life on earth is basically maintained by transformation of energy from the sun.
T	F	?	6.	In other galaxies, there appear to be the same elements, forces, and forms of energy as are found in our own galaxy.
T	F	?	7.	Scientific fields such as chemistry and biology have fixed boundaries or borders.
T	F	?	8.	Ecosystems remain constant even when the climate changes a great deal.
T	F	?	9.	Evolution can be thought of as a ladder in which the lower life-forms are all replaced with superior forms.
T	F	?	10.	Engineers can design solutions for all our problems.
T	F	?	11.	In addition to its intended benefits, every engineering design is likely to have unintended side effects.
T	F	?	12.	The presence of life has altered the earth's atmosphere.
T	F	?	13.	Biological classification systems do not tell us anything about relationships among living things.
T	F	?	14.	The amount of life any environment can support is limited by its most basic resources.
T	F	?	15.	Engineering decisions without fail involve scientific judgements. These decisions also involve social personal values.
T	F	?	16.	Most decisions on technology-related issues are made using complete information.
T	F	?	17.	The total amount of useful energy in a system, such as a switched-off electric hot water tank, always remains the same.
T	F	?	18.	Any aspect of our lives can be usefully examined in a scientific way.
T	F	?	19.	Life on earth has existed for only a few thousand years.
T	F	?	20.	The earth's climate has changed a lot over thousands of years.
T	F	?	21.	When a new or improved scientific theory is put forward which explains more phenomena than the previous theory, the new theory eventually takes the previous one's place.
T	F	?	22.	Most of what happens in the universe—such as the collapsing of stars, biological growth, the operation of machines—involves one form of energy being changed into another form.
T	F	?	23.	There is a point or object in space that can serve as a single absolute reference for something that is actually moving.
T	F	?	24.	Whenever the energy in one form (e.g., heat) or place decreases, the energy in another place or form increases by an equal amount.
T	F	?	25.	The mixing of genes in sexual reproduction results in only a tiny variety of gene combinations among the offspring (i.e., the young) of two parents.
T	F	?	26.	Materials that allow some range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays,) to pass through them may completely absorb other ranges.
T	F	?	27.	Technological and social change influence each other.
T	F	?	28.	The validity (i.e., truth) of scientific claims is seldom settled by referring to observations of phenomena.
T	F	?	29.	New instruments and techniques being developed through technology make little contribution to scientific research.
T	F	?	30.	In science, ideas are usually rejected outright, rather than modified (i.e., changed).
T	F	?	31.	The elements that make up the molecules of living things are continuously recycled.
T	F	?	32.	The earth has many resources of great importance to human life. All these resources can be equally renewed.
T	F	?	33.	In spite of the great complexity of modern technological systems, all side effects of new technological designs are predictable (i.e., can be forecast).
T	F	?	34.	Elements such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur move slowly through the land, oceans, and atmosphere. While doing so, elements do not change their chemical combinations.
T	F	?	35.	In science, the testing, improving, and discarding of theories takes place only rarely.
T	F	?	36.	Technology has had little influence on the nature of human society.
T	F	?	37.	No matter what precautions are taken or how much money is spent, any technological system can fail.
T	F	?	38.	The interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem results in very little stability over a very long period of time.
T	F	?	39.	Biologists classify organisms into groups and subgroups. This is done on the basis of similarities and differences in the structure and behavior of the organisms.
T	F	?	40.	The electromagnetic forces acting between atoms are about as strong as the gravitational forces acting between them.
T	F	?	41.	Scientific evidence is never biased (i.e., distorted) in the way that data are interpreted, recorded, reported or selected.
T	F	?	42.	It seems that the entire known universe has always existed in much the same form as it is today.
T	F	?	43.	All things of the physical world are made up of different combinations of about 100 chemical elements.
T	F	?	44.	Scientists can almost always bring final answers to matters of public debate (e.g., nuclear power or conservation of the environment).