Chapters 1 – Study Guide and Challenging Question(s)

Reviewing Core Concepts Summary and Self-Assessment at the end of each chapter are great
tools to go with this study guide. The answers to Self-Assessment questions are available on
LaunchPad at the end of each section.

Chapter 1 --- Section 1.1 and Section 1.3. None of the concepts in Sections 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, and
1.6 will be asked on Exam #1. HOWEVER, Figs. 1.8 and 1.9 were used in lecture to help you
use/understand the scientific methods in different situations.

Key concepts to grasp

The scientific method
Given a scenario, be able to recognize or formulate an observation, hypothesis,
prediction, and experiment. *Students tend to have the most trouble distinguishing
between a hypothesis and a prediction*
Know the difference between a hypothesis and a theory.
Be able to distinguish between a testable and an untestable hypothesis.
Be able to recognize and distinguish a control group from a test group.

The central dogma of molecular biology

We will be going over this more in-depth in Chapter 3, but do know the general steps for now.

The cell
The basic difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
Why is the cell considered the smallest unit of life?
What is metabolism?

Challenging Question

Q1: You love to watch birds that come to birdfeeders in the

backyard. However, the cost for birdseeds is not trivial. So,
you started a self-sustainable birdfeeder by planting
sunflowers in your backyard. Over the days, you notice
something strange. Young sunflower plants follow the
movement of the sun all day, facing the east in the morning, to
south around noon, and west in the afternoon. However, they
stop following the sun when they are fully grown. This is a
true story. Plant sunflowers next spring!

After many sleepless nights thinking about these sunflowers you begin to wonder if the
movement is required for the growth of sunflower and start planning a series of experiments.

What is the observation of the scientific method in this story?

What is the hypothesis of the scientific method in this story?
Propose one experiment to test the hypothesis in this story. Is there a control group? Is there a
test group?
Describe a prediction of your proposed experiment.