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PRAXIS II Biology Content Knowledge, Part 1 Exam

The Biology: Content Knowledge, Part 1 exam measures the adeptness of future high school biology teachers to teach the subject. The exam is administered in a one hour period and consists of 75 multiple choice questions that address topics that are taught in beginning biology courses in college. There are six areas of content that the questions cover, and they are divided as follows:

19 questions covering Diversity of Life, Plants, and Animals
13 questions covering Basic Principles of Science
12 questions covering Molecular and Cellular Biology
11 questions covering Classical Genetics and Evolution
10 questions covering Ecology
10 questions covering Science, Technology, and Society

In the category of diversity of life, questions will cover the subjects of classifications and kingdoms. Questions pertaining to plants will cover the evolution of plants, anatomy and physiology of plants, and the features of reproduction for plants. For animals, questions will be asked about evolution, organ systems and functions, reproduction, and behavior, both inherent and learned.

The area of questioning regarding the basic principles of science will include the history, concepts, and methods of science. Also included in this category is the use of math, the analysis of data, and ways of presenting data in a scientific facet, and as well as proper methods of experimentation in laboratories.

The topics that are questioned in molecular and cellular biology include structures and characteristics of cells and chemicals associated with life forms, and the subject of molecular genetics.

Classical genetics and evolution is composed of topics such as Mendelian inheritance, genetic disorders, and population genetics.

The areas of questioning under the category of ecology include energy flow, ecosystems, communities of species, niches, and factors associated with various aspects of populations.

Finally, questions concerning science, technology, and society will concentrate on topics related to advances and ethics in science and technology, such as prenatal testing and cloning, and the use of energy and of products as the population of the human race grows.

PRAXIS II Biology: Content Knowledge, Part 1 Practice Questions

1. Name some reasons scientific method is used:

A. investigate an event
B. gain knowledge
C. integrate new information
D. All of the above

2. Statistics are used to:

A. infer relationships
B. measure interactions
C. predict outcomes
D. All of the above

3. The probability theory is:

A. the analysis of random events
B. a prediction of possible behavior
C. a number from zero to one
D. All of the above

4. Which of the issues below do bioethicists not consider?

A. Ecosystems
B. Research
C. Technology
D. Distribution of funds

5. Which of the following is not part of the interdisciplinary field of bioethics?

A. Philosophy
B. Medicine
C. Mathematics
D. Theology

Answer Key For Biology Content, Part 1

1. Answer: D

SCIENTIFIC METHOD is a set of procedures used to study natural phenomena. It provides guidelines with which to pose questions, analyze data, and reach conclusions. It is used to investigate an event, gain knowledge, correct earlier conclusions, and integrate the new information with previously learned data. Researchers pose hypotheses and design experiments and studies to test them. The process must be objective, documented, and shared with other researchers so the results can be verified by replicating the study in similar situations under the same conditions.

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY is used to explore theories and develop explanations for natural phenomena. It provides a description of how something happens and explains why the process succeeds or fails.

DEDUCTIVE REASONING is a process in which a specific conclusion logically follows from a general premise. If the premise is true, the conclusion is true. It is used in mathematics.

INDUCTIVE REASONING is a process in which a universal conclusion is formed from considering an individual example. It is the methodology of the natural and social sciences.

2. Answer: D

Statistics is the collection, organization, and interpretation of data. The data can be facts or isolated bits of information, but it all relates in one way or another to a specific topic. This precise, analytical system is used to identify, study, and solve various problems in many industries. Statistics can help people interpret events and make decisions in uncertain and difficult situations. Statistics are used to infer relationships, measure interactions, and predict outcomes among variables.

Descriptive statistics is the foundation. It is used to define and explain the basic components in a study. Exploratory statistics tries to figure out what the collected data is saying. This method involves averages and percentages. Since it relies on information from previous experiments, this data is sometimes called secondary research. Confirmatory statistics is the method that applies general ideas and concepts to an issue or a problem in an effort to answer specific questions.

3. Answer: D

The Probability Theory is the study and analysis of random events and whether those events can predict the behavior of a defined system. A probability is the numerical measure of the likelihood the event will happen. It is a number from zero (0) to one (1). Zero means it will definitely not happen, one means it definitely will happen, and point five (0.5) means it is a draw-i.e., just as likely to happen as not happen.

Probability is the likelihood of an event happening or something being true. It is used to explain events that do not happen with any certainty. Probabilities must meet these general rules:

All probabilities must be a non-negative number.
The collection of all possible outcomes is equal to one (1).
If there are two possible outcomes that cannot happen at the same time (non-overlapping), the possibility either will happen is the total of the individual outcomes.

4. Answer: A

The International Association of Bioethics defines bioethics as "the study of the ethical, social, legal, philosophical, and other related issues arising in health care and in the biological sciences." Bioethics considers moral and ethical issues stemming from clinical practice, research, technology, and the distribution and use of limited funds.

Bioethicists study the "relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, philosophy, and theology." They try to formulate answers to diverse medical and research questions using the vast volumes of material that have accumulated over the last thirty years. They consider questions and controversies about the type, availability, and distribution of treatment, the authority of the patient, the medical staff and other interested parties, the concept of confidentiality, the parameters of intervention, and the consequences of genetic research and its potentially life-altering applications. Bioethics is a huge field that grows exponentially as medical breakthroughs occur in laboratories all over the world.

5. Answer: C

Medical ethics began with the Hippocratic Oath and its admonishment to "first, do no harm." In 1846 the American Medical Association adopted its Code of Ethics in an effort to regulate the practice of medicine. The horror of Nazi experiments during World War II was the impetus for the Nuremberg Code, which deals with the concept of informed consent from participants involved in scientific or medical research.

During the 1970s there was an explosion of breakthroughs in areas like genetic screening, fetal research, and gene splicing. Controversies about the Tuskegee syphilis study, right-to-die (Karen Ann Quinlan), right-to-life (Roe v. Wade), and "test tube" baby (Louise Brown) all contributed to an increased interest in medical and scientific ethics. By the early twenty first century, bioethics had become an interdisciplinary field of study bringing together scholars and researchers from philosophy, medicine, biology, theology, and history who ponder medical and scientific developments from diverse perspectives in an effort to reach a consensus on complicated issues.