PRAXIS II General Science: Content Knowledge, Part I Exam

This exam is designed for individuals who would like to teach science at the secondary school level. You will be given one hour to complete 60 multiple-choice questions. There will be 19 questions covering earth/space science and, technology and society, 13 questions covering life science, 14, covering basic scientific principles, and 14 questions covering philosophy, methodology, laboratory safety and, measurement and the usage of mathematics in science.

Earth/Space Science; Science, Technology, and Society
This section of the exam will assess your knowledge of astronomy, major features of the solar system, stars, artificial satellites, space expiration, and theories of the origin of the universe. The meteorology section of this exam will assess your knowledge of climates and climate change, air masses, high and low pressure systems, forecasting, maps, humidity, wind and circulatory patterns, solar radiation, seasonal and latitudinal variation, and atmospheric properties. The oceanography section of the exam will cover the chemistry of seawater, the ocean floor, waves, currents, and tides. Under the geology section earthquakes, volcanoes, the structure of the earth, plate tectonic theory, hydrologic cycle, erosion and depositional processes; fossils, rock formation, and the history of the earth will be covered. Your knowledge of biotechnology, resource conservation, energy production, environmental and human affairs, and the impact of science and technology on daily life will also be assessed.

Life Science
Your knowledge of ecology, social behavior and population dynamics, ecosystems, food webs and energy flow, and the anatomy and physiology of animals will be assessed. Your understanding of series and patterns of evolution, general characteristics of life and its diversity, structure and function of plants, sexual and asexual reproduction, genetics and DNA replication, human genetic disorders, and the components of the cell will also be assessed in this section of the exam.

Basic Principles of Science
This section of the exam will assess your knowledge of atomic and nuclear structure, radio isotopes in radiation, heat, thermodynamics, thermal energy, laws of thermodynamics, structure and properties of matter, abundance of elements, and conservation of mass and energy.

PRAXIS II General Science: Content Knowledge, Part I Practice Questions

1. Science is composed of the following areas:

A. natural
B. social
C. formal
D. All of the above

2. Which of the following is not a unifying principle of biology?

A. Cell theory
B. Evolution
C. Genetic drift
D. Homeostasis

3. Which of the following is not a component of the solar system?

A. Planets
B. Man-made satellites
C. Dwarf planets
D. Sun

4. Biology, or life science, studies living organisms by:

A. dividing them into species
B. describing what they do
C. explaining how they relate to each other
D. All of the above

5. Which of the following is not a concept of heredity?

A. Homeostasis
B. Variations in genes
C. Mutations
D. Common ancestry

Answer Key For General Science Content Knowledge Part I

1. Answer: D

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines science as "the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena." Its Latin root is "scientia," which means knowledge.

NATURAL SCIENCE is concerned with the natural world-matter, energy, and relationships between the two (i.e., objectively measurable phenomena). Physics, chemistry, and biology are all natural sciences.

SOCIAL SCIENCE studies human relationships and society. Certain aspects of social science, such as demographics and statistical trends for a society, are based on empirical evidence, which is observable data that can be verified by other scientists working in similar situations under the same conditions-as with the natural sciences. Other aspects would, however, make use of more subjective criteria, or a priori evidence (see below). Examples of social sciences include anthropology and political science.

FORMAL SCIENCE is the systematic study of a specific area It is essential to developing hypotheses, theories, and laws used in other scientific disciplines, i.e., describing how things work (natural science), how people think, and why they do what they do individually and as a society (social sciences). It is based on a priori evidence, which proceeds from a theory or assumption rather than observable phenomena.

APPLIED SCIENCE is using the results of scientific research in any of the natural, social, and formal sciences and adapting it to address human needs. Examples of applied science fields include nanotechnology and optics.

2. Answer: C

CELL THEORY: The cell is the basic building block of all living things. It is the smallest unit of life able to function on its own, i.e., bacteria and protozo

A. In higher organisms, groups of cells form the organs and tissues. There are two kinds of cells: prokaryotic, which are present only in bacteria, and eukaryotic, found in all other life forms. New cells form by dividing from existing cells.

EVOLUTION: As a result of natural selection and changes in the gene pool (genetic drift), inherited traits morph from one generation to the next.

GENE THEORY: The traits of all living organisms are encoded in their DNA, the chromosome component that carries genetic information. These traits are passed from generation to generation. The physical or biochemical characteristics are capable of adapting to changes in the environment, but the only way these adaptations can be transferred to the genes is through evolution (see above).

HOMEOSTASIS is a self-regulating, physiological process that keeps biological systems stable and in proper balance internally no matter what is happening in the external environment.

3. Answer: B

The SOLAR SYSTEM is composed of the sun, eight planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), three dwarf planets (Pluto, Ceres, and Eris), and small solar system bodies (asteroids, Kuiper belt objects, comets, meteoroids, and interplanetary dust).

The SUN dominates the solar system. It is a star classified as G2 on the blue-white to red spectrum that contains 99% of the system's mass, even as its gravitational pull controls the entire solar system. The orbit of the planets and most other objects is counter-clockwise. (Halley's Comet is one exception.)

A PLANET is any body with enough mass to form itself into a ball shape and that has no smaller objects in its immediate vicinity. Its distance from the sun varies during the course of its year; the length of its year is determined by its proximity to the sun.

The MOONS that orbit the planets, dwarf planets, and small solar system bodies (SSSBs) are also called natural satellites. They are controlled by the gravitational pull of the objects they orbit rather than directly by the sun's gravity.

4. Answer: D

Life science, or biology, is the study of living organisms, their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution. The word biology is Greek: "bio" means life; "logos "means speech. Biology literally means, "to talk about life." It became a separate science in the late nineteenth century when researchers discovered that all organisms shared basic traits.

Biology studies how living things began, divides them into species, describes what they do, and how they interact with and relate to each other and the rest of the natural world. There are four unifying principles in biology: cell theory, evolution, genetics, and homeostasis.

The disciplines in the life sciences are grouped by the organisms they study. Botany studies plants, zoology studies animals, and microbiology studies microorganisms. These groups are further divided into smaller, specialized categories based on the level at which they are studied and the methods used to study them. For example, biochemistry studies the chemistry of life, while ecology studies how organisms interrelate in the natural world. Applied fields of the life sciences, such as medicine and genetic research, combine multiple specialized categories.

5. Answer: A

Heredity is the transfer of traits and characteristics via DNA (the chromosome component that carries genetic information) from the parent to the offspring. It is seen in all life forms from the simplest one-cell organism to complex plant and animal species. Offspring resemble the parent but are not identical; there are subtle differences between the generations. "Like produces like," meaning humans give birth to human babies, dogs have puppies, cows have calves, cats have kittens, and geese have goslings.

There are several fundamental concepts involved in the transmission of genes from one generation to the next:

• HEREDITY EVENTS control the transmission of genetic information to the next generation.
• DNA is the primary molecule for storage, transmission, and expression of characteristics.
• VARIATION IN GENES (DNA sequences on chromosomes) is called alleles, and inheritance patterns can be predicted.
• MUTATIONS cause alterations in genetic information, which produces variations in peoples.
• RANDOM MUTATIONS can be affected by natural selection and genetic drift.
• Scientific evidence could indicate a COMMON ANCESTRY for the origin, development, and diversity of all life on earth.