A. INCORRECT CHOICE
Feedback: Climate change is measured over long periods of time, with models reviewing data collected over decades, if not centuries. Shorter-term variations in weather are not definitive proof of climate change (although they may be part of the pattern).
Which choice offers the most direct proof of its claim?
B. INCORRECT CHOICE
Feedback: Autism tends to be diagnosed at a time during development that coincides with the period in which children receive a variety of immunizations. Such a “correlation” does not prove causation. Many large, controlled, blinded studies have failed to find any link between autism and vaccines.
Which choices show a direct cause between a manipulation and an observable, measurable effect?
C. INCORRECT CHOICE
Feedback: Many factors can influence how students perform on a standardized test, including the resources that have been available for their education and the quality of the teachers in their school districts. These issues directly affect a student’s performance on such tests.
Which choice presents a situation in which confounding variables are least likely to play a role?
D. CORRECT CHOICE
Feedback: Although it may sound counterintuitive, eliminating a gene can provide critical insights into its function. Studies such as these have led to the development of antiviral drugs.
Courtesy of Norton Publishing’s Smartwork assessment platform for Essential Cell Biology, 6th edition.