# | Category | Statement | Teacher response (%)a | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
1 | SSMT1 | A scientific theory that explains a natural phenomenon can be classified as a ‘best guess’ or ‘hunch’.b | 2.6 | 15.8 | 10.5 | 67.1 | 1.3 | 2.6 |
2 | SSMT2 | The scientific methods used to determine the age of fossils and the earth are reliable. | 39.5 | 34.2 | 14.5 | 11.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
3 | SSMT3 | According to the second law of thermodynamics, complex life forms cannot evolve from simpler life forms. | 13.2 | 7.9 | 25.0 | 31.6 | 18.4 | 3.9 |
4 | SSMT4 | The earth is old enough for evolution to have occurred. | 60.5 | 18.4 | 3.9 | 13.2 | 3.9 | 0.0 |
5 | SSMT5 | Evolution cannot be considered a reliable explanation because evolution is only a theory. | 7.9 | 14.5 | 19.7 | 52.6 | 3.9 | 1.3 |
6 | IE1 | Evolution always results in improvement.b | 10.5 | 14.5 | 25.0 | 47.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
7 | IE2 | Members of a species evolve because of an inner need to evolve.b | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 60.5 | 2.6 | 1.3 |
8 | IE3 | Traits acquired during the lifetime of an organism - such as large muscles produced by body building - will not be passed along to offspring. | 71.1 | 11.8 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
9 | IE4 | If webbed feet are being selected for, all individuals in the next generation will have more webbing on their feet than do individuals in their parents’ generation.b | 9.2 | 19.7 | 15.8 | 53.9 | 1.3 | 0.0 |
10 | IE5 | Evolution cannot cause an organism’s traits to change within its lifetime. | 73.7 | 9.2 | 7.9 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 0.0 |
11 | NE1 | New traits within a population appear at random.c | 35.5 | 30.3 | 19.7 | 10.5 | 3.9 | 0.0 |
12 | NE2 | Individual organisms adapt to their environments. | 23.7 | 21.1 | 11.8 | 43.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
13 | NE3 | Evolution is a totally random process. | 13.2 | 19.7 | 23.7 | 40.8 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
14 | NE4 | The environment determines which traits are best suited for survival. | 52.6 | 36.8 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 1.3 | 0.0 |
15 | ME1 | Variation among individuals within a species is important for evolution to occur.a | 73.7 | 14.5 | 6.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 0.0 |
16 | ME2 | ‘Survival of the fittest’ means basically that ‘only the strong survive’.c | 10.5 | 30.3 | 14.5 | 44.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
17 | ME3 | The size of the population has no effect on the evolution of a species.b | 5.3 | 3.9 | 27.6 | 61.8 | 1.3 | 0.0 |
18 | ME4 | Complex structures such as the eye could have been formed by evolution. | 34.2 | 22.4 | 10.5 | 26.3 | 6.6 | 0.0 |
19 | ME5 | Only beneficial traits are passed on from parent to offspring. | 3.9 | 3.9 | 14.5 | 77.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
20 | ESE1 | There exists a large amount of evidence supporting the theory of evolution. b | 46.1 | 18.4 | 13.2 | 18.4 | 3.9 | 0.0 |
21 | ESE2 | According to the theory of evolution, humans evolved from monkeys, gorillas, or apes. | 13.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 64.5 | 3.9 | 0.0 |
22 | ESE3 | Scientific evidence indicates that dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time in the past.b | 9.2 | 15.8 | 7.9 | 59.2 | 6.6 | 1.3 |
23 | ESE4 | The majority of scientists favor evolution over other explanations for life. | 51.3 | 26.3 | 11.8 | 2.6 | 7.9 | 0.0 |