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Table 3 Examples of multiple choice exam questions at each level of learning that associate with learning goals listed in Table 2

From: Impact of pre-lab learning activities, a post-lab written report, and content reduction on evolution-based learning in an undergraduate plant biodiversity lab

Lower-order

(a) Knowledge

Which of the following is not correct concerning the generalized life cycle of a plant?

    a. A diploid sporophyte gives rise to a haploid spore through meiosis.

    b. A haploid gametophyte gives rise to a haploid gamete through mitosis.

    c. Two haploid gametes fuse to produce a diploid zygote.

    d. A haploid spore gives rise to a diploid sporophyte through mitosis.

    e. All of the above are correct.

(b) Comprehension

In seed plants, the pollen grain is an adaptation to overcome the limitations of water for fertilization. Pollen is a modified version of what structure found in seedless plants?

    a. A gametophyte containing archegonia.

    b. A gametophyte containing antheridia.

    c. A sporophyte with archegonia.

    d. A sporophyte with antheridia.

    e. Spores

Higher-order

(c) Application

Suppose a spore landed in a random environment and a seed landed in the same random environment -- which one has a higher probability of successfully developing into a mature plant and why?

    a. The spore because it can travel through the air farther than a seed.

    b. The spore because it requires less energy to get started.

    c. The seed because it has endosperm which is stored food to help grow a root and a shoot.

    d. The seed because it can travel farther through the air than a spore.

    e. Both have an equal probability of successful development in a random environment.

(d) Analysis

The table below compares the number of pollinating species associated with different species of flowering plants versus the number of pollen grains per flower in the particular species. Which explanation best explains these data?

# of pollinating species

Approximate pollen grains per flower

1 to 3

10,000

3 - 8

100,000

8 - 12

800,000

    a. As the number of pollinating species increases, the pollinators eat more pollen and thus, the flower must make more pollen to compensate.

    b. As the number of pollinating species increases, the number of flowers also increases so the number of pollen grains per flower stays the same.

    c. As the number of pollen grains per flower increases, flowering plants switch to using swimming sperm to fertilize their flowers.

    d. As the number of pollinating species increases, the probability of a pollinator going to a flower of a different species also increases, thus there may need to be more pollen made so that it gets to the correct flowers.

    e. The pollen in these species of flowering plants is transported via wind rather than pollinators.