Nature of Science - Assessment

1.

Multiple Choice

45 sec

1 pt

Ricardo came up with three different designs for paper airplanes. He would like to find out which design flies the farthest. Ricardo plans to fly each paper airplane five times. Wha step should Ricardo take after he flies each plane?

Weigh the plane using a balance

Record the color of the plane

Estimate which plane will fly the farthest

Measure the distance that the plane flew and record it

2.

Multiple Choice

45 sec

1 pt

A scientist set up containers to collect water in three spots around town. He wanted to find out how much rain falls in each area. What should the scientist record when looking at each container?

The amount of rainwater in each container

The number of organisms present in each container

The color of the rainwater in each container

The temperature of the rainwater in each container

3.

Multiple Choice

1 min

1 pt

The table below shows the vitamin C content in some common fruits and vegetables. Which conclusion is best supported by the data in the table?

Broccoli has more vitamin C per serving than kiwi.

A tomato has the least vitamin C per serving.

Mango has more vitamin C per serving than kiwi and broccoli combined.

Mango has the least vitamin C per serving.

4.

Multiple Choice

45 sec

1 pt

Scientists want to determine whether watching television affects a child's ability to learn to read. The experimental group watches television for 2 hours a day. What should the control group do?

Watch television 2 hours a day

Watch no television

Watch television whenever they want

Watch more than 2 hours of television a day

5.

Multiple Choice

1 min

1 pt

A team of students wants to find out what time of day squirrels in a forest are most active. They observe squirrels in a forest for five days. They record the period of time of any squirrel activity they see and describe the details of that activity. This investigation is not an experiment. Why?

It does not have a set research goal.

There are no variables being controlled.

There are no measurements being taken.

It is carried out over a long period of time.

6.

Multiple Choice

45 sec

1 pt

As part of an experiment, Jenna measured the mass of a red cube. Which best describes why she should record her experimental procedure?

The exact experiment can be repeated by others, and the results can be compared.

The data will help others to find other properties of the red block.

By writing down her procedure, she does not have to tell anyone about her experiment.

Others can change the experiment to get different results.

7.

Multiple Choice

1 min

1 pt

Kristine observed that a cypress tree in her backyard produced knobby woody structures called "knees". She wanted to find out how the tree used its knees. She wrote a few notes on the knees to show her teacher. Which of her notes is a personal opinion?

The knees are the same color as the tree trunk.

The knees do not have any leaves on them.

The knees are in muddy soil.

The knees are really cool because they are round.

8.

Multiple Choice

1 min

1 pt

Mr. Howell's fifth grade is making homemade lava lamps. Each student is given the same materials: one clean, clear 600 ml soda bottle with a plastic cap; two fizzy antacid tablets; food coloring; 100ml of vegetable oil; and 500ml of water. They follow a set of specific instructions and record their results in their science notebooks. What makes this a replicable, or repeatable experiment.

Every student received a set of instructions

All students recorded the steps in a science notebook.

Everyone in the class is making his or her own lava lamp.

The materials were measured out and added in the order listed in the instructions.

9.

Multiple Choice

1 min

1 pt

Josh is doing an experiment to find out how different amounts of water affect the growth of bean plants. He waters the plants every Monday and Friday, measuring the amount of water carefully. He measures the change in plant height every Friday. What conclusion can you draw from the observations Josh recorded in his data table?

Plants 1, 2, and 3 showed successful growth.

Plant 2 and 3 will produce nearly the same number of beans.

Plant 3 received an amount of water that encouraged rapid growth.

Plant 4 should have grown the most, there was a problem with the seed.

10.

Multiple Choice

1 min

1 pt

Mei is studying birds. She studied the beaks of the two birds in the picture. Mei predicted that the bird on the left would eat mainly seeds. Which of the following is the best way to test her prediction?

Measure the exact size of both beaks.

Plan an experiment to test if all birds eat seeds.

Observe the birds in the wild to see what they eat.

Ask other students if they agree with her prediction.

11.

Multiple Choice

45 sec

1 pt

Becker did an experiment. Separately, Tracy did the same experiment. Becker andTracy found that they each got very different results. Which of the following is the best thing Becker and Tracy could do?

Find the average of each set of results and use it.

Accept the set of results they think is most correct.

Combine all the results into one. set and use the new set.

They should perform the experiment again and compare it to their original results.

12.

Multiple Choice

45 sec

1 pt

Several students took part in a bird census during the month of October. Each student wrote a report to summarize their findings. Which student has the most accurate empirical observation from their census?

Jake: There were plenty of birds flying North on Saturday.

Carla: I saw three types of birds I could not recognize.

June: I counted 42 tree swallows and 112 purple martins in three hours.

Esteban: Most of the birds I saw, like ducks and flamingos, live in Florida all year round.

13.

Multiple Choice

2 mins

1 pt

J. P. and Rosa investigate ways to grow tomatoes. They use three types of tomato plants and different amounts of fertilizer. They water each plant with 20ml of water every other day. They recorded the growth rate of each plant in the table below.

J. P. and Rosa decided that the Big Boy and Beefsteak tomatoes grew the best, but their results cannot be reproduced. Which mistake did they make?

J. P. and Rosa would have had better results if only they used one type of tomato.

Every plant is individual, just like people. So some grow. faster than others.

J. P. and Rosa needed to water their tomato plants every day to be more successful.

J. P. and Rosa needed to use the same amounts of fertilizers for each type of tomato.

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