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- 1. Multiple Choice
Scientists conduct many types of scientific investigations. Their efforts often include fieldwork, surveys, models, and experiments. Which statement about scientific investigations is true?
They rarely involve the collection of data under controlled conditions.
They follow exactly the same steps because there is only one scientific method.
They include multiple trials to increase the consistency of the data that are collected.
Their primary focus seldom includes comparing or describing the unregulated world.
- 2. Multiple Choice
Scientists are extremely observant when they examine the natural world. What information do scientists collect when they observe the natural world?
Empirical Evidence
Investigations
Experiments
Explanations
- 3. Multiple Choice
Scientists try to develop an explanation for what they see happening in the natural world. What must be true of any explanation they develop?
It must be supported by evidence.
It can never be changed.
It must be shown to have practical value for humans.
It must be based on information that other scientists have also gathered.
- 4. Multiple Choice
Ana has done an experiment to find out whether spider plants grow faster under fluorescent lighting or incandescent lighting. She gave her notes to Alberto, who did the same experiment with very similar results. Which term describes Alberto’s experiment?
plagiarism
replication
pseudoscience
repetition
- 5. Multiple Choice
Gregor Mendel performed many experiments with pea plants before developing his theory of inheritance. What evidence did Mendel use to support his theory?
a plan for his experiments
data from his experiments
a hypothesis that he investigated
hypotheses proposed by other scientists
- 6. Multiple Choice
What is the purpose of repeating trials after reaching a conclusion in an investigation?
to develop a new theory
to verify results
to conduct experiments with more variables
to revise each step of their research procedure
- 7. Multiple Choice
Astrology is an example of pseudoscience. Astrologists use horoscopes that are based upon the positions of planets and stars to make predictions about a person’s life. Which claim describes how science is different than pseudoscience?
Pseudoscience does not involve making observations.
Pseudoscience does not examine phenomena in the natural world.
Pseudoscience does not attempt to provide explanations for phenomena.
Pseudoscientific conclusions are not supported by data gathered using scientific methods.
- 8. Multiple Choice
Which evidence best supports a scientific explanation?
hypothesis formed after initial observations
personal bias and the opinion of the scientist
empirical evidence obtained by using technology
imagination and originality of the hypothesis
- 9. Multiple Choice
When scientists obtain new information, what happens to an existing scientific theory?
It remains the same.
It becomes a law.
It is changed
- 10. Multiple Choice
Which description defines pseudoscience?
process of investigation that resembles science but does not follow scientific methods
process of investigation that resembles science and follows scientific methods
process of investigation that does not resemble science but follows scientific methods
process of investigation that does not resemble science and does not follow scientific methods
- 11. Multiple Choice
Karsten is researching a recent, controversial scientific issue. Which of these sources is a reliable source for Karsten to use for unbiased scientific information?
an encyclopedia article in a respected, older encyclopedia
a scientific journal with peer-reviewed articles
a personal website or blog
an informative pamphlet mailed to your home by a politician or lobby group
- 12. Multiple Choice
Identifying the independent and dependent variables in an experiment will help you better interpret and convey results. What is the difference between the independent and dependent variables in an experiment?
The dependent variable is what the investigator controls, and the independent variable is what happens as a result of this.
The dependent variable is typically found in the first column of a table, and the independent variable is typically found in the second column.
The independent variable is always a number, and the dependent variable is never a number.
The independent variable is what you control, and the dependent variable is what changes as a result.
- 13. Multiple Choice
What is the variable that an experimenter changes on purpose?
Independent Variable
Control Variable
Constant Variable
Dependent Variable
- 14. Multiple Choice
Maya designed an experiment to answer the following question: How does the amount of water given to a lima
bean seed affect how tall it grows? What is the Dependent Variable?
the amount of water each plant gets
the amount of soil
the type of plant
height of the plants
- 15. Multiple Choice
Anthony designed an experiment to answer the following question: How does the temperature of water affect the time it takes for a sugar cube to dissolve? What is the Independent Variable?
the size of the sugar cubes
the temperature of the water
the amount of water he uses
time it takes sugar cube to dissolve
- 16. Multiple Choice
Xavier’s team designed an experiment to answer the following question. How does the surface of a ramp affect how far a toy car rolls? What is one of the Control Variables?
the surface of the ramp
how far the car rolls
the height of the ramp
- 17. Multiple Choice
Cesar reads about the big bang theory, which explains that the universe expanded as the result of an explosion. He wants to evaluate whether this theory is a good one. Which statement is a characteristic of a good theory?
It is the idea of only one scientist.
It does not change as time passes.
It is not supported by scientific evidence.
It changes with new observations made by astronomers.
- 18. Multiple Choice
Which statement is an example of a law? (What happens/repeatable)
Objects tend to resist changes in motion.
A car’s speed decreases when the brake is applied.
Characteristics are passed from parents to children through DNA.
If I add more carbon dioxide to this biosphere, then temperatures will increase.
- 19. Multiple Choice
Bryce observes that the sun always seems to rise in the east. He talks with others and finds that everyone has the same observation. Which statement is a scientific law?
The sun rises in the east.
Why does the sun rise in the east?
The sun appears in the east because of Earth’s rotation pattern.
If the sun appears in the east, then I am in the Western Hemisphere.
- 20. Multiple Choice
Which description defines the variable in a scientific experiment?
a set of possible outcomes for an experiment
any factor that can change in a controlled experiment
a question being explored by an investigation
a range of values for a particular quantity in an experiment
- 21. Multiple Choice
In 1989, two university research scientists reported that they had produced a nuclear reaction during a simple tabletop experiment. Other scientists, however, were unable to reproduce the results of the original experiment. What characteristic of a good scientific investigation is missing from the original results?
The results were made public.
The research was conducted at a university.
The results of the experiment were not reproducible.
The experiment did not include sophisticated equipment.
- 22. Multiple Choice
The water level in Trantham Lake went down drastically during a drought last summer. Some students decide to monitor the water level during a school year. There is a dock over the pond.
Which is the best method for collecting data on the level of water in the pond?
Visit the pond each month and measure the water depth with a measuring pole at a different spot each month
Visit the pond at the end of the year and measure the water depth with a measuring pole at different spots.
Visit the pond at the end of the year and measure the water depth with a measuring pole at the end of the dock
Visit the pond each month and measure the water depth with a measuring pole at the end of the dock.
- 23. Multiple Choice
As temperatures rise around the world and more extreme weather events happen, scientists continue to debate the causes and mechanisms of global climate change. Which of these describes how the scientific community responds to controversial topics such as global climate change?
relying on more experienced scientists, using their ideas first when a controversial topic arises
taking a vote to decide which ideas are most popular
making compromises to explain a topic
discussing and debating ideas supported by evidence
- 24. Multiple Choice
Which statement describes the most important factor in an experiment?
making theoretical predictions of what will happen
manipulating one variable and controlling the others
analyzing and interpreting data to draw conclusions
observing test tubes for signs of a chemical reaction
- 25. Multiple Choice
Jenny is trying to determine if eating pizza everyday for a week is related to weight gain in middle school students. Which of the following would lead to the most reproducible results?
Jenny randomly selects 50 boys and 50 girls in a middle school, weights them, and then has them eat pizza every day for a week. At the end of the week, jenny weights them again.
Jenny and her friends weight themselves using the scale in the nurse's office, then eat pizza every day for a week. At the end of the week, they weigh themselves again in the nurse's office.
Jenny gives random groups of 100 middle schoolers pizza every day for a week, then asks them if they have gained weight.
Jenny weights all of the girls in a middle school and then has them eat pizza every day for a week. At the end of the week, Jenny weights them again.
- 26. Multiple Choice
Students conduct an investigation with 20 of the same tomato plants. Each plant receives the same amount of water but different amounts of sunlight. The students measure the number of fruits on each plant every day. What is the dependent variable in this investigation?
type of plant
amount of water
amount of sunlight
number of fruit
- 27. Multiple Choice
What is the purpose of a scientific law?
to show how something works
to describe a relationship in nature
to explain why something in nature happens
to provide rules that scientists should follow
- 28. Multiple Choice
A school physician performed an experiment to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on high school freshmen. He examined 25 student volunteers and found them to be in good health. He then had the students perform aerobic exercises, such as jogging, swimming, and bicycling. The doctor recorded the students’ pulse rates before each activity, during each activity, and after each activity. Which is the dependent variable in this experiment?
the student’s health
the aerobic exercise
the number of volunteers
the students’ pulse rates
- 29. Multiple Choice
Two students design a science fair project. They plan to test the effect of different colors on the amount of heat generated from the absorption of light. They will fill six identical jars with water and put a lid on top of each jar. Each lid will have space for a thermometer to be placed in the water of the jar. Each of the five jars will be wrapped with a different color of paper, and the sixth jar will be left unwrapped. All six jars will be placed near a light source for one hour. The temperature change of the water in each jar will be recorded after one hour.
Which of these materials would be used to measure the independent variable?
timer
black, red, yellow, blue, and white paper
light source
thermometer
- 30. Multiple Choice
Lee wants to make sure she understands the components of a good scientific investigation. She knows that it should be controlled and have a large sample size. Also, she thinks that the results should be communicated to other scientists. Which is another component that is necessary for a good investigation?
It must be conducted in a big lab.
It must be run by a university scientist.
It must be done with expensive equipment.
It must be able to be replicated by other scientists.
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