🧠 Scientific Thinking
Question: Which two statements describe a claim that is based on science?
A. It is based on empirical evidence.
B. It is based on personal bias.
C. It is based on logical reasoning.
D. It is based on a long tradition.
A and C
Which is part of a scientific way of gathering information?
A. Opinions
B. Fairy tales
C. Investigations
D. Traditions
Investigations
What does the heliocentric theory state?
A. Earth is at the center of the universe.
B. The Moon is at the center of the solar system.
C. The Sun is at the center of the solar system and planets orbit it.
D. The planets do not move.
The Sun is at the center of the solar system and planets orbit it
What is an engineering constraint?
A. A possible solution
B. A limitation or requirement that must be considered
C. A scientific law
D. A prediction about the future
A limitation or requirement that must be considered
Which is a benefit of science?
A. It can give biased explanations.
B. It can inform leaders when making decisions.
C. It determines artistic preferences.
D. It determines what is morally right or wrong.
It can inform leaders when making decisions.
Which statement is a hypothesis?
A. The earthworms must all be the same species.
B. If an earthworm is given a choice, it will move toward darkness rather than light.
C. Do earthworms prefer bright light or darkness?
D. Most of the earthworms moved to the shaded area during the experiment.
B
A teacher gives three identical apple wedges different treatments and observes their color after one hour. What is the responding variable?
A. The lemon juice
B. The color of the apple wedges
C. The liquid used
D. The size of the apple wedges
The color of the apple wedges
Which observation helped provide evidence against the geocentric model?
A. Earth appears stationary.
B. Jupiter's moons were observed orbiting Jupiter.
C. The Sun appears to move across Earth's sky.
D. Stars appear to move at night.
Jupiter's moons were observed orbiting Jupiter.
Engineers are designing a habitat for astronauts on the Moon. Which is a constraint?
A. The habitat should protect astronauts from radiation.
B. The habitat must use fewer than 200,000 kg of materials.
C. The habitat should be comfortable.
D. The habitat should have an exercise room.
The habitat must use fewer than 200,000 kg of materials.
Which is a common practice in the scientific community?
A. Scientists never question surprising results.
B. Scientists repeat experiments and discuss results that do not match.
C. Scientists avoid sharing their results.
D. Scientists try to prevent others from replicating their experiments.
Scientists repeat experiments and discuss results that do not match.
Which two characteristics are important for a scientific claim?
A. It is based on empirical evidence.
B. It is based on personal bias.
C. It is supported by logical reasoning.
D. It has been believed for a long time.
A and C
Students want to determine whether earthworms prefer rough or smooth surfaces. They allow earthworms to choose between the two surfaces and record where the worms move. What type of investigation is this?
A. Comparative
B. Experimental
C. Descriptive
D. Controlled
Comparative
Why was the discovery of moons orbiting Jupiter important to the development of the heliocentric model?
A. It proved that Jupiter does not move.
B. It showed that not everything in space revolves around Earth.
C. It proved that the Sun revolves around Jupiter.
D. It showed that Earth is the largest object in space.
It showed that not everything in space revolves around Earth.
Engineers develop several designs for a floating island. Design 2 meets all five project criteria, while the other designs fail at least one criterion. Which design should engineers test and improve?
A. Design 1
B. Design 2
C. Design 3
D. Design 4
Design 2
Why is it important for scientists to publish their results?
A. So other scientists can review, test, and build upon their work.
B. So their results cannot be questioned.
C. So their results automatically become scientific theories.
D. So other scientists cannot repeat their experiments.
So other scientists can review, test, and build upon their work.
A scientist's experiment produces results that contradict another scientist's findings. What should scientists most likely do?
A. Ignore the conflicting results.
B. Change the data so the results match.
C. Repeat the experiment and investigate why the results differ.
D. Decide that the first scientist must be correct.
C
A student tests whether fertilizer affects plant growth. She uses the same type and number of plants, gives them the same amount of water and sunlight, but gives different amounts of fertilizer to each group. What is the independent variable?
A. Amount of fertilizer
B. Amount of water
C. Amount of sunlight
D. Plant height
Amount of fertilizer
A planet appears to move backward temporarily against the background of stars. What is this apparent motion called?
A. Rotation
B. Revolution
C. Retrograde motion
D. Solar motion
Retrograde motion
Why do engineers create multiple design solutions to the same problem?
A. Only one solution can ever work.
B. Different solutions can be compared to determine which best meets the criteria and constraints.
C. Engineers do not use scientific information.
D. Testing is unnecessary if a design looks good.
Different solutions can be compared to determine which best meets the criteria and constraints.
Two groups of scientists perform the same experiment but obtain different results. What is the most scientifically appropriate response?
A. Decide that one group must be lying.
B. Investigate the differences and repeat the experiments.
C. Choose whichever result is more popular.
D. Average the two results without further investigation.
Investigate the differences and repeat the experiments.
A student claims that a particular fertilizer causes plants to grow taller. Which evidence would provide the strongest support for the claim?
A. The student believes the fertilizer works.
B. One plant treated with fertilizer grows taller.
C. Multiple controlled experiments consistently show that fertilized plants grow taller than similar untreated plants.
D. Other students say they have heard that the fertilizer works.
C
A student wants to determine whether temperature affects how quickly sugar dissolves in water. Which investigation would produce the strongest evidence?
A. Use different amounts of sugar in different amounts of water.
B. Use equal amounts of sugar and water while changing only the water temperature.
C. Use different types of sugar at different temperatures.
D. Ask students which temperature they think works best.
Use equal amounts of sugar and water while changing only the water temperature.
Which piece of evidence would provide the strongest challenge to the idea that Earth is the center of all celestial motion?
A. The Sun rises in the east each morning.
B. Stars appear to move across the sky.
C. Objects such as moons are observed orbiting other planets.
D. The Moon changes phases.
Objects such as moons are observed orbiting other planets.
An engineer creates a bridge prototype that meets the weight requirement but fails during strong winds. What should the engineer do next?
A. Abandon engineering completely.
B. Ignore the failure because the bridge met one requirement.
C. Modify the design to address the weakness and test it again.
D. Claim that the test was incorrect.
Modify the design to address the weakness and test it again.
A city is deciding whether to build a new seawall to protect against flooding. Scientists provide data about sea-level rise, while engineers provide information about possible designs. Why is this information valuable to city leaders?
A. Science can guarantee exactly what will happen.
B. Scientific and engineering evidence can help leaders make informed decisions.
C. Scientists make political decisions for the city.
D. Engineering eliminates all uncertainty.
Scientific and engineering evidence can help leaders make informed decisions.