Lab Safety & Apparatus
A student enters the laboratory before the teacher arrives because he wants to finish his experiment early. Which safety rule did he ignore?
Never work in the laboratory without a teacher present.
Why is soil sterilized before planting seeds?
To destroy weed seeds, pests, and disease-causing organisms.
Scientists classify living things mainly because they ________.
Can study and identify them more easily based on similarities and differences.
Why are hazard symbols used instead of only written warnings?
Because symbols can quickly communicate danger, even to people who speak different languages.
Why are flowers important to flowering plants?
They help the plant reproduce by producing seeds.
Why is looking into a test tube while heating it more dangerous than looking from the side?
The contents could suddenly splash or boil over and cause injury to the eyes or face.
A self-watering grow box has an overflow hole. What problem would occur if this hole became blocked?
Extra water would not drain, causing waterlogging and possible root damage.
A penguin cannot fly but has feathers and lays eggs. Into which vertebrate group does it belong?
Birds.
A bottle has a 🔥 symbol. Name one action that should never be done with it.
It should never be placed near an open flame or sparks.
Which part of the flower protects it before it blooms?
Sepals.
A student pours unused chemicals back into the original bottle to avoid wasting them. Why is this unsafe?
It may contaminate the chemical, causing dangerous reactions or incorrect experiment results.
A farmer wants a gardening system that needs very little daily watering and can fit in a small space. Which method from your notes would you recommend and why?
A self-watering grow box because it stores water, requires less watering, and takes up little space.
An animal has scales, breathes with lungs, and is cold-blooded. Which vertebrate group is it most likely in?
Reptiles.
You find a bottle with no label but containing a clear liquid. What should you do?
Do not use it. Tell the teacher because unknown substances can be dangerous.
If insects stopped visiting flowers, which part of the flower would receive less pollen?
The stigma.
Two students are heating substances. One points the test tube away from everyone, while the other points it toward a classmate. Explain why only one student is following correct laboratory practice.
A heated test tube can suddenly eject hot liquid or gas, so it should always be pointed away from people.
Why should seeds in the grow box be planted about 30 cm apart instead of very close together?
They need enough space for healthy growth and to reduce competition for water, nutrients, and sunlight.
A creature has an exoskeleton, jointed legs, and sheds its outer covering as it grows. Which subgroup does it belong to?
Arthropods (jointed-leg invertebrates).
Which hazard symbol would most likely appear on a chemical that can burn your skin?
Corrosive (🧪).
A plant has cones instead of flowers and keeps its needle-like leaves all year. Into which subgroup would it be classified?
Conifers.
Your group notices a cracked beaker just before beginning an experiment. Should you continue using it? Explain your answer.
No. A cracked beaker may break during use or heating, causing spills or injuries. It should be reported and replaced.
A student says, "A self-watering grow box is the best choice for every plant." Use evidence from your notes to prove or disprove this statement.
The statement is incorrect because some plants, such as thyme, oregano, and rosemary, prefer drier soil and may not thrive with constant moisture.
A scientist discovers an unknown animal. It has no backbone, a soft body, no legs, and lives in the ocean with tentacles. Which invertebrate subgroup would it most likely belong to?
Non-worm-like invertebrates (such as octopus or jellyfish).
A laboratory has a bottle marked with ☠️ and 🔥. Explain two different dangers this chemical could present.
It may be poisonous if inhaled, swallowed, or touched, and it may also catch fire easily.
A student says moss and ferns are flowering plants because they are green. Explain why this statement is incorrect.
Being green does not make a plant flowering. Mosses and ferns do not produce flowers; they reproduce using spores.