Scientific Experiments Unit Test
PART 1
Do Not Write on this Portion of the Test
The questions on this test measure your
knowledge and understanding of science.
The test has two parts. This booklet contains
Part I which contains multiple choice
questions only. Please do not write in this
booklet, instead use scrap paper for any work
that is required and record your answers to
these questions on the separate answer sheet.
Use only a No. 2 pencil on your answer sheet.
You will receive Part II, which consists of
open-ended questions upon your completion of
Part I. For Part II you will write your answers
to the questions in the spaces provided in the
test booklet.
.
1. The diagram below shows a tall beaker with
four different liquids and their densities.
2. The items listed below were found in a
science classroom.
• a heart made of plastic with many of its parts
labeled
• clay formed to look like Earth and other
planets
• a giant plastic plant cell with removable cell
parts
These items are all examples of
(1) models
(3) variables
(2) experiments
(4) controls
3. The graph below shows the number of
known species in the five kingdoms of living
things.
Based on the graph, which kingdom contains
approximately twice as many known species
as the Protista Kingdom?
(1) Animalia
(3) Fungi
(2) Plantae
(4) Monera
If a ball that has a density of 1.73 g/cm3 is
placed in the beaker, where will the ball come
to rest?
(1) on top of liquid A
(2) between liquids B and C
(3) between liquids C and D
(4) on the bottom of the beaker
4. The diagram below shows milk being
poured into a measuring cup.
Which property of the milk can be directly
measured using the cup?
(1) mass
(3) solubility
(2) density
(4) volume
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5. The diagram below shows a ball held in place by two blocks. The diameter (width) of the ball
is shown between the two blocks.
What is the diameter of the ball?
(1) 6.0 cm
(2) 8.0 cm
(3) 14.0 cm
(4) 17.0 cm
6. Which instrument could be used to determine the volume of an irregularly shaped solid?
7. A student wanted to study the amount of mold growing on pizza at different temperatures. In
the experiment, the student set up four identical pans of pizza. Each pan contained the same
amount of pizza. The temperatures and light conditions are shown in the data table below.
Data Table
Variables
Pan 1
Pan 2
Pan 3
Pan 4
Temperature
–10°C
0°C
15°C
30°C
Light conditions
kept in darkness
kept in darkness
kept in bright light
kept in bright light
One error made in setting up the experiment was that the four pans of pizza
(1) were at different temperatures
(3) had different ingredients
(2) were different sizes
(4) received different amounts of light
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Scientific Experiments Unit Test
Part II
Record your answers to all questions directly in this test booklet.
8. A student goes skateboarding a few times a week. The student notices that she can go faster
while skating on some level surfaces than on others. She hypothesizes that speed has something
to do with the surface she is skating on. The student wants to design an experiment to test this
hypothesis.
a Identify the independent (manipulated) variable in the experiment. [1]
_________________________________________________________
b Identify the dependent (responding) variable in the experiment. [1]
_________________________________________________________
c Identify two factors that will need to be held constant in the experiment. [2]
(1) ________________________________________________________
(2) ________________________________________________________
Base your answer to question 9 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.
A student adds a mixture of oil, sand, and salt to a beaker of water and stirs. The student
stops stirring and observes that the salt is no longer visible, the oil floats to the top, and
the sand sinks to the bottom of the beaker.
9. Explain why the oil floats after the stirring stops. [1]
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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Base your answers to questions 10 through 14 on the information and graph below.
A gardener performs an experiment growing three types of plants in equal amounts of
soil. Three different types of plants are used. Each plant is 10 centimeters tall at the
beginning of the experiment. The three plants are given 4 milliliters of water every day
for 20 days. The results of the experiment are shown on the graph.
10. Which plant was the tallest at the end of the 20-day period? [1] ________________________
11. Other than at the beginning of the experiment, on what day were plant 2 and plant 3 the
same height? [1]
___________________________________
12. Which plant grew at the slowest rate from day 0 to day 5? [1] ________________________
13. During which time interval did plant 1 become taller than plant 3?
Circle the correct answer. [1]
days 0–5
days 10–15
days 5–10
days 15–20
14. The gardener repeated the experiment using identical conditions. Plant 1 grew the fastest.
Suggest one change to the experimental design that would help the gardener decide which plant
really grows fastest. [1]
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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Base your answers to questions 15 through 18 on the experiment described below.
Heat was applied at a constant rate to a solid substance under controlled
conditions. The temperature of the substance was recorded every 3 minutes. These data
are recorded in the table below.
15. Use the grid above to construct a line graph from the data in the table. Follow the steps below.
a Use Xs to plot the data for time and temperature. [1]
b Draw a solid line that connects the Xs. [1]
16. Provide an appropriate title for the graph. [1]
Title: _________________________________________________________________________
17. According to your graph, what would the temperature of the substance be at 23 minutes? [1]
_______ °C
18. What is the independent (manipulated) variable in this experiment? [1] ________________
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19. A student wants to design a controlled experiment to solve the following problem:
When placed in a freezer, will hot water or cold water reach 0°C faster?
The student plans to place two containers with equal masses of water (one hot and one cold) in
the same freezer in the classroom.
a List three conditions the student should keep constant for the hot-water and cold-water setups
when planning this experiment. [3]
b For each condition you name, give a scientific reason why the condition needs to be the same
for both the hot-water and cold-water setups. [3]
Base your answers to questions 20 and 21 on the graph below. The graph shows the results
of an experiment that tested the effect of time on the growth of a plant. A student measured
the height of several plants for ten weeks and determined the average height. The results
are shown in the graph below.
20. Identify one variable that should be held constant during this experiment. [1]
__________________________________________________________
21. According to the graph, what will the average height of the plants be at week 11 if growth
continues at the same rate as in weeks 8 through 10? [1]
__________ cm
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Base your answers to questions 22 and 23 on the information and on the diagram below.
A student set up the experiment below to learn about plant growth. The student added a
different amount of water to four identical containers, each containing four seeds in
100 cubic centimeters of soil. All of the containers were placed in the same sunny
location.
22. State a hypothesis being tested in this experiment. [1]
__________________________________________________________
23. a Identify one variable that is being held constant in this experiment. [1]
__________________________________________________________
b Explain why this variable needs to be held constant. [1]
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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Base your answers to questions 24 through 26 on the information and table below and on
your knowledge of science.
A farmer grows and sells flowering plants. The best-selling plants are the ones
with the most blossoms. The farmer reads an advertisement for a plant food saying that it
will make plants grow faster and taller. The farmer predicts that taller plants will have
more blossoms and performs the following experiment to test this hypothesis.
Two groups of 10 plants each are grown in identical pots filled with equal
amounts of identical soil. The amount of sunlight, the room temperature, and the amount
of water are held constant for both groups. Group A is given plant food at regular
intervals according to the instructions on the package. Group B is not given plant food.
The farmer observes the plants after 15 weeks of growth. The results are recorded
below.
Data Table
Group
Received Plant Food
Average Height
(cm)
Average Number of
Blossoms
A
yes
35
18.1
B
no
28
18.2
24. State the farmer’s original hypothesis. [1]
_______________________________________________________
25. Based on the results of this experiment, is the farmer’s original hypothesis correct?
Circle one: Yes
No
Explain your answer. [1]
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
26. Explain why the amount of sunlight, the room temperature, and the amount of water were
held constant for both groups. [1]
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
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Base your answers to questions 27 and 28 on the information and diagram below.
A student was given samples of four different liquids, A, B, C, and D. The student
poured equal amounts of two different liquid samples into several test tubes. The results
are shown in test tubes 1, 2, 3, and 4.
27. What physical property of the liquids causes them to separate into different layers when
poured into the test tubes? [1]
_________________________________________
28. When equal amounts of liquids A, B, C, and D were placed into
test tube 5, the liquids separated into four layers. A diagram of test
tube 5 appears to the right. On the blank lines next to each layer, list
the final order of the liquids as they would appear in test tube 5. [1]
29. The graph below shows the percentage of five minerals found in a sample of the igneous rock
granite.
Determine the percentage of orthoclase feldspar in this sample of granite. [1]
___________ %
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20. A student made this entry in her laboratory
notebook:
5/5/2005
We are doing an experiment to determine if the size of
soil particles affects the amount
of water that flows through soil. We poured 100
milliliters (mL) of water through four different
types of soil. The equipment is shown below.
We got the following results: With gray soil, the
average particle size was 2.0 millimeters (mm)
and 80 mL of water flowed through. We then used tan
soil. Its average particle size was 0.5 mm
and 40 mL of water flowed through. With brown soil, 60 mL of water flowed through. Brown
soil has an average particle size of 1.5 mm. In our last trial we used black soil. It has an
average particle size of 1.0 mm and 50 mL of water flowed through.
a Using the data table below, organize the results to show the average particle size and the
amount of water that flowed through for each type of soil. Be sure to include column headings,
data, and units in the table. [3]
Data Table
Soil Color
gray
brown
black
tan
b What is the dependent (responding) variable in this experiment? [1]
________________________________________________________
c What conclusion can be drawn from the data that the students collected? [1]
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
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