Basics of Science Test
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____
1. Scientists use different types of tools to investigate how and why things happen. Here are
some examples of these tools:
• a diagram of a food chain in the Everglades
• a plastic replica of the human digestive system
• a mathematical equation for finding the speed of an object
Which word describes all of these examples?
A.
B.
C.
D.
____
2. Niels Bohr, a Danish physicist, produced an early model of the atom. Bohr’s model was
eventually replaced by the cloud model of the atom. What is the main reason scientists use a
model of an atom?
A.
B.
C.
D.
____
experiment
hypothesis
model
observation
Most atoms are too large to study in a lab.
An atom is very small, and a model aids in its study.
All atoms are too dangerous to study without a model.
Most atoms are too far away for scientists to study in a lab.
3. The table shows the average life expectancy for a male living in the United States during
selected years from 1900 to the year 2000.
Year
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
Average life expectancy
(y)
48
56
62
67
70
74
Which conclusion is supported by the data in the table?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Average life expectancy for men will never exceed 80 years.
Average life expectancy for men decreased over the past 100 years.
Average life expectancy for men has peaked and is starting to decrease.
Average life expectancy for men has increased over the 100 years.
____
4. The temperature of an ice-filled beaker is measured and recorded every minute as the
beaker is heated continuously. The resulting temperature and time data are shown in the
following graph.
Which portion of the graph shows the greatest increase in temperature?
A.
B.
C.
D.
from point 1 to point 2
from point 2 to point 3
from point 3 to point 4
from point 4 to point 5
____
5. When you hear the word scientist, you may imagine a person in a white coat working in a
laboratory. However, anyone, including you, can think like a scientist. What would a person
who is thinking like a scientist do?
A. asking testable questions
B. talking with friends
C. form opinions about science
D. take a chemistry class in school
____
6. Dr. Simmons wants to make sure her scientific investigation is considered good. She knows
that for an experiment to produce valid results, it must adhere to accepted methods. Which
procedure would she not include as part of her valid scientific experiment?
A.
B.
C.
D.
____
7. A good experiment has several characteristics. Which characteristic is part of a good
scientific experiment?
A.
B.
C.
D.
____
precise observations
organized procedures
uncontrolled variables
controlled surroundings
Results can be reproduced.
Results are not reviewed by peers.
Results are based on a small sample size.
Results are based on an undisclosed process or procedure.
8. 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?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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.
____
9. Mackenzie investigates how the volume of gas inside a balloon changes as the temperature
of the gas changes. She takes an inflated, sealed balloon from a freezer and uses a string
and a meterstick to measure the balloon’s circumference. She moves it to a sunny window
for 15 minutes. Then, she measures the circumference with a tape measure. She records
these measurements in a data table. Mackenzie realizes that she made a mistake in her
experimental procedure. What was wrong with her procedure?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Data should not be recorded directly into a data table.
She measured circumference using two methods.
She conducts the experiment by herself.
She changed the amount of gas in the balloon.
____ 10. Which sequence of events is a logical order of a scientific investigation?
A.
B.
C.
D.
experiment --> hypothesis --> analysis of data --> conclusion
hypothesis --> experiment --> conclusion --> analysis of data
analysis of data --> conclusion --> experiment --> hypothesis
hypothesis --> experiment --> analysis of data --> conclusion
____ 11. Which phrase defines a scientific theory?
A.
B.
C.
D.
an untested idea
an educated guess
an accepted description
a well-supported explanation
____ 12. In which statement does the word theory mean scientific theory?
A.
B.
C.
D.
In theory, the experiment will work as planned.
She has a theory about why the storm arrived later than predicted.
The atomic theory explains that all objects are made up of atoms.
The doctor’s prescription for curing a cold is based on his best theory or
guess.
____ 13. Although a scientific theory is well supported and widely accepted, what might cause it to
change?
A.
B.
C.
D.
new evidence
a scientific law
individual claims
a scientific model
____ 14. Which of the following statements about scientific knowledge is true?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Once discovered, scientific knowledge never changes.
All web sites with scientific information are equally reliable.
Scientific knowledge expires after one hundred years.
Scientific knowledge is adaptable when new evidence is discovered.
____ 15. Which of the following statements about scientific laws and theories is correct?
A.
B.
C.
D.
A law explains; a theory predicts.
A law predicts; a theory guesses.
A law describes; a theory explains.
A law is fact; a theory is a guess.
____ 16. Which of the following is the best description of a scientific theory?
A.
B.
C.
D.
an educated guess
a description of natural phenomena
a testable statement
a well-supported explanation
____ 17. Which statement best describes science?
A.
B.
C.
D.
a collection of knowledge about Earth
a list of facts that all scientists agree are true
a study of natural events and conditions
a complete explanation of everything that happens in the universe
____ 18. Ling built a circuit with three light bulbs. She observed that all three light bulbs glowed. Then
she removed one light bulb, and the others stopped glowing. She explained that the other
light bulbs had burned out. How could Ling test her explanation?
A. Replace the battery and observe whether the two lights come back on.
B. Take another light bulb out of the circuit and observe whether the last one
comes on.
C. Wait another 10 min to see whether the light bulbs suddenly start glowing
again.
D. Put the light bulb that was removed back into the circuit and observe
whether the other lights come on.
____ 19. Which of the following do you use when you make scientific observations?
A.
B.
C.
D.
your senses
your opinions
others’ beliefs
others’ comments
____ 20. Ancient people noticed that when meat was a few days old, maggots appeared on it. They
thought that the maggots came from the meat. In the 1600s, an Italian physician named
Francesco Redi thought that the maggots came from flies that laid eggs on uncovered meat.
He tested his idea by keeping flies away from meat, which then did not have maggots. Which
of the following best showed that Redi was thinking like a scientist?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Redi did not change his mind.
Redi made a proposal that he was able to test.
Redi said that the old theories were not correct.
Redi did not do experiments, but used only logic.
____ 21. What must a good scientist do before accepting a scientific explanation?
A. Consider the evidence, make observations, and determine the logic in the
explanation.
B. Read the latest scientific article on the explanation and discuss it with
fellow scientists.
C. Perform an experiment in this area of science and see if the results fit the
explanation.
D. Talk to a scientist who has done an experiment in the area and understand
the scientist’s logic.
____ 22. When should a scientific explanation be changed or abandoned?
A.
B.
C.
D.
when it is too old to be useful
when new observations contradict it
when another possible explanation is proposed
when a new scientific instrument becomes available
Short Answer
23. Explain why is it important for experimental procedures and results to be reproducible.
Essay
24. Claudia places a pan of bread dough for rolls, which contains yeast, in a warm room. She
notices that the rolls rise quickly. Claudia wonders whether warm temperatures make yeast
rolls rise more quickly than cool temperatures. She forms this prediction: If a pan of yeast
rolls is placed in a warm room, the rolls will rise more quickly than if the pan is placed in a
cool room.
a. Explain how Claudia can test her prediction using variables.
b. Describe the data that Claudia will need to collect to test her hypothesis and how she
will collect the data.
25 A science class is studying how marigold plants grow. One student thinks that plants grow
better when they receive 10 h of light each day, as opposed to 8 h. Design an experiment
that the class could do to test this idea.
a. What research would the class need to do before they designed the
experiment?
b. How would they conduct their experiment?
c. How would they determine which plants grew better?