1. Which statement best describes a scientific theory?
A) It is a collection of data designed to provide support
for a prediction.
B) It is an educated guess that can be tested by
experimentation.
C) It is a scientific fact that no longer requires any
evidence to support it.
D) It is a general statement that is supported by many
scientific observations.
2. The graph below shows the different concentrations of female reproductive hormones A, B, C, and D over a
28-day cycle.
Although the data used to make this graph was originally entered in a data table, most scientists prefer to see
the information in the form of a graph because
A)
B)
C)
D)
the information in a graph is more accurate than the information in a data table
it is easier to see relationships between variables in a graph than in a data table
it is possible to put more information in a graph than in a data table
only graphs can be used to predict future trends
3. To compare the growth of plants grown under specific
colors of light with that of plants grown under natural
conditions, four groups of bean plants were grown under
the light conditions indicated below. All other factors
were kept constant.
Group A – red light
Group B – green light
Group C – violet light
Group D – white light
In this investigation, which group of plants served as the
control?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
4. In order to make observations, an observer must always
use
A)
B)
C)
D)
experiments
the senses
proportions
mathematical calculations
5. A student set up the experiment shown below to compare
the effects of green and white light on the growth of two
identical plants.
7. A student designed an experiment to show that watering
plants would help them grow. He predicted that the
more water the plants received the better they would
grow. After performing the experiment, the results were
not what he predicted. What should he do?
A) Admit that his prediction was wrong and report
what he observed.
B) Change the results so that they support his
prediction.
C) Start a new experiment without reporting his
results.
D) Change his initial prediction.
8. A scientist would like to test the effect of heat on the
function of a certain enzyme. Which would not be an
appropriate first step?
What is wrong with the setup of this investigation?
A) Both plants receive the same amount of water.
B) One plant is grown green light and one plant is
grown in white light.
C) One plant is grown in sand and one plant is grown
in soil.
D) Both plants are grown in the same size container.
6. The table below shows the number of algae that exist
after 5 hours of living in an aquatic environment.
A)
B)
C)
D)
doing research in a library
having discussions with other scientists
completing a data table of expected results
using what is already known about the enzyme
9. A student is investigating the effect of different factors
on the growth of a certain type of bean plant over 30
days. Which factor would not be considered a variable in
this investigation?
A)
B)
C)
D)
type of bean plant
soil moisture content
amount of light
temperature
10. The analysis of data gathered during a particular
experiment is necessary in order to
At this rate, how many algae will there be after 6 hours?
A) 9
B) 11
C) 14
D) 15
A)
B)
C)
D)
formulate a hypothesis for that experiment
develop a research plan for that experiment
design a control for that experiment
draw a valid conclusion for that experiment
11. A student conducted an original, well-designed
experiment, carefully following proper scientific
procedure. In order for the conclusions to become
generally accepted, the experiment must
A)
B)
C)
D)
contain several experimental variables
be repeated to verify the reliability of the data
support the original hypothesis
be conducted by a scientist
12. In an experiment, what should be the relationship
between the control group and the experimental group?
A) They should be different in size
B) They should resemble each other in at least two respects
C) They should not be similar in any respect
D) They should be identical in all respects except one
17. Which of the following is an observation?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Beach balls are fun.
Butterflies have wings.
Chicago is the nicest city in the world.
Television is boring.
18. Kamlesh has two new identical plastic balls. She put
one ball into Liquid Y and the other ball into Liquid Z.
13. A student put the same amount of water in 2 cups, one
covered with plastic wrap and one uncovered. After
putting both cups on the window sill for 5 hours, what
observation is most likely true?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Nothing happened.
Both cups of water were less full.
Both cups of water were more full.
The cup with plastic wrap had more water than the
cup without.
Which of the following is an observation that Kamlesh
can record?
A) The ball in Liquid Y has sunk.
B) The ball in Liquid Z will float in Liquid Y.
C) The ball in Liquid Y is heavier than the ball in
Liquid Z.
D) The density of Liquid Z is greater than the density
of Liquid Y.
14.
The table above shows how long it takes this plant to
grow 5 cm. Observing this trend, how many days will it
take for plant to grow 5 cm at 10 ºC?
A) 4 days
C) 10 days
B) 8 days
D) 14 days
15. Brett observes that his pear tree has grown pears that
are green. Which of the following is a prediction he
might make about his pear tree?
A)
B)
C)
D)
The green pears will ripen and turn yellow.
The pear tree is not receiving enough sunlight.
The pear tree is receiving to much water.
The green pears are a new species he has
discovered.
16. Justin thinks that his baseball team will win the
championship. This is an example of a(n)
A) conclusion.
C) inference.
B) observation.
D) prediction.
19. Pat has two kinds of plant food,"Quickgrow" and
"Supergrow." What would be the best way for Pat to
find out which plant food helps a particular type of
houseplant grow the most?
A) Put some Quickgrow on a plant in the living room,
put some Supergrow on a plant of the same type in
the bedroom, and see which one grows the most.
B) Find out how much each kind of plant food costs,
because the more expensive kind is probably
better for growing plants.
C) Put some Quickgrow on a few plants, put the same
amount of Supergrow on a few other plants of the
same type, put all the plants in the same place, and
see which group of plants grows the most.
D) Look at the advertisements for Quickgrow, look at
the advertisements for Supergrow, and see which
one says it helps plants grow the most.
20. In a scientific investigation, after the question is asked,
the next step is to
A)
B)
C)
D)
formulate a hypothesis
identify needed equipment
design the experiment
collect the data
Base your answers to questions 21 and 22 on the
information below and on your knowledge of biology.
An experiment was designed to determine if
chlorophyll is responsible for the growth of corn
seedlings toward light. In the experiment, equal
numbers of albino corn seedlings and green corn
seedlings were grown at a temperature of 24ºC. All
other environmental conditions were the same for both
groups of seedlings. The results of the experiment
showed that both the albino seedlings and the green
seedlings bent toward light.
21. Which is a variable in this experiment?
A)
B)
C)
D)
type of soil
type of corn seedlings
temperature
light
22. Which sequence of steps was most likely taken in this
experiment?
A) develop a hypothesis ®select materials ®test the
hypothesis ®formulate a conclusion
B) select materials ®formulate a conclusion ®
develop a hypothesis ®test the hypothesis
C) develop a hypothesis ®test the hypothesis ®select
materials®formulate a conclusion
D) formulate a conclusion ®select materials ®
develop a hypothesis ®test the hypothesis
23. An experiment was carried out to determine whether
drinking caffeinated soda increases pulse rate. The
pulse rates of two groups of people at rest were
measured. Group A was then given caffeinated soda
and group B was given caffeine-free soda. One hour
after drinking the soda, the pulse rates were measured.
The participants in the experiment were all the same
age, and they were all given the same amount of soda.
What is the dependent variable in this experiment?
A)
B)
C)
D)
type of soda given to each group
amount of soda given to each group
pulse rate of each group
age of participants in each group
24. A new drug for the treatment of asthma is tested on 100
people. The people are evenly divided into two groups.
One group is given the drug, and the other group is
given a glucose pill. The group that is given the
glucose pill serves as the
A) experimental group B) limiting factor
C) control
D) indicator
25. Diagrams, tables, and graphs are used by scientists
mainly to
A)
B)
C)
D)
design a research plan for an experiment
test a hypothesis
organize data
predict the independent variable
26. Base your answer to the following question on the information and chart below and on your knowledge of
biology.
It has been hypothesized that a chemical known as BW prevents colds. To test this hypothesis, 20,000
volunteers were divided into four groups. Each volunteer took a white pill every morning for one year. The
contents of the pill taken by the members of each group are shown in the chart below.
Which group served as the control in this investigation?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
27. Which of these setups will decipher if salt or sugar will
dissolve quicker when mixed with water?
A)
B)
C)
D)
D) 4
28.
The pictures above show a student experiment of how heat affects the evaporation of water. What is the
only variable being manipulated in the student's experiment?
A) temperature (how hot the flame is)
C) size of the beaker
B) amount of water
D) placement of the thermometer
Base your answers to questions 29 and 30 on 29. What variable was kept the same (controlled) in this
experiment?
A)
B)
C)
D)
soil type
height of plants
amount of water poured in each plant
amount of soil in each plant
30. What variable was manipulated in this experiment?
A) amount of soil
C) amount of water
B) soil type
D) sunlight
31. A class doing an experiment recorded the following
data.
32. A student places an iron nail next to a magnet and then
places a penny next to the same magnet. What is the
student most likely conducting an experiment on?
A)
B)
C)
D)
How do different objects attract magnets?
Are magnets positive or negative?
How does a magnet's size affect its attraction?
What is the main cause of gravity?
33. Ben wants to test the effect of sunlight on plants. What
should he do in his experiment?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Keep all his plants in the dark.
Vary the amount of water each plant receives.
Use only one kind of plant.
Keep all the plants in the sun for only six hours.
34. In an experiment, which of the following should not be
kept constant in order to study the effect of fertilizers
on tomato plants?
A) amount of sunlight B) amount of water
C) amount of fertilizer D) quality of air
Which of the following questions is the class most
likely investigating?
A)
B)
C)
D)
How much water does a plant need to survive?
How does the type of soil affect the plant?
How much sunlight is best for a plant?
Where should a plant be planted?
35. Base your answer to the following question on The
diagrams below show how an investigation was set up
to test the effect of different amounts of fertilizer on
bean plant growth. Pot A had 0 g of fertilizer and 30
mL of water. Pot B had 2 g of fertilizer and 35 mL of
water. Pot C had 4 g of fertilizer and 40 mL of water.
37. Jose is baking cakes. He keeps the container,
temperature, and time the same as the recipe says, for
one cake he changes the position in the oven. If this
were an experiment, the position of the cake would be
called the –
A) control
C) hypothesis
B) variable
D) object
38. Base your answer to the following question on the pots
below.
Which statement identifies a mistake made in setting up
this investigation?
A) Different amounts of water were added to the three
pots.
B) Different amounts of salt were added to the three
pots.
C) The three pots were all the same size.
D) The same size bean plants were planted in all three
pots.
36. Base your answer to the following question on the
following information. Lisa conducted a science
experiment where she measured how many seconds it
took for a ball she dropped to hit the floor from the
same height.
Which two variables were held constant during her
experiment?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Time and temperature
Mass of ball and height
Number of trials and time
Height and temperature
Nick is doing a science experiment testing different
kinds of soil and the effect they have on the plants
above. What is a problem with the design of his
experiment?
A) The biggest pot will receive the most sunlight.
B) The pots hold different amounts of soil in different
shapes.
C) The different pots should receive different amounts
of water.
39. You have been assigned to design an experiment to determine the effect of light on the growth of tomato
plants. In your experimental design be sure to:
• state one hypothesis to be tested
• identify the independent variable in the experiment
• describe the type of data to be collected
40. State one safety procedure that should be followed
when the product is sprayed on plants.
41. In an investigation to determine a factor that affects the growth of rats, a student exposed 100 rats of the
same age and species to identical conditions, except for the amount of living space and the amount of food
each rat received. Each day the student measured and recorded the weight of each rat. State one major
error that the student made in performing this investigation.
42. The diagram below shows a student conducting a
laboratory experiment.
Using one or more complete sentences, describe one
safety procedure the student should be following that is not represented in the diagram.
Base your answers to questions 43 and 44 on the required experimental setup below.
43. What data should be collected from the experiment to test the hypothesis?
44. According to the setups, what is one possible hypothesis that was tested in this experiment?
45. information and diagram below.
An investigation was carried out using the two setups shown below. Other than the difference shown in the
diagram, all other conditions were identical.
Describe one change that could be made in the investigation to improve it.
46. information and diagram below.
An investigation was carried out using the two setups shown below. Other than the difference shown in the
diagram, all other conditions were identical.
a State one possible hypothesis that could be tested using these setups.
b What data should be collected in order to test the hypothesis stated in question a? (List at least two)