Earth Science Benchmark Test

Which of the following is not a good observation?

• the flowers in my yard are yellow roses

• There are 29 students in my class

• I know someone got hurt last night because I heard a siren

Which of the following is an inference?

• ten students arrived late for class

• the friendliest students arrived to class last

• the trees outside our classroom are seven twenty feet tall

What is the purpose of including a control in a scientific investigation?

• a basis for comparison

• a correction for experimental errors

• an opportunity for repetition of the experiment

In an experiment, which of the following variables is the one we manipulate?

• controlled variable

• independent variable

• dependent variable

In an experiment, which of the following variables is the one we measure?

• controlled

• independent

• dependent

In an experiment, which of the following variables is the one we keep the same?

• controlled

• independent

• dependent

Which of the following graphs shows a negative feedback result?

• 
• 
• 

How does light from stars support the Big Bang Theory? It shows that

• most objects in space are moving away from one another

• the universe is collapsing again

• the light from objects in space is “blue shifted.”

Which stars have the greatest red shift?

• stars closest to Earth where we can see them better

• stars nearest the sun where light is more plentiful

• stars furthest from Earth with the greatest speed

How does the nebular theory describe the formation of the solar system?

• a cloud of spinning dust and gas condensed into the sun and planets

• a giant asteroid collision broke off parts that became the planets and sun

• chunks of matter from the big bang were blasted into space and formed it