Unit 1 Review

Scientists conduct many types of scientific investigations. Their efforts often include fieldwork, surveys, models, and experiments. Which statement about scientific investigations is true?

• they rarely involve a collection of data under controlled conditions

• they follow exactly the same steps because there is only one scientific method

• they include multiple trials to increase the consistency of the data that are controlled

• their primary focus seldom includes comparing or describing the unregulated world.

Which phrase best describes science?

• study of living organisms

• observational study of Earth

• discussion of feelings and thoughts

• systematic study of natural events and conditions

Florida A&M University has an Environmental Science Institute. In which area would research at this institute most likely have an impact?

• weather prediction

• new technology products

• development of new medicines

• conservation of natural resources

Alex did some research about classification for a science report. He learned that until 150 years ago, scientists recognized only two groups of organisms: plants and animals. Now, scientists also recognize several groups of microscopic organisms. How should Alex explain why scientists decided to classify organisms into more groups?

• more types of organisms exist now than before

• fewer organisms have gone extinct in recent years

• scientists continue to learn more about living organisms

• scientists invent new organisms that need to be classified

Which of these answers best describes a scientific theory?

• an explanation based on the opinion of a scientist

• a well-supported and widely accepted explanation of nature

• a description of a specific relationship under given conditions

• a statement describing what always happens under certain conditions

Which title should be classified as pseudoscience?

• Is Life Possible on Jupiter?

• Aliens Built the Pyramids!

• The Best Ways for Cooking Soup

• The Disappearance of the Ancient Civilizations of Africa

Which of the following is an example of a scientific claim?

• numbers of symbolic meaning beyond their mathematical sense

• according to data collected over the past hundred years, the global temperature of Earth is rising

• one can determine the exact location of water underground by feeling the aura of the water with a forked stick

• the future can be predicted by studying the position of the planets relative to the stars at a given moment

What limits what scientists can study in their work?

• they can study only the events that take place on earth

• they can only study phenomena that they can observe or model

• they can investigate only questions that they were the first to ask

• they can investigate only the areas of science in which they are experts

Which of the following is a way pseudoscience differs from science?

• pseudoscience does not follow the scientific method

• pseudoscience is limited to phenomena people can observe

• pseudoscience systematically studies natural events and conditions

• pseudoscience uses a large body of empirical evidence to make explanations

What is the term for the cumulative body of observations and data that scientific explanations are based on?

• peer review

• pseudoscience

• logical reasoning

• empirical evidence