Obs/Inf/Graphing Test Review

Using any of your 5 senses to describe the world around you.

• Observation

• Inference

• Prediction

• Logical Theory

Which of these is an observation?

• The dog is 4 years old.

• The dog is wearing a hat.

What is an inference? 

• Just a random guess
• A prediction or logical conclusions about our observations
• The same as an observation
• deciding if an observation is qualitative or quantitative

Choose 2 inferences about this picture.

• Today is the dog's birthday.

• There is a candle on the cake.

• The dog has a tag on the collar.

• The dog will eat the cake.

Observation or Inference: I think the weather is cold.

• Observation

• Inference

Observation or Inference: I notice the tree by the pond has no leaves on it.

• Observation

• Inference

Which of these are an observation.

• The animal lives in a cold climate.

• The animals are a family.

• The animals will go for a swim later.

• The animals have long beaks.

A scientist discovers the body of an unknown species of frog in the rain forest of Brazil.  She writes several statements in her journal about the animal shown above.  Which of the following is an observation about the frog?

• The frog might be poisonous because it is very brightly colored.
• It has a mass of 22.4 grams.
• The frog is probably a tree climber because it has large, round toe pads.
• I think the frog is a species of poison dart frog because of its size and color.

A student placed 50 mealworms in the middle of an aquarium containing a light, a cardboard tube and a water dish.  He waited five minutes and then recorded the data for the first trial in the table above.  The student repeated this procedure two more times, and recorded the results.  Read the results of all three trials.  Which inference could you make about mealworms based on the results.

• The mealworms probably prefer the darkness of a cardboard tube.
• There were 6 mealworms under the light in trial 2. 
• Mealworms love water. 
• There were 36 more mealworms in the cardboard tube versus the light in trial 3.

These kind of observations are made using instruments such as rulers, balances and thermometers

• Qualitative

• Quantitative

• Scientific