Unit 1: Scientists at Work

Christopher wanted to learn more about Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons. Which of the following sources of information would be Christopher’s best choice?

• his friends

• the local newspaper

• a neighborhood survey

• a university’s astronomy web page

Taylor made some observations and has a question he would like to answer. What should Taylor do next?

• form an opinion

• analyze evidence

• plan and conduct an investigation

• draw conclusions and communicate results

Joseph wonders what kinds of birds live in his neighborhood. What skill will Joseph use to investigate the variety of birds in his neighborhood?

• infer

• observe

• order

• communicate

Scientists conduct investigations. What is the main reason for scientific investigations?

• to practice doing experiments

• to learn about recent discoveries

• to demonstrate scientific procedures

• to answer questions about the natural world

Sometimes scientists repeat the research of other scientists. Which of the following is the most likely reason scientists do this?

• to form new theories

• to improve the research

• to win prizes for their work

• to verify that the work is accurate

Imagine that a scientist suggests that the size of an insect population depends on the temperature. What observations must this scientist use in order to provide evidence to support his or her claim?

• The scientist must observe the insect population only in winter.

• The scientist must observe the insect population in the laboratory.

• The scientist must observe the insect population in different areas

• The scientist must observe the insect population throughout the year.

Tristan counts the number of people who visit the pool each day for 1 week. He displays his findings on a bar graph. Between which two days did the number of visitors change the most?

• Tuesday and Wednesday

• Wednesday and Thursday

• Thursday and Friday

• Friday and Saturday

In science, we often gather information with our senses by watching, listening, smelling, and touching. For example, you may record how the color of a flower changes. What is this process called?

• stating hypotheses

• forming conclusions

• making observations

• performing experiments

Some scientific tools are used for making observations, and others are used for making measurements. Which of these tools would be most useful for observing the behavior of ants?

• hand lens

• metric ruler

• electronic balance

• graduated cylinder

Patrick used a spring scale like this in an experiment he was conducting.

What did Patrick measure with the spring scale?

• force

• mass

• volume

• weight