Unit 1 Test Nature of Science

1. Which phrase best describes science?

• study of living and nonliving things
• observational study of Earth
• discussion of feelings and thoughts
• study of data and graphs

2. Renee rolls a steel ball down a ramp. She does the experiment multiple times and releases the ball from different heights and records how far the ball goes. In this experiment, which variable is the INDEPENDENT variable?

• distance traveled by the ball
• path of ball once it leaves the ramp
• the height that she is releasing the ball
• time it takes the ball to hit the gound

3. Renata's experiment was releasing the ball from different heights and recording how far the ball traveled. What question did Renata ask herself before doing the experiment?

• How much force does the ball exert when it strikes the floor?
• How is the speed of the ball affected by the release height from a ramp?
• How is the total distance the ball traveled affected by the release height?
• How high up is the ball when it is released from the ramp?

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NGSS.MS-PS3-1

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4. The average price of a new car in selected years is shown in the table below. Which claim can be made from evidence in the data table?

• From 1930 to 2009, the average price of a new car steadily increased.
• From 1930 to 2009, there is no apparent trend in the average price of a new car.
• From 1930 to 2009, the average price of a new car both increased and decreased.
• From 1930 to 2009, the average price of a new car decreased at regular intervals.

5. The manatee in the diagram is wearing a tracking device, which helps the biologists study the manatee. Why is using a tracking device the best way to study the manatees? (HINT: fieldwork)

• It restricts the manatees to the biologists' facility.
• It records manatees' breeding habits for biologists to study.
• It allows manatees to travel freely.
• It requires the team of biologists to do in-person checks on the manatees on a daily basis.

6. Biologists study the migration patterns of the Florida manatee. The biologists try not to disturb the manatees or their environment while studying them. To gather evidence, the sometimes put radio tracking devices on the manatees. The picture in question 5 shows a manatee wearing such a device. The belt that holds the device on the manatee is designed to be breakable. Why would biologist design a belt that would break in certain situations?

• to discourage other animals from coming near the manatees
• to destroy a tracking device the biologists consider to be faulty
• to prevent manatees from being trapped if the device snags on something
• to avoid collecting information on a manatee that migrates outside its range

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-4

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

7. Scientific investigations include many different steps. After which step in a scientific investigation might a scientist use results to reject an existing hypothesis and form a new hypothesis?

• Analyze data
• Follow a procedure
• Plan the experiment

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NGSS.MS-PS1-2

8. A scientist needs evidence to support a theory. Where would the scientist get the evidence?

• a plan for his experiments
• data from his experiments
• a hypothesis that he investigated
• hypotheses proposed by other scientists

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

9. Which title should be classified as pseudoscience?

• Is Life Possible on Mars?
• Aliens Built the Pyramids?
• The Best Ways for Making Money
• The Disappearance of Ancient Civilizations in South America

10. A scientist can only study...

• things that they can observe or model.
• events that take place on Earth.
• questions that they were the first to ask.
• the areas of science in which they are experts

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-3