Nature ofScience Practice State Test

1.       A scientist performs an experiment and asks other scientists around the world to replicate it. Why would other scientists most likely try to perform the same experiment?

• to find out if weather of various regions of the world would affect the results

       

   

• to see if the experiment would be less expensive in another part of the world

• to confirm the results of the experiment conducted by the scientist

• to verify that the hypothesis of the experiment is a scientific law

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-5

Keesha did an experiment to study the rate of photosynthesis in the water plant Elodea. She placed a piece of Elodea in a beaker of water and set the beaker 10 centimeters (cm) from a light source. Keesha counted the bubbles released from the plant every minute for five minutes (min). She repeated the process two more times. First, she moved the light to 20 cm from the beaker, and then she moved the light to 30 cm from the beaker. Keesha’s setup and data are shown below.

What is the outcome variable (dependent variable) in this experiment?

• the number of bubbles produced

        

• the type of plant placed in the beaker

• the amount of time the bubbles were counted

• the distance of the light source from the plant

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS1-7

The following statements were taken from the procedures of four different investigations.

The statement from which investigation is an example of repetition?

     

 

• Investigation 1

• Investigation 2

• Investigation 3

• Investigation 4

Scientific knowledge may change as new evidence or information is discovered. Which of the following would NOT be a result of new scientific research and information?      

• Binomial nomenclature is assigned to a recently identified plant species.

• An endangered monkey species is put in a reserve for protection from extinction.

• A newly discovered chemical element will be added to the periodic table of the elements.

• A nonnative plant species will begin to reproduce rapidly after being introduced into a swamp ecosystem.

Two types of models that can be used to show details of the structures of cells are shown below.

Which of the following describes a limitation of the drawing but NOT the clay model?    

 

• It does not represent the main parts of a cell.

• It does not contain the correct number of nuclei.

• It cannot represent a living cell, since a true cell is three-dimensional.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-2

A timeline of some models of atoms throughout history is shown below. These models have contributed to the formation of the atomic theory.

Which statement best summarizes the development of the atomic theory over time?   

• The discovery of new evidence resulted in changes to the atomic theory.

• Advancements in atomic models proved the atomic theory was accurate.

• The atomic theory was modified with the discovery of every new element

• Changes in atomic models showed that the atomic theory was based on opinion

A few hundred years ago, observations seemed to support an idea called spontaneous generation, which stated that living things could appear from nonliving things. In the seventeenth century, experiments were conducted that resulted in observations that disproved this idea. This led to the present day idea that living things can only come from other living things. Which statement best describes what this change in ideas tells us about science?  

 

• Science ideas do not need to be based only on factual and observable evidence.

• Science ideas are not accurate because they constantly change as new evidence is discovered.

• Science knowledge changes because it is open to new evidence as it is discovered and observed.

• Science is based on factual observations, so it should remain the same and not change over time.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

1.       For a scientist, the word “theory” can have a very different meaning than for the rest of society. From the scientific point of view, which of the following is most correct about theories?     

• A theory is a description of specific natural events.

• A theory explains the dependent and independent variables.

• A theory predicts what will happen in nature with mathematical formulas.

• A theory is a widely accepted general explanation that has been supported with strong evidence.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

1.       A student read an article describing an experiment. He concluded that the experiment was valid. There were two reasons why he thought the experiment was valid: (1) It included several trials and (2) several other scientists conducted the same experiment with similar results. Which statement best describes the reason the student accepted the results of this experiment?     

• A control group was included in the experiment.

• The experiment was conducted by well-known scientists.

• The experiment was subjected to both replication and repetition.

• The experiment included both independent and dependent variables.

1.       A student wants to conduct a science fair project about the effects of different types of fertilizers on plant growth. His teacher tells him that he should use repeated trials in his experiment. Why should the student use repetition in his experiment?   

 

• to practice the procedure for conducting scientific experiments

• to allow his classmates to conduct the same experiment to confirm his results

• to provide him with results from a group with which to compare the experimental treatment

• to ensure that his experimental results are accurate and the experiment did not contain flaws

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-2