SC.6.N.2.2

(SC.6.N.2.2) The Wright brothers are famous for inventing the first powered airplane. The brothers studied the work of earlier inventors. To test their ideas, they built a wind tunnel. They started simply, by studying kites, and then moved to more complex gliders. Ultimately, they developed a powered flying machine. Which of the following reasons is most likely to have led to the Wright brothers' success?

• They had plenty of money to fund their experiments.
• They studied only the successes of previous inventors.
• They used a scientific approach and developed new ideas from failed experiments.
• They were lucky and smart and brave.

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NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

NGSS.MS-ETS1-2

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

NGSS.MS-ETS1-4

(SC.6.N.2.2) Scientific knowledge continues to expand as new discoveries are made. Which of the following has played the most significant role in advancing scientific knowledge about cell biology?

• triple-beam balance
• syringe
• microscope
• pie chart

(SC.6.N.2.2) Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence. Which of the following is NOT true about scientific knowledge?

• It is open to change.
• It has been tested.
• It is long lasting.
• It provides absolute truths.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

(SC.6.N.2.2) A long-standing question in science has been, "What caused the dinosaurs to become extinct?" In the mid-1900s, the idea was proposed that caterpillars ate so many leaves that dinosaurs starved and could not reproduce. Today, the most commonly accepted idea is that a large body from space hit Earth and triggered the extinctions. What does this change in scientific thinking provide evidence of?

• that scientists change their minds regularly
• that scientific knowledge is open to change
• that scientists don't know what happened
• that scientific information is universal

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

(SC.6.N.2.2) Scientific understandings can change as new information is discovered. Which of the following is an example of how scientific understandings have changed?

• The law of universal gravitation has not been tested many times and is no longer taught in science.
• The understanding of mountain building and earthquakes changed once people accepted the theory of plate tectonics
• People once thought Earth was round. Now they understand that it is flat.
• The inclined plane, which is a simple tool that may have been used by the Egyptians to build the pyramids, now has other applications.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

(SC.6.N.2.2) Jacob says that science is just a huge collection of unchangeable facts. Why is he wrong?

• Science is a process that allows for ideas to be changed as new evidence is presented.
• Science includes not just facts but also concepts.
• Science is the systematic collection of those unchangeable facts.
• Science facts can be changed as long as all scientists agree about the change.

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NGSS.MS-PS1-2

(SC.6.N.2.2) Many years ago, people thought that the Sun revolved around Earth. Copernicus proposed that Earth revolved around the Sun. This was a huge change in the way humans understood the world. Why didn't this reversal of ideas cause people to give up on the idea of science?

• because the earlier ideas were not based on observations of the movements of objects in the sky
• because people have always believed that scientists can find the answers
• because people trust in science and always accept new ideas
• because the process of science allows for changes to be made as new evidence is found

(SC.6.N.2.2) Scientific knowledge is capable of lasting a long time. What makes scientific knowledge hold up so well over time?

• Once established, scientific laws cannot be broken or revised.
• As new evidence is presented, scientific knowledge is open to revision.
• Scientific knowledge is published in well-respected journals, so it is easy to locate.
• Scientific knowledge is well researched and permanent.

(SC.6.N.2.2) The nature of science is that it is open to new ideas. If this were NOT true, what might happen?

• When an idea was supported by evidence, scientists might ignore new contradictory evidence.
• Science would advance increasingly accurate ideas about the natural world, based on logic alone.
• Scientists would propose ideas to revise accepted hypotheses about nature.
• The scientific process of hypothesizing and experimentation would continue just as it is.

(SC.6.N.2.2) The principle of spontaneous generation was believed for hundreds of years. That principal stated that new life could come about from nonliving things. For example, people observed that a baby clam suddenly appears in the mud so they thought that the clam was created from the mud. Today, science states that new life comes about from other living things. What allowed this change of ideas to be accepted?

• The person who proposed the new ideas was well known.
• New equipment proved mud could not produce clams.
• Experiments and evidence were provided for the new ideas.
• Important officials in government agreed with the new ideas.