Practice of Science

During the nineteenth century, biologists found similar fossils in South America and Africa. The

scientists theorized that a temporary land bridge between South America and Africa allowed

ancient species to move between both continents. New scientific evidence has now shown that

South America and Africa were once part of the same larger continent and that there were no

land bridges between them. Which statement below describes what biologists should do with

this new information?

• Biologists should update the theory due to new evidence.

• Biologists should reject the new information since it conflicts with the current theory.

• Biologists should reject new information because they cannot change their theory based

  on new evidence.

• Biologists should update the theory because of the newly found evidence and reject

  any newer information.

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After reviewing and analyzing Quentin's experimental results, Janelle believes that his

experiment contains errors which led to incorrect conclusions. Which of the following explains

what Janelle can do to confirm her analysis of the experiment?

• She can replicate Quentin's experiment to see if she gets the same results.

• She can change variables in Quentin's experiment to try to change the results.

• She can keep the variables the same but use different tools to measure the data.

• She can conduct a different experiment to show how the results should be different.

After reading a science article on how the Sun's energy affects the water cycle, Jacklyn

wonders if what the scientist found was correct. She decides to try the experiment herself. She

makes sure to follow the steps exactly as the article reported the original scientist did. Which of

the following best explains why the original scientist published all the steps of his experiment?

• to allow other scientists to replicate their results

• to encourage the scientific community to use their methods

• to show other scientists the importance of taking detailed notes

• to demonstrate how many times their experiment has been replicated

A botanist observed flowers that were growing in a nearby field to determine which flower

attracts the most bees. The data below shows the results of the investigation.

What was a benefit of the way the botanist did the investigation?

• It allowed the botanist to have control over variables that caused the bees to behave in

  certain ways.

• It allowed the botanist to follow a controlled method of observing bees that other scientists

  could replicate.

• It allowed the botanist to observe the natural behaviors of bees that would be hard to

  observe in a controlled setting.

• It allowed the botanist to make predictions and manipulate the bees into performing

  behaviors that supported her hypothesis.

What statement is an example of a scientific theory?

• The doctor assumes the medication will cure a cold.

• The meteorologist claims a thunderstorm will always produce hail.

• The engineer says the boat should last on the water for at least 50 years.

• The scientist uses evidence to support the idea that cells come from pre-existing cells.

Abby wondered how different liquids would affect the growth of sunflowers. To design an

investigation, she planted three of the same size sunflower plants in the same type of pot. She

placed all three pots next to each other where they would receive full sun. Once a day, each

pot received a different liquid.

Pot A - 200 mL of coffee

Pot B - 200 mL of soda

Pot C - 200 mL of fruit juice

At the end of each week, she measured and graphed the growth of each plant. After four

weeks, she analyzed her data to determine how each liquid affected the growth of the

sunflowers. What kind of scientific investigation did Gabby carry out?

• An experimental investigation where she could document the variables and a control

  group.

• An observational investigation where she observed how fast sunflowers could grow over

  time.

• A comparative investigation where she could see how the sunflowers' growth was

  affected by sunlight.

• A comparative investigation where she could see how each variable affected the growth

  of the sunflowers.

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Scientists once believed that an atom was a solid sphere that couldn't be split up any further.

After several experiments, scientists discovered that an atom is made up of even smaller

particles. Which of the following statements describes how scientific knowledge changes

as new information is discovered?

• It is accepted as true permanently.

• It helps advance scientific knowledge.

• It is thrown out to preserve the old information.

• It hinders the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Jamal and Anne are trying to determine how much it rains each week at their school. They choose the same rain collector and each place it on the same windowsill at school. At the same

time each school day, they recorded the amount of rainwater collected. The data is shown below.

Which statement best compares Jamal and Anne's investigation?

• Jamal's hypothesis was more clearly written.

• Anne used a more reliable set of procedures.

• Anne used a more accurate method to collect her data.

• Jamal used a more accurate method to collect his data.

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Joe is noticing that everyone in his class has been coughing a lot lately. Joe states to his

classmates, “My theory is that everyone is coughing because the classroom is too cold.” Why

is Joe's statement considered an everyday theory and not a scientific theory?

• It is a claim based on an opinion that he has.

• It describes circumstances that are always true.

• It provides data collected during an investigation.

• It is a well-supported idea accepted by many people.

The graph below shows the population trend of black and white rhinos in Kruger National Park

from 2013-2017.

Which of the following conclusions can be made about the data provided?

• Overall from 2013 to 2017, neither of the populations was affected.

• Only the white rhino population decreased between 2015 and 2016.

• Black rhinos experienced a population decrease between 2016 and 2017.

• White and black rhino populations experienced an increase between 2013 and 2014.

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