Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Unit 1: Nature of Science review

Total questions: 40

Worksheet time: 40mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Which of the following is a scientific observation? 
a)
The potato is brown in color.
b)
The potato tastes the best.
c)
The potato may cause allergies.
d)
The potato smells funny. 
2.
A scientist is collecting data on the number of times a cricket chips per minute. What sense is the scientist most likely using to make observations?
a)
hearing
b)
smell
c)
sight
d)
touch
3.
Justin blows his nose, but mucus seems to leak through the tissue.  He decides to test which tissue holds up the best while sneezing.  What is the independent variable?
a)
sneezing
b)
Justin
c)
amount of tissue
d)
type of tissue
4.
Mr. McNeice wanted to know if different types of music affected people's heart rates, so he played different music and checked their pulses.  What is the dependent variable?
a)
type of music
b)
heart rate
c)
how long they listend to music
d)
Mr. McNeice
5.
Which question can best be investigated by a scientist?
a)
Should I buy a red shirt or a green shirt?
b)
Does chocolate milk or plain milk taste better?
c)
Does a plant need sunlight to grow?
d)
Which feels softer, cat fur or dog fur?
6.
Why should an experiment be repeated?
a)
to form a hypothesis
b)
to reduce the chance of error
c)
to change controls
d)
to identify the problem
7.
This is the outcome of the experiment. We get data and results from this.
a)
Independent Variable
b)
Dependent Variable
c)
Control
d)
Constant
8.
How many independent variables should be tested at a time in a scientific investigation?
a)
none
b)
one
c)
two
d)
three
9.
Which is the dependent variable in Amelia's experiment?
a)
the number of bean plants in each group 
b)
the amount of water given daily to each plant 
c)
the height of each bean plant 
d)
the amount of fertilizer given to each group of bean plants
10.
The variable that is changed on purpose is: 
a)
Control
b)
Dependent
c)
Independent
d)
Outcome
11.
The variable in the experiment that is the outcome that you measure is called:
a)
Control
b)
Dependent
c)
Independent
d)
Hypothesis
12.
When experimenting with the growth of a plant, a scientist uses three plants, two different fertilizers, equal light, and equal water. What type of variable is the water?
a)
Dependent
b)
Independent
c)
Control
d)
Outcome
13.
In the paper airplane experiment, changing the size of the airplane would be which variable?
a)
Dependent
b)
Independent
c)
Control
d)
Conclusion
14.
Squidward found new reeds to tryout for his clarinet.  He used an APPLAUSOMETER to measure clapping/applause after playing  Under the Sea with each reed.  The results were put in the table.
What was the dependent variable?
a)
The Song
b)
The Reed
c)
The Applause
d)
The clarinet
15.

Which of the following describes the y variable

a)

Y is dependent and frequency

b)

Y is independent and degree

c)

Y is dependent and degree

d)

Y is independent and frequency

16.
I am conducting an experiment to determine if the amount of fertilizer used on a field effect the number of earthworms found there?  What is a control variable for this experiment?
a)
number of earthworms
b)
soil type
c)
amount of fertilizer
17.

. Four students are discussing how scientists conduct experiments. This is what they said:

Bill: “I think scientists just try different ideas until the data fits their hypothesis.”

Melissa: “I think scientists change their methods depending on their experiment.”

Molly: “I think there’s a set of steps that all scientists use called the scientific method.”

Robin: “I think scientists try different techniques but they all involve labs or experiments.”


Which student is correct?

a)

Bill

b)

Molly

c)

Melissa

d)

Robin

18.

Which of these questions can be answered scientifically?

a)

Which of these foods tastes best?

b)

Which of these crops grows best in water?

c)

How good is this piece of music?

d)

How attractive is this flower?

19.

Thomas and Karen are proud of their pet turtles. Each student thinks his/her turtle can win a race by riding in a toy car along a smooth track. Thomas thinks his turtle will go faster because it is bigger and stronger. Karen thinks her turtle will go faster because it is smaller. To find out which turtle will go faster, the students designed the following experiment:

Each turtle is placed in an identical toy car.


They both begin the race at a starting line and travel along the straight, flat track to a finish line 2 meters away.


They are pushed by a large fan placed behind the starting line.


The fan gives each car and turtle the exact amount of push at exactly the same time.


Thomas’s pet turtle is bigger. His turtle-car has a mass of 259g.


Karen’s turtle is smaller. Her turtle car has a mass of 178g.


Classmates, Jamie and Maria sit at the finish line with a stopwatch to report the number of seconds it takes each turtle-car to reach the finish line.


They repeat the race three times and write the resulting times in a data table


What question is this experiment designed to answer?

a)

If the distance a turtle-car moves increases, what happens to the mass of the turtle?

b)

If the amount of push each turtle-car receives increases, what happens to the distance it will travel?

c)

If the mass of the turtle-car increases, what happens to the speed of the turtle car?

d)

Which student is a better turtle-racer, Thomas or Karen?

20.

Thomas and Karen are proud of their pet turtles. Each student thinks his/her turtle can win a race by riding in a toy car along a smooth track. Thomas thinks his turtle will go faster because it is bigger and stronger. Karen thinks her turtle will go faster because it is smaller. To find out which turtle will go faster, the students designed the following experiment:

Each turtle is placed in an identical toy car.


They both begin the race at a starting line and travel along the straight, flat track to a finish line 2 meters away.


They are pushed by a large fan placed behind the starting line.


The fan gives each car and turtle the exact amount of push at exactly the same time.


Thomas’s pet turtle is bigger. His turtle-car has a mass of 259g.


Karen’s turtle is smaller. Her turtle car has a mass of 178g.


Classmates, Jamie and Maria sit at the finish line with a stopwatch to report the number of seconds it takes each turtle-car to reach the finish line.


They repeat the race three times and write the resulting times in a data table


What is the independent (test) variable?

a)

the mass of the turtle-car

b)

the distance the turtle-cars travel

c)

the amount of push given to the turtle-cars

d)

the speed of the turtles

21.

Thomas and Karen are proud of their pet turtles. Each student thinks his/her turtle can win a race by riding in a toy car along a smooth track. Thomas thinks his turtle will go faster because it is bigger and stronger. Karen thinks her turtle will go faster because it is smaller. To find out which turtle will go faster, the students designed the following experiment:

Each turtle is placed in an identical toy car.


They both begin the race at a starting line and travel along the straight, flat track to a finish line 2 meters away.


They are pushed by a large fan placed behind the starting line.


The fan gives each car and turtle the exact amount of push at exactly the same time.


Thomas’s pet turtle is bigger. His turtle-car has a mass of 259g.


Karen’s turtle is smaller. Her turtle car has a mass of 178g.


Classmates, Jamie and Maria sit at the finish line with a stopwatch to report the number of seconds it takes each turtle-car to reach the finish line.


They repeat the race three times and write the resulting times in a data table


What is the dependent (outcome) variable?

a)

the mass of the turtle-car

b)

the distance the turtle-cars travel

c)

the amount of push given to the turtle-car

d)

the speed of the turtle-cars

22.
Joe tells Mai his theory about why sea turtles nest on the beach instead of in the ocean.  He says, “The turtle eggs would sink to the bottom of the ocean, and the baby turtle would drown.”  Joe says his uncle, a fisherman, told Joe this information.  Mai tells Joe that his theory is not scientific.  Why does Joe’s idea not meet the requirements to be a scientific theory?
a)
Joe’s idea is already a scientific law.
b)
Joe’s idea is not supported by scientific evidence.
c)
Joe’s idea is a good guess that can be tested by experiments.
d)
Joe and his uncle are not scientists.
23.
When a another scientist does someone's experiment to see if the results are valid?
a)
repetition
b)
replication
c)
experimental method
d)
controlled variable
24.
Caira reads in a science journal that replication and repetiton are so important, but she did not understand the  difference between them. Which of the following best explains the two terms?
a)
Repetition is when a scientist repeats an experiment; replication is when a scientist conducts an experiment on genetic material.
b)
Repetition is when a scientist does the same experiment a number of times; replication is when other scientists reproduce a scientist’s experiment.
c)
Repetition is when a scientist publishes in more than one scientific periodical; replication is when another scientist reproduces another scientist’s results.
d)
Repetition is when a scientist commits an error in an experiment the first time and must repeat it; replication is when a scientist repeats an experiment to make sure it is valid.
25.
Josue goes to Silver River each week for 4 weeks and collects 5 samples of water to test the pH.
a)
repetition
b)
replication
26.
Which statement is an inference about this picture?
a)
The van is tan.
b)
The  van ran into KFC. 
c)
The driver was hungry. 
d)
Red and white are part of the KFC building. 
27.
Mr. S. sets up an experiment to see how the mass of a ball affects the distance it rolls off a ramp.  Identify the independent variable.
a)
distance traveled by the ball
b)
height of the ramp
c)
mass of the ball
d)
weight of the ball
28.
Mr. S. sets up an experiment to see how the mass of a ball affects the distance it rolls off a ramp.  Identify the dependent variable.
a)
height of the ramp
b)
 distance traveled by the ball
c)
mass of the ball
d)
weight of the ball
29.
A student is planning an experiment to find out how the height from which he drops a ball affects how high the ball bounces. The dependent variable is the _____.
a)
Diameter of the ball
b)
Force acting on the ball
c)
Height that the ball bounces
d)
Height from which the ball is dropped
30.
When experimenting with the growth of a plant, a scientist uses three (of the same type of) plants, two different fertilizers, equal light, and equal water. What type of variable is the fertilizer?
a)
Dependent
b)
Independent
c)
Control
d)
Compound
31.
An experiment is performed on plants to see how different liquids affect plant growth. Each plant in the experiment is given a different liquid; water, apple juice, or milk. Each plant has the same amount of soil, sunlight, and listens to the same music. In this investigation, what is the dependent variable?
a)
Type of plant
b)
Water, apple juice, milk
c)
Plant growth
d)
Color of the plant's leaves
32.
Measuring the number of times a person breathes after exercise involves ____ data. 
a)
quantitative
b)
qualitative
34.
Jane Goodall video recorded chimpanzees hunting pigs, this type of data is called ___
a)
qualitative
b)
quantitative
c)
field study
d)
observation
34.
Jane Goodall video recorded chimpanzees hunting pigs, this type of data is called ___
a)
qualitative
b)
quantitative
c)
field study
d)
observation
35.
Qualitative data relies on numbers.
a)
False
b)
True
36.
Science is a continually ongoing process.
a)
True
b)
False
37.
If I study for my scientific method quiz, then I will have a better test score. What is the dependent variable?
a)
Scientific Method
b)
Studying
c)
Independent variable
d)
Test score
38.
Why do we want to test only one independent variable at a time?
a)
Because it is hard to setup a data table with more than one variable
b)
To better identify what is causing the changes
c)
It is what has always been done
d)
It's easier to perform the experiment
39.
Should experiments be repeated over and over to see if the results are the same each time?
a)
yes
b)
no
40.
The summary at the end of an experiment that explains the results. 
a)
conclusion
b)
procedures
c)
materials
d)
responding variable