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Intro Unit Scientific Method

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 8mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

A scientist performed an experiment that had an unexpected result. He re-experimented before reporting results. Why would he do this?

a)

he wanted to make sure no one else could do the experiment

b)

he had extra chemical and wanted to use them all

c)

he wanted to be sure the results were accurate

d)

he wanted to get different results

2.

What skill are you using when you gather information through your 5 senses?

a)

questioning

b)

observing

c)

inferring

d)

explaining

3.

When a scientist records a quantitative observation, they must write down a

a)

fact

b)

opinion

c)

number

d)

feeling

4.

Which of the following statements is a qualitative observation?

a)

that chair has four legs

b)

that chair is soft

c)

that chair is two meters tall

d)

that chair has one pillow

5.

A student group takes a field trip to limestone outcroppings and made observations, on of which was an inference. Which would be the inference?

a)

the surfaces of the limestone have small holes

b)

the outcroppings have black crust

c)

the surfaces of the limestone are rough

d)

the outcroppings have been acted on by acid rain

6.

Scientists often test their hypothesis with controlled experiments. Which of these is a rule for conducting a controlled experiment?

a)

change at least two variables at a time

b)

keep all variables constant

c)

change as many variables as possible

d)

change only one variable at a time

7.

Joey wanted to know if the size of his paper airplane affected the distance it would travel. If he set up an experiment to find out, what would his independent variable be?

a)

the distance the airplane travels

b)

the speed of the airplane

c)

the size of the airplane

d)

the shape of the airplane

8.

Joey wanted to know if the size of his paper airplane affected the distance it would travel. In order for Joey to conduct a fair test, which of the following controlled variables should he have in his experiment?

a)

the shape of the airplane

b)

the type of paper used

c)

the force of the launch

d)

all of the answer options

9.

John and Emily were experimenting with the effects of salt on plant growth. To do this, they watered plants daily with the same amount of salt water. They could best improve their experiment by

a)

increasing the amount of salt added to the water each day

b)

cooling the salt water before watering the plants

c)

adding food color to see how far the salt penetrates the plants

d)

watering half the plants with pure water and half with salt water

10.

Karen wants to grow the largest tomato plants for the fair. She decides to compare two new plant foods. She has three plants that receive the same amount of sunlight, water, and temperature. One plant A gets food A, plant B food B, and plant C receives none. She measures the height each week.

Plant C is part of which group?

a)

control

b)

variable

c)

data

d)

experimental

11.

Karen wants to grow the largest tomato plants for the fair. She decides to compare two new plant foods. She has three plants that receive the same amount of sunlight, water, and temperature. One plant A gets food A, plant B food B, and plant C receives none. She measures the height each week.

The plant food is the...

a)

dependent variable

b)

independent variable

c)

qualitative data

d)

control group

12.

The class hamsters Ron and Lucy had a litter of baby hamsters. One white, two brown, three striped brown/white, and two black. Which of the following graphs shows this data most clearly and correctly?

a)
b)
c)
d)
13.

Looking at the hamster graphs, which type of graph would be best for showing the growth of a tree over time?

a)
b)
c)
14.

In an experiment designed to determine if a specific brand of cat food is causing cats to meow excessively, it would be best to

a)

keep feeding cats with the specific brand of cat food and record the results

b)

mix together the specific brand of cat food with another brand of food and feed to cats

c)

let some of the cats drink water with the specific brand of food

d)

feed some cats with the specific brand of cat food and other cats with another brand

15.

Trina wanted to find out which of her rubber balls can bounce the highest. She took the first ball and dropped it onto the cement sidewalk. So then dropped the second ball from the same height onto the grass. She recorded how high each ball bounced. Her experiment could be improved by

a)

measuring the time it takes for each ball to reach its maximum height

b)

bouncing both balls on one of the surfaces

c)

dropping the second ball from a higher height

d)

bouncing the ball on the grass two times