Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Hypothesis vs. Theory vs. Law

Total questions: 10

Worksheet time: 7mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
A possible explanation to a problem that has not yet been tested. 
a)
data
b)
theory
c)
hypothesis
d)
fact
2.
A broad and comprehensive statement of what is thought to be true; it is supported by much evidence.
a)
hypothesis
b)
theory
c)
guess
d)
fact
3.
Martha is curious as to what happened to the dinosaurs.  She is convinced that a virus spread across the earth and killed all the dinosaurs.  Martha’s idea is called a ________.
a)
hypothesis
b)
theory
c)
law
d)
question
4.
Many hypotheses are tested and scientist come up with an explanation based on these hypotheses.
a)
Fact
b)
Thoery
c)
Law
d)
Hypotheses
5.

Joe tells Gabby 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. I know this because my uncle is a fisherman, and he told me this information. Gabby 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.

6.

Lilly was trying to explain to her friend the difference between a theory and a law in science. She used the theory of plate tectonics and the law of superposition as examples. Lilli explained the difference by using non-scientific language. Which statement could Lilly use to correctly describe the difference between a theory and a law in science?

a)

A theory describes a natural event, while a law explains it.

b)

A theory explains a natural event, while a law predicts it.

c)

A theory explains a natural event, while a law describes it.

d)

A theory predicts a natural event, while a law explains it.

7.
Scientific theories are based on
a)
general assumptions of how systems work.
b)
mathematical principles that can be proven true.
c)
large amounts of data collected over time.
d)
observations from within only one scientific discipline.
8.
Scientific theories do not change once they have been written down.
a)
True
b)
False
9.

Which of these explain how a natural phenomenon works or happens?

a)

theory

b)

law

10.

Which of these describes a natural phenomenon or relationship that always occurs under specific conditions

a)

theory

b)

law