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WorksheetsExam Unit 2: Techniques and Tools of the Trade
Total questions: 50
Worksheet time: 4hrs 10mins
Which statement below is LEAST objective?
The sun is a star.
The sun is bright.
The sun is in the center of our solar system.
The sun produces light.
Marcy has just written down a question about a scientific observation that she's made. In order to correctly follow the scientific method, what should she do next?
Share the results of her observation.
Form a hypothesis.
Create an experiment to test her question.
Revisit her observation.
Javier is a navigator for the navy. His ship has just lost all power in the middle of the ocean, including access to your GPS. Which astronomical tool would be MOST helpful in this situation?
a radio telescope
a sextant
optical binoculars
an electromagnetic field meter
A group of scientists have just concluded that all cow meat contains a bacteria that is harmful and in some cases deadly to humans. They are determined to share this information so that consuming beef would no longer be allowed. What is this an example of?
peer-review
policy for science
science for policy
Step 4 of the scientific method
Continuing with the scientific method, which of the following would be a good hypothesis?
How far is the moon from Earth?
The moon rotates at the same rate it orbits the planet.
Does the moon rotate faster at night?
The moon will not change.
When following the scientific method, why would asking a subjective question be an inappropriate part of the procedure?
A subjective question means it has little or nothing to do with the observation.
A subjective question would negate any findings from the observation.
A subjective question is too specific and needs to be simplified to conduct an experiment.
A subjective question deals with opinions, morals, and emotions and is not suited for science.
Which of these would be considered part of the natural world?
The Sistine Chapel
The Chrysler Building
The Grand Canyon
The Greek Gods
Which of the following questions may be difficult to test scientifically?
What is the average flight speed of an African Swallow?
How was Hawaii formed?
Why is cheating wrong?
Is there evidence of water on other planets?
The statement “Earth is the third planet from the sun” is an example of a:
fact.
law.
theory.
hypothesis
“The planets revolve around the sun in an elliptical pattern because of the respective gravitational forces that interact between the sun and the other planets.” This statement is an example of a:
fact.
law.
theory.
hypothesis.
“The moon’s gravitational force causes high and low tides on Earth.” This statement is an example of a:
fact.
law.
theory.
hypothesis.
Imagine that someone is immersed under a beautiful cosmic meteor shower. Which instrument would BEST help them view the largest portion of the sky?
refracting telescope
binoculars
sextant
compound telescope
Which type of telescope would an astronomer MOST likely use to try and search for a black hole?
radio telescope
refracting telescope
compound telescope
reflecting telescope
Sarah just bought a telescope and is telling you all about what she saw last night, but she keeps mentioning that every object she pointed it towards seemed to have a fuzzy glow. What type of telescope was she MOST likely using?
reflecting telescope
refracting telescope
catadioptric telescope
digital telescope
What type of scientific investigation would include creating a chart that shows the phases of the moon?
comparative
chronological
descriptive
lunar
If someone were to be researching and studying similarities between our sun and a neighboring star, what kind of scientific investigation would they be conducting?
solar
contrasting
comparative
experimental
Which type of scientific investigation could involve hypothesizing which density of liquid refracts more light than water?
experimental
descriptive
contrasting
comparative
Akbar saw a shooting star and wrote down details of the time, possible length, brightness, and location it was in the sky. What type of scientific investigation was Akbar conducting?
comparative
chronological
descriptive
Aaliyah hears through social media that Saturn will be visible tonight and that the weather will be clear of any clouds. What type of instrument would be BEST for viewing this spectacle?
a radio telescope
binoculars
a refracting telescope
a computer
Which of the following is the weakest hypothesis for the question, “Is there evidence of water on Mars?”
There is water under the surface of Mars.
There might have been water but it’s difficult to tell.
There was never water on Mars.
Mars once had a lake filled with water.
At dusk, a man in a park is using binoculars big enough that they are being supported on a tripod. Based on this knowledge, what can be inferred about these binoculars?
They have a small field of view.
They use lithium ion batteries.
They have a lower than normal magnifying power.
They were purchased using a research grant.
What type of telescope would you want to suggest to an amateur star-gazer for its ease of set up and its ability to stay aligned easily?
compound
refracting
reflecting
radio
Dr. Hutchinson looks up into the sky to search for constellations. This would be considered which Step of the scientific method?
Making an observation
Forming a hypothesis
Conducting an experiment
Drawing a conclusion
Steve is studying conservatory biology and wants to use his career to advance better environmental policies. Which of the following would help Steve carry out “policy for science”?
Gather other scientists who have come to the same conclusion(s) and introduce those claims to government officials.
Base an experiment off of a law that was created to solve an ongoing problem.
Hypothesize the outcome of an election based on statistics.
Research laws that were created but that are now obsolete.
Carly mentions to her friends that her new scented oils have been helping heal her headaches. With no scientific evidence that this “aromatherapy” actually works, her friends should caution her and tell her to be careful. What do Carly’s friends think she may be diving into?
astrology
phrenology
pseudoscience
astronomy
Which statement is most subjective?
Astronomy is the study of the cosmos and universe.
The sun rises in the east.
There are four inner planets.
Astronomy is the most important science.
Which of the following resembles a hypothesis?
Joe witnesses a shooting star and makes a wish.
Shen wonders how shooting stars form in outer space.
Rodney claims that shooting stars burn from entering Earth's atmosphere.
Jane researches how much friction causes combustion.
Which statement about a good scientific question is most accurate?
It must contain “why.”
It needs to be subjective.
It has to be testable.
It should be biased.
Why is astrology referred to as a pseudoscience?
Because it is a parallel study to astronomy.
Because it fails to adhere to scientific processes.
Because it poses more questions than it answers.
Because it is a sub-science of astronomy.
Which statement about facts is MOST accurate?
They are descriptions of patterns that happen in the natural world.
They are explanations why the natural world behaves the way it does.
They are observations that have been confirmed by several different scientists and are generally accepted as true.
They are hypotheses that have been tested by multiple scientists in varying experimental environments.
Why were the phrenological studies conducted by Dr. Franz Joseph Gall discredited in the nineteenth century?
Most of the confirmed hypotheses were found to be fabricated.
Dr. Gall announced that his research was done incorrectly.
Scientist were worried that the experiments would encourage racism.
The descriptions within the observations were not testable and objective.
Which hypothesis would NOT be considered falsifiable?
There is life on other planets.
Our sun will burn out within the next billion years.
The universe is stagnant
Jupiter is the best planet in our solar system.
Which is the correct order for the scientific method?
Ask a question, Observe, Hypothesize, Test, Share
Observe, Ask a question, Hypothesize, Test, Share
Observe, Ask a question, Hypothesize, Share, Test
Ask a question, Hypothesize, Observe, Test, Share
What kind of telescope uses mirrors to focus light to form a picture?
radio telescope
refracting telescope
compound telescope
reflecting telescope
Which type of scientific investigation involves testing variables that are manipulated, controlled, or measured in order to gather evidence to support or disprove your hypothesis?
experimental
descriptive
contrasting
compound
Which type of telescope is known to be difficult to keep aligned?
rotating
refracting
reflecting
radio
Which type of telescope uses both mirrors and curved lens to focus the light for viewing?
radio
refracting
compound
reflecting
What is a possible answer to a question or problem (also called an educated guess)?
inference
hypothesis
observation
quantitative
Scientific laws tell us what we can expect under certain circumstances, but what do they fail to explain?
when
why
where
how
What is the first step for the peer-review process to begin?
Contact a scientific journal.
Gather the review panel yourself.
Write a paper on claims, findings, and conclusions.
Ask others to conduct your experiment.
What criteria must a study meet in order to be replicable?
It must be well respected by contemporary researchers.
It must have multiple outcomes to show all possible scenarios.
It must be accepted by the general public as rigorous in its methods.
It must be repeatable across different experiments by different scientists.
What do optical telescopes collect and focus?
Light
Sound
Heat
Electricity
Claudette is creating a high-level list of safety protocols to include for all scientific endeavors being performed in a facility. Which of the following items can she leave out, since it’s not part of common safety protocol practices?
Follow hygiene best-practices.
Safely dispose of any waste.
Promptly report any incidents.
Keep all tools and instruments organized.
A sextant resembles which mathematical instrument?
protractor
calculator
abacus
ruler
What is the scientific method?
a way scientists choose the best tools for investigations
a way scientists find out how to become professors
a way scientists answer questions and solve problems
a way scientists communicate between disciplines
Astrology is a sub-discipline of astronomy.
True
False
Peering through a telescope could be considered Step 1 of the scientific method.
True
False
Comparative investigations do not require a hypothesis.
True
False
When a hypothesis is falsifiable, that means that the researcher believes that the experiment will show that the hypothesis is false.
True
False
Binoculars can be quite strong; in fact, some binoculars have the ability to magnify objects 100x more than what could be viewed with the naked eye.
True
False
