Quiz: Using the Scientific Method to Design and Conduct Investigations

Question 1

A student notices that plants near the classroom window grow taller than plants kept in the back of the room. What is the BEST next step using the scientific method?

Accepted Answer

Form a hypothesis about why the plants near the window grow taller

Question 2

In a fair test, a scientist should change as many variables as possible at the same time to get results faster.

Accepted Answer

false

Question 3

A _____ is a testable prediction that states the expected relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.

Accepted Answer

hypothesis

Question 4

A student designs an experiment to find out whether the amount of water affects how fast a seed sprouts. She plants five seeds and waters each one with a different amount of water. Which of the following is the dependent variable in her experiment?

Accepted Answer

How fast the seed sprouts

Question 5

A hypothesis that is not supported by the experimental data is still valuable to science because it helps narrow down possible explanations.

Accepted Answer

true

Question 6

The variable that a scientist deliberately changes in an experiment is called the _____ variable.

Accepted Answer

independent

Question 7

Two students conduct the same experiment but get different results. What is the BEST action for them to take?

Accepted Answer

Review their procedures to check whether each step was carried out the same way

Question 8

The purpose of a control group in an experiment is to give scientists something to compare their experimental results against.

Accepted Answer

true

Question 9

Scientists use _____ to organize and display collected data so that patterns are easier to identify.

Accepted Answer

graphs

Question 10

A student writes the following hypothesis: 'If a ball is dropped from a greater height, then it will bounce higher, because it has more energy when it hits the ground.' Which part of this hypothesis makes it scientifically useful?

Accepted Answer

It is testable and predicts a relationship between two variables

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of quantitative data?

Accepted Answer

The plant grew 4.5 centimeters in one week

Question 12

A scientist's conclusion should be based only on the data collected during the experiment, not on what the scientist hoped would happen.

Accepted Answer

true

Question 13

Before conducting an experiment, scientists write a step-by-step _____ so that the investigation can be repeated by others.

Accepted Answer

procedure

Question 14

A student wants to test whether the color of light affects how much a plant grows. She sets up three identical plants. Plant A gets white light, Plant B gets red light, and Plant C gets no light. What is the role of Plant C in this experiment?

Accepted Answer

It is the control, providing a baseline to compare against the other plants

Question 15

Repeating an experiment multiple times and getting the same result each time increases confidence that the results are accurate.

Accepted Answer

true

Question 16

Variables that are kept the same throughout an experiment so they do not affect the results are called _____ variables.

Accepted Answer

controlled

Question 17

After completing an experiment, a student finds that her data does NOT support her hypothesis. What should she do?

Accepted Answer

Report her actual results and suggest possible reasons why the hypothesis was not supported

Question 18

Which of the following questions can BEST be answered through a scientific investigation?

Accepted Answer

Does the temperature of water affect how quickly sugar dissolves in it?

Question 19

A bar graph is always the best type of graph to use when displaying experimental data.

Accepted Answer

false

Question 20

A class is investigating how the angle of a ramp affects the distance a toy car travels. They test angles of 10°, 20°, 30°, and 40°. They run three trials at each angle and calculate the average distance. Why do they calculate an average across the three trials?

Accepted Answer

To reduce the effect of random errors and get a more reliable result

Quiz: Using the Scientific Method to Design and Conduct Investigations

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