Study Island
Copyright © 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 01/30/2014
Generated By: Delenio Corbie
1. Kelly is giving her friend directions to a nearby park. Which model would be most appropriate
for her to use?
A. a photograph of the playground
B. a hand drawn outline of the route
C. a globe
D. a detailed road map of the whole city
2. Many companies make permanent coffee filters like the one below.
How is this an improvement on the traditional, paper coffee filters?
A. A permanent filter is more expensive than a traditional filter.
B. They are less wasteful and more cost effective because they last longer.
C. The coffee brewed using permanent filters does not taste as good.
D. They contain plastic which does not break down as easily as paper.
3. Scientists use sonar machines in order to map the contour of the ocean floor. The data from the
sonar machines make a model of the ocean floor. What information can be obtained from this
model?
A. how old the ocean's crust is
B. what temperature the water is near the ocean floor
C. what sort of landforms are found on the ocean floor
D. what sort of organisms live near the ocean floor
4. Science and technology often develop simultaneously. That is, scientific discoveries often lead
to the development of new technology, and technological devices allow new scientific
discoveries to be made.
What technological design allowed scientists to determine differences in the internal structures of
plant and animal cells?
A. microscopes
B. seismographs
C. telescopes
D. barometers
5. Cotton balls could be used to represent clouds because of their white color and appearance of
texture. Which of these other things could be modeled using cotton?
A. the Sun
B. a tree
C. cobwebs
D. rain
6. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a huge piece of equipment designed and built in order to
make new scientific discoveries. The Large Hadron Collider is a product of _______ and is used
for _______.
A. technological development, scientific investigations
B. scientific investigation, scientific investigations
C. scientific investigations, technological development
D. technological development, technological development
7. Stella has poured 3 cups of water into a 1-L soda bottle. Stella then sealed the bottle and
placed it in the sunlight. What natural process can Stella study with the model she built?
A. rock cycle
B. nitrogen cycle
C. water cycle
D. carbon cycle
8. Stuart designed and built a water filter in class. He wants to know if it will make water from
lakes or streams safe to drink. Which of the following would it be best for Stuart to measure in
an experiment in order to test his design and answer this question?
A.
B.
C.
the diameter of the largest grain of dust, dirt, or sand that can pass through his filter
the maximum force that can be applied to his filter without breaking it
the amount of time required for different volumes of water to pass through his filter
the amount of bacteria and impurities in water both before and after it passes through his
D. filter
9. Meredith wants to use a model to study how interesting formations such as arches, towers, and
balanced rocks are made by erosion. She learns in science class that these can form when
different layers of the rock erode at different rates.
Meredith decides to use running water to cause the erosion. To model the rock, she can choose
from the following:





potting soil
clay
pebbles
plaster
sand
How should Meredith make her model of the rock?
A. by mixing all the materials together evenly
B. by using each material to make a separate model
C. by arranging the possible materials in strips, one next to the other
D. by arranging the possible materials in layers, one on top of the other
10. Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction. Science teachers often model this law by showing what happens when two floating
balls collide in a pool of water.
What is the most likely reason that science teachers explain this law by modeling it?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The objects governed by the law are too small to be easily observed directly.
The law does not apply to any objects found on Earth.
The objects governed by the law are too dangerous to be observed directly.
The law is an abstract idea that may be difficult to understand without seeing how it works.
11. The floor of the Atlantic Ocean is spreading slowly. It spreads at the rate of 1 to 10
centimeters per year.
Why would it be useful for scientists to use a model in order to study the spreading of the
Atlantic Ocean's floor?
A.
B.
C.
The ocean is spreading on such a large scale that it cannot be measured with normal tools.
It would take several years to collect the data about the process first hand.
The process occurred in the past, but it is no longer occurring.
The spreading of the ocean is too abstract a concept for people to visualize without a
D. model.
12. Marty is developing a new way to heat an airplane's windshield to prevent it from
accumulating ice when in flight. A thin layer of clear, conductive material is injected between
two layers of thick windshield plastic. A very small electric current is run through the inner
material to keep the plastic layers warm.
How might using a model help Marty develop his design?
A.
B.
Marty could use a model to discover a new type of plastic for windshields.
A model could be used for automobile windshields.
C.
D.
A model could be used to test his design in a lab.
Airplane manufacturers could be sold models to use in their new planes.
13. Sariah's science teacher asked everyone in the class to bring a model of the park near their
school so that they could add labels to them in class. To which kind of model would it be easiest
to add labels?
A. a scale-model diorama made of dirt and sticks
B. a scale drawing, looking down on the park
C. a scale drawing of a cross-section of the park
D. a scale-model sculpture out of clay
14. Dr. Ray has developed a new way to remove oil from wetlands in the event of an oil spill. To
test his new process, Dr. Ray builds a scale model of a wetland in his lab and pours a small
amount of oil into it. He then observes the rate at which his process is able to remove the oil
from the model.
Why did Dr. Ray use a model?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Because his model makes the process more complicated.
Because real wetlands are too large to be affected by oil.
Because dumping oil in a real wetland would be dangerous.
Because real wetlands are too complicated for his process to work.
15. Samantha is developing a new design for a nuclear reactor. Why might she want to make a
detailed computer model of her design?
I. to test the physical theories behind nuclear energy
II. to test the reactor's safety systems
III. to test the reactor's energy output
IV. to measure the effects of radiation sickness
A. I only
B. I and II only
C. III and IV only
D. II and III only
16. One of the biggest challenges for the exploration and future colonization of space is the
expense of launching materials from Earth. Current rocket propulsion technology makes
launches very expensive. Every item launched into space must be considered carefully because
the expense goes up with every extra pound of cargo.
This problem would be best solved with
A.
B.
C.
D.
heavier, more durable rockets and launching methods that are less cost-efficient.
launching methods that are more cost-efficient and cargo made of heavier materials.
heavier, more durable rockets and launching methods that are more cost-efficient.
launching methods that are more cost-efficient and cargo made of lighter materials.
17. A company is developing a new type of airplane that can take off like a helicopter. Before
they begin manufacturing the airplanes on a large scale, they first build a prototype. What is the
main purpose of building a prototype?
A. to find a market in which to sell the product
B. to show future customers what the product will look like
C. to train factory workers about how to make the product on a large scale
D. to make sure the design works as expected
18. Abigail just completed a report on plastics, which are manufactured using petroleum. She
concluded that the price of plastic will likely rise significantly in the years to come as petroleum
reserves are depleted. She recommends that manufacturers begin making less plastic from
petroleum reserves to prevent extreme price increases in the future.
Abigail's younger brother Henry just completed a report on waste management. Henry concluded
that plastic products are a major component of garbage that ends up in landfills. He recommends
that humans reduce the amount of plastic they put in landfills.
Which of the following would help implement both Abigail's and Henry's recommendations?
A. Use alternatives to plastic products.
B. Reuse more plastic products.
C. Recycle more plastic products.
D. all of these
19. Trey was asked to build a working model of a landform for a science project. He chose to
build a model of a volcano.
Trey formed a base out of clay and then painted the model so it resembled a cinder cone volcano.
Finally, Trey mixed baking soda, vinegar, and red food coloring in the base, so it mimicked lava
flowing out of the volcano. Once he was finished with his project, Trey's teacher asked how
useful his model was.
What factor best determines the usefulness of the model?
A. how closely the model's behavior matches the real world
B. how closely the model's size matches the real world
C. how closely the model's color matches the real world
D. how closely the model's composition matches the real world
20. Which of the following best describes the difference between science and technology?
Technological principles must be supported by evidence and data, while scientific
A. principles do not require evidence and data.
The goal of technology is to gain knowledge about the natural world, while the goal of
B. science is to create new processes or products for human use.
Scientific principles must be supported by evidence and data, while technological
C. principles do not require evidence and data.
The goal of science is to gain knowledge about the natural world, while the goal of
D. technology is to create new processes or products for human use.