1. Which of the following statements could not be a scientific theory?
A. Burning coal increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
B. Planting grass on topsoil prevents erosion of the soil. * Theories are supported by
C. Black pepper tastes better than white pepper.
evidence, opinions are not.
D. Plants grow better when nitrogen is added to the soil. Letters A, B, and D are
supported by evidence.
2. Use the table below to answer question # 2.
NUMBER OF LARGE EARTHQUAKES BETWEEN 2004 AND 2006
Number of Large Earthquakes per Year
Country
2004
2005
2006
Russia
1
0
2
Indonesia
7
10
5
Chile
1
1
0
Based on the evidence of the data table above, which country probably had
the most large earthquakes in 2007?
A. Chile *Averaged less than one large earthquake / year between 2004 - 2006
B. Indonesia *Averaged 7 + large earthquakes / year between 2004 - 2006
C. Russia Averaged one major earthquake / year between 2004 - 2006
3. A student wants to do a scientific investigation to answer the question, “Does
fertilizer in soil affect how fast plants grow?” What will the student most
likely do first in this investigation?
A. Collect data on how quickly plants grow with and without fertilizer. *Step # 4
B. Hypothesize that fertilizer will make plants grow more quickly. *Step # 2
C. Read articles about how fertilizer affects plants.
D. Draw a conclusion about how fertilizer affects plant growth. * Step # 7
4. The student infers that fertilizer makes plants grow more quickly. Which of
the following observations best supports his inference?
A. After 2 weeks, most of the plants in the pot with fertilizer had died.
B. After 2 weeks, plants in the pot with fertilizer were healthier.
C. After 2 weeks, the plants in the pot without fertilizer flowered.
D. After 2 weeks, the plants in the pot with fertilizer were larger than the plants
in the pot without fertilizer. * Only choice D addresses the growth of the plants.
5. The carbon cycle is a closed-loop system because no extra carbon comes into
the cycle, and no carbon leaves the cycle. Which of the following is the best
example of a part in a closed-loop system?
A. the ink in a ball point pen *Ink flows out of the pen and does not go back in.
B. the cars on a large state highway *Cars enter and leave highways.
C. the electricity in a complete electrical circuit
D. the information in a desktop computer *Information enters and leaves a computer.
6. The food chain is an example of an open-loop system. Energy flows through
the chain from one part to another, but it does not cycle back through the
food chain. Which of the following gives the levels of organization in the food
chain from the beginning of the system to the end of the system?
A. grass, sun, frog, grasshopper
B. sun, grass, grasshopper, frog *Energy enters the system as sunlight, but never flows back
C. frog, grasshopper, grass, sun into the sun.
D. grasshopper, grass, frog, sun
7. A student puts a plant, a tin cup, and a washcloth on a desk. Which of these
best explains why the plant, cup, and washcloth are not a system?
A. Some of the items are man-made.
B. The items are not the same size.
C. The items do not operate on electricity.
D. The items are not working together to produce a result.
* Systems must work to produce a result. Choices A, B, and C describe the characteristics of the items of the
system, not the result that they produce.
8. Most systems have inputs, processes, and outputs. Which of these is
most likely an input to a river system?
A. a flood *A flood is a condition that exists within a watershed. Watersheds help prevent floods.
B. a waterfall *A waterfall is part is a process that occurs in a stream or river.
C. rain *Watersheds funnel water from surface runoff of precipitation into streams and rivers.
D. erosion *Erosion is a process that occurs as a result of surface runoff.
9. Physical patterns have an object or design that repeats. Which of these is
an example of a physical pattern in nature?
A. A bee builds a honeycomb made of recurring hexagonal cells.
*This is a Physical pattern because the hexagonal cells are a repeating design.
B. A tree loses leaves in the fall and grows new leaves in the spring.*Temporal Pattern
C. A roof is supported by a repeating framework of wooden trusses.
*This is an example of a physical pattern, but it does not occur naturally.
D. A computer automatically saves information every five minutes. *Temporal Pattern
10. Many systems in the human body are regulated by feedback-controlled
systems. In feed-back controlled systems, the output of the system
determines when the system shuts down. For example, the chemical insulin
breaks down sugar in the blood. When there is too much sugar in the blood,
the body produces more insulin. When the level of sugar decreases, the body
stops releasing insulin into the blood. Which of these is an example of a
feedback-controlled system?
A. the burner on a stove * The burner of a stove does not turn off when the food is finished cooking.
B. a thermostat on a heater *The heater output determines when the heater will shut off.
C. volume control on a television *The volume control on a TV does not shut off when the TV is too
loud.
D. a light switch * The light switch does not determine when the light is no longer needed.