Nature of Science
Pre/post Test
Name ________________________________________
June 11, 2012
SC.912.N.1.1 – define a problem based on a specific body of knowledge, for example:
biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science and do the following:
SC.912.N.3.4 – recognize that theories do not become laws, nor do laws become theories;
theories are well supported explanations and laws are well supported descriptions.
Includes standards: N.1.3-4, N.1.6.7, N.2.1-2, N.3.1, N.3.4
1. Carmen conducted an experiment to determine if listening to different types of music would
affect a person’s pulse. Her hypothesis was that pulse rate would change with different types of
music. Each person listened to seven different selections of music for 30 seconds each. Each
person’s pulse was taken before the music and then after each 30-second interval of music. The
pulses were taken again after the music selections were completed. Based on her experiment,
Carmen concluded that a person’s pulse rate changed when the person listened to different types
of music.
Which component is missing from Carmen’s experiment?
A. a question
B. a hypothesis
C. a control group
D. a description of the experiment
2. Sugar dissolves in, or mixes completely with, water. The solubility of a substance in water is
determined by measuring the maximum amount of the substance that dissolves in a given amount
of water at a given temperature. Hypothesis: The solubility of sugar in water increases as the
temperature of the water decreases. Identify the independent variable and the dependent variable
that you would use to test this hypothesis.
A. Dependent variable is the volume of water; independent variable is the water temperature
B. Dependent variable is the water temperature; independent variable is the amount of sugar that
dissolves
C. Dependent variable is the amount of sugar that dissolves; independent variable is the water
temperature
D. Dependent variable is the amount of sugar that dissolves; independent variable is the mineral
content of the water
3. Science, as a way of seeking principles of order, differs from art, religion, and philosophy in
that:
A. all scientific knowledge is gained by experimentation
B. science limits its search to the natural world of the physical universe
C. science deals exclusively with known facts
D. science denies the existence of the supernatural
4. Why is the hypothesis that black cats cause bad luck NOT science?
A. the results of the studying the hypothesis are not repeatable
B. the results of the studying of the hypothesis are open to judgments
C. the hypothesis cannot be tested by controlled experiments
D. it is science because it has already been proven.
5. A scientist performs an experiment to see if acids have an effect on the health of a particular
type of plant. Three sets of plants were treated with acidic solutions of known pH while the
control set was treated with a solution of neutral pH 7.
Which is the best conclusion for this experiment?
A. Acid has no effect on the health of this type of plant.
B. High acidity is helpful to this type of plant.
C. Low acidity is harmful to this type of plant.
D. High acidity is harmful to this type of plant.
6. A research group has discovered that damselflies, a type of dragonfly, are being infected by a
particular type of aquatic protozoan. Both young and adult damselflies are not directly infected
by the protozoan but contract the infection from the prey they eat. The graph shows the
percentage of adult damselflies infected by protozoans during the summer and early fall.
Which of the following conclusions is supported by the graph?
A. Infection in embanked ponds increased during the sampling period.
B. Protozoans were more common in creek-fed ponds than embanked ponds.
C. Protozoans reproduce more quickly in embanked ponds than creek-fed ponds.
D. Infection in creed-fed ponds remained constant throughout the sampling period.
7. Scientists use observations and data to form and test
A. constants.
B. hypotheses.
C. theories.
D. conclusions.
8. The graph below shows atmospheric carbon dioxide levels since the year 1880.
Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from this graph?
A. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are responsible for global temperature change.
B. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been rising at about the same rate for the past
century.
C. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have remained the same over the past century.
D. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been rising at an increasingly higher rate as the past
century has progressed.
9. At which stage of scientific thinking are scientists most likely to consider the data and
conclusions of other scientists to propose new experiments?
A.
B.
C.
D.
observing
testing hypotheses
analyzing data
forming hypotheses
10. When scientists are "evaluating results" as a part of scientific thinking, they mainly
A.
B.
C.
D.
explain data they collected and analyzed.
collect data from other scientists.
examine prior research on a topic.
use statistics to analyze their data.