Name:
Period:
Date:
Experimental Design
1. Cory wants to do an experiment to confirm that matter is conserved during a
chemical reaction. He decides to use the reaction of baking soda and vinegar.
When added together, the two substances foam and bubble. Cory gathers the
following equipment:
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a scale to measure masses
a large flask in which to mix the vinegar and baking soda
vinegar
baking soda
a lab book and pen
What does Cory still need in order to do his experiment?
A. a way to calculate how much baking soda to use
B. a way to measure the volume of liquids
C. a way to capture and measure gas
D. a hot plate
2. Dr. Garcia is performing an experiment to see how cell division in flies is affected
by the addition of a certain protein, called protein W, into a cell's cytoplasm.
She has found that adding protein W to a cell drastically reduces the chances of
the cell becoming cancerous. For protein W to be developed into a cancer
treatment, what comparison should she make?
A. Dr. Garcia should compare fly cells to existing cancer treatments.
B. Dr. Garcia should compare fly cells to human cells.
C. Dr. Garcia should compare protein W to protein X.
D. Dr. Garcia should compare human cells to plant cells.
3. Simple machines such as ramps, levers, pulleys, and wheels use trade-offs to
make work easier. Pulleys and wheels can change the direction of an applied
force while ramps and levers can decrease the force required to do work by
acting over a longer distance.
A science class is doing an experiment using a ramp as a simple machine. Which
experiment will best relate to the scientific principles of simple machines?
A. Measure the time it takes for a box to slide down a ramp.
B. Measure the time it takes for each student to push the box up the ramp.
C. Measure the force needed to push different colored boxes up a ramp.
D. Measure the force needed to push a box up a ramp set at different heights.
4. Dr. Jones is doing an experiment on domestic cats to determine how different
types of medicine affect the health of their fur. Dr. Jones and his assistants keep
the cats locked in small cages with no room to move. The assistants often forget
to clean the cages of the cats, but they always provide them with plenty of food
and water each day. Many of the cats have become very ill, yet Dr. Jones does
not want to allow the cats to see a veterinarian until the experiment is finished.
Which of Dr. Jones and his assistants' actions shows an ethical treatment of the
cats?
A. not cleaning the cages of the cats
B. keeping the cats in small cages
C. feeding the cats plenty of food each day
D. not allowing the cats to see a veterinarian
5. Consider the following situation:
A patient with a life-threatening disease has been unconscious for several weeks.
A new, experimental medicine aimed at curing this disease has recently been
developed. The drug company that developed this medicine would like to give
the medicine to this patient in hopes that the patient will be cured.
Is this practice ethical?
A. Maybe; if the experimental drug helps the patient, then the practice is ethical.
B. Yes; the experimental drug may save the patient's life.
C. No; the patient has not paid for the medication.
D. No; the unconscious patient is not able to give his/her consent to taking the
experimental drug.
6. A scientist wants to determine which fertilizer is more effective—Fertilizer X or
Fertilizer Y. The best way for her to proceed would be to design an experiment
with
A. two groups of plants—a group fertilized by Y and a control group with no
fertilizer.
B. three groups of plants—a group fertilized by X, a group fertilized by Y, and a
control group with no fertilizer.
C. three groups of plants—a group fertilized by X, a group fertilized by both X and
Y, and a control group with no fertilizer.
D. two groups of plants—a group fertilized by X and a control group with no
fertilizer.
7. Which of the following examples of field-based experiments is the most ethical?
A. stopping a tiger from eating its meal
B. taking a baby bird from its nest
C. watching a bear and its cub interact
D. removing a lion from its pride
8. Dr. Gregg is studying lions in their natural habitat. What can Dr. Gregg do to
ensure the ethical treatment of the lions and the safety of both the lions and
himself?
A. observe the lions from a distance
B. interact with the lions on a daily basis
C. try to help prey escape when the lions hunt
D. all of these
9. Jose wants to know the effects of mass, force, and surface type on the motion of
a small box. He has one spring, one box, and an assortment of weights to put in
the box. He compresses the spring between the box and a wall, measures how
far he has compressed it, then releases the box. He then measures how far the
box travels before stopping. The table below presents the data he collected.
Compression
of spring
mass
of box
type of
surface
distance
traveled
0.5 cm
500 g
carpet
34 cm
1.5 cm
250 g
carpet
199 cm
0.5 cm
300 g
linoleum
239 cm
1.5 cm
450 g
linoleum
477 cm
0.5 cm
250 g
concrete
123 cm
1.5 cm
300 g
concrete
305 cm
What did Jose do wrong?
A. He changed more than one variable at a time.
B. He did not identify all the variables in the experiment.
C. He did not graph his data.
D. He measured the wrong variable.
10. Animals, such as mice, are frequently used in scientific research. Which of the
following describes an ethical treatment of the mice used in scientific
experiments?
A. providing adequate food, water, and living conditions
B. keeping the mice in very small containers for long periods of time
C. forgetting to feed the mice from time to time
D. not giving the mice pain medication before performing surgeries