Study Island
Copyright © 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 01/30/2014
Generated By: Delenio Corbie
1. The children in Ms. Murray's class have to perform an investigation. The question their study
must answer is "How do various types of plants differ in their physical features?"
What type of investigation must the children do?
A. find several new species of plants
B. make a model of a plant, since they are hard to observe
C. observe and record physical characteristics of plants
D. do an experiment on the chemical components of plants
2. Maria's next door neighbor has a theory that the best time to wash your car is late in the
afternoon on Sunday. Is this a scientific theory?
A. Yes, the neighbor might be a scientist.
B. No, it is better to wash cars on Saturday.
C. Yes, the car will stay clean for more of the week.
D. No, it is an opinion and is not testable.
3. Dr. Stevens observes that squirrels in the wild eat nuts, fruit, and insects. She wonders which
of the food sources makes young squirrels grow the fastest. She separates thirty young squirrels
into two equal groups. She feeds one of the groups nuts and she feeds the other group insects.
The group of squirrels that eats the nuts grows faster than the group of squirrels that eats the
insects.
What question could Dr. Stevens ask next if she wants to continue studying about squirrel
growth rate?
A.
B.
Do squirrels like the taste of nuts more than they like the taste of fruit?
Are squirrels that eat nuts happier than squirrels that eat fruit or insects?
C.
D.
Do squirrels that eat nuts grow faster than squirrels that eat fruit?
Are squirrels that eat nuts cuter than squirrels that eat fruit or insects?
4. A scientific theory is a well-tested explanation for a wide range of observations or
experimental results. A hypothesis is a possible answer to a question. When does a hypothesis
become a scientific theory?
A. after the hypothesis has been confirmed through extensive testing
B. after a hypothesis is shown to be correct in one experiment
C. after a competing hypothesis has failed testing
D. after the hypothesis is first formed by a scientist
5. Addison has two dogs that are sisters. One of the dogs has white fur and the other dog has
black fur.
What scientific question could Addison ask based on this observation?
A. Which of the dogs is the most friendly?
B. Which color of fur is the prettiest?
C. How is fur color determined in dogs?
D. How fast do the dogs run?
6. Peter wants to figure out which insects have 4 legs, 6 legs, and 8 legs. He decides to do this by
A.
B.
C.
D.
collecting several types of insects and counting the number of legs.
performing experiments on several types of insect legs.
making a model of an insect and counting the number of legs.
trying to remember how many legs each type of insect has.
7. Manuel tested the effects of temperature on the solubility of sugar in water. He measured the
maximum amount of sucrose (in grams) he could dissolve in 100 g of water. Manuel repeated the
test at five different temperatures. The graph of his results is included below.
Based on his observations, which of the following is a general hypothesis Manuel might form?
A. The decreasing solubility of a solid raises the temperature of water.
B. The solubility of a solid increases as the temperature increases.
C. The increasing solubility of a solid raises the temperature of water.
D. The solubility of a solid decreases as the temperature increases.
8. Jeremy hypothesized that adults with blue eyes are shorter than adults with brown eyes. He
collected data by visiting all of the teachers in his school and found that his hypothesis was false.
Should Jeremy consider his hypothesis useful?
A. Yes; now he knows that the exact opposite of his hypothesis must be true.
B. No; a false hypothesis makes a scientist look silly.
C. Yes; a false hypothesis gives a scientist new information to use.
D. No; false hypotheses are a waste of time.
9. A hypothesis is
A.
B.
C.
D.
a summary of events written in a particular fashion.
the process of experimentation designed specifically to disprove a scientific theory.
a statement that proposes a possible explanation to some phenomenon or event.
the result of a scientific experiment performed for the purpose of proving a theory.
10. Sara was walking through a forest in Hawaii. One thing that made an impression on her was
the distinct absence of bird sounds. As she continued walking through the forest, Sara wondered
why she did not hear or see any birds.
The scenario above is an example of how
A. a prediction can lead to a scientific experiment.
B. a scientific question can lead to an observation.
C. a scientific question can lead to a prediction.
D. an observation can lead to a scientific question.
11. The soil around Jack's house is very sandy. Whenever it rains, the ground dries out quickly.
While spending the summer at his grandmother's house, Jack notices that the ground stays wet
for a long time after it rains. Jack digs in his grandmother's yard in several places and finds that
the soil has a lot of clay in it. He wonders if the observed differences in soil between his house
and his grandmother's house cause the moisture differences.
To investigate this problem, which of the following questions should Jack ask?
Will a sample of water flow through a volume of sandy soil faster than through an equal
A. volume of clay-rich soil?
B.
C.
Is there any organic matter in either of the two soils?
Why are the particles found in the two soils different?
Will a sample of sandy soil from Jack's house mix well with a sample of clay-rich soil
D. from his grandmother's house?
12. In ancient times, many people believed in a geocentric model of the solar system, where the
Earth was the center of the system. During the 16th and 17th centuries, men such as Copernicus,
Kepler, and Galilei theorized or found evidence that the Sun was actually the center of the solar
system. However, despite convincing evidence, this idea was not accepted until some time later.
Why was this idea not initially accepted?
A. There was no evidence published supporting their ideas.
B. It is difficult to change a commonly held belief.
C. The Sun is not large enough to be at the center of the solar system.
D. After a theory has been around for one hundred years, it cannot be changed.
13. Many people use the word theory to mean a guess or an idea. What do scientists mean when
they use the word theory?
A. an explanation that has a great deal of evidence to support it
B. one of several possible ideas a scientist has about what causes a natural event to occur
C. a hypothesis that has been supported by at least one experiment
D. a possible explanation to a scientific question
14. The following chart presents twelve sets of measurements of the pressure vs temperature for
Abilene, TX, taken over a period of four days.
Air Pressure & Temperature for Abilene, TX
Temperature (°F) Pressure (mb)
50
1009.9
53
1009.0
55
56
58
62
68
74
75
76
78
79
1008.8
1008.7
1008.4
1007.3
1006.4
1005.3
1004.8
1004.2
1003.8
1003.5
Which of the following is a scientific question that this data can answer?
A. Is the weather nice in Abilene, TX?
B. What was the highest temperature in Abilene over the four days shown?
C. Does pressure increase when the temperature rises?
D. Why does pressure change?
15. Belinda is interested in dog behavior. She has formed a hypothesis that dogs are able to hear
higher-frequency sounds than humans. What should Belinda do next?
A. Form another hypothesis about dogs.
B. Design an experiment to test her hypothesis.
C. Make observations of other mammals.
D. Write a paper describing how she formed her hypothesis.
16. Scientific inquiry attempts to search out, describe, explain, and predict things that happen in
nature. Which of the following best describes how progress is made in scientific inquiry?
A.
B.
C.
D.
by researching the history of science and learning about scientific progress in the past
by asking questions and collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to answer them
by asking questions and researching the answers in papers, books, and on the internet
by asking questions and collecting, analyzing, and interpreting different people's opinions
17. What is the difference between a theory and an opinion?
A. An opinion is supported by scientific evidence, while a theory is not.
B. A theory is a scientific fact, while an opinion is not.
C. An opinion is a scientific fact, while a theory is not.
D. A theory is supported by scientific evidence, while an opinion is not.
18. Ava observes that a certain species of bird follows behind a herd of cattle. The bird species
primarily eats insects. The birds stay with the herd of cattle as they graze.
What is a scientific hypothesis that Ava could formulate based on her observations?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Why does this species of bird follow herds of cattle?
The birds are happier around big herds of cattle rather than small herds.
Do the birds get any benefit from following the herd of cattle?
The birds follow the herd because the cows stir up insects for the birds to eat.
19. Henry is interested in studying the different techniques perching birds use to build their nests.
What type of investigation would best help Henry learn more about this topic?
A. discover a previously unknown perching bird species
B. build a model of a nest
C. make observations in nature
D. perform a controlled experiment
20. Sometimes scientists gather information that contradicts accepted theories or explanations. If
the new information is replicated many times, the accepted theory that it contradicts will often be
updated or modified to reflect the new information.
Based on this, it can be determined that scientific knowledge is durable in part because
A.
B.
scientists ignore information that contradicts accepted theories.
it is open to change as new information is learned.
C.
D.
new information on accepted theories is never discovered.
experiments are never performed more than once.