Name
Date
Class
Chapter 1 Lesson 2
The Characteristics of Scientific
Knowledge
Understanding Main Ideas
Answer the following questions in the spaces provided.
1. How do scientists analyze empirical evidence?
2. Give one example of a pseudoscientific idea and one example of a scientific idea.
3. How might the conclusions drawn from scientific investigations change?
Building Vocabulary
Match each term with its definition by writing the letter beside the term in the left column.
4. ___empirical evidence
a. facts, figures, and other evidence
5. ___objective reasoning
b. based on evidence
6. ___skepticism
c. based on personal feelings or values
7. ___pseudoscience
d. an attitude of doubt
8. ___subjective reasoning
e. data and observations collected through a scientific
process
9. ___data
f.
set of subjective belief
Name
Date
Class
Chapter 1 Lesson 2
The Characteristics of Scientific
Knowledge
Fill in the blank to complete each statement.
1. Scientific reasoning is characterized by _____________________________ reasoning.
2. Reasoning based on personal feelings is ____________________________ reasoning.
3. A ____________________________________ is not a way of knowing but a set of beliefs.
4. Understanding the world requires both scientific and ___________________________________
ways of knowing.
5. Science and its methods are characterized by a(n) _____________________ approach to learning
about the world.
6. All scientific investigations involve collecting relevant _______________________________ to
support researchers’ conclusions.
7. Having an attitude of ___________________________ can lead to new understandings.
8. ____________________ are facts, figures, and evidence collected during a scientific investigation.
9. ______________________, _____________________, _____________________,
________________________, _____________________, & ____________________ are the six
skills that scientists use in scientific investigations.
10. Pseudoscience is based on subjective or __________________________________ reasoning.