Study Island
Copyright © 2015 Edmentum - All rights reserved.
Generation Date: 03/23/2015
Generated By: DELENIO CORBIE
1. Sarah wants to know where in her garden chamomile would grow the best. She thinks
chamomile will grow best in the corner of the garden that gets the most sunlight. To test her
hypothesis, she decides to plant several groups of chamomile in her garden as an experiment.
Which of the following variables will Sarah need to measure to know which group of plants
grew best?
A. the height of the plants
B. the amount of water she gives the plants
C. the type of plants
D. the location of the plants
2. How do the independent and dependent variables in an experiment compare?
A. The independent and dependent variables are the exact same as each other.
B. The dependent variable controls the independent variables.
C. The independent and dependent variables have no effect on each other.
D. The independent variable controls the dependent variables.
3. Hanna hypothesizes that granite is denser than sandstone. How can Hanna test her hypothesis?
Measure the mass of the rocks with a balance and the volume of the rocks with water and a
A. graduated cylinder. Then calculate their densities.
Examine the rocks under a hand lens and determine which rock seems to have the largest
B. particles.
Melt each rock down inside a high-temperature furnace, and then measure the volume of
C. the two liquefied rocks.
D.
Weigh each rock to determine which is the heaviest, and thus the densest.
4. Raul wants to study how pot size affects the growth of plants. To do this, he intends to
purchase three different pots of varying diameter. Then, he will fill each pot with the same
amount of soil and plant different kinds of flowers in each pot. Finally, he will place the pots side
by side in a sunny location and water each pot daily with the same amount of water.
Will Raul's experimental set-up produce valid results?
A.
B.
C.
D.
No; Raul changes more than one variable so the results will be invalid.
Yes; Raul has a testable hypothesis so the experiment is valid.
Yes; Raul set up his experiment correctly so the results will be valid.
No; Raul doesn't have a testable hypothesis so the experiment is pointless.
5. Beth wanted to find out whether or not salt affects how quickly ice melts. She used an ice cube
tray to make 10 ice cubes of the same shape and size. Then, she placed the ice cubes on the same
windowsill. She sprinkled each ice cube with one teaspoon of salt, and timed how long it took
for the cubes to melt. She recorded all of the data.
If someone else read the data, would he or she be able to make an accurate conclusion about the
effect of salt on ice?
No, because the data does not show how quickly the ice would have melted without the
A. salt.
B.
C.
D.
Yes, because using 10 ice cubes gives enough trials for the results to be accurate.
No, because Beth should have used a different amount of salt on each of the ice cubes.
Yes, because Beth used only one independent variable and everything else was the same.
6. In a controlled scientific experiment, a scientist
A.
alters one independent variable and observes the effects on other independent variables.
B.
C.
D.
alters one dependent variable and observes the effects on other dependent variables.
alters the dependent variable and observes the effects on the independent variable.
alters the independent variable and observes the effects on the dependent variable.
7. Technology Enhanced Questions are not available in Word format.
8. 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.
B.
C.
D.
Dr. Garcia should compare fly cells to existing cancer treatments.
Dr. Garcia should compare human cells to plant cells.
Dr. Garcia should compare fly cells to human cells.
Dr. Garcia should compare protein W to protein X.
9. Olivia researched insects that destroy farmers’ crops. Based on this information, she
discovered a way to keep the insects away from the plants, without adding any harmful
chemicals to the crops. She recorded her conclusion, but did not write down any of the resources
she used to learn about the insects. She also did not record information about any of the trials
that did not work. Does she need to include this information?
A.
No, because she is the one who made the discovery. Listing the resources she used would
give credit to other people.
B.
Yes, because the information could be helpful to other scientists conducting similar
research.
C.
No, because Olivia put a lot of time and effort into finding this information. Other people
should have to do the same.
D.
She should include the sources of the articles she read, but the trials that did not work are
not important.
10. Scientists often repeat experiments multiple times.
Why is this important?
A.
Repeating an experiment gives scientists something to do while they think of new
hypotheses.
B. Repeating an experiment allows scientists to test different variables.
C. Repeating an experiment helps to verify the results.
D. Repeating an experiment turns a hypothesis into a theory.
11. Emilio's teacher told his class that a controlled experiment's results are valid only if one
factor in the experiment is changed and all the other factors remain constant. Why is this
statement true?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Changing several different factors in an experiment takes too much time.
When only one factor is changed, you don't need to use a control.
Changing several different factors in an experiment takes too many controls.
When only one factor is changed, you can be more certain that it caused the results.
12. Cathy conducts a scientific investigation. How can she make sure her results are valid?
A. confirm that her results match her hypothesis
B. repeat the investigation several times
C. write a report about her results
D. use metric measuring units during her investigation
13. Carl knows that water moves through different kinds of soil at different rates. How easily
water moves through a soil is known as permeability. Carl decides to compare the permeabilities
of different soil types.
To do this, Carl takes five identical flower pots with holes in the bottom and fills each one with
different soil:




rocky, gravely dirt from the side of the road
potting soil from the store
clay soil from a nearby creek
sand from a store

dirt from his own backyard
Carl pours one liter of water into each pot and measures how much water flows out of the bottom
in one minute.
Which of the following variables should be kept constant during this experiment?
A. the amount of water that goes into each pot
B. the amount of water that comes out of each pot
C. the permeability of the soil in each pot
D. the kind of soil in each pot
14. Nick hypothesizes that wax has a higher melting point than chocolate. How can Nick test his
hypothesis?
Heat samples of wax and chocolate and use a stopwatch to time how long it takes until
A. they start to melt.
Heat equal masses of wax and chocolate and measure their temperatures when they start to
B. melt.
Measure the volume and weight of samples of wax and chocolate and calculate their
C. densities.
D.
Use Mohs Hardness Scale to test how easily wax and chocolate can be scratched.
15. David is doing an investigation about factors that affect plant growth, so he plants two young
elm trees near each other in his garden. He gives the first elm tree a gallon of water every week,
and he gives the second elm tree fertilizer once a month.
He plans on measuring the trees' heights and trunk girths every week for the next year. How can
David best improve his investigation?
A. place both trees in a greenhouse instead of his garden
B. do not measure the trees growth at all until a full year has passed
C. test only one independent variable at a time
D. use cedar trees instead of elm trees for the investigation
16. Juan wants to see how air expands when it is heated. He is able to use any of the following
supplies - a balloon, a heat lamp, a spring scale, and a meter stick.
Which is the best procedure to follow for the experiment?
Measure the weight of the deflated balloon, inflate the balloon, heat the balloon with the
A. heat lamp, then measure the inflated balloon's width.
B.
Use the spring scale to measure the weight of the balloon before and after it is blown up.
Inflate the balloon, measure the width of the balloon, heat the balloon using the heat lamp,
C. and then measure the width again.
Inflate the balloon, heat the balloon using the heat lamp, and measure the weight of the
D. balloon with the spring scale.
17. In science class, Harry and his classmates are performing a controlled scientific investigation.
The teacher has already picked a topic and testable question for the class to study and has
provided background research on the topic.
Before performing the investigation, the students must first
A. record data from the investigation in graphs and charts.
B. analyze the data that results from the investigation.
C. form a hypothesis to predict the outcome of the investigation.
D. communicate the results of the investigation with the teacher.
18. Eva is performing an experiment to determine which type of disinfectant kills the most
bacteria. She has six plates of the same kind and amount of bacteria. She adds one of five
different kinds of disinfectant to each plate and leaves one plate without any disinfectant as a
control.
What role does the independent variable play in this experiment?
A. The amount of bacteria killed determines the type of disinfectant used.
B. The type of disinfectant used determines the type of bacteria used.
C. The amount of bacteria killed determines the type of bacteria used.
D. The type of disinfectant determines the amount of bacteria killed.
19. Walter learned in science class that different substances release heat at different rates. He
decides to test this.
At home, Walter turns the oven to 200°F. He places three casserole dishes in it: one is made of
metal, one is made of glass, and one is made of ceramic. He leaves them in the oven for an hour.
He then removes them from the oven, places a single ice cube on each one, and times how long it
takes the ice cube to melt.
In this experiment, what is the independent variable?
A. the material each pan is made of
B. the temperature of each pan
C. the volume of each ice cube
D. the amount of time it takes for the ice to melt
20. Kyle is investigating how the motion of a football thrown through the air is affected by the
ball's initial speed. The data for his first trial are shown below.
Projectile
Mass
(kg)
Angle of
Release
Force
Applied (N)
Direction of
Wind
Wind
Speed
(m/s)
Distance
Traveled (m)
football
0.43
20°
450
northwest
19
16
For Kyle's next trial, which factor must he change to continue his investigation?
the force applied to the ball
A.
B.
C.
D.
the angle of the ball's release
the wind's speed
the direction of the wind
21. A student would like to determine how heating a liquid changes its volume. The student
hypothesizes that the liquid will increase in volume. The following list shows the steps taken by
the student in order to test the hypothesis.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Select the liquid to test.
Place the liquid in a sealed container.
Use a Bunsen burner to heat the liquid by 10°C.
Measure the volume of the liquid.
Record the results.
What is wrong with how the student conducted the investigation?
A. The student should have increased the temperature of the liquid by more than 10ºC.
B. The volume of the liquid should be measured before it is heated.
C. The length of time it took for the liquid to be heated should be measured.
D. The hypothesis was not valid because it is impossible for liquids to change in volume.
22. Gabriel wants to find out what the melting point of wax is. He has a block of wax, a
graduated cylinder, a pan, a thermometer, and scales. Which is the best procedure to follow for
the experiment?
A. Measure the wax's temperature. Then heat it until it melts and weigh it on the scales.
B. Place the wax in the pan and heat it until it starts to melt. Then measure its temperature.
C.
Place the wax in the pan and heat it until it melts. Then pour the wax into the graduated
cylinder and measure its volume.
D. Weigh the wax with the scales. Then heat it until it melts and weigh the wax a second time.
23. Aisha wonders whether wind or water causes the most erosion. She set up an experiment in
which she used a watering can to pour water down a pile of dirt. She then used a fan to blow
wind on a second pile of dirt that is the exact same shape and size as the first pile of dirt. Aisha
then measured how the height of the dirt piles changed. She also drew pictures of how their
shape changed. In this experiment, what was the dependent variable?
A. the height and shape of the dirt piles
B. the agent of erosion applied to the dirt piles
C. the time the dirt piles were eroded away
D. the tools used to measure the dirt piles
24. Sarah wants to know where in her garden chamomile would grow the best. She thinks
chamomile will grow best in the corner of the garden that gets the most sunlight. To test her
hypothesis, she decides to plant several groups of chamomile in her garden as an experiment.
Which of the following variables should Sarah change from one group of chamomile to the next?
A. the type of plants
B. the amount of water she gives the plants
C. the height of the plants
D. the location of the plants
25. 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 X and a control group with no fertilizer.
three groups of plants—a group fertilized by X, a group fertilized by Y, and a control
B. group with no fertilizer.
C.
two groups of plants—a group fertilized by Y and a control group with no fertilizer.
three groups of plants—a group fertilized by X, a group fertilized by both X and Y, and a
D. control group with no fertilizer.