Unit Test The Nature of Science Quarter 1

Unit Test: The Nature of Science/Quarter 1 Benchmark Exam Question 1 . Creativity plays a vital role in science. In what aspects of science is creativity involved? A. designing experiments B. formulating questions C. creating explanations that fit evidence D. all of these Question 2 . Dr. Ray has developed a new way to remove oil from wetlands in the event of an oil spill. To test his new process, Dr. Ray builds a scale model of a wetland in his lab and pours a small amount of oil into it. He then observes the rate at which his process is able to remove the oil from the model. Why did Dr. Ray use a model? A. Because real wetlands are too complicated for his process to work. B. Because real wetlands are too large to be affected by oil. C. Because his model makes the process more complicated. D. Because dumping oil in a real wetland would be dangerous. Question 3 . Which of the following scenarios demonstrates the replication of a scientific investigation? A. Dr. Abraham performs the same experiment in his own laboratory on five different occasions. B. Dr. Burgess reads about an experiment in a scientific journal. He performs a similar investigation in his own laboratory, but he changes some of the variables. C. Dr. Jordan visits another scientist and watches the scientist perform an experiment in her own laboratory. D. Dr. Kim performs an experiment in her laboratory. Then, Dr. Stevens performs the same experiment in his laboratory to verify the results. Question 4 . Models can be helpful in scientific investigations because A. it may not be possible to work with the real thing. B. they can be smaller and more manageable than the real thing. C. they can be safer to work with than the real thing. D. all of the above Question 5 . Which of the following is a scientific law? A. All cars must stop at red lights and move through an intersection when the light is green. B. No one is allowed to operate a motor vehicle unless that person is over the age of 16 and passes a driving exam. C. No one is allowed to take the property of anyone else without their permission. D. An object at rest will remain at rest unless an unbalanced force acts upon it. Question 6 . Why should scientific investigations be replicable? A. to make sure data is accurate B. to allow scientists to improve procedures C. to make explanations less conclusive D. to better align with proposed hypotheses Question 7 . Not everything in science is clear-cut, with obvious problems, experiments, theories, and solutions. Sometimes scientists gather data and evidence for which there is no apparent explanation. This was the case when early European astronomers recorded data of the planets' movements through the sky. While the stars, Moon, and Sun all revolved around the Earth in simple, seemingly circular patterns, the planets moved forward and backward in wild loops, and no one knew exactly why this happened. This was until Johannes Kepler guessed that maybe the planets move around the Sun, not in circular orbits, but in ellipses. This was an idea that no one else had thought of, and when it was compared to recorded data, it proved to be correct. What does this example illustrate about the process of science? A. Science sometimes requires creativity. B. Mathematical theories always lead to scientific theories. C. Guessing should have no place in modern science. D. Creative ideas are not very useful in science. Question 8 . Scientist Year Born Branch of Science Isaac Newton 1643 physics Other Interests ancient texts and historical events Albert Einstein 1879 physics playing the violin Charles Darwin 1809 biology collecting rocks, minerals, and birds Marie Curie 1867 chemistry & physics riding bicycles and traveling Judging from the information above, which of the following statements is true? A. People who ride bicycles for fun never become accomplished scientists. B. People who learn how to play the violin never end up studying physics. C. People who make contributions to scientific knowledge have a wide range of interests. D. People who make contributions to scientific knowledge tend to have similar interests. Question 9 . Austin is interested in learning about mice. Which of the following is a scientific question that he could ask? A. Is it ethical to own a pet mouse? B. Do mice grow faster when they eat cheese or when they eat peanut butter? C. Are mice that eat cheese prettier than mice that eat peanut butter? D. Do big mice make better pets than small mice? Question 10 . How is science different from other subjects that involve thought, such as art, philosophy, and religion? A. Science has a tendency to be heavily influenced by society. B. Science is more objective, since it is predominantly based on evidence. C. Science requires more faith rather than logic and reason. D. Science is more subjective, since theories are based on opinions. Question 11 . Scientific knowledge is most useful when trying to understand A. religion. B. art. C. philosophy. D. the natural world. Question 12 . At the age of eight, Joseph Fourier was an orphan. He would later become one of the most influential scientists and mathematicians of all time. At the age of eight, Svante Arrhenius was considered a mathematical protegee and enrolled in school by his wealthy parents. He would later become a highly respected physicist and chemist. Joseph Fourier Svante Arrhenius Joseph Fourier and Svante Arrhenius each made contributions to climate science. In the 1820s, Fourier calculated that the surface of the Earth is much warmer than would be expected, given its distance from the Sun. He proposed that the atmosphere might insulate the planet, keeping it warm. In 1896, Arrhenius concluded from a series of experiments that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere might be the reason that the Earth's surface is so warm. The above example suggests that A. people who make contributions to scientific knowledge are always poor when they begin life. B. people who make contributions to scientific knowledge are always wealthy when they begin life. C. people with different backgrounds can never make contributions to the same area of science. D. people who make contributions to scientific knowledge can have very different backgrounds. Question 13 . The field of science is strong because it is flexible and open to new information. A. TRUE B. FALSE Question 14 . New observations or information that does NOT support a scientific theory or law could result in the theory or law being changed: A. FALSE B. TRUE Question 15 . Which of the following can often be expressed as an equation or mathematical formula? A. Theory B. Law C. Conclusion D. Hypothesis Question 16 . Scientific knowledge can withstand the test of time because A. exceptions can be made regarding scientific laws. B. it is open to change as new evidence or data is discovered. C. scientific theories have been proven beyond doubt. D. advancements in technology have no impact on science. Question 17 . 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. make observations in nature C. build a model of a nest D. perform a controlled experiment Question 18 . There are many different types of scientific investigations, including controlled experiments, observational field studies, the collection of specimens, and model-building. Which type of investigation is best used to study global weather patterns? A. the collection of specimens B. model-building C. observational field studies D. controlled experiments Question 19 . 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. by researching the history of science and learning about scientific progress in the past B. by asking questions and researching the answers in papers, books, and on the internet C. by asking questions and collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to answer them D. by asking questions and collecting, analyzing, and interpreting different people's opinions Question 20 . What is a hypothesis? A. a statement that can be tested through a scientific investigation B. a statement that summarizes the results of an experiment C. a question that cannot be scientifically tested D. a description of the steps involved in an experiment