1. For an observation to be scientific if must be…
A. interesting.
B. repeatable.
C. random.
D. technical.
2. Which of the following is NOT a scientific observation?
A. elephants have four legs
B. the Sun rises in the East
C. my dog is cute
D. some hippopotamuses are pink
3. Which of the following could be scientific?
A. dreams
B. apparitions
C. hallucinations
D. invisible forces
4. Which of the following represents the scientific method?
A. observation, hypothesis, experiment, hypothesis
B. hypothesis, experiment, observation, theory
C. hypothesis, theory, experiment, another theory
D. all of the above
5. A hypothesis is…
A. the diagonal of a right triangle.
B. an experiment in a controlled environment.
C. an educated guess.
D. a collection of facts.
6. Which of the following statements is false?
A. scientific theories never change
B. experiments test hypotheses
C. a scientific observation is repeatable
D. science is different from pseudoscience
7. If thousands of measurements by different observers contradict a theory…
A. the measurements must be wrong.
B. the theory probably needs to be modified.
C. it is time to ask another question.
D. the funding for this research should not be renewed.
8. Even though it is most likely not repeatable, a supernova observation is considered scientific because…
A. many observers saw it simultaneously.
B. it satisfies stellar evolution theory.
C. it was observed by a member of the National Academy of Science.
D. it’s so cool!
9. Which of the following hypotheses is falsifiable?
A. Mars is inhabited by little green men
B. water freezes at zero degrees Celsius
C. dinosaurs were alive 200 million years ago
D. dogs prefer to live in packs
10. Which of the following is NOT true about scientific hypotheses?
A. hypotheses should be based on previous experience
B. one should be able to prove that a hypothesis is correct
C. hypotheses should be testable by experiment
D. hypotheses are possible explanations for observations
11. In an experiment to study to effect of fertilizer on plant growth, the control subject would be…
A. a plant that does not receive the fertilizer.
B. a plant that receives the fertilizer.
C. a plant that receives double the fertilizer.
D. the horticulturalist who cares for the plant.
12. The theory of spontaneous generation did not survive because…
A. a different theory took it’s place (the theory that only flies can make more flies).
B. there would be no way to observe spontaneous generation.
C. bugs spontaneously appeared and ate it.
D. the theory was correct but its creator fell out of favor with the scientific community.
13. Pseudoscience is…
A. science with a bit of artistic license.
B. something that pretends to be science but lacks scientific merit.
C. the science of thought and consciousness.
D. a religion based entirely on scientific reality.
14. The Occam Razor principle says that...
A. the simplest theory is the best.
B. observations must be repeatable.
C. a hypothesis has two outcomes.
D. science is the search for the absolute truth.
15. The theory that reindeer can fly is weak because…
A. reindeer are similar to elk who do not seem to be able to fly.
B. the observations of flying reindeer are infrequent.
C. claims that reindeer fly are based on hearsay.
D. all of the above.
16. Common methods of trying to sway public opinion to accept a non-scientific theory include…
A. claiming that a theory is merely a guess and has no real validity.
B. not including all of the evidence, leaving out key observations.
C. replacing the science question with a different one and showing that the theory does not fit the new question.
D. all of the above.
17. Which of the following methods of looking for extraterrestrial life is consistent with the scientific method?
A. listening into space for communication with a radio telescope
B. calculating the location in the sky of potential civilizations using astrological charts
C. surveying a representative sample of the population to ask about UFO sightings
D. leaving a trail of Reese’s Pieces to lure extraterrestrial life forms
18. An equation that predicts future world populations is known as…
A. a direct observation.
B. a foregone conclusion.
C. a mathematical model.
D. a non-falsifiable hypothesis.
19. Which of the following procedures in the T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. experiment is not scientific?
A. observing a Twinkie in a microwave
B. the conclusion of the solubility test, if you put a Twinkie in water, don’t plan on eating it.
C. the conclusion that Twinkies are 68% air
D. interviewing a college sophomore
20. In a certain experiment, a researcher doubled the amount of yeast in a bread recipe to see what impact it would have on the bread’s final volume. The bread was beautifully baked with a light center and crispy crust. However, the researcher did not have scientific results. Why?
A. the bread was baked at double the temperature
B. the yeast was not measured with appropriate uncertainties
C. there was no control loaf of bread
D. the researcher ate the bread before it could be measured
QuizScientific Inquiry
1. For an observation to be scientific if must be…
A. interesting.
B. repeatable.
C. random.
D. technical.
2. Which of the following is NOT a scientific observation?
A. elephants have four legs
B. the Sun rises in the East
C. my dog is cute
D. some hippopotamuses are pink
3. Which of the following could be scientific?
A. dreams
B. apparitions
C. hallucinations
D. invisible forces
4. Which of the following represents the scientific method?
A. observation, hypothesis, experiment, hypothesis
B. hypothesis, experiment, observation, theory
C. hypothesis, theory, experiment, another theory
D. all of the above
5. A hypothesis is…
A. the diagonal of a right triangle.
B. an experiment in a controlled environment.
C. an educated guess.
D. a collection of facts.
6. Which of the following statements is false?
A. scientific theories never change
B. experiments test hypotheses
C. a scientific observation is repeatable
D. science is different from pseudoscience
7. If thousands of measurements by different observers contradict a theory…
A. the measurements must be wrong.
B. the theory probably needs to be modified.
C. it is time to ask another question.
D. the funding for this research should not be renewed.
8. Even though it is most likely not repeatable, a supernova observation is considered scientific because…
A. many observers saw it simultaneously.
B. it satisfies stellar evolution theory.
C. it was observed by a member of the National Academy of Science.
D. it’s so cool!
9. Which of the following hypotheses is falsifiable?
A. Mars is inhabited by little green men
B. water freezes at zero degrees Celsius
C. dinosaurs were alive 200 million years ago
D. dogs prefer to live in packs
10. Which of the following is NOT true about scientific hypotheses?
A. hypotheses should be based on previous experience
B. one should be able to prove that a hypothesis is correct
C. hypotheses should be testable by experiment
D. hypotheses are possible explanations for observations
11. In an experiment to study to effect of fertilizer on plant growth, the control subject would be…
A. a plant that does not receive the fertilizer.
B. a plant that receives the fertilizer.
C. a plant that receives double the fertilizer.
D. the horticulturalist who cares for the plant.
12. The theory of spontaneous generation did not survive because…
A. a different theory took it’s place (the theory that only flies can make more flies).
B. there would be no way to observe spontaneous generation.
C. bugs spontaneously appeared and ate it.
D. the theory was correct but its creator fell out of favor with the scientific community.
13. Pseudoscience is…
A. science with a bit of artistic license.
B. something that pretends to be science but lacks scientific merit.
C. the science of thought and consciousness.
D. a religion based entirely on scientific reality.
14. The Occam Razor principle says that...
A. the simplest theory is the best.
B. observations must be repeatable.
C. a hypothesis has two outcomes.
D. science is the search for the absolute truth.
15. The theory that reindeer can fly is weak because…
A. reindeer are similar to elk who do not seem to be able to fly.
B. the observations of flying reindeer are infrequent.
C. claims that reindeer fly are based on hearsay.
D. all of the above.
16. Common methods of trying to sway public opinion to accept a non-scientific theory include…
A. claiming that a theory is merely a guess and has no real validity.
B. not including all of the evidence, leaving out key observations.
C. replacing the science question with a different one and showing that the theory does not fit the new question.
D. all of the above.
17. Which of the following methods of looking for extraterrestrial life is consistent with the scientific method?
A. listening into space for communication with a radio telescope
B. calculating the location in the sky of potential civilizations using astrological charts
C. surveying a representative sample of the population to ask about UFO sightings
D. leaving a trail of Reese’s Pieces to lure extraterrestrial life forms
18. An equation that predicts future world populations is known as…
A. a direct observation.
B. a foregone conclusion.
C. a mathematical model.
D. a non-falsifiable hypothesis.
19. Which of the following procedures in the T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. experiment is not scientific?
A. observing a Twinkie in a microwave
B. the conclusion of the solubility test, if you put a Twinkie in water, don’t plan on eating it.
C. the conclusion that Twinkies are 68% air
D. interviewing a college sophomore
20. In a certain experiment, a researcher doubled the amount of yeast in a bread recipe to see what impact it would have on the bread’s final volume. The bread was beautifully baked with a light center and crispy crust. However, the researcher did not have scientific results. Why?
A. the bread was baked at double the temperature
B. the yeast was not measured with appropriate uncertainties
C. there was no control loaf of bread
D. the researcher ate the bread before it could be measured