Quiz on Scientific Inquiry and the Scientific Method

What is the first step in the scientific method?

• Create a Hypothesis

• Draw Conclusions

• Ask a Question or Recognize a Problem

• Make Observations

What type of statement is a hypothesis?

• A proven fact

• An educated guess

• A conclusion

• An observation

What must a hypothesis be in order to be useful?

• General

• Complex

• Ambiguous

• Testable

What is the purpose of a control group in an experiment?

• To provide a comparison

• To test the hypothesis

• To collect data

• To change the conditions

In a controlled experiment, what does the independent variable do?

• Remains unchanged

• Causes changes to the dependent variable

• Is the same as the dependent variable

• Is not measured

What is the role of constants in an experiment?

• To change the hypothesis

• To ensure reliability

• To vary the results

• To confuse the experimenter

What is the difference between data collection and data analysis?

• Data collection involves measurements, data analysis involves conclusions

• There is no difference

• Data collection is subjective, data analysis is objective

• Data collection is the final step, data analysis is the first step

What does a conclusion in scientific inquiry determine?

• Whether the hypothesis was correct

• The next hypothesis to test

• The experimental design

• The data collection method

What happens if a hypothesis is verified?

• It is tested again and scrutinized

• It is discarded

• It is published without review

• It becomes a law immediately

What is a scientific law?

• A guess about natural phenomena

• An untested theory

• A principle that has not been contradicted by testing

• A hypothesis that has been rejected