Science Teas 7 Study Questions For Scientific Reasoning

Which tool is best suited to measure the length of a bedroom?

Ruler

Tape measure

Calipers

Surveyor's wheel

Tape measure

A chemist needs to add 5 µL of a reagent to a reaction solution. Which of the following is the best tool to accomplish this?

A 1-mL pipette

A micropipette

A volumetric pipette

A volumetric flask

A micropipette

Which would be the approximate mass of a car?

180 kg

1,800 kg

180,000 kg

18 kg

1,800 kg

Which of the following would an electron microscope be used to measure?

20-nm polymer films

Aquatic samples

The strength of chemical bonds

Insect samples

20-nm polymer films

Correctly order the following prefixes from smallest to largest: milli, kilo, deci, micro, nano.

deci, micro, nano, milli, kilo

nano, micro, milli, deci, kilo

nano, milli, kilo, deci, micro

milli, nano, kilo, deci, micro

nano, micro, milli, deci, kilo

Which of the following is true about SI Units?

SI Units are the standard measurement system in science.

There are 8 SI base units.

SI Units are derived from the Imperial System.

The SI base units can be broken down into other units.

SI Units are the standard measurement system in science.

A chemist was performing a spectroscopy experiment on a fluorescent dye to examine the influence of concentration on absorbance. To accomplish this, the chemist created a stock solution of a certain concentration of dye using 10 mL of water (H2O). Then, a serial dilution was performed by taking 1 mL of the stock solution and diluting it with 9 mL of water for a total solution volume of 10 mL. 1 mL was taken from Solution 2 and diluted with 9 mL water to create Solution 3. The serial dilution was performed through Solution 5, as shown in the diagram below. If the dye concentration in Solution 5 was 0.5 g/mL, what was the concentration of the dye in Solution 2?

500 g/mL

50 g/mL

5 gmL

5,000 g/mL

500 g/mL

When going to the grocery store, you need to purchase some vegetables, which are sold by weight. Which of the following units would the weight of the vegetables be expressed in?

Coulombs

Kilograms

Pascals

Newtons

Kilograms

Which of the following is not an SI base unit?

Liter

Second

Meter

Kilogram

Liter

Which of the following units is derived from SI base units?

Dram

Kilometer

Mile

Pound

Kilometer

In an experiment, a reaction requires 0.006 kg of KCl, but the scale used to measure the mass only reports masses in grams (g). Which of the following values would the scale read if the exact mass of KCl was measured?

600 g

0.6 g

60 g

6 g

6 g

Which of the following prefixes would likely be the most appropriate for measuring the weight of a 2,500 g kitten?

Pico

Nano

Kilo

Giga

Kilo

Which of the following would be the best choice to measure 0.0015 grams of a chemical reagent?

Metric ruler

Graduated cylinder

Triple beam balance

Analytical balance

Analytical balance

A book weighs 2.2 kg. How much does it weigh in grams?

0.22 g

22 g

2,200 g

220 g

2,200 g

Which of the following is the correct formula to measure volume?

Volume = length2 x height + width

Volume = length x width x height

Volume = length3 x width2 x height

Volume = 2(height + width) - length

Volume = length x width x height

The International Space Station orbits earth at a distance of 408 km. Sunlight reflects off it and travels to Earth at a speed of 299,792 km/s. How long does it take the light to reach the Earth?

1.22 x 108 s

734 s

0.0014 s

14 s

0.0014 s

Which of the following is an example of empirical data?

Counting the number of eggs in the refrigerator

Hearing that it is 52 degrees outside

Drinking 2 liters of water

Remembering you have an appointment at 5 pm

Counting the number of eggs in the refrigerator

Which of the following is not an example of empirical data?

Weighing yourself

Hearing that it snowed a lot last night

Having your doctor measure your blood pressure

Reading the temperature on a thermometer

Hearing that it snowed a lot last night

Which of the following is necessary to reach a sound conclusion?

Experimental data is collected from a complex experiment

The data shows the effect of a dependent variable

The data must be reported to three decimal places

The collected data must be accurate and free from bias

The collected data must be accurate and free from bias

A scientist collected the following set of data to examine the effects of exercise on patients' heart rates.

Patients were tasked with running 1 mile everyday for three days in the presence of the scientists. They were required to run the entire mile and were not allowed to walk. At the end of each mile run, the scientists measured the heart rates of the patients. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from this data?

Patients that ran the mile faster had higher heart rates

The patients became fitter with each mile run

The patients ran Mile 3 faster than Mile 1

Running increased the heart rates of the patients

Running increased the heart rates of the patients

Why are control groups used in experiments?

To ensure the accuracy of measurements

To minimize the effect of variables

To increase the amount of data collected

To help scientists quickly perform experiments

To minimize the effect of variables

Which of the following statements is false?

Single-blind experiments help reduce patient bias.

Double-blind experiments help eliminate researcher bias.

The research subjects in single-blind experiments are unaware of the treatment they receive.

Double-blind experiments have two control variables.

Double-blind experiments have two control variables.

To determine if tap water was making people sick, scientists asked one group of people to drink tap water for a week and another group to drink only bottled water. The results showed that the group that drank the tap water were sick after a week. What can be concluded from this experiment?

The tap water caused the sickness.

The bottled water has curative properties.

Tap water is bad for you.

There is not enough information to draw a sound conclusion.

There is not enough information to draw a sound conclusion.

When studying the effects of sunlight on a person's mood, scientists asked one group of patients to remain outside for one hour and a control group to remain inside all day. At the end of the experiment, 75% of the group that had received sunlight had a better mood. What can be concluded from these results?

Sunlight improved the subjects' moods.

Sunlight had no effect on the subjects' moods.

There is not enough data to draw a sound conclusion.

People who stayed indoors had a worse mood.

There is not enough data to draw a sound conclusion.

Which of the following statements is true?

A double-blind experiment controls all variables.

A single-blind experiment eliminates all unknown variables.

A double-blind experiment is always more accurate than a single-blind experiment.

A single-blind experiment helps reduce researcher bias.

A double-blind experiment is always more accurate than a single-blind experiment.

Which of the following correctly describes a conclusion?

The methods used to conduct an experiment

A list of experiments you conducted

An evidence-based judgment

The data set obtained during an experiment

An evidence-based judgment

A well-controlled experiment was conducted where researchers noted that a new antibiotic eliminated a bacterial sinus infection. Which of the following can be inferred from this result?

The medication acted as an antihistamine to cure the patient's runny nose.

The medication killed the bacteria responsible for the sinus infection.

The medication helped eliminate the patient's allergies.

The medication alters the patient's DNA to help them fight off an infection.

The medication killed the bacteria responsible for the sinus infection.

Which of the following describes a 'control variable' in an experiment?

The variable that is held constant

The dependent variable

The variable that is discarded

The variable that changes

The variable that is held constant

Which of the following is true about control variables?

The control variable is the only variable measured in an experiment.

The control variable is the only piece of data that is important during an experiment.

Control variables are used to minimize the relative error of measurements.

Control variables are kept constant to help understand the relationship of other variables.

Control variables are kept constant to help understand the relationship of other variables.

Which of the following statements is true about understanding magnitude when describing relationships?

The magnitude of the number represents the strength of the correlation

The scale of a graph does not describe a relation between used units

An order of magnitude is a factor of 5

A nanometer is larger than a centimeter, and a centimeter is smaller than a kilometer

The magnitude of the number represents the strength of the correlation

A study draws the conclusion that obesity is a significant cause of Type 2 diabetes. Which of the following experimental parameters would not build confidence that such a cause and effect relationship is likely true?

The inclusion of proper controls

Taking in mind all obtained results

A large number of data points

Use of a small sample size

Use of a small sample size

During a study, scientists noted that people with more self-esteem tend to not be depressed and vice versa. Which of the following types of relationships did they observe?

A correlation

Random

Spontaneous

A cause-and-effect relationship

A correlation

Which of the following is the most plausible sequence of events?

Extensive car use; air pollution; less people with asthma; less healthcare expenses

Born into musical family; grows up around music; starts learning guitar; plays concert

Walk in the woods; stung by bee; given morphine; early death

Poaching more rhinos; more export rhino horn goods; more goods with a lower economic value; economy boost

Born into musical family; grows up around music; starts learning guitar; plays concert

Dandelions → Snail → Frog → Bird → Fox

Using the food chain above, which of the following terms best describes the trophic level of frogs?

Tertiary consumer

Secondary consumer

Primary consumer

Producer

Secondary consumer

Steps involved in natural selection include:

1. Differing survival rates when faced with environmental challenges.

2. Preservation of genetic traits of best-adapted offspring.

3. Overproduction of offspring that have different variations in genetic traits.

Which of the following is the sequence in which these steps take place?

1, 2, 3

3, 1, 2

1, 3, 2

2, 1, 3

3, 1, 2

A nurse has to give a patient a tablet drug. Which of the following are the best units to use when writing in the chart how much of the drug was delivered?

L of drug/kg of patient's body weight

mL of drug/mg of patient's body weight

mg of drug/kg of patient's body weight

cm of drug/kg of patient's body weight

mg of drug/kg of patient's body weight

Which of the following are likely the causes of diabetes type 2?

Insulin resistance, difficulty breathing

Lack of exercise, unhealthy food choices, obesity

Too much exercise, fruit-based diet

Weakened heart, insulin resistance

Lack of exercise, unhealthy food choices, obesity

Which is the most appropriate unit to measure the weight of groceries in a store?

Tons

Kilograms

Micrograms

Nanograms

Kilograms

Why is it important to keep most variables constant between experimental and control groups?

Minimizing changes between groups helps increase the likelihood of proving the hypothesis was correct.

Keeping most variables constant allows the effects of a single variable to be determined more accurately.

Keeping variables the same increases the number of experiments that can be performed so that more data can be gathered.

Keeping variables constant minimizes research costs.

Keeping most variables constant allows the effects of a single variable to be determined more accurately.

When two plants, A and B, were planted together in a field outdoors, plant A produced vegetables, and plant B produced flowers which attracted pollinators. It was noted that when they were grown apart from each other, plant A did not produce vegetables, but plant B still produced flowers. Which of the following is the most likely reason plant A did not produce vegetables when planted away from plant B?

Plant B repelled harmful insects from plant A

Plant B secreted a hormone that promoted the growth of plant A

The insects that pollinated plant B also pollinated plant A

Plant B shielded plant A from the sun

The insects that pollinated plant B also pollinated plant A

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an important indicator of water quality, and oxygen levels that are too high or too low can harm aquatic ecosystems. A biologist noticed that fish were dying in a local lake and was concerned that the DO levels were too low to support aquatic life due to extremely high temperatures that summer. To measure the DO levels, she brought back several lake water samples to her laboratory to measure the DO concentration as a function of temperature. To do this, she heated several samples of lake water to various temperatures and then measured the DO concentration in each sample. Some samples were kept at the outdoors temperature.

Which is the dependent variable?

Dissolved oxygen concentration

Temperature

Volume of water

The season

Dissolved oxygen concentration

A group of students was studying the effects of drinking 8 oz. of milk at 9 p.m. on the amount of sleep they got. Which is the dependent variable?

The amount of milk

The bedtime

The amount of sleep

The time they woke up

The amount of sleep

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an important indicator of water quality, and oxygen levels that are too high or too low can harm aquatic ecosystems. A biologist noticed that fish were dying in a local lake and was concerned that the DO levels were too low to support aquatic life due to extremely high temperatures that summer. To measure the DO levels, she brought back several lake water samples to her laboratory to measure the DO concentration as a function of temperature. To do this, she heated several samples of lake water to various temperatures and then measured the DO concentration in each sample. Some samples were kept at the outdoors temperature.

Why were some samples kept outdoors?

To minimize researcher bias

To allow a maximum amount of oxygen to dissolve before measurement

To calibrate the thermometer

To act as a control group

To act as a control group

Proper design of an experiment must maximize _______ and minimize ________.

data; error

bias; accuracy and precision

experimental variables; bias

accuracy and precision; bias

accuracy and precision; bias

Which of the following is a hypothesis?

Five different breeds of dogs are at the dog park.

One liter of water was added to a reaction.

When I added fertilizer to my plants, they grew more quickly.

If a student gets more sleep, they will get a higher test score.

If a student gets more sleep, they will get a higher test score.

A hypothesis must be which of the following?

Accurate

Testable

Precise

Correct

Testable

A biologist hypothesized that zebras and horses evolved from the same common ancestor 4 million years ago. Which of the following pieces of evidence most strongly supports this hypothesis?

Horses and zebras have similar appearances

The genome of zebras and horses are very similar to the common ancestor

Horses and zebras in similar climates

Horses and zebras gallop at the same speeds

The genome of zebras and horses are very similar to the common ancestor

H2O2 is a strong oxidizer that is used to degrade a variety of compounds. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy is a measurement technique that correlates the amount of UV light a substance absorbs with its concentration.

The above is background information, and the information below is the abstract of a scientific paper. Identify the hypothesis.

Pharmaceuticals have been detected in wastewaters worldwide and have the potential to harm both aquatic and human life. Traditional water treatment technologies are unable to remove these compounds from water, so various methods have been developed to degrade these compounds, including oxidation. In this paper, H2O2 is proposed to oxidatively degrade the anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen when it is dissolved in water. UV-Vis spectroscopy is used to measure the concentration of naproxen in water after samples are treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Experiments were conducted to test the influence of H2O2 concentration, reaction time, and temperature on the degradation of naproxen. The results showed that 98% of naproxen could be degraded by 0.25 M H2O2 within 2 hours at 30 oC. Thus, we can conclude that hydrogen peroxide can be used to degrade naproxen in wastewaters.

What is the the hypothesis proposed in the experiment above?

In this paper, H2O2 is proposed to oxidatively degrade the anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen when it is dissolved in water.

UV-Vis spectroscopy is used to measure the concentration of naproxen in water after samples are treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).

Thus, we can conclude that hydrogen peroxide can be used to degrade naproxen in wastewaters.

Experiments were conducted to test the influence of H2O2 concentration, reaction time, and temperature on the degradation of naproxen.

In this paper, H2O2 is proposed to oxidatively degrade the anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen when it is dissolved in water.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an important indicator of water quality, and oxygen levels that are too high or too low can harm aquatic ecosystems. A biologist noticed that fish were dying in a local lake and was concerned that the DO levels were too low to support aquatic life due to extremely high temperatures that summer. To measure the DO levels, she brought back several lake water samples to her laboratory to measure the DO concentration as a function of temperature. To do this, she heated several samples of lake water to various temperatures and then measured the DO concentration in each sample. Some samples were kept at the outdoors temperature.

Which of the following is the independent variable?

Volume of water

Temperature

Dissolved oxygen concentration

Location of the lake

Temperature

A biologist hypothesized that high humidity environments increased the growth rate of certain bacteria. Which of the following observations refutes this hypothesis?

Higher bacteria growth was observed in the Mojave Desert compared with the Everglades.

A greenhouse was found to have more bacteria compared with an outdoor garden.

When placed next to a pond, a petri dish had an increased growth rate.

When placed in a dessicator, a petri dish had a decreased bacterial growth rate.

Higher bacteria growth was observed in the Mojave Desert compared with the Everglades.

A chemist successfully synthesized an antimicrobial compound and showed that it effectively killed bacteria. The chemist then repeated this experiment two more times. What was the most likely reason for conducting this experiment three times?

To demonstrate the reproducibility of the results

To minimize researcher bias

To kill the maximum amount of bacteria

To synthesize as much compound as possible

To demonstrate the reproducibility of the results

A class of students wanted to assess the effects of coffee on test scores. What would be an appropriate control?

Drinking coffee during the test

Not drinking coffee during the test

Drinking water during the test.

Drinking coffee immediately after the test

Not drinking coffee during the test

Which of the following is a hypothesis?

A proposed explanation based on observation that is used to conduct further studies.

The outcome of a successful experiment.

A procedure that is followed to allow a scientist to conduct a study.

A summary of experimental results that typically appears at the end of a research report.

A proposed explanation based on observation that is used to conduct further studies.

Japan's population has been declining in recent years. For this decline, which of the following must be true?

Immigration + Deaths = Emigration + Births

Births > Deaths

Deaths + Births > Immigration + Emigration

Emigration + Deaths > Immigration + Births

Emigration + Deaths > Immigration + Births