CA GATE Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a control group in a scientific experiment?
- To change all the variables at once to see what happens
- To provide a baseline for comparison with the experimental group (Correct answer)
- To ensure the experiment runs smoothly without errors
- To represent the hypothesis in a visual form
Correct answer: To provide a baseline for comparison with the experimental group
The control group does not receive the experimental treatment, providing a standard baseline to compare experimental results against.
Question 2: A student wants to determine which type of soil best supports bean plant growth. After two weeks, she measures the heights of plants in sand, clay, and loam soil. What is the dependent variable?
- The type of soil used
- The height of the plants (Correct answer)
- The amount of water given to each plant
- The number of weeks the experiment runs
Correct answer: The height of the plants
The dependent variable is what is measured as an outcome—in this case, the height of the plants that may be affected by soil type.
Question 3: Which tool would be MOST appropriate for measuring the volume of a liquid in a scientific experiment?
- A ruler
- A thermometer
- A graduated cylinder (Correct answer)
- A balance scale
Correct answer: A graduated cylinder
A graduated cylinder is specifically designed to accurately measure liquid volumes in scientific settings.
Question 4: A scientist tests a new fertilizer on 50 tomato plants and uses 50 plants with no fertilizer for comparison. Why is using 50 plants in each group better than using 5?
- More plants take up less space in the greenhouse
- A larger sample size reduces the effect of random variation and increases reliability (Correct answer)
- Fifty plants make the experiment look more professional
- Larger groups are always required by scientific law
Correct answer: A larger sample size reduces the effect of random variation and increases reliability
Larger sample sizes reduce the influence of random variation, making results more statistically reliable and generalizable.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of qualitative data?
- The temperature of water is 22°C
- The plant grew 5 cm in one week
- The solution turned bright blue after the chemical was added (Correct answer)
- The reaction took 30 seconds to complete
Correct answer: The solution turned bright blue after the chemical was added
Qualitative data describes characteristics or observations using words rather than numbers, such as a color change.
Question 6: During an investigation, a student observes that metal spoons become hot faster than wooden spoons when placed in hot soup. The student should classify this as:
- A hypothesis
- An inference
- An observation (Correct answer)
- A conclusion
Correct answer: An observation
An observation is information gathered directly through the senses during an experiment or investigation, without interpretation.
Question 7: What does it mean when a scientific theory is described as 'well-supported'?
- It has been proven absolutely true and can never change
- It has been tested many times and consistently supported by evidence (Correct answer)
- Most scientists personally believe it to be true
- It has been endorsed by a government agency
Correct answer: It has been tested many times and consistently supported by evidence
A well-supported scientific theory has withstood repeated testing and is consistently supported by multiple lines of evidence.
CA GATE Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning 2
What is the purpose of a control group in a scientific experiment?