CA GATE Scientific Inquiry and Reasoning 3

Question 1

A student claims that exercise improves memory. Which investigation design BEST tests this claim?

Accepted Answer

Have one group exercise daily and another not exercise, then test both groups' memory weekly

Answer

Ask 10 friends if they feel smarter after exercising

Answer

Read research papers about exercise and memory

Answer

Exercise every day for a month and see if grades improve

Question 2

In data analysis, what is an outlier?

Accepted Answer

A data point that is significantly different from the other values

Answer

The most common value in a data set

Answer

The average of all values in a data set

Answer

A value that perfectly confirms the hypothesis

Question 3

Which type of graph is MOST appropriate for showing how a plant's height changes over several weeks?

Accepted Answer

A line graph with time on the x-axis

Answer

A pie chart

Answer

A bar graph comparing different plant species

Answer

A scatter plot with no trend line

Question 4

A student repeats the same experiment five times and gets very different results each time. This MOST likely indicates:

Accepted Answer

There is high variability, possibly due to uncontrolled variables or measurement errors

Answer

The hypothesis was correct

Answer

The experiment should be published immediately

Answer

The results are reliable because they were repeated

Question 5

What does it mean to 'replicate' a scientific experiment?

Accepted Answer

To repeat the experiment exactly to verify the results

Answer

To make a copy of the laboratory equipment

Answer

To change the hypothesis after seeing the results

Answer

To publish findings in a scientific journal

Question 6

A student investigating evaporation places equal amounts of water in a wide shallow dish and a narrow tall glass. After one day, more water has evaporated from the dish. What is the BEST conclusion?

Accepted Answer

A greater surface area exposed to air increases the rate of evaporation

Answer

Warmer air speeds up evaporation

Answer

Glass containers slow down evaporation

Answer

Shallow containers hold less water than tall ones

Question 7

Which step in the scientific method involves reviewing existing research before beginning an experiment?

Accepted Answer

Conducting background research

Answer

Forming a hypothesis

Answer

Analyzing data

Answer

Drawing a conclusion