LEAP Interpreting Scientific Data 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A data table shows the boiling points of five liquids. Liquid C has the highest boiling point. What conclusion can be drawn?
- Liquid C is the most dangerous
- Liquid C requires the most heat energy to change to a gas (Correct answer)
- Liquid C has the lowest density
- Liquid C evaporates fastest at room temperature
Correct answer: Liquid C requires the most heat energy to change to a gas
A higher boiling point means more heat energy is needed to convert the liquid to a gaseous state.
Question 2: A scientist graphs distance traveled over time for a car. The line becomes steeper after the midpoint. What does this indicate?
- The car slowed down
- The car stopped briefly
- The car increased its speed (Correct answer)
- The car traveled the same distance each minute
Correct answer: The car increased its speed
A steeper slope on a distance-time graph indicates greater speed — more distance covered per unit of time.
Question 3: Experimental data shows that three trials gave results of 5.1, 5.0, and 5.2 grams. A fourth trial gives 8.9 grams. What should the scientist do?
- Accept all four values and average them
- Discard the first three trials as inaccurate
- Investigate the fourth trial for possible error before including it (Correct answer)
- Report only the highest value
Correct answer: Investigate the fourth trial for possible error before including it
When one result differs greatly from the others, the scientist should check for experimental error before including it in the analysis.
Question 4: Which graph type is BEST for showing how a population of bacteria changes every hour over 12 hours?
- Pie chart
- Bar graph
- Line graph (Correct answer)
- Histogram
Correct answer: Line graph
A line graph is best for showing continuous change over time, making it ideal for tracking bacterial population growth.
Question 5: A table shows the number of bird species observed in different habitats: Forest=42, Wetland=38, Desert=14, Grassland=27. Which habitat has the greatest biodiversity of birds?
- Wetland
- Desert
- Grassland
- Forest (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Forest
The forest habitat has the highest count of bird species (42), indicating the greatest bird biodiversity.
Question 6: A student collects data on the number of hours studied and test scores for 10 classmates. The scatter plot shows points clustered along a rising diagonal. What pattern does this represent?
- Negative correlation
- No correlation
- Positive correlation (Correct answer)
- Random variation
Correct answer: Positive correlation
Points rising from left to right on a scatter plot indicate a positive correlation between the two variables.
Question 7: A scientist reports that the average mass of a sample was 24.6 g ± 0.3 g. What does the ± 0.3 g represent?
- The maximum possible mass
- The margin of error or uncertainty in the measurement (Correct answer)
- The mass of the container used
- The difference between two trials
Correct answer: The margin of error or uncertainty in the measurement
The ± symbol indicates the margin of error, showing the range within which the true value likely falls.
LEAP Interpreting Scientific Data 3
A data table shows the boiling points of five liquids.
Liquid C has the highest boiling point.
What conclusion can be drawn?