M-STEP Science Inquiry & Data Interpretation 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which step comes immediately after forming a hypothesis in the scientific method?
- Drawing a conclusion
- Designing and conducting an experiment (Correct answer)
- Making an observation
- Communicating results
Correct answer: Designing and conducting an experiment
After forming a hypothesis, the next step is designing and conducting an experiment to test it.
Question 2: A scatter plot shows data points spread randomly with no pattern. What does this suggest about the two variables?
- They have a strong positive correlation
- They have a strong negative correlation
- They are not correlated (Correct answer)
- One causes the other
Correct answer: They are not correlated
Randomly scattered data points with no trend indicate there is no correlation between the two variables.
Question 3: A student wants to test if fertilizer amount affects tomato plant growth. She uses 5 plants with 0g, 5g, 10g, 15g, and 20g of fertilizer. What is the dependent variable?
- The amount of fertilizer
- The type of tomato plant
- The growth of the tomato plants (Correct answer)
- The amount of water given
Correct answer: The growth of the tomato plants
The dependent variable is plant growth — the outcome that is measured in response to the fertilizer changes.
Question 4: Which of the following best represents quantitative data?
- The bird has blue feathers
- The solution smells like vinegar
- The caterpillar is 4.2 cm long (Correct answer)
- The rock feels smooth
Correct answer: The caterpillar is 4.2 cm long
Quantitative data is numerical; 4.2 cm is a measurable quantity.
Question 5: A student graphs data from an experiment and draws a line of best fit. What is the purpose of the line of best fit?
- To connect every data point exactly
- To show the general trend in the data (Correct answer)
- To prove the hypothesis correct
- To identify outliers only
Correct answer: To show the general trend in the data
A line of best fit shows the overall trend or pattern in data without necessarily passing through every point.
Question 6: During an investigation, a student notices that one data point is very far from the others. This point is called:
- A control
- A variable
- An outlier (Correct answer)
- A hypothesis
Correct answer: An outlier
An outlier is a data point that differs significantly from the other data collected.
Question 7: Which action would make an experiment's results more valid?
- Testing only one trial
- Using different procedures for each trial
- Increasing the sample size (Correct answer)
- Removing any results that don't fit
Correct answer: Increasing the sample size
A larger sample size reduces the effect of chance and makes conclusions more valid and generalizable.
M-STEP Science Inquiry & Data Interpretation 4
Which step comes immediately after forming a hypothesis in the scientific method?