OSAT OSAT Scientific Inquiry and Principles 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A scientist repeats an experiment five times and gets very similar results each time. This best demonstrates which scientific principle?
- Validity
- Reproducibility (Correct answer)
- Objectivity
- Falsifiability
Correct answer: Reproducibility
Reproducibility means an experiment yields consistent results when repeated under the same conditions.
Question 2: Which type of variable is deliberately changed by the researcher in a controlled experiment?
- Dependent variable
- Controlled variable
- Independent variable (Correct answer)
- Extraneous variable
Correct answer: Independent variable
The independent variable is the one the researcher deliberately manipulates to observe its effect.
Question 3: A student observes that plants near a window grow taller than those in a dark corner. What is the most appropriate next step in the scientific method?
- Publish the results
- Form a testable hypothesis (Correct answer)
- Draw a conclusion
- Replicate the study
Correct answer: Form a testable hypothesis
After making an observation, the next step is to formulate a testable hypothesis to explain it.
Question 4: Which graphical representation is BEST suited to show the relationship between two continuous variables?
- Bar graph
- Pie chart
- Scatter plot (Correct answer)
- Histogram
Correct answer: Scatter plot
A scatter plot displays the relationship between two continuous variables by plotting paired data points.
Question 5: In a study on fertilizer effects on plant growth, keeping water amount, soil type, and light constant is an example of:
- Controlling variables (Correct answer)
- Increasing sample size
- Forming a hypothesis
- Peer review
Correct answer: Controlling variables
Keeping non-tested factors constant is called controlling variables to isolate the effect of the independent variable.
Question 6: A hypothesis that can be proven false through experimentation is said to be:
- Reproducible
- Quantitative
- Falsifiable (Correct answer)
- Empirical
Correct answer: Falsifiable
A falsifiable hypothesis is one that can potentially be disproven by evidence, a key requirement in science.
Question 7: When a scientist measures the mass of a sample as 4.52 g using a balance accurate to ±0.01 g, the recorded measurement reflects:
- Precision only
- Accuracy only
- Both precision and significant figures (Correct answer)
- Only the estimated digit
Correct answer: Both precision and significant figures
Recording 4.52 g reflects the instrument's precision and uses the appropriate number of significant figures.
OSAT OSAT Scientific Inquiry and Principles 2
A scientist repeats an experiment five times and gets very similar results each time.
This best demonstrates which scientific principle?