TEAS Science: Scientific Reasoning

Question 1

A researcher wants to test whether a new fertilizer increases plant growth. She grows 50 plants with the fertilizer and 50 plants without it under identical conditions. What is the control group?

Accepted Answer

The 50 plants grown without the new fertilizer

Answer

The control group receives no treatment and serves as the baseline for comparison. The plants grown without fertilizer are the control; those with fertilizer are the experimental group.

Question 2

Which of the following BEST describes a scientific hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A testable, falsifiable prediction made before an experiment is conducted

Answer

A hypothesis is a testable, falsifiable prediction about the outcome of an experiment. It is proposed before data is collected, and it must be possible to prove it wrong.

Question 3

A student measures the volume of a liquid three times and records 45 mL, 46 mL, and 45 mL. These results BEST demonstrate which quality of measurement?

Accepted Answer

Precision, because the results are consistently close to each other

Answer

Precision refers to the reproducibility of measurements — how closely repeated measurements agree with each other. Accuracy describes how close measurements are to the true value, which cannot be determined here without a known standard.

Question 4

On a graph displaying experimental results, the independent variable is plotted on which axis?

Accepted Answer

The x-axis (horizontal axis)

Answer

By scientific convention, the independent variable — the one deliberately manipulated by the researcher — is plotted on the x-axis. The dependent variable (what is measured) goes on the y-axis.

Question 5

A study finds that cities with higher ice cream sales also have higher drowning rates. Which conclusion is MOST scientifically valid?

Accepted Answer

A third variable, such as hot weather, likely influences both rates simultaneously

Answer

Correlation does not imply causation. A confounding variable — warm summer weather — independently increases both ice cream consumption and swimming activity (and thus drowning risk), explaining the correlation without any direct causal link.

TEAS Practice Test

TEAS Practice Test

TEAS Science: Scientific Reasoning