TExES EC-6 Science Knowledge & Inquiry Skills 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best illustrates the concept of peer review in science?
- A student asks a friend to check their math homework
- Scientists evaluate each other's research before it is published (Correct answer)
- A teacher grades a student's lab report
- A scientist repeats their own experiment to check results
Correct answer: Scientists evaluate each other's research before it is published
Peer review is the process by which other scientists critically evaluate a researcher's methods and conclusions before publication.
Question 2: A student notices earthworms on the sidewalk after it rains. The student concludes, 'It must have rained recently.' This is an example of:
- A controlled observation
- A hypothesis
- An inference based on prior knowledge (Correct answer)
- A quantitative measurement
Correct answer: An inference based on prior knowledge
The student used prior knowledge (earthworms surface when soil is flooded) combined with the observation to draw a conclusion — this is inference.
Question 3: Why is it important for scientists to publish their methods in detail when reporting findings?
- So other scientists can repeat and verify the experiment (Correct answer)
- To make the report longer and more impressive
- To keep other scientists from doing the same experiment
- To demonstrate that the scientist used expensive equipment
Correct answer: So other scientists can repeat and verify the experiment
Detailed methods allow other scientists to replicate the study, which is essential for verifying and validating scientific findings.
Question 4: Students are designing an experiment to test whether fertilizer affects plant growth. Which of the following would be the best experimental design?
- Grow all plants with fertilizer and measure them each day
- Grow some plants with fertilizer and some without, keeping all other conditions the same (Correct answer)
- Grow plants in different soil types and add different amounts of water
- Grow one plant with fertilizer and compare it to a picture in a textbook
Correct answer: Grow some plants with fertilizer and some without, keeping all other conditions the same
A valid experiment requires a control group (no fertilizer) and an experimental group, with all other variables held constant.
Question 5: Which of the following BEST describes the relationship between a scientific law and a scientific theory?
- Laws and theories are the same; the terms are interchangeable
- A law describes what happens; a theory explains why it happens (Correct answer)
- A theory becomes a law when it is proven beyond doubt
- Laws are more important than theories in science
Correct answer: A law describes what happens; a theory explains why it happens
Scientific laws describe observable patterns or regularities, while scientific theories provide explanations for why those patterns occur.
Question 6: A student conducts three trials of an experiment and records times of 12s, 13s, and 12s. The student should report the result as:
- The fastest time only, since that is the most accurate
- The slowest time to be safe
- The average of all three trials (Correct answer)
- Only the middle trial result
Correct answer: The average of all three trials
Averaging multiple trials reduces the effect of small errors and gives a more representative and reliable measurement.
Question 7: An elementary teacher wants students to practice making measurements accurately. Which activity best targets this skill?
- Watching a video about the metric system
- Discussing why scientists use standard units
- Using rulers and balances to measure objects and record data in a table (Correct answer)
- Reading a chart that shows metric conversions
Correct answer: Using rulers and balances to measure objects and record data in a table
Hands-on practice with measurement tools directly develops measurement accuracy skills far better than passive activities.
TExES EC-6 Science Knowledge & Inquiry Skills 4
Which of the following best illustrates the concept of peer review in science?