Practice Test: Science Flashcards
Mrs. A wants her students to learn to think scientifically. Which of the following is most likely to result in the deepest scientific understanding?
teaching students to design and do simple experiments (hands-on activities result in deeper science learning)
*Mr. Z has a class of first grade students. He notices that students who have pets at home have a better understanding of mammals in general than do students who do not have pets. He decides to pair a student who does not have a pet with a student that has a pet dog or a pet cat. He has created a worksheet to scaffold basic understanding of mammals through group discussion. Mr. Z is demonstrating the instructional concept of
zone of proximal development (children assimilate new patterns of thinking by learning with and from individuals who are more proficient and scaffolding provides the structured support for facilitating these interactions and moving to the next level)
*Mrs. B’s kindergarten classroom has a science center. Which of the following items would not be found in the science center?
A. a balancing scale so students can investigate relationships between weight and size
B. a magnifying glass that allows students to observe items in more detail
C. a small-size lab coat and glasses so students can dress like scientists
D. a plant so students can monitor and record plant change
a small-size lab coat and glasses so students can dress like scientist (dressing like preconceived notions of what scientists look like does not promote scientific inquiry or thinking)
`*Mr. L’s sixth grade class is studying microorganisms. He has given each student a sterile glass container and asked the students to get one ounce samples of water (e.g., tap water, retention pong water, rainwater from puddles, lake water, animal water bowls, and bottled water) which they will use for observations under a microscope in class. What is the biggest problem with this activity?
water from outdoor sourced (e.g., lakes; puddles) can contain microorganisms that cause disease (Mr. B can order cultures from suppliers that are safer)
Mrs. T’s class is learning about magnetism. She randomly divides the class into groups of three to complete three experiments. What type of grouping is Mrs. T using?
collaborative learning (unstructured without roles for students within the group)
Mrs. B is teaching her fourth-grade students how to collect data. Which of the following classroom activities would be the best choice for achieving that goal?
Mrs. B will put a weather-tracking chart on the wall. For the next ten days students will record the temperature and give a one sentence description of the weather every two hours during the class day (authentic, hands-on opportunity to collect data)
Mr. B has created seven stations in his third grade classroom and students are divided into pairs. At each station Mr. B has a different kind of geologic material (e.g., a piece of granite, a piece of coal) as well as a scale and ruler. Each pair of students has a science notebook and pencil. Mr. B tells the students that they will have 2 minutes at each station to learn as much as they can about the materials and take notes. What aspect of the scientific method is Mr. B addressing?
observations
Mrs. L has created five stations in her classroom and each station has the following:
Station 1, microscope
Station 2, thermometer
Station 3, scale
Station 4, ruler
Station 5, barometer
She has divided students into groups. Each group has 3 different leaves. Students are instructed to find out as much as they can about their leaves at each station and record their findings. What aspect of the scientific method is Mrs. L most likely to be addressing?
identify necessary equipment and apparatus for measuring and recording the variables (task is not experimental and does not involve variables, students are not asked to analyze their findings)
Which of the following is not one of the integrated process skills for identifying and applying science and engineering practices?
ensuring safety (skills include: observing, classifying, predicting, hypothesizing, designing and carrying out investigations, developing and using models, constructing and communicating explanations)
A student wants to create a science project to demonstrate chemical changes in matter. Which of the following might be part of the project’s display?
pictures of a new nail and a rusty nail, picture of a partially burned log (rusting and burning, chemical changes, alter the molecular structure of matter)
Mr. Isaac wrote the following equation on the board CH(4) + 2 O(2)CO(2) + 2 H(2)O. What is true of the equation?
CH(4) is a reactant; 2 O(2) is a reactant (reactants are materials to the left of the arrow, materials to the right of the arrow are products)
Which of the following is true of matter?
matter always has density (matter is anything with mass and volume and density is the ratio of mass to volume)
*Ms. P is teaching a lesson on force at a distance. Which of the following can she use as an example?
a magnet
A student made a display of about magnets; however, one picture on her poster is incorrect. Which picture is not an example of a magnet?
the element iron (although iron attracts magnets, it is not a magnet; lodestone, compass, the planet earth are all magnets)
Caitlin is a fifth grade student. She is writing a report about sounds and has written the following paragraph; however one sentence in the paragraph is factually incorrect. Which sentence is it?
Vibrations, like when you play a guitar or trumpet, is what causes sound. Sound travels about 1,100 ft per second, but travels faster in cold weather. Sounds have highness or lowness (pitch) and are loud or soft (intensity). Sound quality is how much of an object vibrates.
sound travels about 1,100 feet per second, but sound travels faster in cold weather (sound travels faster in warm weather)
Ms. J is having her fourth grade students do a project on weather. First she had them look up different kinds of clouds. Then, she had them observe clouds at 8 am, 10 am, noon, and 2 pm each day, describe the weather at those times and predict what weather would occur next. She is checking their observations on different dates and sees one that is clearly incorrect. Which one is it?
September 12, 2 pm: I see dark, flat stratus clouds. I predict sunshine for the rest of the day. (dark stratus clouds indicate prediction of rain)
The correct order of planets from the sun is:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
What is true of rocks?
Magma can become igneous rock
The most important factor in the earth’s seasonal pattern is the
tilting of the earth’s axis (tilting of the earth’s axis causes the Northern Hemisphere to point toward the sun in summer months, and away from the sun in winter months; reverse is true for Southern Hemisphere)
*What is true of the seasons?
days and nights are approx equal in length on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes
Asexual propagation is most likely to occur in
bacteria (asexual propagation occurs most often in single-celled animals, fungi are not animals)
What is true of activities that differentiate living from nonliving things?
the activities of living organisms are: food getting respiration excretion growth repair movement response secretion
In plant cells, which of the following allows energy in sunlight to be converted into chemical energy and become biologically available?
Photosynthesis
What aspect of a plant cell distinguishes it most from animal cells
chloroplasts and cell walls
Precipitation that contains high levels of sulfuric or nitric acid is ______ ?
acid rain
*Principal heres teacher say “Today we’re going to learn about the ‘energy of moving molecules,’ What topic is the lesson on?
heat (heat is the energy of moving molecules)
Teacher wants her students to learn to think scientifically. Which of the following is most likely to result in deepest scientific understanding?
teaching students to design and do simple experiments
All of the following are examples of fossils except?
A. an insect in a piece of amber found in South America.
B. an arrowhead found in North America.
C. a dinosaur bone found in Europe.
D. a leaf imprint in coal found in China.
B. an arrowhead in North America
fossil - remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in a petrified form as a mold or cast in rock
What was the most immediate, concrete, result of the launching of the Soviet space satellite Sputnik, on October 4, 1957?
congress established NASA in 1958 to focus on space exploration
Which of the following would be the correct labels for the water cycle?
evaporation (water coming into cloud)
condensation (water in cloud to dark cloud)
precipitation (raining)
collection (water in ocean)
Student has Venn diagram comparing and contrasting bacteria and viruses, what, if anything, is incorrect? (see Venn diagram)
CORRECT: Bacteria
reproduce by duplicating
Bacteria are responsive to antibiotics
The information about bacteria is correct; however, the information about viruses and the information about how viruses and bacteria are alike are incorrect.
*A student dropped a book on his toe and said, “Ouch! That hurt!” This is a result of which aspect of the nervous system?
exteroceptors
respond to pain, touch, temperature, and pressure
*Mrs. Smith had the following short answer question on an exam: Describe the nitrogen cycle. Which response is correct?
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in the soil and in the roots of legumes (e.g., beans, peas, and clover). Bacteria change the nitrogen in the air (that plants cannot use) into nitrogen materials that plants can use. After animals eat plants, they give off waste materials that contain nitrogen.
Ms. Lee is teaching her fifth-grade students how to use a microscope. Which of the following microscope activities would not be appropriate in meeting this goal?
having students prick their fingers and examine a drop of blood
Mr. Post is teaching a lesson on force at a distance. Which of the following can he use as an example? A. a lever B. a screw C. a magnet D. a pulley
C. Magnet
Ms. Jackson’s fourth-grade students are doing a project on weather. First, she had them look up different kinds of clouds. Then she had them observe the sky at 8 am, noon, and 2 pm, describe the clouds, and predict the weather. She is checking their observations for different dates and sees one that is clearly incorrect. Which one is it?
A. September 3, 10 am. I see light-colored stratus clouds in a blue sky. I predict the weather will stay the same.
B. September 8, noon: I see thin, wispy cirrus clouds. I predict a change in the weather.
C. September 12, 2 pm: I see dark, flat stratus clouds. I predict sunshine for the rest of the day.
D. September 14, 10 am: I see white fluffy cumulus clouds. I predict good weather.
September 12, 2 pm: I see dark, flat stratus clouds. I predict sunshine for the rest of the day.
What aspects of a plant cell distinguish it from an animal cell?
chloroplasts and cell walls
In plant cells, what process allows the energy in sunlight to be converted to chemical energy and become biologically available?
photosynthesis
What is another name for a testable question?
hypothesis
*Which of the following is the application of science for the benefit of mankind? A. technology B. STEM C. experimentation D. investigation
A. technology
Which of the following could be best used to collect data for analysis?
A. scale model of the solar system
B. survey of a class’s food preferences in terms of calories
C. demonstration of ways to graph an equation
D. creating a testable hypothesis
survey of a class’s food preferences in terms of calories
Mr. Kwan wants to apply Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development in his third grade classroom in terms of learning about the human skeleton. Which activity would achieve this goal?
partnering his students with fourth grade students who learned about the human skeleton last year
The principal in Ms. Bridge’s school wants the teachers to include more formal learning activities into science instruction. What activity would best achieve this goal?
a lecture and test on cell division
Mr. Alder wants to know the difference between cooperative and collaborative learning. Which colleague has the answer?
Ms. Carter: Cooperative learning includes positive interdependence and structured group interactions whereas collaborative learning is loosely organized small groups.
Which of the following exemplifies a chemical change?
A. a rusty frying pan
B. the evaporation of rainwater
C. freezing a popsicle
D. heating tomato soup in a microwave oven
a rusty frying pan
Mrs. Penny asked her students to name a food that is a homogeneous mixture. Which student has the correct answer? A. Jake: Spaghetti and meatballs B. Austin: apple pie C. Kelsey: vanilla yogurt D. Cody: chicken noodle soup
C. Kelsey: vanilla yogurt
Principal McManus looked in Mr. Kelly’s fifth-grade classroom and heard the class discussing Pangaea. What was most likely a topic in Mr. Kelly’s lesson?
continental drift
What is measured by the Richter scale?
the magnitude of an earthquake
*What is the purpose of the Linnaean system?
naming structure for species
Paula has been observing a plant and sees evidence of phototropism. What did Paula see?
the plant bending toward the light
*Mr. Carrier wants to teach his second-grade class about the process of observation. He divided his students into groups and gave each group 4 worksheets divided into five sections: taste, touch, smell, see, listen. He also included pictures (e.g., eyes for see; ears for listen) to help cue the words so students will remember what to do. He has given the students a piece of lemon, a piece of apple, a piece of celery, and a small carrot. The groups are to complete the worksheet by recording their observations for each item. This activity exemplifies
scaffolding
Mrs. Thompson is teaching her first-grade students different aspects of the scientific method. She has divided the class into groups and has given each group a box of wooden beads of differing colors, shapes, and sizes. She has asked the students to organize the beads and then explain how the beads were organized. Which aspect of the scientific method does the activity best exemplify?
classification
Ms. Catalano is playing a game with her students. She describes a state of matter and then they tell her what exemplifies it. She said, "This matter has molecules that move freely." Which guess is correct? A. a ball rolling down a hill B. air inside a balloon C. cereal and milk in a bowl D. water in a drinking fountain
B. air inside a balloon
Anna wrote the following paragraph about atoms:
Atoms are made of molecules. If the atoms are the same, it forms an element. The atomic number is used to organize the periodic table.
What sentence, if any, is factually incorrect?
A. Atoms are made of molecules.
Mr. Carpenter wrote the following words on the board: folded, fault-block, domes, volcanic. What geological feature is most likely to be the topic of his lesson?
mountains
Mrs. Donovan asked her students to identify something that has a positive effect on the environment. Which student has the correct answer? A. Gerald: clear cutting a forest B. Logan: aquaculture C. Rachel: using fossil fuels D. Nova: algae bloom
B. Logan: aquaculture
What do the following three words have in common? archaea, bacteria, eukarya
A. domain names
What is protista?
an organism that doesn’t fit into other categories
