Worked examples
Two examples
Example 1
Lena writes: “If I water my spider plants with rainwater, then they will grow more new leaves than spider plants watered with tap water.”Which step of the scientific method is this?
- The steps, in order: question, hypothesis, experiment, data, conclusion, share the results.
- Is it a question? No: it does not ask anything; it is a statement.
- It gives a possible answer, written before any test, as “If … then …”. A test could show it to be wrong.
- That is a hypothesis.
Answer: Hypothesis
Example 2
“After four weeks, the six plants watered with rainwater had grown an average of 6 new leaves, and the six watered with tap water had grown an average of 5.”Which step of the scientific method is this?
- This sentence reports numbers: what Lena counted.
- It does not say what the numbers mean. It does not say “rainwater is better” or “the hypothesis was right.”
- What was observed or measured, before anyone says what it means, is the data. A sentence that says what it means would be the conclusion.
Answer: Data
Where this is taught: Science Practices, part 3: The scientific method and a fair test · Look Again Quiz 2: The Scientific Method · The Method Wheel, a handout
In your Kaplan book: Unit 4, Chapter 1, Lesson 2: Use the Scientific Method · Map of the Terrain, topic 2: The scientific method
The drill
Ten questions
How many:
Read what is in the box first, if there is one. Then tap your answer; a few questions ask you to choose words from a drop-down instead, the way the GED test does. Press Check my answers at the bottom.Read what is in the box first, if there is one. Circle your answer; where there are brackets, circle the choice that fits. The answer key, with the reasoning, is on the last page.