PSHS Science Refresher

Julie has the following objects:

two ice cubes
an empty glass
a glass of water at room temperature

Which question could Julie answer most easily by conducting a scientific investigation?

What is the temperature of the water?
Does ice melt faster in air or in water?
How long does it take for water to freeze?
Does the mass of an ice cube change when it melts?

In which activity would using the Internet be most helpful?

analyzing the results of an experiment
predicting the outcome of an experiment
measuring the variables used in an experiment
performing research before conducting an experiment

Which statement is an explanation rather than a description?

The elephant weighs over 5 tons.
The rock has many crystals in it
The bird flaps its wings while it is flying
The pond became smaller from evaporation

Use this data table to answer the question.

A scientist examined the numbers of two different species of insects on four different kinds of trees in the same forest. The results of her examination are shown

on the data table.

What inference can the scientist make about the insects?

Species B insects are the main food source for species A insects.
Species A and species B insects are very closely related.
There are more of species B insects than species A insects in the entire forest.
Species A insects prefer different kinds of trees from species B insects.

Use the table below to answer question 5.

Jenny compared the average temperature and annual rainfall for two towns in the same state. The results are shown in the data table. From these results, Jenny concluded that hotter weather causes more rain to fall. What is another reasonable interpretation of this data?

Farmon is a very cold place to live.
Colder weather causes more rain to fall.
Rain causes the temperature to increase.
Davis is the rainiest town in the entire state.

Use this data table to answer question 6.

Chris wanted to determine the effects of a soil pollutant on the growth of a sunflower plant. He designed an experiment and recorded his results in the data table. Where does Chris make a mistake in the design of his experiment?

The experiment doesn’t have a control.
The experiment should use more types of plants.
The amount of water should be the same for each plant.
The amount of pollutant should be the same for each plant.

Damon measured the height of a plant three times with a metric ruler. He recorded the measurements in the data table above.

Which statement most likely explains the variation in Damon’s data?

The plant was growing while Damon measured it.
Damon used different rulers for each measurement.
Damon made small errors while measuring the plant.
The plant expanded and shrank because of temperature changes.

Use this graph to answer question 8.

A scientist studied 160 bird nests and counted the number of eggs in each nest. Her results are shown in the bar graph above.

Which statement best describes the scientist’s results?

The mode is 5, but the median is less than 5.
The mode is 5, but the median is greater than 5.
The median is 5, but the mode is less than 5.
The median is 5, but the mode is greater than 5.

A scientist makes an important discovery while conducting an experiment. What should the scientist do next?

Tell other scientists about the experiment and the discovery.
Tell other scientists about the discovery but not about the experiment.
Tell other scientists about the experiment but not about the discovery.
Write about the discovery in his or her notebook but not tell any other scientists about it.

A scientist performed an experiment that had an unexpected result. Before telling anyone about the result, the scientist performed the experiment again. What is the most likely reason the scientist performed the experiment more than once?

The scientist wanted to make sure no one else could do the experiment.
The scientist had extra chemicals and wanted to use them all.
The scientist wanted to be sure the results were accurate.
The scientist wanted to get different results.

Jeanette is studying a substance. Which property of the substance is chemical?

its density
its temperature
its melting point
its flammability

Use this element from the periodic table to answer the question.

What is the atomic mass for silicon?

14.0
14.1
28.1
42.1

A scientist has two samples of the same chemical: one sample is a solid block, and the other sample is a powder. The scientist puts the solid block in a beaker of water and observes a reaction. What would most likely happen if the scientist placed the powdered sample into a different beaker of water?

No reaction would occur.
A completely different reaction would occur.
The same reaction would occur but at a faster rate.
The same reaction would occur but at a slower rate.

A scientist is trying to track the movement of a rocket. What information does the scientist need to determine the velocity of the rocket?

the mass and speed of the rocket
the speed of the rocket and the direction the rocket is moving
the time the rocket has been traveling and the mass of the rocket
the time the rocket has been traveling and the direction the rocket is moving

Mrs. Wilson’s science class is graphing the movement of vehicles passing their school. Which line graph shows a vehicle slowing down?

Jenny threw a paper airplane toward the west. The wind, however, caused the airplane to move in a southwestern direction.

Which statement best describes the direction of the wind?

The wind is blowing from the north.
The wind is blowing from the south.
The wind is blowing from the west.
The wind is blowing from the east.

Noah carried a skateboard up a hill and then rode the skateboard down the hill. When Noah reached the bottom of the hill, he rolled to a stop. When did Noah have the most potential energy?

while carrying the skateboard up the hill
while standing on the skateboard at the top of the hill
while riding the skateboard down the hill
while standing on the skateboard at the bottom of the hill

What happens to green light and red light when they shine on a green leaf?

Both are absorbed.
Both are reflected.
Green light is absorbed, and red light is reflected.
Green light is reflected, and red light is absorbed.

The two waves above are traveling at the same speed. Which statement best describes the difference between the waves?

Wave A has a higher frequency than wave B.
Wave A has a lower frequency than wave B.
Wave A has a higher amplitude than wave B.
Wave A has a lower amplitude than wave B.

What would be the best use for a material that reflects almost all light?

as a mirror
as a window
as a light bulb
as a sheet of paper

Laura sees a red flower. Which statement best describes why the flower is red?

The light that strikes the flower is mostly red.
The light that is absorbed by the flower is mostly red.
The light that is reflected from the flower is mostly red.
The light that passes through the flower is mostly red.

Dee adds five grams of a chemical to one liter of liquid and observes a reaction. If the reaction is endothermic, what will happen?

The volume of the liquid will increase.
The volume of the liquid will decrease.
The temperature of the liquid will increase.
The temperature of the liquid will decrease.

Some electricity is made by damming rivers and using the water to push a turbine. What is a potential negative effect of this form of energy?

It can cause the river to be heavily polluted.
It can destroy the habitat of wildlife that live in the river.
It can produce toxic waste that must be disposed of.
It can consume too much water.

After harvesting, a farmer plowed the remaining vegetation into the soil. What is the most likely reason the farmer did this?

to prevent fires
to prevent erosion
to save time and energy
to add nutrients to the soil

What is the best ecological reason for using recycled paper?

Recycled paper lasts longer.
Recycled paper is safer to use.
Recycled paper is much cheaper to buy.
Recycled paper conserves resources.

Rachel wrote a letter about helping her father cook dinner. Read Rachel’s letter. Then answer the questions that follow.

Dear Grandma,

Today Mr. and Ms. Rice came over for dinner, and Dad asked me to help cook. We made cornbread, baked chicken, broccoli, and a fruit salad. I helped with all of it except the fruit salad, which Dad made. The first thing we worked on was the chicken, because Dad said it would take over an hour to bake. First I turned our electric oven on to 325°F. I took the plastic off the whole chicken, washed it, rubbed it inside and out with oil, salt, and seasonings, and put it in a pan. We put an extra piece of chicken in a separate pan to make sure we had enough. Then Dad told me to check the temperature of the chicken by inserting a thermometer into the breast or thigh. He said when the inside temperature of the chicken was 165°F, it would be done. I figured that if the oven temperature was 325°F, it should not take very long at all for the chicken to reach 165°F. Dad said we should check the temperature of the whole chicken and the extra piece every 15 minutes. Since we have been studying graphing in math class, I decided to make a graph of the temperatures. Here is my graph:

I was very surprised that it took so long for the chicken to get up to 165°F, even though Dad had told me it would.

While the chicken was baking, I mixed up the cornbread batter and put it in the oven as well. Then I chopped the broccoli and put it in a glass casserole dish on a plate in the microwave. When the broccoli was done, I took it out and added butter and salt. I thought about the difference between the microwave oven and the regular oven. The pan I cooked the chicken in was very hot, and I had to use hot pads to touch it. But even though the broccoli was cooked and steaming, the handles of the broccoli dish and the plate under it were not hot at all. Dad told me that microwave ovens and regular ovens use different scientific principles to cook food.

Right before Mr. and Ms. Rice arrived, Dad found a jar of juice in the cupboard, and I poured glasses for everyone and added ice to cool it down. When our company came, everything was ready, which was good, because I was starving! The meal was fabulous, and I was very proud I had provided such significant assistance to Dad.

I can’t wait to cook dinner for you next time you come visit, Grandma. I hope you are doing well.

Much love,

Rachel

Which flowchart best summarizes heat transfer to the cooking chicken?

Electricity turns to heat → currents of radiation swirl around the chicken → the inside of the chicken warms up → heat spreads throughout the chicken
Electricity turns to heat → air in the oven heats up and the molecules move faster → air molecules bump into the chicken → molecules in the chicken move faster
Electricity turns to heat → heat flows through the metal oven shelf into the chicken pan → heat flows from the pan into the bottom of the chicken → heat flows into the rest of the chicken
Electricity turns to heat → heat causes the air molecules to change shape → the changed air molecules cause the chicken molecules to change shape → the changed chicken molecules release heat

The microwave oven heats the broccoli, but not the dish handles or the plate underneath. Which statement best explains why this happens?

The microwave oven creates radiation, and the radiation is absorbed by the broccoli but passes through the dish and the plate.
The microwave oven heats using convection currents and the currents collide with the broccoli but slide over the smooth dishes.
The microwave oven heats the air and the hot air heats the broccoli, but the dishes do not conduct heat, so they stay cool.
The microwave oven produces heat, which flows through the floor of the microwave into the dishes, and up out of the dishes into the broccoli.

Which conclusion is best supported by the data Rachel gathered while baking the chicken?

The whole chicken started out colder than the piece of chicken, so it took longer for the whole chicken to increase in temperature in the hot oven.
Objects that are made of the same substance, such as chicken, will increase in temperature at the same rate when placed in a hot oven.
In a hot oven, the temperature of a metal pan increases faster than the temperature of a baking chicken.
In a hot oven, the temperature inside a small piece of chicken rises faster than the temperature inside a large piece of chicken.

Rachel wonders how the number of ice cubes added to a glass of juice affects the temperature of the juice. She wants to design an investigation that tests this question and that will produce clear, repeatable results.

Which data table shows the best experimental design?

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