Science inquiry — Foundational

Score: 0 / 17

Level 1: Foundational

Identify, describe, state, calculate — recall facts and use standard relationships (typical early Year 10).

1. A testable hypothesis is one that:

   A)Cannot ever be checkedB)Can be investigated with evidence (measurements, observations) that could support or challenge itC)Is always a fact already provenD)Must be a question with no possible answer

2. A prediction in an investigation often states:

   A)The final mark for the studentB)A vague opinion onlyC)What you expect to observe if a particular explanation appliesD)The name of the equipment brand only

3. To improve reproducibility, a team should most likely:

   A)Hide their methodB)Use a single trial onlyC)Document clear methods and repeat trials or use adequate sample size where appropriateD)Change multiple variables at once without recording them

4. In a fair test of how fertiliser affects plant height, the independent variable is best described as:

   A)The amount (or type) of fertiliser appliedB)The student’s favourite colourC)The final exam score in EnglishD)The brand of shoes the researcher wears

5. Controlled variables are variables that:

   A)Change randomly every secondB)Are never measuredC)Always equal the dependent variableD)Are kept the same (as far as practical) so they do not confound the effect you are testing

6. Using a larger sample size (where ethical and practical) often helps because:

   A)It guarantees zero uncertaintyB)Random variation affects averages less; unusual one-off results have less swayC)It removes the need for graphsD)It makes all data identical

7. Precision of a measurement relates to:

   A)Whether the measurement is morally goodB)How close the true value is (alone)C)Repeatability / closeness of repeated measurements (finer resolution can help)D)The colour of the instrument

8. A continuous independent variable (e.g. time) is often best displayed using:

   A)A pie chart of categoriesB)A line graph showing trendC)A table with no graphD)Only a title

9. A bar chart is often appropriate when:

   A)Comparing discrete categories (e.g. different species or treatments)B)Plotting continuous temperature vs time as a smooth trendC)Showing only raw unlabelled numbersD)Hiding the axes

10. An anomaly (outlier) in data should typically be:

    A)Deleted with no thoughtB)Always assumed to be correctC)Ignored if it supports the hypothesisD)Checked for measurement errors; investigated; not hidden without justification

11. A trend on a graph means:

    A)Only the title textB)A general direction or pattern (increasing, decreasing, stabilising) over the range shownC)A single dotD)The font size

12. Reliability in data collection is closest to:

    A)Whether the conclusion matches what you hopedB)Whether the graph is colourfulC)Consistency / repeatability under similar conditionsD)Whether the teacher likes you

13. Validity asks whether:

    A)You measured what you intended to measure and the method tests the claim fairlyB)The ruler is expensiveC)The experiment was shortD)You used only one trial always

14. When evaluating a bold media claim about a new “cure,” which habit is most scientific?

    A)Accept it if it sounds emotionalB)Check original sources, methods, sample size and conflicts of interestC)Share first, read laterD)Ignore uncertainty

15. Using secondary data from another study ethically requires you to:

    A)Never cite the sourceB)Cite the source and follow relevant permissions/protocolsC)Change the numbers slightlyD)Claim it as your own field work without checking

16. A methods section should allow another scientist to:

    A)Guess your passwordB)Ignore safetyC)Avoid repeating anythingD)Repeat the core procedure and understand what was measured and controlled

17. Communicating for a school audience vs specialists mainly differs in:

    A)Whether honesty mattersB)Level of assumed background vocabulary and detailC)Whether data existsD)Whether graphs are allowed

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