Science inquiry — Foundational

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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)States a claim that no observation could ever address, even in principleB)Can be checked with evidence that might support or challenge what it claimsC)Only repeats a conclusion everyone already accepts, so tests add nothingD)Frames a question that rules out any measurable or observable answer

2. In an investigation, a prediction usually:

   A)States only the mark or grade the team expects on the submitted reportB)Expresses a general feeling that is not tied to a specific explanationC)Says what you expect to observe if a stated explanation appliesD)Names equipment makes or models with no link to an expected outcome

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

   A)Keep procedures private so others cannot repeat the exact steps usedB)Use a single trial to save time, assuming it shows typical behaviourC)Record clear methods and repeat trials or widen samples when practicalD)Change several factors at once without logging what differed between runs

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

   A)The amount or type of fertiliser applied to each plantB)The pot colour or label used to identify plants on the benchC)Watering frequency, if that schedule differs between fertiliser groupsD)Plant height measured before treatments differ between groups

5. Controlled variables are variables that:

   A)Drift unpredictably even when you try to hold conditions steadyB)Are logged once at the start and then ignored for the rest of the runC)Always move in lockstep with the dependent variable by definitionD)Are held the same wherever practical so they do not mask the IV effect

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

   A)It removes all uncertainty so graphs and error thinking become unnecessaryB)Averages stabilise so one-off odd results weigh less than typical valuesC)It forces every individual measurement to match all others in the sampleD)It removes random variation completely from means and other summaries

7. Precision of a measurement relates to:

   A)Whether the result matches what you hoped for before you beganB)How close one reading is to a textbook value, with no repeats consideredC)How closely repeated measures agree, aided by finer scale divisions when used wellD)The physical size of numerals on the scale face, regardless of repeat scatter

8. A continuous independent variable (for example time) is often best displayed using:

   A)A pie chart that treats time categories as separate slices of a wholeB)A line graph that shows how values change across the continuous rangeC)A table of numbers alone with no graph to show overall shape or trendD)A title block without axes, scales, or points tied to that variable

9. A bar chart is often appropriate when:

   A)Comparing discrete categories such as different species or treatmentsB)Plotting continuous temperature changing smoothly through time as one trendC)Listing raw measurements without labels, units, or clear category groupingsD)Omitting axis labels so viewers guess categories from colour alone

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

    A)Deleted immediately with no note, assuming it must be a keystroke mistakeB)Treated as automatically correct because extreme values are always trustworthyC)Ignored when it supports the hypothesis and flagged only when it does notD)Checked for errors, investigated for cause, and justified if omitted from summaries

11. On a graph, a trend means:

    A)Only the wording chosen for the title above the plotted regionB)The overall direction of change — rising, falling, or levelling off — across the rangeC)Any single plotted point read in isolation from neighbouring valuesD)The font size chosen for axis tick labels on the display

12. Reliability in data collection is closest to:

    A)Whether the outcome matches what you hoped for before the trial beganB)Whether the graph was printed in colour rather than greyscale on the sheetC)Whether repeats cluster — similar conditions yielding similar measurementsD)Whether one unusually striking trial should outweigh the rest of the runs

13. Validity asks whether:

    A)You measured what you intended to measure and the method tests the claim fairlyB)Instruments were brand-new rather than shared or borrowed from another classC)The practical could be finished inside a single timetabled lesson periodD)The team repeated the measurement many times without checking what was measured

14. When checking a bold media claim about a new treatment, which habit is most scientific?

    A)Accept the story when the headline uses strong emotional language and urgencyB)Trace methods, sample size, original sources, and declared conflicts of interestC)Share the claim widely first, then skim sources only if others ask questionsD)Prefer claims that sound completely definitive and treat uncertainty as noise

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

    A)Skip citation because the table was only copied for a classroom display boardB)Credit the source and follow permissions or usage rules that apply to the dataC)Adjust values slightly so they align with the story you want the graph to tellD)Present the extract as your own field measurements without verifying context

16. A methods section should allow another scientist to:

    A)Infer the whole procedure only from discussion prose, with no ordered stepsB)Omit routine safety notes because experienced readers already know the hazardsC)Describe equipment with nicknames that cannot be matched to standard namesD)Repeat the core procedure with clear notes on measures, controls, and conditions

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

    A)Whether truthful reporting of results is expected from student authorsB)How much background vocabulary and detail the reader is assumed to bringC)Whether numerical data are permitted at all in the final presentationD)Whether graphs and tables may appear alongside written explanation

18. Qualitative data in school labs often include:

    A)Numerical readings recorded only with SI units and decimal precisionB)Descriptions, categories, or observations without a fixed numerical scaleC)Summary statistics such as means with no accompanying raw observationsD)Graphical displays alone with no verbal notes about what was seen

19. An observation differs from an inference because an observation is:

    A)A direct report of what was sensed or measured in the situationB)A general law that has already been accepted by the scientific communityC)A speculative claim made before any data from this run are collectedD)The final conclusion paragraph that interprets what the pattern means

20. In science, a model is:

    A)An exact copy of every detail operating in the real phenomenonB)A display object with no predictive or explanatory job beyond decorationC)A simplified representation used to explain, predict, or test ideasD)A settled fact that must never be revised when new evidence appears

21. The dependent variable is the variable you:

    A)Hold steady across trials so it cannot influence the patternB)Leave unmeasured because it is assumed not to matter for the questionC)Manipulate deliberately to see how another quantity respondsD)Measure as the outcome that may change when other factors change

22. The range of a small data set is:

    A)Always identical to the arithmetic mean when the sample is smallB)The largest value minus the smallest value in that setC)The middle value when all readings are sorted from low to highD)Half of the count of measurements, treated as a spread estimate

23. When one extreme outlier distorts the mean, reporting the median can:

    A)Summarise a typical value more robustly for skewed small samplesB)Erase every outlier from the data set without any review stepC)Make plots unnecessary because one number tells the whole storyD)Demonstrate that one variable caused another to change

24. You record seedling height in millimetres for many individuals. To show how many plants fall in set height ranges, a common display is:

    A)A pie chart giving each plant its own slice to show the full countB)A line graph of one seedling’s height changing across clock timeC)A histogram with height intervals on one axis and counts on the otherD)A scatter plot with a fitted line but missing axis labels or units

25. Safety glasses in many practicals mainly protect against:

    A)Acoustic energy and loud noises travelling through the airB)Splashes, flying debris, or unexpected ejecta from equipmentC)Non-ionising radio-frequency fields from nearby electronic devicesD)Low ambient light levels that make reading scales more difficult

26. A conclusion should refer back to:

    A)Only the exact hypothesis sentence, without tying it to measured resultsB)The manufacturers named on apparatus labels, independent of outcomesC)The teacher’s informal opinion about what ought to have happenedD)Data patterns, uncertainty, and whether evidence supports or challenges the idea tested

27. The population in a statistical sense is:

    A)The entire group you intend statements to describe after the studyB)Literally every human alive, no matter what question is being askedC)Whoever actually completed the questionnaire, and no one elseD)Another name for the number of participants recorded in the sample

28. Observer bias can be reduced by:

    A)Recording expected outcomes in detail before any instrument is readB)Running a single trial so the observer cannot compare inconsistent readsC)Blinding, fixed protocols, or automated logging where practicalD)Removing awkward points from the table before anyone reviews the log

29. Zero error on a scale means:

    A)Readings differ randomly with no consistent shift between trialsB)The reading is zero with no load; otherwise every value shares a fixed offsetC)The run must be abandoned whenever the tare button was not pressedD)Repeated measures coincide perfectly so resolution is effectively unlimited

30. Resolution of an instrument refers to:

    A)Whether the hypothesis under test is supported by the collected dataB)How many individual specimens or subjects were included in the studyC)How tightly repeated measurements cluster when conditions are stableD)The smallest difference it can resolve, tied to its scale divisions

31. Categorical data use labels or groups; continuous data can take many values along a scale. Height of seedlings in mm is usually treated as:

    A)Continuous along the millimetre scale within the precision usedB)Strictly categorical because plants are named types rather than numbersC)Binary because each seedling is either tall or short with nothing betweenD)Non-measurable because living tissue changes too quickly to record

32. In science, a claim is falsifiable when:

    A)It only repeats a definition observers could never disagree about in practiceB)It is worded so no possible observation could ever count against itC)Observations could, in principle, conflict with it or force a revisionD)It cannot be tested until it has already been shown true beyond doubt

33. In a fair test of how reaction temperature affects the time for a colour change, the independent variable is:

    A)The elapsed time recorded until the colour change is first detectedB)The reaction temperature deliberately set for each separate trialC)The final colour shade reached once the reaction has fully finishedD)The ambient lighting level, held as constant as practical between trials

34. Peer checking of a method before data collection can improve:

    A)Clarity, safety, and catching confounds before time is spent collectingB)Neatness of handwriting on the submitted method sheet aloneC)How amusing the practical will be for observers watching the setupD)Whether the starting hypothesis is already true before data exist

35. Before starting fieldwork near a registered heritage site, an investigation plan should:

    A)Assume open public access unless a fence blocks entry to the areaB)Rely on social media posts alone to judge whether access is permittedC)Skip risk notes because heritage places pose only cultural, not physical, risksD)Check permissions, follow local protocols, and assess risks to people and the place

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