Science inquiry — Intermediate

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Level 2: Intermediate

Explain, apply, analyse, sequence — connect ideas, read patterns, use rules in new contexts (bridge to Year 11).

1. A team tests a new fertiliser but also changes light levels between control and test at the same time. The main problem is:

   A)Confounding — you cannot tell whether differences came from fertiliser or lightB)The design is still a fair test if fertiliser is the only variable they intended to changeC)Changing two factors at once mainly improves precision by averaging over more conditionsD)Independent variables cannot interact, so each factor’s effect can be read off separately

2. Why might blinding (where practical) strengthen a drug trial?

   A)It allows researchers to drop participants who respond poorly without affecting statisticsB)It replaces informed consent because participants no longer know they are in a trialC)It reduces bias from participants or researchers knowing who got which treatmentD)It ensures the placebo and active drug are chemically identical

3. You see a straight-line distance–time graph through the origin. The motion is:

   A)At restB)Constant speed (uniform motion in one direction)C)Accelerating uniformly — the straight line shows $v$ increasing linearly with timeD)Speed is undefined because distance and time are both zero at the origin

4. A student concludes causation from a correlation only. The best critique is:

   A)Strong correlation with a clear graph is generally enough for causation in school scienceB)If two variables rise together, the earlier one in time must cause the later oneC)A controlled experiment is unnecessary when the correlation coefficient is above 0.9D)A third variable or reverse causation may explain the link—need design (e.g. control, mechanism, trials)

5. Systematic error differs from random error because it:

   A)Tends to bias results in a consistent direction (e.g. miscalibrated scale)B)Averages to zero over many repeats even if the instrument is miscalibratedC)Only appears when sample size is smallD)Shows up as scatter around the line of best fit with no preferred direction

6. Choosing a line of best fit through scattered points should:

   A)Ignore all points that look inconvenientB)Balance residuals reasonably and follow the trend suggested by the data model you defendC)Pass through every point so no measurement is left outD)Be chosen to maximise $R^2$ even if that means a high-degree polynomial for few points

7. Cultural protocols may be required when research involves:

   A)Only rocks with no historyB)Only online gamesC)Indigenous knowledge, sacred sites, or community data—follow consent and partnership expectationsD)Laboratory physics experiments that use only manufactured equipment

8. A poster for a science fair should prioritise:

   A)Only jokesB)Clear question, method summary, key graph, conclusion, and limitations in readable layoutC)Dense blocks of raw tables so judges see every number collectedD)Matching decorative colours to the hypothesis, with methods deferred to verbal explanation

9. A control in a fair test is useful because it:

   A)Provides a baseline to compare against when the independent variable changesB)Must always be identical to the experimental group in every way including the IVC)Replaces the need for repeatsD)Guarantees the hypothesis is true

10. Random allocation of subjects to treatment groups (where ethical) mainly helps:

    A)Remove the need for consentB)Ensure groups differ in every nuisance variable in a fixed directionC)Replace measurementD)Spread confounding factors roughly evenly so groups are comparable on average

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