READTHEORY Passage and Questions

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• Reading Comprehension Assessment
Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.

The Scientific Method

Quality experimentation requires scientists to follow an
organized and specific sequence, so that experiments can be
controlled and replicated. Most researchers start with a question and
design an experiment to help answer it. This process is called the
scientific method. The steps below outline how you can use this
standardized scientific model to test your own questions about the
world.
Question: First, formulate a research question based on an
observation or a curiosity. For example: What will happen if a plant is
exposed to only one hour of sunlight each day?
Research: Find out what other scientists have observed regarding this topic or question. Perhaps
other scientists have completed experiments on plant growth and sunlight. They may have answers to the
research question or suggestions for methods to help test this question.
Hypothesis: Develop a theory or a guess about what the answer to the research question might
be. For example: I predict that if I only expose my plant to one hour of sunlight each day, it will grow less
than a plant exposed to 6 hours of sunlight daily.
Methods/Experiment: After asking a research question, decide which methods you will use to
gather data. Figure out how to test the theory and what materials will be needed to conduct the
experiment. Follow specific procedures when carrying out the experiment. During the experiment phase,
record your methods, data, and observations.
Analysis: Once the experiment has been conducted and observations have been recorded,
analyze the data. This involves looking at the results and determining what kind of information is present.
Conclusion: Decide if the research question has been answered and draw a conclusion about
the results. If the question has not been answered or the data is indeterminate, this may result in a new
research question and subsequent experiment. Remember: well-planned and documented experiments
should be replicable.
Report: Report your findings. Other researchers may be interested in your research. You may
have just made a brilliant new contribution to science!

1) The scientific method is best described as

A. formal decisions about whether or not an experiment yields enough data

B. a way to plan a scientific experiment without documenting any results
C. the process of asking a research question and making a hypothesis
D. a standardized scientific model used to test questions about the world

2) Jim wants to conduct an experiment to learn how a plant absorbs water from the soil. Which of the
following choices presents a proper hypothesis for Jim's experiment?

A. How does a plant absorb water from the soil?

B. Past scientists have found that the plant's roots absorb water from the soil.
C. The plant's stem provides the plant with the structure it needs to support leaves.
D. I predict that the plant's roots will play an important role in absorbing water from the soil.
 READTHEORY Questions

3) After analyzing the research data, scientists need to

A. make a hypothesis
B. record observations
C. publish a report
D. draw a conclusion

4) Based on its use in the “Conclusion” section, it can be understood that indeterminate belongs to
which of the following word groups?

A. unplanned, spontaneous, accidental

B. unclear, unspecified, inconclusive
C. enclosed, surrounded, encircled
D. inconsistent, contradicting, confounded

5) Think of your own science class. When was the last time you applied the scientific method in class?
What were you investigating? What did you learn?

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6) Imagine your science teacher allowed you to conduct an experiment on anything you wanted. Explain
what you would investigate. How would you follow the scientific method in your research?

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 READTHEORY Questions

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7) What do you think happens to scientific research if any portion of the scientific method is skipped? Is
it possible to do accurate scientific research if you disregard the scientific method? Explain your
thoughts.

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8) The scientific method is just one procedure scientists follow in order to perform reliable research.
Most scientists have to follow safety and ethical rules in addition to this. What extra rules do you have
in your own science class? What other rules do you think scientists have to follow?

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 READTHEORY Answers and Explanations

1) D
Question Type: Detail
At the end of the first paragraph, the author writes, “The steps below outline how you can use this standardized scientific model to
test your own questions about the world.” We can tell that the phrase “this standardized scientific model…” refers back to something
from the previous sentence. In the previous sentence, the author writes, “This process is called the scientific method.” Using this
information, we can tell that the scientific method is best described as a standardized scientific model used to test questions about
the world. This means (D) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A), (B), or (C). Therefore they
are incorrect.

2) D
Question Type: Inference
Jim wants to conduct an experiment. To do this properly, he must use the scientific method. In the Hypothesis section of the
passage, we learn about the hypothesis step of the scientific method. The passage says, "Develop a theory or a guess about what
the answer to the research question might be. For example: I predict that if I only expose my plant to one hour of sunlight each day,
it will grow less than a plant exposed to 6 hours of sunlight daily." We are told that Jim wants to make a hypothesis about a plant's
ability to absorb water from the soil. This means he must make a prediction about the outcome of his experiment. A proper
hypothesis for Jim's experiment would be, "I predict that the plant's roots will play an important role in absorbing water from the soil."
Therefore (D) is correct. Choice (A) presents the Question Jim should formulate before conducting his experiment, not the
hypothesis. Therefore it is incorrect. Choice (B) presents the Research Jim should perform before conducting his experiment, not
the hypothesis. Therefore it is incorrect. Choice (C) presents the Methods/Experiment observations Jim may see while conducting
his experiment, not the hypothesis. Therefore it is incorrect.

3) D
Question Type: Detail
In the “Analysis” section, the author writes, “Once the experiment has been conducted and observations have been recorded,
analyze the data.” Because we’re looking for the step after scientists analyze the research data, we can tell that we should read the
next step, which is the “Conclusion” section. In this section, the author writes, “Decide if the research question has been answered
and draw a conclusion about the results.” This lets us know that after analyzing the research data, scientists should draw a
conclusion, so (D) is correct. The passage does not provide information to support choices (A), (B), or (C). Therefore they are
incorrect.

4) B
Question Type: Vocabulary
indeterminate (adjective): not exactly known, established, or defined clearly.
In the “Conclusion” section, the author writes, “If the question has not been answered or the data is indeterminate, this may result in
a new research question and subsequent experiment.” We can use context clues—hints from known words or phrases around the
unknown word or phrase—to help us figure out what indeterminate most nearly means. The phrase “the data is indeterminate” is
parallel to the phrase “the question has not been answered” because of the word “or” that separates these two points. This lets us
know that indeterminate must mean something like what happens when the question has not been answered. When a question is
not answered, we don’t know anything for sure since nothing has been established or defined for us. From this, we can tell that
indeterminate means something like not exactly known. Undetermined, unspecified, and inconclusive all describe something that is
not exactly known. This lets us know that indeterminate belongs to the word group containing unclear, unspecified,
and inconclusive. Therefore (B) is correct. Using the above information, we can tell that indeterminate means something like not
exactly known. Unplanned, spontaneous, and accidental all mean occurring without prior knowledge or a plan. Since this is not
exactly the same as something not exactly known, we can tell that indeterminate does not belong to the word group containing
these words. This means (A) is incorrect. Using the above information, we can tell that indeterminate means something like not
exactly known. Enclosed, surrounded, and encircled mean that something goes all around the object described. Since this is not the
same thing as not exactly known, we can tell that indeterminate does not belong to the word group containing enclosed, surrounded,
and encircled. Therefore (C) is incorrect. Using the above information, we can tell that indeterminate means something like not
exactly known. Inconsistent, contradicting, and confounded all mean something like not remaining the same. Since this is not the
same thing as not exactly known, we can tell that indeterminate does not belong to the word group containing these words. This
means (D) is incorrect.