Which of the following questions is a descriptive investigation?

A. Where do deer go when new construction interferes with their habitat?
Correct! You have to describe where deer go.

B. How do the locations of constellations in the sky change throughout the year?
Incorrect. This compares change over time.

C. How does temperature affect solubility?
Incorrect. This is showing a cause/effect relationship.

D. How is leaf color affected by the number of sunny days in the fall?
Incorrect. This is showing a cause/effect relationship.

Barun loves watching insects. He wants to be an entomologist when he grows up. He has many journals filled with drawings and characteristics of each insect he observes. Which statement best describes Barun’s investigation?

A. He is comparing how lady bugs change over time.
Incorrect. He is drawing and describing, not comparing.

B. He is describing each specimen in great detail.
Correct! He is using his senses to describe insects.

C. He is showing the relationship between different insects.
Incorrect. He is not making a connection between insects.

D. He is counting the number of bugs in a given area.
Incorrect. He is drawing and describing insects.

Which of the following is an example of quantitative data?

A. The liquid was clear and odorless.
Incorrect. This is describing the liquid and includes no numbers so it is qualitative data.

B. Bubbles are forming at the top of the beaker.
Incorrect. This is a description and includes no number so it is qualitative data.

C. A white powdery substance formed when the two chemicals were mixed.
Incorrect. This is a description and includes no number so it is qualitative data.

D. The amount of liquid remaining in the cup was 25mL.
Correct! This is an example of quantitative data.

Which of the following is an example of an inference?

A. 50 mL of water was left in the beaker.
Incorrect. This is an observation.

B. The pill bugs moved in a circular motion.
Incorrect. This is an observation.

C. The bubbles produced during the experiment were oxygen gas.
Correct! This is an inference because the student is guessing that the gas was oxygen.

D. Bubbles are forming at the top of the beaker.
Incorrect. This is an observation.

Two students wanted to find out which plant required more water, an annual or a perennial flower. They decided to use a dandelion as the annual and a rose as the perennial. In three separate test tubes they placed equal amounts of water. In the first two test tubes they placed the dandelion and the rose, leaving the third test tube without a flower as a control. Before placing the flowers in the test tubes, they cut the stems at an angle. After two days, they recorded the amount of water left in the test tubes. Which of the following is the question that the students want answered?

A. Two students wanted to find out which plant required more water, an annual or a perennial flower. They decided to use a dandelion as the annual and a rose as the perennial.
Correct! This part of the scenario identifies a question or problem that needs to be answered.

B. Three separate test tubes they placed equal amounts of water.
Incorrect. This part of the scenario describes a portion of the students’ experiment.

C. In the first two test tubes they placed the dandelion and the rose, leaving the third test tube without a flower as a control. Before placing the flowers in the test tubes they cut the stems at an angle.
Incorrect. This part of the scenario describes a portion of the students’ experiment.

D. After two days they recorded the amount of water left in the test tubes.
Incorrect. This part of the scenario describes the students’ recording of data during their experiment.