Deck 1: The Scientific Method

Question 1

When first proposed, a scientific idea is usually called a

A)hypothesis.
B)law.
C)theory.
D)model.

Answer 1

hypothesis.

Question 2

A year is the time needed for

A)the sun to drift completely around the sky.
B)the moon to drift completely around the sky.
C)the earth to turn completely on its axis.
D)None of the choices are correct.

Answer 2

the sun to drift completely around the sky.

Question 3

Relative to the stars, the moon seems to move

A)northward.
B)southward.
C)eastward.
D)westward.

Answer 3

eastward.

Question 4

The discovery that the planetary orbits are ellipses rather than circles was made by

A)Ptolemy.
B)Copernicus.
C)Kepler.
D)Newton.

Question 5

Arrange the following planets in the order of their distance from the sun. 1.Venus
2)Mars
3)Earth
4)Mercury

A)4, 1, 3, 2
B)1, 4, 3, 2
C)2, 3, 1, 4
D)3, 2, 4, 1

Question 6

The time at which a given star rises above the horizon each night is

A)earlier than the night before.
B)the same as the night before.
C)later than the night before.
D)Any of the choices, depending on which star is involved.

Question 7

What distinguishes the scientific method from other ways of looking at the natural world is

A)the eternal truth of its laws and theories.
B)its replacement of existing laws and theories at regular intervals.
C)its reliance on the opinions of expert scientists to decide which laws and theories to believe.
D)its reliance on experiment and observation.

Question 8

A regularity in observed data or a relationship between different quantities is usually called a

A)hypothesis.
B)law.
C)theory.
D)model.

Question 9

The time needed for a planet to orbit the sun

A)is the same for all planets.
B)depends on the size of the planet.
C)depends on how fast the planet rotates.
D)depends on the average distance of the planet from the sun.

Question 10

A week is the time needed for

A)the sun to drift completely around the sky.
B)the moon to drift completely around the sky.
C)the earth to turn completely on its axis.
D)None of the choices are correct.

Question 11

Kepler modified

A)the Ptolemaic system.
B)the Copernican system.
C)Newton's law of gravity.
D)the theory of the tides.

Question 12

Leap years are needed because

A)the earth's orbit is not a perfect circle.
B)the length of the day varies.
C)the length of the year varies.
D)the length of the year is not a whole number of days.

Question 13

The object in the sky that lies very nearly on an extension of the earth's axis is

A)the sun.
B)the moon.
C)Mercury.
D)Polaris.

Question 14

The period of the earth's orbit around the sun is

A)one day.
B)one week.
C)one month.
D)one year.

Question 15

In which one or more of the following is the earth assumed to be the center of the universe?

A)the Ptolemaic system
B)the Copernican system
C)Kepler's laws of planetary motion
D)Newton's law of gravity

Question 16

The ongoing evolution of living things

A)is one of the basic concepts of biology.
B)is one of the basic concepts of Intelligent Design.
C)has no basis in observation.
D)is in conflict with all religions.

Question 17

Scientific theories

A)must be constantly reviewed to see whether they are in accord with new experimental observations.
B)represent guesses that have not yet been compared with observational data.
C)are summaries of particular experiments.
D)are laws of nature not subject to revision.

Question 18

A day is the time needed for

A)the sun to drift completely around the sky.
B)the moon to drift completely around the sky.
C)the earth to turn completely on its axis.
D)None of the choices are correct.

Question 19

A planet not visible to the naked eye is

A)Mars.
B)Venus.
C)Mercury.
D)Neptune.

Question 20

A constellation is

A)an especially bright star.
B)an apparent pattern of stars in the sky.
C)a group of stars close together in space.
D)a group of planets close together in space.

Question 21

The shortest of the following is

A)10⁴ in.
B)10⁴ m.
C)10³ ft.
D)0.1 mi.

Question 22

A square foot contains approximately

A)144 cm².
B)366 cm².
C)929 cm².
D)1000 cm².

Question 23

A centimeter is

A)0.001 m.
B)0.01 m.
C)0.1 m.
D)10 m.

Question 24

Gravity is not

A)a fundamental force.
B)responsible for holding the moon in orbit around the earth.
C)responsible for holding atoms and molecules together.
D)active throughout the universe.

Question 25

A mast is 60 ft tall.The SI equivalent of this height is

A)18.3 m.
B)19.6 m.
C)23.6 m.
D)183 m.

Question 26

High tides occur

A)less often than low tides.
B)as often as low tides.
C)more often than low tides.
D)Any of the choices, depending on location.

Question 27

When a planet is farthest from the sun in its orbit,

A)its speed is greatest.
B)its speed is the same as when it is farther away.
C)its speed is least.
D)Any of the choices, depending on which planet it is.

Question 28

In most parts of the world high tides occur approximately

A)twice a day.
B)once a day.
C)once a week.
D)once every two weeks.

Question 29

Which of the following statements is true?

A)High tides are caused by the sun, low tides by the moon.
B)Low tides are caused by the sun, high tides by the moon.
C)The moon is chiefly responsible for the tides, with the sun's influence modifying the tidal range.
D)The sun is chiefly responsible for the tides, with the moon's influence modifying the tidal range.

Question 30

A meter is not equal to

A)100 cm.
B)10³ mm.
C)0.01 km.
D)10^-3 km.

Question 31

The scientist who showed that gravity accounts for Kepler's laws of planetary motion was

A)Newton.
B)Brahe.
C)Einstein.
D)Galileo.

Question 32

The measurements of a room are given as length = 5.28 m and width = 3.1 m.Since (5.28)(3.1) = 16.368, the room's area is correctly expressed as

A)16 m².
B)16.0 m².
C)16.4 m².
D)16.368 m².

Question 33

In the distant past, the length of the day was

A)shorter than 24h.
B)24h as at present.
C)longer than 24h.
D)impossible to determine.

Question 34

When the sun, the earth, and the moon are all in line,

A)high tides and low tides are both higher than usual.
B)high tides and low tides are both lower than usual.
C)high tides are higher than usual and low tides are lower than usual.
D)high tides are lower than usual and low tides are higher than usual.

Question 35

Astrology

A)provides a scientific basis for planning our lives.
B)correctly predicts the future.
C)is based on the scientific method.
D)is nonsense.

Question 36

Stars and planets are round because

A)a sphere is the most natural shape.
B)they rotate.
C)gravity forces them into this shape.
D)friction in space grinds them into this shape.

Question 37

The British unit of length closest to the meter is the

A)inch.
B)foot.
C)yard.
D)mile.

Question 38

The shortest of the following units is the

A)inch.
B)centimeter.
C)meter.
D)kilometer.

Question 39

The longest of the following is

A)1 mm.
B)0.00001 km.
C)0.01 in.
D)0.001 ft.

Question 40

If the earth were to revolve on its axis slower than it does today, its shape

A)would be closer to a perfect sphere.
B)would be farther from a perfect sphere.
C)and size would be unchanged.
D)would not change but it would expand in size.