Biology Practice Test: Experimental Design and Lab Skills
- Experimental Design and Lab Skills
- 10 questions
- 13 minutes
This test uses short experiment stories to practice the skills behind every biology unit: variables, controls, data and the microscope. Tip: the independent variable is the one the scientist changes on purpose.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
Your result
- 0 correct
- 0 wrong
- 0 blank
-
Question 1
A student gives four groups of bean plants 0, 5, 10 and 15 mL of fertilizer per week and measures their height after a month. What is the independent variable?
Correct answer: A
The independent variable is what the experimenter changes on purpose, here the fertilizer amount. Plant height is what is measured in response, so it is the dependent variable.
-
Question 2
A scientist tests how water temperature affects how many times per minute a goldfish opens its gills. What is the dependent variable?
Correct answer: D
The dependent variable is the result that is measured, which here is the gill rate. Water temperature is changed on purpose, so it is the independent variable.
-
Question 3
To test a new plant food, one group of tomato plants gets the plant food and an identical group gets plain water only. What is the purpose of the plain-water group?
Correct answer: C
The control group is treated the same in every way except it does not get the factor being tested, so any difference can be linked to the plant food. The group that gets the plant food is the experimental group.
-
Question 4
In an experiment on how light color affects plant growth, all plants get the same pot size, soil and amount of water. What are these factors called?
Correct answer: A
Factors kept the same in every group are controlled variables; keeping them equal makes sure only light color differs. If they were changed too, it would be impossible to tell which factor caused the result.
-
Question 5
Which statement is a testable hypothesis?
Correct answer: C
A testable hypothesis predicts a measurable result from a change you can make, often in an if-then form. Opinions such as "most interesting" cannot be tested with an experiment.
-
Question 6
A light microscope has a 10× eyepiece. A student switches to the 40× objective lens. What is the total magnification?
Correct answer: B
Total magnification is the eyepiece power times the objective power: 10 × 40 = 400. Adding them (10 + 40 = 50) is the common error.
-
Question 7
What happens to the field of view when you switch from a low-power to a high-power objective?
Correct answer: D
Higher magnification enlarges a smaller area of the specimen, so less of the slide fits in view. The image also usually gets dimmer, which is why you may need to adjust the light.
-
Question 8
Four plants in a test group grew 12 cm, 15 cm, 9 cm and 14 cm. What is the mean growth?
Correct answer: D
The mean is the total divided by the number of plants: (12 + 15 + 9 + 14) ÷ 4 = 50 ÷ 4 = 12.5 cm. The value 13 cm is the median, the average of the two middle values.
-
Question 9
Why do scientists repeat trials or use many organisms in each group?
Correct answer: B
One odd plant or one bad measurement can skew a small test, but averaging many trials makes chance effects less important. Repeating trials never proves a hypothesis true, it only makes the evidence stronger.
-
Question 10
How is a scientific theory different from a hypothesis?
Correct answer: C
Theories such as cell theory or evolution explain a wide range of observations and have survived many tests. In everyday speech "theory" means a guess, but in science that word fits a hypothesis better.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
More Science tests
ScienceBiology Practice Test: Cell Structure and FunctionCell Structure and Function15 questions18 min ScienceBiology Practice Test: Photosynthesis and Cellular RespirationPhotosynthesis and Cellular Respiration15 questions18 minScienceBiology Practice Test: Genetics and HeredityGenetics and Heredity15 questions20 minScienceBiology Practice Test: Evolution and Natural SelectionEvolution and Natural Selection15 questions18 minScienceBiology Practice Test: Ecology and EcosystemsEcology and Ecosystems15 questions18 minScienceBiology Practice Test: Cell TransportCell Transport10 questions13 minScienceBiology Practice Test: PhotosynthesisPhotosynthesis10 questions13 min