Practice Quiz

MTEL Earth Science Practice Test - Question List

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1.
A hypothesis provides which of the following in a scientific investigation?
  1. A question that can be answered by researching existing literature.
  2. A format for outlining the approach to be used in the investigation.
  3. A summary of previous research on the topic being investigated.
  4. A proposed explanation for the phenomena being investigated.
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2.
In order to isolate the relationship between two variables in an experiment, scientists must:
  1. Carry out the experiment in a laboratory setting.
  2. Predict the full range of possible outcomes of the experiment.
  3. Control the conditions under which the experiment is carried out.
  4. Limit the scope of the experiment to the investigation of known facts.
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3.
A climatologist is investigating the causes of an extended drought in a particular region. Which of the following questions would provide the best foundation for the climatologist's investigation into the causes of the drought?
  1. How could the drought conditions in the region best be managed?
  2. What variables affect the region's precipitation during droughts?
  3. How long did other droughts in the region last?
  4. Why do droughts strike only in certain regions and not others?
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4.
A scientist is investigating the source of a petroleum contaminant in a high-yield drinking-water well. The well is deep and draws from a confined aquifer. Test wells drilled immediately to the north and to the east of the well are found to be contaminated. Test wells drilled to the south and west are not. The scientist concludes that the contaminant must be coming from the north and east. Which of the following factors would most reduce the validity of the scientist's conclusion?
  1. The contaminated test wells are on the up-gradient side of the drinking-water well where groundwater in the confined aquifer flows toward the well.
  2. The uncontaminated samples were collected when the pump for the drinking-water well was on, while the other samples were collected when it was off.
  3. The contaminated samples were collected on the same day by different people.
  4. The uncontaminated test wells were drilled to a depth that is above the confined aquifer supplying water to the drinking-water well.
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5.
A researcher is analyzing data collected for a study of climate change. Which of the following actions by the researcher would most strongly bias the analysis?
  1. Noting flaws in the research design that may have generated faulty data.
  2. Removing data that significantly differ from expected results.
  3. Altering the graphical presentation of the data set to make it more readable.
  4. Summarizing data collected on a daily basis into a weekly average.
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