Check In #1 (Formative assessment)

1. Jake is performing an experiment to test the effectiveness of a specific brand of fertilizer.

Jake plants 25 rosebushes into five equal groups and gives each group a different amount of the fertilizer every
week. He measures the initial height of the rosebushes and then measures their growth after two months. He
averages the growth of each group and records this data in the table below.
Fertilizer and Average Rose Growth
Amount of Fertilizer
Given Weekly
Average Growth
of Rosebushes
0 grams 3.5 inches
25 grams 3.7 inches
50 grams 4.2 inches
75 grams 4.5 inches
100 grams 2.7 inches
Jake then makes a graph of his results.

Jake incorrectly constructs his graph. Which of following is wrong with Jake's graph?

A.

The graph does not have a title.

B. The independent and dependent variables are on the wrong axes.

C. The graph's axes are not separated into appropriate intervals.

D. The graph's axes are not labeled.

2. A group of marine biologists measured the length of each member of a population of bottlenose dolphins from tip
to tail. The data they gathered is shown below.


Which of the following is true about the biologists' data?

A.

The average length of the dolphins is 5 feet.

B. There are two average lengths for this population.

C. Two different lengths are common in this population.

D. The data shows no trend regarding length.








3. Jamie's biology teacher gave him an assignment to study growth of the dandelion population in the field outside the
classroom. Jamie counted the number of dandelion plants on the first day of the month for six months and then
recorded his results in a chart.
Month # of plants
1 1
2 3
3 27
4 81
5 243
6 729


Which graph correctly represents the population growth based on the chart Jamie made?

W.

X.

Y.

Z.

A.

Z

B. X

C. Y

D. W

4. Jackson performed an experiment in which he analyzed the elemental components of several unknown
compounds. His results are shown in the table below.
Elemental Components of Unknown Compounds

Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen Oxygen Phosphorus Sulfur
Unknown 1 yes yes yes yes yes no
Unknown 2 yes yes yes yes yes yes
Unknown 3 yes yes no yes no no
Unknown 4 yes yes no yes no no

Given this data, Jackson concludes that only Unknown 2 could be a protein. Which of the following explanations
supports Jackson's conclusion?

A.

Proteins have some amino acids that contain sulfur, whereas most lipids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates
do not contain sulfur.

B. Proteins are the only macromolecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus.

C. Proteins have some amino acids that contain nitrogen, whereas most lipids, nucleic acids, and
carbohydrates do not contain nitrogen.

D. Proteins are the only macromolecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.












5. Directions: Select the correct graph.
Dr. Yeoman is performing an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new type of liquid antibacterial soap.
Dr. Yeoman plates bacteria on six different plates and then applies different amounts of the soap to each plate. After
24 hours, he counts the number of bacterial colonies present on the plates. Dr. Yeoman's results are shown in the table
below.
Effectiveness of Antibacterial Soap
Amount of Soap
Added
Number of Bacterial Colonies
Present After 24 Hours
0 mL 15 colonies
0.1 mL 15 colonies
0.2 mL 12 colonies
0.3 mL 8 colonies
0.4 mL 3 colonies
0.5 mL 0 colonies
Select the graph that best represents the data that Dr. Yeoman collected.











6. The following graph shows the leading causes of death among Americans in 2007.


Image courtesy of the National Institutes of Health (2007)
CLRD = Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease


Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the graph?

A. More Americans died from cancer in 2007 than strokes, injuries, and CLRD combined.

B. Fewer people in America die from unintentional injuries today than they did in 2007.

C. More people in America died from Alzheimer's disease in 2007 than in any other country.

D. More Americans died from either heart disease or cancer in 2007 than all other causes combined.






7. Directions: Select the correct graph.
As part of an investigation to observe the effects of fertilizer on plant growth, Oscar determined the average height of
six flowering plants every three days. The data table below shows the results of his experiment.
Day of Measurement 0 3 6 9 12 15
Average Height (cm) 1 3 5 7 9 11
Select the line graph that best corresponds with the data in the table.
8. A science class is studying solubility, so they perform a lab to answer the question, "How does temperature affect the
solubility of sugar in water?" The results of their experiment appear below.
Amount of Sugar Dissolved at Different Temperatures
Temperature (C) Grams of sugar that dissolved
in 100 g water
0 180
20 205
40 240
60 280
80 360
100 490

Which of the following conclusions best answers the experimental question?

A. All of these statements are valid answers to the experimental question.

B. The solubility of sugar in water is 490 g sugar/100 g water at 100C.

C. The solubility of sugar in water increases with an increase in temperature.

D. Sugar is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms covalently bonded together.





9. Examine the bar graph below. Which of the following statements correctly describes a pattern illustrated in the graph?


A. City Y received more precipitation this year than any year before.

B. City Y receives most of its precipitation in the summer.

C. City Y receives most of its precipitation in the autumn.

D. City Y did not receive as much precipitation this year as it did last year.








10. Dr. Morris predicts that if a new drug is given to rabbits, then the drug will increase their metabolic rates and cause
them to lose weight. He designs an experiment to test his prediction.

Dr. Morris separates six rabbits into two equal groups and weighs them all individually. He gives the experimental
group of rabbits the drug but does not give it to the control group. He keeps everything else about the rabbits' living
environment the same, including the amount of food and water provided.

After three weeks, Dr. Morris reweighs the rabbits to see if they have lost weight. His results are shown in the table
below.
Group Original Rabbit Weight
Rabbit Weight After
3 Weeks
Control 2.3 lbs 2.4 lbs
Control 2.8 lbs 2.7 lbs
Control 3.5 lbs 3.7 lbs
Experimental 2.5 lbs 2.8 lbs
Experimental 3.4 lbs 3.9 lbs
Experimental 2.9 lbs 3.1 lbs


Based on the table, was Dr. Morris' prediction supported by his data?

A. No; the data in the table does not support Dr. Morris' prediction.

B. Yes; Dr. Morris designed the experiment correctly so his prediction must be correct.

C. Yes; the data in the table supports Dr. Morris' prediction.

D. No; Dr. Morris should not have used a control group in his experiment.