How it works
This scientific method quiz has 42 questions in three sets: the words of the method, variables and controls, and short experiments in which you find the independent variable, the dependent variable and the control.
Read the full guide
Three sets
Words of the method asks what a hypothesis, theory, law and observation are. Variables and controls covers independent, dependent and controlled variables, control groups, placebos and blind tests. The last set gives 14 made-up experiments to read.
Why no step numbers
Textbooks name and number the steps differently, so the quiz asks what each step is for, not its number. To put the steps in order, use the scientific method diagram.
- Ask what the experimenter changes (independent) and what they measure (dependent). Everything else should stay the same.
- In science a theory is not a guess: it is an explanation that has survived a lot of testing.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between independent and dependent variables?
The independent variable is what the experimenter changes on purpose, such as hours of light. The dependent variable is what is measured, such as plant height, because it may depend on the change.
What is a control group?
The group that does not get the treatment being tested. It gives a baseline, so any difference in the treated group can be put down to the treatment.
What grade is this scientific method quiz for?
The words and the experiments suit grades 5 to 9; placebos, double-blind studies and falsifiability reach into high school. These bands are our judgement, not a published standard.