Drawing conclusions from evidence (age 9+)

Question 1

Sam investigated how many beans sprouted when they were soaked in water for three days compared with beans that were left dry. Which of the following would be the best way for Sam to present his findings to the class?

Accepted Answer

A labelled table that lists the number of sprouted beans for the ‘water’ group and the ‘dry’ group, includes a clear title, and a short paragraph explaining that the water helped more beans sprout.

Answer

A numbered list describing the steps Sam followed during the experiment, such as ‘1. Gather beans, 2. Add water…’.

Answer

A paragraph that repeats the original hypothesis, stating ‘I think water will help beans sprout faster,’ without giving any results.

Answer

A colourful drawing of beans with no numbers or labels, showing the beans in a pot.

Question 2

Jenna wanted to find out which type of drink makes an ice cube melt fastest. She placed one ice cube in a cup of plain water, one ice cube in a cup of soda, and one ice cube in a cup of orange juice. Using a stopwatch, she timed each cube once and recorded 4 minutes for water, 5 minutes for soda, and 6 minutes for orange juice. Which statement best describes how much we should trust Jenna’s conclusion that water makes ice melt fastest?

Accepted Answer

We should be cautious about trusting her conclusion because she only performed one trial for each drink, so the sample size is small and any timing error could change the result.

Answer

We can trust her conclusion completely because she used a precise stopwatch and the times are different for each drink.

Answer

We can trust her conclusion fairly well because she tested three different drinks, showing a pattern.

Answer

We cannot trust her conclusion at all because she did not include a control where no drink was used.

Question 3

Liam tested how quickly three fabrics dry after being soaked in water. He measured the time (in minutes) for each fabric to dry completely. He repeated each test three times and recorded the average drying time: • Cotton: 12 minutes • Wool: 18 minutes • Polyester: 9 minutes All other conditions (amount of water, room temperature, and drying space) were kept the same. Which of the following written summaries best presents Liam’s findings using clear scientific language?

Accepted Answer

The results indicate that polyester had the lowest average drying time (9 min), followed by cotton (12 min) and wool (18 min). Because polyester fibers repel water, it dried quicker. Repeating the test three times gave consistent times, so the results are reliable.

Answer

Liam’s experiment showed that polyester dried the fastest, so polyester is always the best fabric for any situation because it dries quickly.

Answer

Polyester seemed to dry faster than cotton and wool. I think this means polyester is a better fabric for sports because it dries fast.

Answer

The data showed polyester at 9 min, cotton at 12 min, and wool at 18 min. The experiment was done once, so we can’t be sure the results are accurate.

Try three questions

Sam investigated how many beans sprouted when they were soaked in water for three days compared with beans that were left dry. Which of the following would be the best way for Sam to present his findings to the class?

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