Subscribe

Grade 9 · Science · Unit 14 of 14

Science or Not Science?

What good science looks like

What your child practises

Practises telling science from pseudoscience and judging what good science looks like, using evidence, testable ideas and fair tests.

Prince Edward Island Curriculum curriculum outcome: GCO 1; GCO 2 · telling science from pseudoscience and judging good scientific evidence

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    What is peer review?

    • a friend reads your homework and gives advice
    • a special type of experiment with plants
    • other experts check a scientist’s work before it is published
    • a poll that asks the public what they think

  2. Question 2

    In a fair test, how many variables do you change at a time?

    • none
    • all of them
    • as many as possible
    • one

  3. Question 3

    What is the dependent variable?

    • what you measure to see the effect
    • what you keep the same in every trial
    • what you change on purpose
    • what you guess before the test starts

  4. Question 4

    Why should the same ruler be used for all measurements in a test?

    • so the ruler stays clean and in good shape
    • because rulers never wear out or change
    • so the measurements can be compared fairly
    • so the whole test finishes sooner than planned

  5. Question 5

    Which is a sign of pseudoscience?

    • It changes when new evidence appears
    • It makes big claims but avoids being tested
    • It shares its data openly
    • It is checked by other scientists

  6. Question 6

    Why is a theory not “just a guess” in science?

    • It is a well-tested explanation supported by lots of evidence
    • It is exactly the same thing as a hypothesis
    • It has never been tested by anyone
    • It is only a personal opinion about nature

More Grade 9