All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is a control group used for when evaluating an experimental claim?
Answer: A baseline for comparison without the treatment. Shows what happens without treatment.
Flashcard 2: Which option is best supported if a graph shows a plateau where Y stays constant as X increases?
Answer: Beyond that X range, Y no longer increases. Plateau shows limit of the relationship.
Flashcard 3: What is an essential step in evaluating claims?
Answer: Verifying the evidence. Confirms the accuracy of supporting data.
Flashcard 4: Which option best evaluates a claim when the study has no control group?
Answer: A baseline comparison is missing; the claim is weakened. No control means no valid comparison.
Flashcard 5: What term describes a claim limited to the measured range of the data?
Answer: Interpolation. Estimate within measured data range.
Flashcard 6: Which option best evaluates a claim when the study has no control group?
Answer: A baseline comparison is missing; the claim is weakened. No control means no valid comparison.
Flashcard 7: Identify the best conclusion: Data show Y increases as X increases in all trials. What is supported?
Answer: Y increases with X (positive association). Clear positive trend in all data.
Flashcard 8: Identify the flaw: A claim states “X causes Y” but the study is observational only. What is the flaw?
Answer: Causation is not established without controlled manipulation. Need controlled experiment for causation claims.
Flashcard 9: Which option is best supported if a graph shows a plateau where Y stays constant as X increases?
Answer: Beyond that X range, Y no longer increases. Plateau shows limit of the relationship.
Flashcard 10: Which option is best supported if two lines on a graph cross at X=5?
Answer: The two conditions have equal Y at X=5. Lines intersect at that point.
Flashcard 11: Identify the correct conclusion: Condition A mean is higher than B, but error bars overlap widely. What follows?
Answer: A higher mean is not clearly a significant difference. Large error bars indicate uncertainty.
Flashcard 12: Identify the best-supported claim: A treatment group improves and the control group does not. What is supported?
Answer: The treatment is associated with improvement versus control. Treatment group shows positive response.
Flashcard 13: Which option best evaluates a claim that extends a linear trend beyond the last data point?
Answer: It is an extrapolation and may be unreliable. Prediction beyond data is uncertain.
Flashcard 14: Identify the correct interpretation: After adding enzyme, reaction rate doubles. What variable changed?
Answer: Enzyme concentration (independent variable) increased. Enzyme was the manipulated variable.
Flashcard 15: Which option is the dependent variable: “Temperature was varied and growth was measured”?
Answer: Growth. Growth was measured as the outcome.
Flashcard 16: Which option is the independent variable: “Light intensity was varied and oxygen production was measured”?
Answer: Light intensity. Light was varied by the experimenter.
Flashcard 17: Identify the best conclusion: Results differ between Lab 1 and Lab 2 using the same method. What is supported?
Answer: The effect is not consistently replicated across labs. Different labs got different results.
Flashcard 18: What is the strongest conclusion you may draw from data in a passage?
Answer: Only what is directly supported by the given evidence. Avoids unsupported inferences beyond the data.
Flashcard 19: What term describes a claim that goes beyond the measured range of the data?
Answer: Extrapolation. Prediction beyond measured data range.
Flashcard 20: Which relationship is shown when two variables change together but one may not cause the other?
Answer: Correlation (association), not necessarily causation. Co-variation doesn't prove causation.
Flashcard 21: What is the key flaw if a claim states that X causes Y based only on a trend in a graph?
Answer: Confusing correlation with causation. Assumes causation from correlation alone.
Flashcard 22: What is a control group used for when evaluating an experimental claim?
Answer: A baseline for comparison without the treatment. Shows what happens without treatment.
Flashcard 23: What is a confounding variable in evaluating a scientific claim?
Answer: A third factor that changes with the independent variable. Uncontrolled factor that affects results.
Flashcard 24: Which option best evaluates a claim based on n=2 subjects per group?
Answer: Support is weak due to very small sample size. Too few subjects for reliable conclusions.
Flashcard 25: Identify the flaw: The control and treatment groups were measured with different instruments. What is the flaw?
Answer: Measurement method is a confounding factor. Different tools introduce systematic bias.
Flashcard 26: Identify the best-supported statement if data show large trial-to-trial variation around the same mean.
Answer: Random error is high; precision is low. High variability reduces measurement quality.
Flashcard 27: Which option best evaluates a claim that relies on a single outlier point to show an effect?
Answer: The claim is weak; one outlier is insufficient evidence. Single unusual point is unreliable evidence.
Flashcard 28: Identify the correct conclusion: A dose-response curve rises then falls at high dose. What is supported?
Answer: High dose reduces the response compared with moderate dose. High dose shows inhibitory effect.
Flashcard 29: Which option best evaluates a claim when the graph axes are unlabeled with no units?
Answer: The claim cannot be properly evaluated without variable identity and units. Missing labels prevent meaningful evaluation.
Flashcard 30: Identify the best conclusion: Two studies agree on direction of effect but differ in magnitude. What is supported?
Answer: Direction is supported; precise magnitude is uncertain. Trend direction is consistent across studies.