Developing pupil responses to SC1 questions

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Developing Pupil Responses to KS3 Scientific
Enquiry SAT Questions
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• Developing Pupil Responses to KS3 Scientific
  Enquiry SAT Questions
•  
• Please find enclosed a PowerPoint presentation to
  support the revision of Scientific Enquiry
  questions.
•  
• It is anticipated that this resource will be used
  as part of a revision programme during the
  approach to SATs 2006.
•  
• The format of this resource is as follows
•  
• As a new question sequence starts, the slide
  background
• colour changes
• Each part of the question has two slides
• The first slide has incorrect or poorly phrased
  answers.
• These answers are in red.
• The second slide has improved answers and gives
  an
• opportunity to discuss the
  approach pupils should adopt.
• These answers are in green.

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On one oak tree, there were two types of
caterpillar.
All the caterpillars were eating the leaves.The
number of gypsy moth caterpillars increased. What
happened to the number of orange-striped
caterpillars?
dropped
Explain your answer. because there was less
of them
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On one oak tree, there were two types of
caterpillar.
All the caterpillars were eating the leaves.The
number of gypsy moth caterpillars increased. What
happened to the number of orange-striped
caterpillars?
The number went down or decreased (1)
Explain your answer. There was less food for
the orange-striped caterpillars (1)
5
Emma and Philip wanted to see if changing the
temperature of the water affected the time taken
for a cold cure powder to dissolve in water.
Philip recorded their results.
Write the heading for the first column in the
table below
74
40
144
20
34
57
6
Emma and Philip wanted to see if changing the
temperature of the water affected the time taken
for a cold cure powder to dissolve in water.
Philip recorded their results.
Write the heading for the first column in the
table below
(1) (1) (1)
114
20
74
40
34
57
7
Give the names of two pieces of measuring
equipment they would need. 1. Measuring
jug 2. Ruler
Why did they put the same amount of water in each
beaker?
so they would be the same
Emma wrote, My investigation was good, as her
conclusion. Philip said this was not a scientific
conclusion. Explain why Emmas conclusion is not
scientific.
she didnt say what her results were
8

• Give the names of two pieces of measuring
  equipment they would need.
• Thermometer
• Clock
• Measuring cylinder
• Balance

any two of these (2)
Why did they put the same amount of water in each
beaker?
to make a fair test (1)
Emma wrote, My investigation was good, as her
conclusion. Philip said this was not a scientific
conclusion. Explain why Emmas conclusion is not
scientific.
it did not use her results to describe the
relationship between temperature and dissolving
(1)
9
20
114
40
74
57
34
Look at their results above. Write a scientific
conclusion for their investigation.
the temperature is lowest when it took 144
seconds
10
20
114
40
74
57
34
Look at their results above. Write a scientific
conclusion for their investigation.
The higher the temperature, the shorter the time
to dissolve (1)
11
The drawing shows a toy shark. Magnets X and Y
make the shark float above the plastic base.
S N
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Sophie added weights to the toy shark and
measured the distance between the two
magnets.Her results are shown here.
 

• Complete the sentence below.
• As the weight on the toy shark increased, the
  distance between
• the magnets
• changed
• Sophie turned the magnet in the plastic base the
  other way up.
• What happened to the shark?
• it moved

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Sophie added weights to the toy shark and
measured the distance between the two
magnets.Her results are shown here.

• Complete the sentence below.
• As the weight on the toy shark increased, the
  distance between
• the magnets
• decreased (1)
• Sophie turned the magnet in the plastic base the
  other way up.
• What happened to the shark?
• the shark sank because its magnet was
• attracted to the base (1)

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These photographs show pupils investigating the
movement of objects on ramps.
Plan an investigation into the factors affecting
the movement of objects on ramps. You can use any
objects and any surfaces you like, and any other
equipment you need. In the box below, write a
short draft of one question you could plan to
investigate about the movement of objects on ramps
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These photographs show pupils investigating the
movement of objects on ramps.
Plan an investigation into the factors affecting
the movement of objects on ramps. You can use any
objects and any surfaces you like, and any other
equipment you need. In the box below, write a
short draft of one question you could plan to
investigate about the movement of objects on ramps
I could investigate how the surface affects the
speed of the object. I would change the type of
surface I will keep the same the object, the
steepness of the slope, the initial push, the
starting point, the finishing point. I will
measure the time taken for the object to travel
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These photographs show pupils investigating the
movement of objects on ramps.
What other questions could investigate? Draft
how.


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Give one factor you could change as you carry
out your investigation(the independent
variable). the amount of friction
What factor would you observe or measure to
collect your results (the dependent variable) and
what equipment would you use to measure them?The
factor I would observe or measure is
force   The measuring equipment I would use
is Newton Meter Give one factor you should
keep the same to make your test fair. keep
everything the same  
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Give one factor you could change as you carry
out your investigation(the independent
variable). type of surface
What factor would you observe or measure to
collect your results (the dependent variable) and
what equipment would you use to measure them?The
factor I would observe or measure is the time
taken for the object to travel   The measuring
equipment I would use is stopwatch Give one
factor you should keep the same to make your test
fair. distance that the object travels Notice
how these questions relate to the draft box  
19
The table below gives information about three of
the planets in our solar system.
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The time for one orbit of the planet Neptune is
165 Earth years. Estimate the average distance of
Neptune from the Sun. Use information in the
table to help you. between Uranus and Pluto
millions of km   How does the surface temperature
of these planets vary with distance from the
Sun? Use information in the table to help
you. Pluto is the coldest   Explain why the
temperature varies with distance from the Sun
in this way. the sun is weaker
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The time for one orbit of the planet Neptune is
165 Earth years. Estimate the average distance of
Neptune from the Sun. Use information in the
table to help you. a number between 2810 and
5900 millions of km (1)   How does
the surface temperature of these planets vary
with distance from the Sun? Use information in
the table to help you. the further away, the
lower the temperature (1)   Explain why the
temperature varies with distance from the Sun in
this way. planets that are further away receive
less energy (1)
22
Alex makes an electromagnet.She winds
insulated wire around an iron nail.She connects
the wire to a power supply.She uses the
electromagnet to pick up some steel paper-clips.
This is her prediction.
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Give the one factor she should change as she
investigates her prediction. the number of paper
clips Give one factor she should keep the
same. the number of turns/coils Describe how
she could use the paper-clips to measure
thestrength of the electromagnet. count how
many do not stick
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Give the one factor she should change as she
investigates her prediction. the number of
turns/coils (1) Give one factor she
should keep the same. current/voltage/thickness
of wire (1) Describe how she could use the
paper-clips to measure thestrength of the
electromagnet. count these or measure their
mass (1)
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Alex wrote a report of her investigation. What
would an odd result suggest? the test is unfair
Which size paper-clips would Alex use to make
her results more accurate? Tick the correct
box.   Give a reason for your choice. it will
pick up a few large paper clips, but a lot of
small paperclips
?
?
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Alex wrote a report of her investigation. What
would an odd result suggest? an
inaccuracy (1)
Which size paper-clips would Alex use to make
her results more accurate? Tick the correct
box.   Give a reason for your choice. the
smaller paper clips can show a precise point at
which the electro-magnet stopped picking up paper
clips
?
(1)
(1)
27
The drawing below shows the size and direction of
four differentforces acting on the astronaut.
What will happen to the astronaut when
the jets produce these four forces? he wont
move Explain your answer. the forces are equal
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The drawing below shows the size and direction of
four differentforces acting on the astronaut.
What will happen to the astronaut when
the jets produce these four forces? he will be
stationary Explain your answer. because the
pairs of forces are equal
(1)
(1)
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The bar chart shows the force of gravity on
eight of the planets.
The gravity on Neptune is 12 N/kg. On the chart
above, draw a bar for the planet Neptune. Use a
ruler.
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The bar chart shows the force of gravity on
eight of the planets.
(1)
The gravity on Neptune is 12 N/kg. On the chart
above, draw a bar for the planet Neptune. Use a
ruler.
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Give the name of a planet where you would
weigh more than you weigh on Earth. Pluto On
which planet would a spaceship need the largest
force to take off? Pluto
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Give the name of a planet where you would weigh
more than you weigh on Earth. Jupiter/Saturn/Nep
tune On which planet would a spaceship need the
largest force to take off? Jupiter
(1)
(1)
33
Ruth added some blue copper sulphate crystals to
a beaker of water.
How could Ruth see that some of the copper
sulphate crystals had dissolved in the
water? it changed How could Ruth make the
copper sulphate crystals dissolve more
quickly? add more water Ruth poured some of
the copper sulphate solution into a dish.She
left it in a warm room for five days. All the
water evaporated from the solution in the
dish.What was left in the dish? blue powder
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Ruth added some blue copper sulphate crystals to
a beaker of water.
How could Ruth see that some of the copper
sulphate crystals had dissolved in the
water? the water went blue How could Ruth make
the copper sulphate crystals dissolve more
quickly? stir/heat/crush the crystals Ruth
poured some of the copper sulphate solution into
a dish.She left it in a warm room for five
days. All the water evaporated from the solution
in the dish.What was left in the dish? copper
sulphate crystals
(1)
(1)
(1)
35
Ruth did an experiment to see how much of three
solids, P, Q and R, will dissolve in water at
different temperatures.She plotted her results
on graph paper as shown below.
Use the graph above to answer the questions
below. At 30C how many grams of solid R
dissolved in the water? 38 g At 60C which
solid dissolved the most in water? Give the
letter. R Which two solids were equally
soluble at 25C? Give the letters. p and p
36
Ruth did an experiment to see how much of three
solids, P, Q and R, will dissolve in water at
different temperatures.She plotted her results
on graph paper as shown below.
Use the graph above to answer the questions
below. At 30C how many grams of solid R
dissolved in the water? 10 g At 60C which
solid dissolved the most in water? Give the
letter. Q Which two solids were equally
soluble at 25C? Give the letters. P and Q
(1)
(1)
(1)
37
Some pupils visited a deer park.A poster showed
different types of deer.
adult male adult female
young
Emily said, I saw a male deer. Look at the
drawings in the poster. How would Emily know
that the deer was male? it looks like a male
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Some pupils visited a deer park.A poster showed
different types of deer.
adult male adult female
young
Emily said, I saw a male deer. Look at the
drawings in the poster. How would Emily know
that the deer was male? it has antlers
(1)
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adult male adult female
young
Jimmy made some notes about a young deer.
Give one reason why he cannot identify the type
of young deer from his notes. an adult female
has spots
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adult male adult female
young
Give one reason why he cannot identify the type
of young deer from his notes. they all have
these characteristics (1)
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Dan drew one of the deer. He said
it was an adult male red deer.

• Give two pieces of evidence from his drawing
  which suggest that he got the name wrong.
• It looks like a fallow deer
• ................................................
  ......

Red Fallow Roe
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Dan drew one of the deer. He said
it was an adult male red deer.

• Give two pieces of evidence from his drawing
  which suggest that he got the name wrong.
• Red deer doesnt have spots (1)
• Red deer has got hair round neck (1)

Red Fallow Roe
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Michael saw a deer like this.
What two pieces of evidence show it was not
one of the deer on the poster? 1. it has a
hump 2. ........................................
.......
Red Fallow Roe
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Michael saw a deer like this.
What two pieces of evidence show it was not
one of the deer on the poster? 1. different
shape of antlers 2. its got a beard
Red Fallow Roe
(1)
(1)
45
Zeena carries a personal emergency alarm. It
uses nitrogen gas to produce a very loud sound.
Zeena pushes the lid down and nitrogen gas
escapes through the diaphragm. The diaphragm
vibrates and produces a sound. The pattern on
the oscilloscope screen below represents the
soundwave produced by the alarm.
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  The loudness of the sound produced by the alarm
decreases between X and Y. How can you tell this
from the graph?
it vibrates less
The pitch of the sound produced by the alarm
stays the same between X and Y. How can you tell
this from the graph?
the gap is the same
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  The loudness of the sound produced by the alarm
decreases between X and Y. How can you tell this
from the graph?
amplitude gets smaller/height of wave gets smaller
(1)
The pitch of the sound produced by the alarm
stays the same between X and Y. How can you tell
this from the graph?
the peaks/troughs are equally spaced
(1)
48
Molly used a pH sensor to test different liquids.
She dipped the probe of the sensor into each
liquid and recorded the pH value in a table.
49
 
Between each test Molly dipped the probe into
distilled water. Why did she do this? to make
it a fair test Which other liquid in the table
could Molly use between tests to have the same
effect as distilled water? neutral liquid
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Between each test Molly dipped the probe into
distilled water. Why did she do this? to clean
the probe and prevent contamination Which other
liquid in the table could Molly use between tests
to have the same effect as distilled
water? alcohol
(1)
(1)
51
Molly put a piece of magnesium into a test-tube
containing 20 cm3 of vinegar. She put another
piece of magnesium into a test-tube containing 20
cm3 of dilute hydrochloric acid.
Molly thought that magnesium would react more
vigorously with hydrochloric acid than with
vinegar.What information in the table made Molly
think this? vinegar is weak How would
Molly be able to tell if a more vigorous reaction
took place with hydrochloric acid than with
vinegar? how many bubbles there were
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Molly put a piece of magnesium into a test-tube
containing 20 cm3 of vinegar. She put another
piece of magnesium into a test-tube containing 20
cm3 of dilute hydrochloric acid.
Molly thought that magnesium would react more
vigorously with hydrochloric acid than with
vinegar.What information in the table made Molly
think this? hydrochloric acid has a lower
pH/more acidic How would Molly be able to tell
if a more vigorous reaction took place with
hydrochloric acid than with vinegar? more
bubbles/faster bubbles
(1)
(1)
53
Two groups of pupils investigated the factors
affecting the time taken for an indigestion
tablet to dissolve in 100 cm3 of water.
Group 1 recorded their results in the table.
What factor did group 1 change as they carried
out their investigation?
mass of tablet
Before the investigation, group 1 made a
prediction.They found this prediction was
supported by the results in the table. What
prediction did group 1 make? crushed tablets
will dissolve more
54
Two groups of pupils investigated the factors
affecting the time taken for an indigestion
tablet to dissolve in 100 cm3 of water.
Group 1 recorded their results in the table.
What factor did group 1 change as they carried
out their investigation?
size of pieces of tablet (surface area)
(1)
Before the investigation, group 1 made a
prediction.They found this prediction was
supported by the results in the table. What
prediction did group 1 make? the greater the
surface area,the quicker the time to dissolve
(1)
55
Group 2 investigated how the temperature
of the water affects the time taken for a
whole tablet to dissolve. Here are
their results.

• What factor did group 2 change as they
  carried out their investigation?
• C
• What pattern do the results recorded by group
  2 show?
• at the highest temperature it dissolves
  quickly
• Look at the results presented by group 1 and
  group 2.
• Both groups used the same type of tablet.
• Estimate the temperature of water used by
  group 1.
• 37 C

56
Group 2 investigated how the temperature
of the water affects the time taken for a
whole tablet to dissolve. Here are
their results.

• What factor did group 2 change as they carried
  out their investigation?
• temperature of the water
• What pattern do the results recorded by group 2
  show?
• the lower the temperature, the longer it takes to
  dissolve
• Look at the results presented by group 1 and
  group 2.
• Both groups used the same type of tablet.
• Estimate the temperature of water used by group
  1.
• 40 C

(1)
(1)
(1)
57
Suzi investigated how temperature affects the
number of bubbles produced by waterweed in one
minute. She set up the experiment as shown
here.
When the temperature of the water was 10C the
waterweed did not produce bubbles. Suzi
increased the temperature of the water in the
water-bath to 20C.The waterweed started to
produce bubbles.She waited two minutes before
starting to count the bubbles. Explain why she
waited for two minutes before she started to
count the bubbles. to check its working
58
Suzi investigated how temperature affects the
number of bubbles produced by waterweed in one
minute. She set up the experiment as shown
here.
When the temperature of the water was 10C the
waterweed did not produce bubbles. Suzi
increased the temperature of the water in the
water-bath to 20C.The waterweed started to
produce bubbles.She waited two minutes before
starting to count the bubbles. Explain why she
waited for two minutes before she started to
count the bubbles. to make sure the water had
reached the required temperature/to make sure the
rate stabilised before taking readings
(1)
59
Suzi counted the number of bubbles produced
at six different temperatures. Her
results are shown on the graph below.
Draw a smooth curve on the graph. Use
your curve to find the temperature of water which
produced the most bubbles per minute. 12 C
60
Suzi counted the number of bubbles produced
at six different temperatures. Her
results are shown on the graph below.
(1)
Draw a smooth curve on the graph. Use
your curve to find the temperature of water which
produced the most bubbles per minute. Any
temperature between 32C and 38C
(1)
61
Suzi predicted that the higher the temperature
the more bubbles would be produced. Which
points on the graph support Suzis
prediction? C and D
Suzis data does not show clearly the exact
temperature at which most bubbles were
produced. How could she improve the data she
collects to find this temperature? repeat the
test again
62
Suzi predicted that the higher the temperature
the more bubbles would be produced. Which
points on the graph support Suzis
prediction? A, B and C (1)
Suzis data does not show clearly the exact
temperature at which most bubbles were
produced. How could she improve the data she
collects to find this temperature? use more
temperatures between 30 C and 40 C (1)