Evaluate Whether Results Support a General Trend or Model
Sample Question:
Do the results from Experiments 1 and 2 support the hypothesis that increasing pressure increases reaction rate?
What’s Being Tested: Can you judge whether observed outcomes across experiments align with a proposed pattern or claim?
Knowledge & Skills Required:
- Identifying patterns in tables or graphs
- Comparing across trials that vary one key input (e.g., pressure)
What’s Needed to Answer Correctly:
- Confirm that the relevant variable changed in the correct direction
- Confirm that the outcome changed as predicted
Correct Approach:
- Locate trials with increasing pressure
- Check if the reaction rate increased accordingly
- Decide if the pattern holds consistently, partially, or not at all
Determine Whether a Result Is Consistent or Contradictory
Sample Question:
Which of the following trials produced a result that contradicts the general trend seen across the other experiments?
What’s Being Tested: Can you spot a result that breaks from the expected pattern?
Knowledge & Skills Required:
- Comparing multiple trials to find a trend
- Identifying outliers or unexpected reversals
What’s Needed to Answer Correctly:
- Know how to define a contradiction based on established trends
- Avoid labeling minor variations as contradictions
Correct Approach:
- Determine the general trend (e.g., increasing pH = decreasing reaction time)
- Scan for the trial where that trend is clearly reversed or broken
- Choose the trial that deviates most significantly from the pattern
Infer a Likely Result Based on Observed Patterns
Sample Question:
Based on the trends in Experiments 1 and 2, what result would most likely occur if the pH were set to 6.5?
What’s Being Tested: Can you extend the pattern to predict an outcome for a new, untested condition?
Knowledge & Skills Required:
- Interpolation/extrapolation using logical trends
- Estimating intermediate or extended values based on patterns
What’s Needed to Answer Correctly:
- Recognize whether the pattern is linear, exponential, or non-trending
- Apply it only within reason — don't extrapolate wildly if the data doesn’t justify it
Correct Approach:
- Identify the trend over the relevant range (e.g., between pH 6.0 and 7.0)
- Estimate what would logically happen at 6.5
- Choose the result that best fits the projected pattern
Explain Why Results Differ Across Experiments
Sample Question:
What is the most likely reason the reaction rate was faster in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1?
What’s Being Tested: Can you connect experimental condition differences to their observed effects?
Knowledge & Skills Required:
- Linking independent variables to dependent outcomes
- Understanding how changes like temperature, surface area, or catalyst affect results
What’s Needed to Answer Correctly:
- Identify which input variable changed
- Know from the trend or data how that variable affects the outcome
Correct Approach:
- Compare the key difference in setup between the two experiments
- Match that difference to the observed change in result
- Select the explanation that logically connects the two
Evaluate Whether Two Different Results Are Actually Comparable
Sample Question:
Why might the reaction times in Experiments 3 and 4 not be directly comparable?
What’s Being Tested: Can you recognize when differences in setup invalidate a direct comparison?
Knowledge & Skills Required:
- Identifying confounding factors
- Understanding when results reflect multiple changing variables
What’s Needed to Answer Correctly:
- Spot hidden or confounding differences (e.g., different temperatures, volumes, or measurement methods)
- Understand that comparisons require controlled conditions
Correct Approach:
- Review how each experiment was conducted
- Note variables that changed other than the one being compared
- Choose the answer that correctly identifies why the results may not align
Apply a Trend or Model to Explain a New Observation
Sample Question:
If a new trial at 35°C produced a much slower reaction than expected, which of the following would best explain that outcome?
What’s Being Tested: Can you explain an unexpected outcome using existing trends or possible anomalies?
Knowledge & Skills Required:
- Recognize how external or uncontrolled factors (e.g., contamination, measurement error) could alter outcomes
- Distinguish between a trend being violated and the conditions affecting it
What’s Needed to Answer Correctly:
- Consider explanations that preserve the pattern while explaining the exception
- Eliminate choices that would require rejecting the overall model
Correct Approach:
- Confirm that the outcome deviates from the trend
- Look for factors specific to that trial that could account for the deviation
- Choose the explanation that addresses the anomaly without undermining the trend
Judge Whether a Claim Accurately Summarizes Empirical Results
Sample Question:
Do the results of the three experiments support the claim that all metal catalysts increase reaction rate equally?
What’s Being Tested: Can you evaluate a broad claim against the actual data?
Knowledge & Skills Required:
- Identifying variation in outcomes across trials
- Matching summary claims to specific observed data
What’s Needed to Answer Correctly:
- Confirm whether all metals actually produced the same or different rates
- Don’t be misled by partially true claims
Correct Approach:
- Find the relevant trials comparing different metals
- Compare their reaction rates or other measured outcomes
- Decide if the claim is fully supported, partially supported, or contradicted