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GED Test (Mathematical Reasoning, Science, Social Studies, Reasoning Through Language Arts)

Science practices: practice questions

Our GED bank has 14 questions on this topic. Here are 5 of them with answers; the full mock exam draws from every topic, like the real one.

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Question 1

In the fertilizer experiment, why should all plants get the same amount of water and light?

  1. So that the plants grow as tall as possible by the end of the test
  2. So that the fertilizer works better
  3. So that only the fertilizer differs between groups
  4. So that the experiment is faster
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C. So that only the fertilizer differs between groups — Keeping other factors constant (controlled variables) means any difference can be linked to the fertilizer.

Question 2

A student tests whether fertilizer increases plant height. What is the independent variable?

  1. The type of pot
  2. The amount of fertilizer
  3. The height of the plants
  4. The amount of sunlight
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B. The amount of fertilizer — The independent variable is what the experimenter changes. Plant height is the dependent variable that is measured.

Question 3

A table shows a plant's height: Day 0, 2 cm; Day 5, 6 cm; Day 10, 10 cm. What was the average growth rate?

  1. 2 cm per day
  2. 0.5 cm per day
  3. 1 cm per day
  4. 0.8 cm per day
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D. 0.8 cm per day — (10 − 2) cm ÷ 10 days = 0.8 cm per day.

Question 4

Data show that ice cream sales and sunburn cases both rise in summer. Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. Ice cream causes sunburn
  2. There is no relationship between them
  3. The two are correlated, likely because both rise with sunny, hot weather
  4. Sunburn causes people to buy more ice cream to cool their skin down
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C. The two are correlated, likely because both rise with sunny, hot weather — Correlation is not causation; a third factor (hot, sunny weather) explains both.

Question 5

A study of a new diet used only 5 people. What is the main weakness?

  1. The sample is too small to draw reliable conclusions
  2. There was too much data
  3. The people were too similar in height
  4. The diet was too healthy
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A. The sample is too small to draw reliable conclusions — Small samples make results more likely to be due to chance.

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