Preliminary Exam Practice

• What is the focus of Module 1 in the study material?

  Cause and Effect - Observing

  
• What are the big ideas covered in Module 1?

  • Observations
  • Qualitative observations
  • Quantitative data
  • Inferences
  • Primary data
  • Variables
  • Graphing - always use a line of best fit

  
• What is the focus of Module 2 in the study material?

  Cause and Effect - Inferences and Generalisations

  
• What are the big ideas covered in Module 2?

  • Inferences
  • Qualitative and Quantitative
  • Secondary-sourced data
  • Patterns
  • Outliers
  • Hypotheses
  • Generalisations
  • Peer review

  
• What is the focus of Module 3 in the study material?

  Scientific Models

  
• What are the big ideas covered in Module 3?

  • Types of models
  • Uses of models
  • When should a type of model be used?
  • Simple vs Complex
  • Constructing your own model
• What is the focus of Module 4 in the study material?

  Theories and Laws
• What are the big ideas covered in Module 4?

  • Theory
  • Law
  • Theory of plate tectonics
  • Law of conservation of mass
  • Law of conservation of energy
  • Germ theory
• What are the steps to design an investigation?

  1. Write an aim

  2. List variables to show how investigation is valid

  3. Include a risk assessment (safety concerns)

  4. Write a method (clear numbered steps starting with a verb)

  5. Include enough trials to increase reliability and find an average

  6. Design a results table

  
• What does validity refer to in an investigation?

  Validity refers to the extent to which tests measure what was intended and the accuracy of data, inferences, and actions produced from tests.

  
• How can an investigation be made valid?

  By ensuring that the tests measure what they are intended to measure accurately.

  
• What does reliability refer to in an investigation?

  Reliability refers to the extent to which repeated observations and/or measurements taken under identical circumstances yield similar results.

  
• How can an investigation be made reliable?

  By conducting repeated observations and measurements under identical circumstances.

  
• What is the theory of plate tectonics?

  A scientific theory explaining the movement of the Earth's plates.
• What is the law of conservation of mass?

  Mass cannot be created or destroyed in a closed system.
• What is the law of conservation of energy?

  Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

  
• What is germ theory?


  A theory that proposes that microorganisms are the cause of many diseases.