Science

Grade 7 • Unit 1: Doing Scientific Investigations

Answer Key

Lesson 1.2. Tools in Scientific Investigations

Guide Questions
1. Based on the activity, which of the three action words (describe, compare, or test) do
you think is oftentimes used when investigating a subject or situation for the first
time?
Answer: “Describe”. During an investigation, a subject or situation is usually
described first to determine its primary characteristics and properties.

2. Which of the three action words (describe, compare, or test) would you use if you
want to investigate or learn more about a subject?
Answer: To learn more about a subject and its properties, a “test” or an experimental
investigation is the most suitable and most efficient approach. This is because it is
mostly used to determine the effects of changing a certain variable while keeping
another variable constant.

Check Your Understanding

A. Identify the type of scientific investigation to use in the following questions.
1. Which animal is more active at night, a dog or a cat?
Answer: Comparative Investigation

2. How is road traffic today?

Answer: Descriptive Investigation

3. How does the angle of the road affect the speed of a car?
Answer: Experimental Investigation

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Grade 7 • Unit 1: Doing Scientific Investigations

4. Do tomatoes grow faster during the rainy season or dry season?

Answer: Experimental Investigation

5. Does the weather affect your internet speed at home?

Answer: Experimental Investigation

6. Which is more healthy, tea or coffee?

Answer: Comparative Investigation

7. What is the highest temperature for today?

Answer: Descriptive Investigation

8. Which is faster, taking the bus or taking the train?

Answer: Comparative Investigation

9. What is the effect of exposure to sunlight on the mood of a person?

Answer: Experimental Investigation

10. What does the newly advertised ready-to-drink coffee taste like?
Answer: Descriptive Investigation

B. Determine the scientific investigation that will best answer or resolve the following
problems.
1. You are in a biology class and you want to know the different systems of a frog.
Answer: Descriptive Investigation

2. You are curious about the effect of sleep length on the academic performance of
a student.
Answer: Experimental Investigation

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Grade 7 • Unit 1: Doing Scientific Investigations

3. You want to know which among ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, paracetamol, and
aspirin is the best in curing headaches.
Answer: Comparative Investigation

4. You are curious about rocks so you collect some rocks on your way to the
school, where you examine the minerals embedded in the rock using a
microscope.
Answer: Descriptive Investigation

5. You want to know the effect of temperature on the lifetime of batteries.

Answer: Experimental Investigation

6. You want to know if having a heavy breakfast will help you participate in class
better than taking a light breakfast.
Answer: Experimental Investigation

7. You want to know how many of your classmates obtained a passing grade in
your recent quiz.
Answer: Descriptive Investigation

8. You want to know what brand of pencils is the hardest.

Answer: Comparative Investigation

9. You are curious whether the distance of a student’s home to the school affects
the academic performance of that student.
Answer: Experimental Investigation

10. You want to try the newly opened restaurant near your school.
Answer: Descriptive Investigation