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WGU C165 Integrated Physical Sciences Exam
Questions and Answers (Verified Answers)
1.A mathematical model is used to predict the trajectory of a bullet
fired from a gun. Which discipline of physical science is used to
develop this model✔✔✔ Physics
2.An environmental scientist monitors pollutants in a lake. Which two
disci- plines of physical science does this scientist use? Choose 2
answers: Chem- istry
Earth Science
3.Which study involves both Earth science and physics✔✔✔
Calculating how much energy is associated with a hurricane
4.Which question could be answered with a controlled experiment✔✔✔
Does ice melt faster in an empty glass or in a glass full of water?
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5.Which topic would be appropriate for a controlled experiment✔✔✔
Determin- ing how fast different chemical pollutants dissolve in water
6.Sir Isaac Newton discovered that the force of gravity between two
masses increases if the masses increase, and decreases if the distance
between the masses increases. No experiments have ever contradicted
this relationship. Which type of scientific statement is this✔✔✔ Law
7.The well-accepted scientific explanation for many characteristics of
Earth’s crust states that the crust is broken into several large plates. These
plates move slowly over the mantle below because of convection and
other processes. Earthquakes and volcanoes are most common at places
where the plates interact. Evidence from physics, chemistry, and geology
supports this explanation. Which type of scientific idea is this explanation
an example of✔✔✔ Theory
8.Which question requires a controlled experiment to answer✔✔✔
Which type of rock contains the most calcium?
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9.A student proposes that sugar will dissolve faster in rubbing alcohol
than in water. The student reasons that sugar and rubbing alcohol both
contain carbon so they will mix more easily. Which type of scientific idea is
the student’s proposal an example of✔✔✔ Hypothesis
10.Why was the shrinking Earth idea replaced by the theory of plate
tecton- ics✔✔✔ Plate tectonics explained observations about Earth
that the shrinking Earth idea could not explain.
- Astronomers have long accepted that plate tectonics exists
nowhere in our solar system except on Earth. In 2011, a scientist
analyzed 100
NASA-space-mission photographs of Valles Marineris on Mars, the longest
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known series of canyons in the solar system. The scientist found that
Valles Marineris showed features found only in locations on Earth where
major tectonic plates divide. What would be the appropriate response of
scientists to this information✔✔✔ Carry out further research to gain
more understanding of possible plate tectonics on Mars
12.According to the theory of plate tectonics, volcanoes are especially
likely to form along plate boundaries because of rising magma. New
satellite data mapping the ocean floor reveals thousands of seamounts,
which are small volcanoes. Some of the seamounts are in lines that could
correspond to past or present plate boundaries, but many are not aligned in
this way. How should scientists appropriately respond to the idea that
some new mechanism of forming the volcanoes is involved✔✔✔ Carry
out more research to understand better how the seamounts form
13.For many decades, scientists thought they understood how ozone
breaks down in the stratosphere, creating ozone holes. However, new data
show significantly lower reaction rates than can be explained by the longheld model. What is the appropriate scientific approach for dealing with
this contradiction✔✔✔ Conduct additional experiments to confirm the
new data