In science, a theory is a(n)
a. Educated guess
b. Inference based on a lack of scientific evidence
c. Idea with little experimental support
d. Body of scientifically acceptable general principles
e. Statement of fact

Which of the following is an example of inductive reasoning?

a. All cows eat grass.

b. My cow eats grass and my neighbor's cow eats grass; therefore, all cows probably eat grass.

c. If all cows eat grass, when I examine a random sample of all the cows in Minnesota, I will find that all of them eat grass.

d. Cows may or may not eat grass, depending on the type of farm where they live.

A scientific hypothesis is ________.

a. An opinion

b. A proposed explanation for an observation

c. A fact

d. Easily proved true

e. An idea proposed by a scientist

How is a scientific theory different from a scientific hypothesis?

a. It is based on weaker evidence

b. It has not been proved true

c. It is not falsifiable

d. It can explain a large number of observations

e. It must be proposed by a professional scientist

Which of the following statements best distinguishes hypotheses from theories in science?

a. Theories are hypotheses that have been proven.

b. Hypotheses usually are narrow in scope; theories have broad explanatory power.

c. Hypotheses are tentative guesses; theories are correct answers to questions about nature.

d. Hypotheses and theories are different terms for essentially the same thing in science.

One hypothesis states that eating chicken noodle soup is an effective treatment for colds. Which of the following results does this hypothesis predict?

a. People who eat chicken noodle soup have shorter colds than do people who do not eat chicken noodle soup.

b. People who do not eat chicken noodle soup experience unusually long and severe colds.

c. Cold viruses cannot live in chicken noodle soup.

d. People who eat chicken noodle soup feel healthier than do people who do not eat chicken noodle soup.

e. Consuming chicken noodle soup causes people to sneeze.

Which of the following statements best distinguishes hypotheses from theories in science?

a. Theories are hypotheses that have been proved.

b. Hypotheses are guesses; theories are correct answers.

c. Hypotheses usually are relatively narrow in scope; theories have broad explanatory power.

d. Theories are proved true; hypotheses are often contradicted by experimental results.