Barun loves watching insects. He wants to be an entomologist when he grows up. He has many journals filled with drawings and characteristics of each insect he observes. Which statement best describes Barun’s investigation?

A. He is comparing how lady bugs change over time.
Incorrect. He is drawing and describing, not comparing.

B. He is showing the relationship between different insects.
Incorrect. He is not making a connection between insects.

C. He is describing each specimen in great detail.
Correct! He is using his senses to describe insects.

D. He is counting the number of bugs in a given area.
Incorrect. He is drawing and describing insects.

Muriel grows a garden in her backyard every spring. She decided to conduct an investigation using her garden plants. She collected rain water, tap water, and bottled water samples. Muriel tested the pH of each sample. She planted nine tomato plants. She watered three of them with rain water, three with tap water, and three with bottled water. Which statement best describes the purpose of Muriel’s investigation?

A. She is looking for a relationship between the pH of water and growth of the plant.
Correct! She is testing how the pH of water affects plant growth.

B. She is using her senses to describe the characteristics of each tomato plant.
Incorrect. The purpose of the investigation is not describing plants.

C. She is comparing the similarities and differences of water samples.
Incorrect. The purpose of the investigation is not comparing water.

D. She is showing the relationship between sunlight and plant growth.
Incorrect. Sunlight is not mentioned in the scenario.

Which of the following questions is a descriptive investigation?

A. How is leaf color affected by the number of sunny days in the fall?
Incorrect. This is showing a cause/effect relationship.

B. How do the locations of constellations in the sky change throughout the year?
Incorrect. This compares change over time.

C. How does temperature affect solubility?
Incorrect. This is showing a cause/effect relationship.

D. Where do deer go when new construction interferes with their habitat?
Correct! You have to describe where deer go.

Jimmy’s favorite hobby is using his telescope to look at the stars. He has noticed that constellations are in different locations during different times of the year. For example, the Big Dipper is visible in his backyard in the summer and the front yard in the winter.

Which type of investigation would Jimmy need to conduct to figure out why this happens?

A. Experimental
Incorrect. He does not need to manipulate variables or conduct a test.

B. Comparative
Correct! He is comparing the locations of constellations at different times of the year.

C. Descriptive
Incorrect. He is comparing, not just describing with senses or measurements.

D. Associative
Incorrect. There is no such type of investigation as associative.

Which type of investigation should be conducted when trying to determine a causal relationship?

A. Descriptive
Incorrect. The purpose of descriptive investigation is to draw conclusions about observations.

B. Distributive
Incorrect. There is no such type of investigation as distributive.

C. Comparative
Incorrect. The purpose of comparative investigation is to determine a relationship, similarities or differences in two or more items.

D. Experimental
Correct! The purpose of experimental investigation is to determine how one variable causes another variable to change.