INTERMEDIATE SCIENCE

Grade 7

Scientific Literacy Assessment

June 2010
Answer Key
Student Name:____________________
Homeroom: ___________

Data Analysis
Read the following situation and answer all questions in the space
provided. (10 points)
Sarah was interested in finding out what happens to the
size of a balloon when placed in rooms of different
temperatures. Sarah used an air pump to place the
same amount of air in seven identical balloons. When a
measuring tape was wrapped around the largest part of
each balloon, they all measured 34 cm. Sarah then
placed the balloons in different rooms with different
temperatures. After one hour, she measured the
distance around each balloon again. The results are as
follows.

Room Temperature (C)

Length of Measuring Tape (cm)

22

10

27

15

31

20

34

25

36

30

37

35

37

1. State a suitable hypothesis to be tested in this experiment. (1)

If the temperature of the room increases (decreases), then the length of string
needed to wrap around the balloon decreases (increases).

2. In this experiment, identify the independent (manipulated) and dependent

(responding) variables. (1)
Independent (manipulated): Temperature of the room.
Dependent (responding):

Length of string.

3. State two (2) variables which have to be kept constant (controlled) in order for the
results of the experiment to be valid. (1)
Size of the balloon, type of balloon, same type of string, amount of air pumped
into the balloon, same areas of the rooms or any other acceptable controls.

4. Plot a fully labelled line graph of the data obtained in this experiment on the grid
below. (4)

0.5 title
1.0 - labels (x and y
axis)
0.5 - scales (x and y
axis)
2.0 - points and
graph

5. Predict the length of the measuring tape if the balloon was placed in a room
at 40C? (1)
37-40 cm

6. What is the room temperature if the tape measured 28 cm? (1)

11-14 C

7. State a suitable conclusion for this experiment. (1)

As the temperature of the room increases (decreases), the length of string
required to wrap around the center of each balloon will decrease (increase).

Case Study I: The Physics of Luge

Read the following information and answer the questions that follow.
(10 points)
What looks like a straightforward sled race
is actually a sport that depends on a lot of
science.
You dont have to be a physicist to
compete in the Olympics, but it might
actually help especially in the sport of
luge.
In luge, an athlete lies on a sled and steers it down a twisting, icy track, reaching
speeds of more than 150 kilometers per hour. The fastest time wins, and a lot of factors
come in play in terms of how fast the sled can go, including some of the most
fundamental laws of physics.
A luger launches off the start pulling on two bars. The athlete also paddles forward
using spiked gloves. But once the luger lies back, three primary forces take control: (1)
gravity, which pulls the luge down the track; (2) friction, which acts opposite to the sleds
direction of motion and is caused by the rubbing of the sleds blades against the ice;
and (3) air resistance, which also acts against the sleds direction of motion and is
caused by air pushing against the sled and rider.
Athletes pay a lot of attention to minimizing air resistance, which is also called drag.
Generally, the larger and bulkier an object is, the more air resistance it creates. So
lugers stay low on the sled, lying back as far as they can to give air as little to grab onto
as possible. Lugers also point their toes to reduce drag, and wear specially designed
skin-tight suits.
Friction also plays a role in the speed of the sled. There is very
little friction between the metal blades of the sled and the ice,
but there is even less friction if there is a bit of water between
the sled and the ice. Therefore, a heavier sled or luger would
have an advantage because weight creates pressure on ice,
and pressure causes ice to melt. To prevent heavier athletes
from gaining an advantage, there is a maximum combined
weight for sled and rider. In addition, lighter riders are allowed
to add weight to their sleds to make up the difference.
Lugers also need to be aware of a gravity-like force called centripetal force. This is the
name of the force caused by the track as it pushes against the sled. This force prevents
the sled from flying off the track during a turn. It also causes the rider to experience a
G-Force that on a fast run can be four times stronger than gravity itself.
DID YOU KNOW?
Canada has never won an Olympic medal in the sport of luge.
(Adapted from Science News, December 2009)

Glossary
G-force: A unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate
the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated.
Physicist: A scientist who specializes in physics.
4

1.

What is another name for air resistance? (1)

A.
B.
C.
D.

2.

1. B

Centripetal force
Drag
Friction
G-Force

What are one (1) advantage and one (1) disadvantage of centripetal force during
a race? (2)
Advantage: It prevents the sled from flying off the track during a
turn.
Disadvantage: It causes the rider to experience G-Force.

3.

Explain why a heavier rider could have an advantage in luge, and how the sport
makes things fair for all lugers. (2)
They have an advantage because weight causes pressure on ice.
Pressure causes the ice to melt, resulting water causes less friction.
It makes it fair because there is a maximum combined weight for sled
and rider, lighter riders can add weight to make up the difference.

4.

Do you think luge focuses more on the equipment than athletic skill compared to
other Olympic sports? Explain. (2)
Answers will vary. Possible answers can include:
There is a lot of corporate/government money used to increase the
efficiency of the equipment rather than increasing the athletic skill of
the athlete.
Is it the sled or the athlete that wins a race?

5.

Label the three (3) primary forces acting on a luger in a race. Include the arrows
to show the direction that the forces are acting upon the luge. (3)

Gravity

Air Resistance

Friction

Case Study II: Mini T. rex

Read the following information and answer the questions that follow.
(10 points)
Among dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex may
be the most familiar. At 20 feet tall and 40
feet long from snout to tail, this beast was
no doubt a scary sight to any smaller
animals that crossed its path. It had a
large head, strong legs and tiny arms, and
was one of the fiercest dinosaurs to roam
the Earth from about 90 million to 65
million years ago.
A newly found dinosaur skeleton,
discovered in China, looks a lot like the
remains of a T. rex. Its head was large,
compared to its body, and its strong legs
suggest the animal was quick on its feet.
Despite these similarities, theres a very
important difference: This new dinosaur,
named Raptorex kriegsteini, was quite a
bit smaller than T. rex.

Era

Period

Age (millions
of years ago)

Quaternary
Cenozoic

1.6

Tertiary
65

We see this all to our great surprise in

an animal about the size of a human,
says Paul Sereno, a paleontologist at
the University of Chicago. Sereno and
his team of scientists estimate that it
would take about 90 full-grown Raptorex
dinosaurs to weigh as much as a T. rex.

Cretaceous
144

Mesozoic

Jurassic
208

Triassic
245

Permian
286

Pennsylvanian
320

Mississippian
360

Palaeozoic

Devonian
408
408

Silurian
The new species Raptorex
kriegsteini, had a body plan similar
to the king of dinosaurs, T. rex, with
small forelimbs, a massive head
and powerful legs specialized for
running.
Todd Marshall

438

Ordovician
505

Cambrian
Precambrian

570

Table 1: Geological Time Scale

The scientists were surprised to see so many similarities between the relatively tiny
Raptorex and the giant T. rex. In addition to strong legs and a large head, they also had
specialized feet and tiny arms. The discovery of the Raptorex suggests that
palaeontologists may have to change the way they think about dinosaur bodies. For
example, It was the common belief that the arms got smaller as the animals grew
bigger, says Sereno. But since the small Raptorex also had tiny arms, that theory may
be incorrectand needs to be studied further.
The palaeontologists found another important difference between the two types of
dinosaurs. The Raptorex dinosaurs probably lived about 125 million years ago, or tens
of millions of years before than the first T. rex. This age difference suggests that the
ancestors of T. rex may also have been fast and fierceeven if they werent 20 feet tall.
Palaeontologists hope these two differencesskeleton size and time periodswill help
them learn how the T. rex evolved into a fast and ferocious predator. In the case of the
evolution of the T. rex, scientists may want to study how, over time, new generations of
the dinosaur evolved to be so large, have such strong legs, or have such tiny arms.
Thomas Holtz, a palaeontologist at the University of Maryland in College Park, says the
new discovery suggests that the ancestors of T. rex probably looked a lot like the T. rex
most people think of today. But, he points out, Theres still a gap of a few tens of
millions of years that has to be studied. To learn more about how the T. rex came to be
so ferocious, however, theyll have to find the skeletons of dinosaurs that lived in the
time between the age of Raptorex and that of T. rex.
(Adapted from Science News, September 2009)

Glossary
Carnivore: A meat eater.
Evolution: Change in an organism over time.
Palaeontologist: A scientist who studies the remains of animals that lived a long time ago.
Snout: An animals projecting nose and jaws.

1. In what period did the dinosaur Tyrannosaurs rex live on the Earth? (1)
A.
B.
C.
D.

Cretaceous
Jurassic
Mesozoic
Tertiary

2. What does a palaeontologist study? (1)

A.
B.
C.
D.

2. D

The formation of stars, planets, galaxies and the universe.

The origin, history, and structure of the Earth.
The physical, social, and cultural development of humans.
The remains of animals that lived a long time ago.

3. In which era did the dinosaur Raptorex kriegsteini live on Earth? (1)
A.
B.
C.
D.

1. A

3. C

Cretaceous
Jurassic
Mesozoic
Tertiary

4. What two (2) physical characteristics of the newly discovered dinosaur Raptorex
kriegsteini were considered by scientists to be similar to T. rex? (2)
Answers will vary, possible answers could include:
Large head compared to its body (massive head)
Strong legs
Tiny arms

5. Imagine scientists discovered skeletons of a dinosaur that existed between the

age of the Raptorex kriegsteini and Tyrannosaurs rex. What two (2) possible
characteristics could this dinosaur have? (2)
Answers will vary, possible answers could include:
Fast
Fierce
Small arms
Strong legs
Head bigger than Raptorex but smaller than a T. rex

6. Considering that T. rex is a carnivore, identify three (3) characteristics of this

dinosaur that allow it to survive in its environment? (3)
Answers will vary. Possible answers could include:
Sharp teeth
Sharp talons
Powerful / strong legs
Fast and fierce
Large body size