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📝 Questions That Can and Cannot Be Addressed by Science (7 MCQs)

📖 From Campbell Biology • 1. Evolution and the theme of Biology and Scientific Inquiry • 7 questions available

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What is Questions That Can and Cannot Be Addressed by Science?

Definition:
Science addresses questions about the natural world that are testable, observable, and measurable, such as how organisms function, evolve, and interact, while questions that are outside the scope of science include those involving supernatural phenomena, moral judgments, aesthetic values, and personal beliefs, which cannot be empirically tested or falsified, and this distinction is crucial for understanding the limits and strengths of scientific inquiry.

Working:
Science works by formulating hypotheses and predictions that can be tested through observation and experimentation, and if a question cannot be addressed this way (e.g., Does a soul exist?") it falls outside the realm of science; scientists may study phenomena that were once considered supernatural but they do so by looking for natural mechanisms and testable predictions and the boundary between science and non-science is defined by falsifiability and empirical evidence.

Example:
A simple example is the question "What is the genetic basis of eye color?" which is addressable by science because it involves testable hypotheses about genes and inheritance while the question "Is it wrong to change eye color?" is not addressable because it involves moral judgment; science can explain how eye color is determined but it cannot dictate whether it is ethical to change it.

Reason:
Understanding the scope of science is essential for scientific literacy as it helps avoid overreaching conclusions clarifies what science can and cannot do and promotes a healthy respect for the limits of empirical investigation ensuring that science is appropriately applied to natural questions."

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📝 All Questions That Can and Cannot Be Addressed by Science MCQs

Q1. Which question is most directly suited to scientific investigation because its answer can be tested using observable and measurable evidence?

A.Which music style is morally superior?

B.Does increasing light intensity change the growth rate of a plant? ✅

C.Should society value artistic creativity more than scientific achievement?

D.Is kindness more important than intelligence?

💡 Difficulty: easy | ✅ Correct: B

📖 Explanation: Scientific investigation is appropriate when a question can be addressed through observations, measurements, and repeatable tests. Plant growth can be measured under different light intensities, allowing evidence to support or challenge a proposed relationship.

Q2. A student asks, 'Does a fertilizer increase plant growth?' Another asks, 'Is using that fertilizer ethically acceptable?' Which analysis best distinguishes the two questions?

A.Both are scientific because both concern plants and fertilizer.

B.Neither can be investigated because values influence both questions.

C.The first can be tested with measurements, whereas the second requires value-based judgment beyond empirical testing alone. ✅

D.The second is scientific because ethical decisions can always be calculated mathematically.

💡 Difficulty: medium | ✅ Correct: C

📖 Explanation: The fertilizer question can be investigated by controlling conditions and measuring plant growth. Ethical acceptability involves values and judgments that scientific evidence may inform but cannot independently determine.

Q3. A researcher wants to determine whether a new study technique improves exam performance. Students are randomly assigned to two groups, given different techniques, and tested under similar conditions. Why is this question scientifically addressable?

A.Because the researcher's preferred outcome determines the answer.

B.Because exam performance is an observable outcome that can be measured and compared between groups. ✅

C.Because any question involving education automatically has an objective scientific answer.

D.Because scientific methods can determine whether one study technique is morally better than another.

💡 Difficulty: medium | ✅ Correct: B

📖 Explanation: The question produces measurable evidence: exam performance can be quantified and compared between controlled groups. Random assignment and similar conditions strengthen the investigation by reducing alternative explanations for differences.

Q4. A researcher concludes, 'My experiment shows that this behavior is morally wrong because participants who experienced it reported negative feelings.' What is the main flaw in this reasoning?

A.Negative feelings can never be measured scientifically.

B.Scientific evidence about reported effects does not by itself establish a moral judgment about what is right or wrong. ✅

C.Moral questions are always answered by experiments when emotions are involved.

D.The experiment should have used fewer participants before making a moral conclusion.

💡 Difficulty: hard | ✅ Correct: B

📖 Explanation: The experiment may provide useful evidence about psychological effects, but moving from an observed effect to a moral conclusion requires an additional value judgment. Scientific evidence alone does not establish moral rules.

Q5. A study compares two treatments. The graph shows the average outcome increasing from 40 to 70 units in Treatment A and from 40 to 55 units in Treatment B after four weeks. Which conclusion is most scientifically justified?

A.Treatment A is definitely morally superior to Treatment B.

B.Treatment A produced a larger measured improvement under the conditions studied. ✅

C.Treatment A will improve every person's outcome regardless of circumstances.

D.Treatment B cannot have any biological effect.

💡 Difficulty: medium | ✅ Correct: B

📖 Explanation: The measured averages show that Treatment A had the larger observed improvement under the study conditions. However, the graph alone cannot establish universal effectiveness, moral superiority, or the absence of effects from Treatment B.

Q6. A scientist finds that exposure to a chemical is associated with reduced fertility in laboratory animals. A policymaker then asks whether society should completely ban the chemical. Which response best separates scientific evidence from value-based decision-making?

A.Science can determine both the biological effect and the final policy value judgment without additional considerations.

B.Science cannot investigate the chemical because policy questions are never related to science.

C.Science can investigate risks and effects, while the final policy decision also requires economic, ethical, legal, and social considerations. ✅

D.The policymaker should ignore the experimental evidence because banning chemicals is a political question.

💡 Difficulty: hard | ✅ Correct: C

📖 Explanation: Scientific studies can estimate biological risks, effects, and uncertainties, providing essential evidence for policy. Deciding whether those risks justify a complete ban also involves competing values, costs, rights, laws, and social priorities.

Q7. A researcher claims, 'If scientists cannot experimentally test a question directly, science has nothing useful to contribute to it.' Which evaluation is strongest?

A.Correct, because scientific knowledge is limited only to laboratory experiments.

B.Correct, because observations and statistical evidence are not scientific evidence.

C.Incorrect, because science can often provide relevant empirical evidence about consequences or mechanisms even when the final question involves values or cannot be directly tested. ✅

D.Incorrect, because every question can eventually be answered completely if enough experiments are performed.

💡 Difficulty: easy | ✅ Correct: C

📖 Explanation: Scientific inquiry includes observation, measurement, comparison, modeling, and analysis, not only direct laboratory experiments. Evidence can clarify factual consequences and mechanisms, even when broader decisions require ethical or value-based judgments.

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