1.1.3 Communication, science in society and decision making Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Physics, Unit 1

The 20 questions

1. What process involves independent experts evaluating scientific research before publication?

   • Peer review
   • Double-blind trial
   • Literature review
   • Public consultation

2. Why must scientific results be independently reproduced by other groups of researchers?

   • Secure patent rights
   • Validate the findings
   • Reduce research costs
   • Increase paper length

3. What is a major risk associated with electricity generation in nuclear power stations?

   • Radioactive waste
   • Ozone layer depletion
   • Acid rain production
   • Carbon dioxide emission

4. What is the primary purpose of including a control group in an experiment?

   • Eliminate random errors
   • Provide a baseline
   • Increase sample size
   • Guarantee positive results

5. A risk of harm is 1 in 10,000 per year and each year is independent. What is the approximate probability of harm over 10 years?

   • About 0.1%
   • About 10%
   • About 1%
   • About 0.01%

6. Risk A is 1 in 100,000 and risk B is 1 in 1,000,000. How many times greater is risk A than risk B?

   • 1000 times
   • 2 times
   • 100 times
   • 10 times

7. A survey of 50 people finds that 30 agree with a proposal. What percentage agree?

   • 70%
   • 50%
   • 60%
   • 30%

8. Which feature is essential when communicating scientific conclusions to the general public?

   • Raw data tables
   • Mathematical proofs
   • Plain language
   • Technical jargon

9. What type of evidence is essential when making decisions about approving new medicines?

   • Production cost analysis
   • Anecdotal evidence
   • Controlled trial data
   • Public opinion polls

10. What should happen to a scientific model when new conflicting evidence is discovered?

    • It is discarded
    • It becomes absolute
    • It becomes law
    • It is revised

11. A new technology has a 2% chance of a serious fault per year. What is the chance of no serious fault in one year?

    • 96%
    • 98%
    • 50%
    • 2%

12. What type of consideration focuses on fairness, consent, and public safety when deploying new technology?

    • Ethical
    • Technical
    • Economic
    • Environmental

13. Which method provides the strongest evidence of a causal relationship between two variables?

    • Controlled experiment
    • Observational study
    • Computer simulation
    • Statistical correlation

14. Why can the word 'significant' in scientific reports confuse the public?

    • Always means large
    • Different statistical meaning
    • Means completely proven
    • Has no definition

15. How should numerical uncertainty best be presented to a non-specialist audience?

    • Absolute percentage
    • Error bar matrix
    • Standard deviation
    • Range of values

16. What step should follow the deployment of a new technology to ensure ongoing safety?

    • Patent registration
    • Immediate ban
    • Ignoring new data
    • Ongoing monitoring

17. Which process does the scientific community use to check new claims before publication?

    • Public voting
    • Media analysis
    • Government audit
    • Peer review

18. A pilot study finds an effect in 8 out of 10 participants. What percentage of participants showed the effect?

    • 20%
    • 80%
    • 8%
    • 18%

19. What term describes an unexpected effect on society or the environment from new technology?

    • Systematic error
    • Design flaw
    • Planned outcome
    • Unintended consequence

20. A study reports that the risk of an event falls from 2 in 100 to 1 in 100 with a treatment. What is the absolute reduction in risk?

    • 50 percentage points
    • 1 percentage point
    • 2 percentage points
    • 0.5 percentage points

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