MEGA Elementary Education Multi-Content Practice Test

Which change would enhance an activity on cellular respiration in a scientific investigation?

1. Running the demonstration again with a different type of juice

2. Helping students construct a graph of the change in the balloon's size

3. Having students record the exact amounts of baker's yeast and grape juice used

4. Providing an additional beaker setup using just grape juice and a deflated balloon

The correct answer is: Providing an additional beaker setup using just grape juice and a deflated balloon

Providing an additional beaker setup using just grape juice and a deflated balloon allows students to directly observe the process of cellular respiration in a controlled and comparative manner. This setup enables the students to differentiate between the conditions necessary for cellular respiration to occur and those that do not facilitate it. By using just grape juice, they can see what happens when fermentation or respiration is invoked without the presence of yeast, which can further deepen their understanding of the role yeast plays in the process and the byproducts produced. In contrast, simply repeating a demonstration or changing the type of juice may not effectively illustrate the specific dynamics of cellular respiration. While helping students graph changes could enhance data interpretation skills, it wouldn't necessarily deepen their understanding of the underlying biological processes. Recording precise measurements contributes to scientific rigor, but is not as crucial for demonstrating outcomes of the cellular respiration activity compared to setting up an experiment that invites observation of the effects of varying conditions. Thus, creating an additional setup to explore different variables is the most impactful and educational choice.