Question

science is a way of understanding the physical world, based on observable evidence, reasoning, and testing. to think like a scientist, you must ask questions, make detailed observations, develop a hypothesis, find answers using tests, and question your answers. in our daily lives, we may engage in thought processes, questioning, observing, inferring, but we are not always engaging in scientific thought.
prefer healthy lunch options rather than just fast - food options. she passed out a survey to 132 students to see what type of school lunch they preferred. here are her results.
margo gave the results to the cafeteria workers so they might consider a change and serve salads as a choice. which statement does not reflect scientific thinking but rather an opinion?
a the salad option was the number one choice among the polled students.
b of the four choices for lunch, the pizza option was the least one chosen.
c of the 132 students polled, all 132 completed the survey margo passed out.
d students seemed interested in being able to determine what was served for lunch.

Explanation:

• Option A: Based on the bar graph, salad has the highest bar, so it's a fact (scientific thinking as it's based on observable data from the survey).
• Option B: Pizza has the lowest bar in the graph, so it's a fact (scientific thinking as it's based on observable data from the survey).
• Option C: It's a statement about the number of surveys completed. If all 132 students who were given the survey completed it, it's a fact (scientific thinking as it's based on observable data - the number of surveys distributed and returned).
• Option D: The word “seemed” indicates an assumption or an opinion. There is no direct observable evidence in the data (bar graph about lunch choices) to support this statement in the same way as the other options. It's not based on strict data from the survey (which was about lunch preferences, not students' interest in determining lunch options) but rather an interpretation that goes beyond the observable data.

Answer:

D. Students seemed interested in being able to determine what was served for lunch.