Question

A group of scientists publishes results showing that a new type of battery stores twice as much energy as current models.
Other scientists review the data, repeat the experiments, and find that the battery only stores slightly more energy than current models.

What does this situation show about how scientific knowledge develops?
Responses

A Scientific ideas are accepted without question if results look promising.Scientific ideas are accepted without question if results look promising.

B Scientific claims are debated and tested by others before they are accepted as reliable.Scientific claims are debated and tested by others before they are accepted as reliable.

C Scientific knowledge never changes once an experiment is completed.Scientific knowledge never changes once an experiment is completed.

D Scientists avoid testing ideas that come from other research groups.

Answer 1

B

This shows that scientific claims are checked by others — through replication and review — before being accepted as reliable. Replication can confirm, refine, or refute initial results. Options A, C, and D are false: science questions promising results, knowledge can change with new evidence, and scientists do test others' work.