# THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 3, Test 1, Reading Passage 3

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 3, Test 1, Reading Passage 3. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 29 | iv | The myth of scientific method is that it is inductive: that the formulation of scientific theory starts with the basic, raw evidence of the senses |
| 30 | vii | Hypotheses provide the initiative and incentive for the inquiry and influence the method. |
| 31 | iii | having been formulated they can and must be tested rigorously, using the appropriate methodology |
| 32 | v | So don't worry if you have some idea of what your results will tell you before you even begin to collect data |
| 33 | vi | The hypothetico-deductive method describes the logical approach to much research work, but it does not describe the psychological behaviour that brings it about. |
| 34 | B, F | It is essential that you, as an intending researcher, understand the difference ... So don't worry if you have some idea of what your results will tell you |
| 35 | B, F | so that you do not become discouraged ... So don't worry |
| 36 | YES | the position taken by Karl Popper in The Logic of Scientific Discovery (1972, 3rd edition) that the nature of scientific method is hypothetico-deductive |
| 37 | NO | your hypothesis has been supported and may be retained until such time as some further test shows it not to be correct |
| 38 | NOT GIVEN | so that you do not become discouraged or begin to suffer from a feeling of 'cheating' or not going about it the right way |
| 39 | YES | 'scientific method' may more usefully be thought of as a way of writing up research rather than as a way of carrying it out |
| 40 | D | understand the difference between these two interpretations of the research process |

## Why these answers are right

**29. iv.** Paragraph C sets out what the inductive view claims: theory begins with unbiased observation of raw sense data, generalizations form from these facts, and an orderly theory then emerges. Describing that method matches heading iv, explaining the inductive method.

**30. vii.** Paragraph D argues there is no unbiased observation: every study begins with an expectation, which is a hypothesis, and hypotheses drive the inquiry and decide which observations, methods and experiments are used. That matches heading vii, the role of hypotheses in scientific research.

**31. iii.** Paragraph E explains that once a hypothesis is formed it must be tested rigorously: failed predictions mean you discard or modify it, while correct ones let you keep it for now. This testing process matches heading iii, the testing of hypotheses.

The why and the trap for questions 32 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-scientific-method/answers).

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