HSA 2007 Biology Item 39

A student enjoys watching birds. She wants to attract goldfinches to the feeders in her backyard in the winter. She observed goldfinches eating thistle seeds during the summer, but is not sure if that is their favorite food. She planned an experiment to find out their favorite food, and bought three different kinds of seeds: thistle, sunflower, and corn.

• State a possible hypothesis for her experiment.
• Identify the independent and dependent variables in her experiment.
• Describe specific experimental procedures she could use to test her hypothesis.
• Describe the data she should record.
• What data would support her hypothesis?

Write your answer in your Answer Book.