TEAS ReadyOpen the app

🔬 Science · Scientific Reasoning · Lesson 4 of 6 · 5 min

Reading data from an investigation: trends and supported conclusions

📊 Data questions reward one habit: read the table carefully and choose only what the numbers actually show.

💡 Key idea

Choose the conclusion that matches the trend in the data and does not reach beyond what was tested.

🧠 The idea

Start with the labels: the title, column headings and UNITS tell you what was changed and what was measured. Find the independent variable (often the first column) and look for a TREND in the dependent variable: does it rise, fall, level off, or show no pattern? Compare groups to the control. A SUPPORTED CONCLUSION stays inside the data: it describes the conditions actually tested and the direction of the effect. Watch for answers that go too far, such as claiming a result for conditions never tested (EXTRAPOLATION far beyond the data), claiming one cause is "proven," or adding facts not in the table. Also check for an ANOMALY, a single value that does not fit the pattern; it may be an error, and one odd point should not decide the conclusion. Averages of repeated trials are more reliable than any single trial.

✏️ Worked example

A student measures how long sugar takes to dissolve in water at four temperatures: 20 °C, 95 s; 40 °C, 62 s; 60 °C, 38 s; 80 °C, 21 s. Trend: as temperature rises, dissolving time falls. Supported conclusion: "Between 20 °C and 80 °C, warmer water dissolved the sugar faster." Not supported: "Sugar dissolves instantly in boiling water" (100 °C was never tested) and "Temperature affects all chemical reactions" (far too broad; only one substance was tested).

📌 Takeaways

  • Read title, headings and units before the numbers.
  • Describe the trend: increases, decreases, levels off or no pattern.
  • The best conclusion stays within the tested conditions.

✅ Check yourself

Question 1 of 3

A table shows heart rate rising from 70 to 90 to 110 beats per minute as walking speed increases from 2 to 3 to 4 mph. Which conclusion is best supported?

  1. Heart rate increased as walking speed increased.
  2. Walking is a better form of exercise than running is.
  3. Heart rate will reach 200 at 9 mph.
  4. Walking speed does not affect heart rate.
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: A

The data show heart rate rising with each increase in speed, so the direct trend is supported. Running was never tested, 9 mph is far outside the data, and the numbers clearly show an effect.

Question 2 of 3

In a data set, five trials read 12, 13, 12, 31 and 13 seconds. What is the best way to treat the 31?

  1. Change it to match the other values
  2. Treat it as a possible error and check it
  3. Ignore all of the other trials
  4. Use it as the main result
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: B

A value far from the others is an anomaly that may come from an error, so it should be checked and possibly repeated. It should not outweigh four agreeing trials, and data should never be altered to fit a pattern.

Question 3 of 3

What should you read FIRST when interpreting a data table?

  1. The last row only
  2. The answer choices
  3. The largest number in the table
  4. The title, headings and units
Show the answer and rationale

Answer: D

Labels and units tell you what was changed and what was measured, which you need before any number has meaning. Jumping to the largest number or the last row skips the context that makes the data readable.

Start this lesson free →

The full lesson with XP and a streak in the app. No account needed.

More in Scientific Reasoning

📝 Free TEAS science practice questions