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WGU C165 Integrated Physical Sciences OA
Exam – Complete Questions with Verified
Answers and Detailed Rationale
Official Exam Overview:
The WGU C165 Integrated Physical Sciences OA Exam evaluates learners’ understanding of
fundamental concepts in physical and life sciences. The exam emphasizes scientific principles,
experimental methods, and the relationship between physical systems and living organisms.
Exam Coverage Areas:
• Scientific Method and Inquiry
• Physical Sciences: Physics, Chemistry, and Earth Science
• Life Sciences: Biology, Ecology, and Genetics
• Matter, Energy, and Motion
• Chemical Reactions and Properties
• Earth Systems and Astronomy
• Scientific Vocabulary and Concepts
QUESTION 1: Which type of scientific statement is this?
A) Inference
B) Hypothesis
C) Theory
D) Law ✅
Rationale: A law describes a statement based on repeated experimental observations that expresses
a consistent relationship in nature. Unlike a hypothesis or theory, a law predicts what happens under
certain conditions rather than explaining why it happens.
QUESTION 2: What does the word Scientia mean?
A) Wisdom
B) Knowledge ✅
C) Science
D) Experiment
Rationale: “Scientia” is Latin for knowledge, forming the root of the word “science,” reflecting the
pursuit of understanding the natural world.
QUESTION 3: Physical sciences is the study of:
A) Living organisms
B) Non-living systems ✅
,C) Social behavior
D) Environmental policies
Rationale: Physical sciences focus on non-living systems, including chemistry, physics, and
astronomy.
QUESTION 4: Life science is the study of:
A) Non-living systems
B) Matter and energy
C) Living things ✅
D) Physical laws
Rationale: Life sciences study organisms, their interactions, and biological processes, encompassing
biology, ecology, and genetics.
QUESTION 5: Which branch of physical science studies the composition, properties, and reactions
of matter?
A) Physics
B) Chemistry ✅
C) Earth Science
D) Astronomy
Rationale: Chemistry examines matter at the atomic and molecular levels, exploring chemical
properties, reactions, and the transformations of substances.
Which type of scientific statement is this?
a) Inference
b) Hypothesis
c) Theory
d) Law - ANSWER-d) Law
QUESTION: The well-accepted scientific explanation for many characteristics of Earth's crust
states that the crust is broken into several large plates. These plates move slowly over the
mantle below because of convection and other processes. Earthquakes and volcanoes are most
common at places where the plates interact. Evidence from physics, chemistry and geology
supports this explanation.
Which type of scientific idea is this explanation an example of?
,a) Law
b) Hypothesis
c) Prediction
d) Theory - ANSWER-d) Theory
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QUESTION: A woman does pushups by lowering her body to the floor using her arms and then
pressing against the floor with her hands to push herself back up.
Which force causes her to rise?
a) The downward force of gravity that Earth exerts on the woman
b) The downward force that the woman's arms exert on the ground
c) The upward force that the ground exerts on the woman
d) The upward force that the woman's arms exert on the ground - ANSWER-c) The upward
force that the ground exerts on the woman
QUESTION: Two boxes sitting on the floor look identical, but one has more mass than the other.
What happens when the same net force, sufficient to overcome static friction, is applied to
each box?
a) The box with less mass accelerates more.
b) The box with more mass accelerates more.
c) Both boxes accelerate at the same rate.
d) Both boxes remain at rest. - ANSWER-a) The box with less mass accelerates more.
QUESTION: Two identical train engines are parked on parallel tracks. One engine has ten cars
attached, and the other has no cars attached. Each engine exerts the same net force, which
allows the train to overcome static friction.
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WGU C165 Integrated Physical Sciences OA
Exam – Complete Questions with Verified
Answers and Detailed Rationale
Official Exam Overview:
The WGU C165 Integrated Physical Sciences OA Exam evaluates learners’ understanding of
fundamental concepts in physical and life sciences. The exam emphasizes scientific principles,
experimental methods, and the relationship between physical systems and living organisms.
Exam Coverage Areas:
• Scientific Method and Inquiry
• Physical Sciences: Physics, Chemistry, and Earth Science
• Life Sciences: Biology, Ecology, and Genetics
• Matter, Energy, and Motion
• Chemical Reactions and Properties
• Earth Systems and Astronomy
• Scientific Vocabulary and Concepts
QUESTION 1: Which type of scientific statement is this?
A) Inference
B) Hypothesis
C) Theory
D) Law ✅
Rationale: A law describes a statement based on repeated experimental observations that expresses
a consistent relationship in nature. Unlike a hypothesis or theory, a law predicts what happens under
certain conditions rather than explaining why it happens.
QUESTION 2: What does the word Scientia mean?
A) Wisdom
B) Knowledge ✅
C) Science
D) Experiment
Rationale: “Scientia” is Latin for knowledge, forming the root of the word “science,” reflecting the
pursuit of understanding the natural world.
QUESTION 3: Physical sciences is the study of:
A) Living organisms
B) Non-living systems ✅
,C) Social behavior
D) Environmental policies
Rationale: Physical sciences focus on non-living systems, including chemistry, physics, and
astronomy.
QUESTION 4: Life science is the study of:
A) Non-living systems
B) Matter and energy
C) Living things ✅
D) Physical laws
Rationale: Life sciences study organisms, their interactions, and biological processes, encompassing
biology, ecology, and genetics.
QUESTION 5: Which branch of physical science studies the composition, properties, and reactions
of matter?
A) Physics
B) Chemistry ✅
C) Earth Science
D) Astronomy
Rationale: Chemistry examines matter at the atomic and molecular levels, exploring chemical
properties, reactions, and the transformations of substances.
Which type of scientific statement is this?
a) Inference
b) Hypothesis
c) Theory
d) Law - ANSWER-d) Law
QUESTION: The well-accepted scientific explanation for many characteristics of Earth's crust
states that the crust is broken into several large plates. These plates move slowly over the
mantle below because of convection and other processes. Earthquakes and volcanoes are most
common at places where the plates interact. Evidence from physics, chemistry and geology
supports this explanation.
Which type of scientific idea is this explanation an example of?
,a) Law
b) Hypothesis
c) Prediction
d) Theory - ANSWER-d) Theory
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QUESTION: A woman does pushups by lowering her body to the floor using her arms and then
pressing against the floor with her hands to push herself back up.
Which force causes her to rise?
a) The downward force of gravity that Earth exerts on the woman
b) The downward force that the woman's arms exert on the ground
c) The upward force that the ground exerts on the woman
d) The upward force that the woman's arms exert on the ground - ANSWER-c) The upward
force that the ground exerts on the woman
QUESTION: Two boxes sitting on the floor look identical, but one has more mass than the other.
What happens when the same net force, sufficient to overcome static friction, is applied to
each box?
a) The box with less mass accelerates more.
b) The box with more mass accelerates more.
c) Both boxes accelerate at the same rate.
d) Both boxes remain at rest. - ANSWER-a) The box with less mass accelerates more.
QUESTION: Two identical train engines are parked on parallel tracks. One engine has ten cars
attached, and the other has no cars attached. Each engine exerts the same net force, which
allows the train to overcome static friction.
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