WGU C165 INTEGRATED PHYSICAL SCIENCES
EXAM 2026 COMPREHENSIVE STUDY AND
ANSWER GUIDE
◉ Chemistry. Answer: study of atoms and molecules, their
structures, and their interactions to form various substances.
◉ Earth Science. Answer: Earth's structure and composition, as well
as the processes that change Earth, such as volcanic and seismic
activity.
◉ astronomy. Answer: The study of the moon, stars, and other
objects in space
◉ Science. Answer: An organized way of gathering and analyzing
evidence about the natural world.
◉ Precision. Answer: a measure of how close a series of
measurements are to one another
◉ SI. Answer: is a scientific method of expressing the magnitudes or
quantities of important natural phenomena. There are seven base
,units in the system, from which other units are derived. Universal for
comparing data.
◉ physical science. Answer: the sciences concerned with the study
of inanimate natural objects, including physics, chemistry,
astronomy, and related subjects.
◉ life science. Answer: the study of living things
◉ controlled experiment. Answer: An experiment in which only one
variable is manipulated at a time. Or a condition that is being held
constant
◉ independent variable. Answer: what is being changed
◉ dependent variable. Answer: what is being measured
◉ control. Answer: In an experiment, the standard that is used for
comparison
◉ Observational experiment or study. Answer: studies attempt to
understand cause-and-effect relationships. However, unlike
experiments, the researcher is not able to control (1) how subjects
are assigned to groups and/or (2) which treatments each group
,receives. ... Therefore, a sample survey is an example of an
observational study.
◉ field study. Answer: a research investigation carried out in a
naturally occurring setting
◉ laboratory study. Answer: Research done in a laboratory
◉ Physical Model. Answer: A physical representation of an object.
Prototypes and appearance models are physical models.
◉ conceptual model. Answer: a verbal or graphical explanation for
how a system works or is organized
◉ mathematical model. Answer: one or more equations that
represent the way a system or process works
◉ Hypothesis. Answer: A testable prediction, often implied by a
theory
◉ Theory. Answer: A hypothesis that has been tested with a
significant amount of data. Explains why something happened.
, ◉ Law. Answer: A law in science is a generalized rule to explain a
body of observations in the form of a verbal or mathematical
statement. Scientific laws (also known as natural laws) imply a cause
and effect between the observed elements and must always apply
under the same conditions. Explains how it happened not why.
◉ Observation. Answer: Information obtained through the senses.
◉ evidence. Answer: proof
◉ Data. Answer: Facts and statistics collected together for reference
or analysis
◉ Big Bang Theory. Answer: Cosmological model that explains the
sudden development of the universe through expansion from a hot,
dense state.
◉ plate tectonics. Answer: A theory stating that the earth's surface is
broken into plates that move.
◉ atomic theory. Answer: a theory that states that all matter is
composed of tiny particles called atoms.
EXAM 2026 COMPREHENSIVE STUDY AND
ANSWER GUIDE
◉ Chemistry. Answer: study of atoms and molecules, their
structures, and their interactions to form various substances.
◉ Earth Science. Answer: Earth's structure and composition, as well
as the processes that change Earth, such as volcanic and seismic
activity.
◉ astronomy. Answer: The study of the moon, stars, and other
objects in space
◉ Science. Answer: An organized way of gathering and analyzing
evidence about the natural world.
◉ Precision. Answer: a measure of how close a series of
measurements are to one another
◉ SI. Answer: is a scientific method of expressing the magnitudes or
quantities of important natural phenomena. There are seven base
,units in the system, from which other units are derived. Universal for
comparing data.
◉ physical science. Answer: the sciences concerned with the study
of inanimate natural objects, including physics, chemistry,
astronomy, and related subjects.
◉ life science. Answer: the study of living things
◉ controlled experiment. Answer: An experiment in which only one
variable is manipulated at a time. Or a condition that is being held
constant
◉ independent variable. Answer: what is being changed
◉ dependent variable. Answer: what is being measured
◉ control. Answer: In an experiment, the standard that is used for
comparison
◉ Observational experiment or study. Answer: studies attempt to
understand cause-and-effect relationships. However, unlike
experiments, the researcher is not able to control (1) how subjects
are assigned to groups and/or (2) which treatments each group
,receives. ... Therefore, a sample survey is an example of an
observational study.
◉ field study. Answer: a research investigation carried out in a
naturally occurring setting
◉ laboratory study. Answer: Research done in a laboratory
◉ Physical Model. Answer: A physical representation of an object.
Prototypes and appearance models are physical models.
◉ conceptual model. Answer: a verbal or graphical explanation for
how a system works or is organized
◉ mathematical model. Answer: one or more equations that
represent the way a system or process works
◉ Hypothesis. Answer: A testable prediction, often implied by a
theory
◉ Theory. Answer: A hypothesis that has been tested with a
significant amount of data. Explains why something happened.
, ◉ Law. Answer: A law in science is a generalized rule to explain a
body of observations in the form of a verbal or mathematical
statement. Scientific laws (also known as natural laws) imply a cause
and effect between the observed elements and must always apply
under the same conditions. Explains how it happened not why.
◉ Observation. Answer: Information obtained through the senses.
◉ evidence. Answer: proof
◉ Data. Answer: Facts and statistics collected together for reference
or analysis
◉ Big Bang Theory. Answer: Cosmological model that explains the
sudden development of the universe through expansion from a hot,
dense state.
◉ plate tectonics. Answer: A theory stating that the earth's surface is
broken into plates that move.
◉ atomic theory. Answer: a theory that states that all matter is
composed of tiny particles called atoms.
