WGU C165 INTEGRATED PHYSICAL SCIENCES OA ACTUAL
EXAM 2026 | Exam Question Bank | Verified Questions &
Answers | Pass Guaranteed - A+ Graded
Section 1: Foundations of Physical Sciences – Scientific Inquiry & Basic
Concepts
Q1: Which of the following best describes the difference between a scientific theory and
a scientific law?
A. A theory is an educated guess, while a law has been proven absolutely true.
B. A law describes what happens in nature, while a theory explains why it happens.
[CORRECT]
C. A theory eventually becomes a law after decades of repeated experimentation.
D. A law is based on mathematics, while a theory is based only on qualitative
observations.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: On the WGU C165 OA, remember that a scientific law is a descriptive
statement of observed phenomena, whereas a scientific theory is a well-supported,
comprehensive explanation of the underlying mechanisms.
Q2: A student measures the mass of a rock three times and gets 12.4 g, 12.5 g, and
12.4 g. The actual mass of the rock is 15.2 g. Which of the following best describes the
student's measurements?
A. Both accurate and precise
B. Precise but not accurate [CORRECT]
C. Accurate but not precise
D. Neither accurate nor precise
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The measurements are very close to each other, showing precision, but they
are far from the true value of 15.2 g, meaning they lack accuracy.
,Q3: In a controlled experiment testing whether fertilizer affects plant growth, which
variable is the dependent variable?
A. The amount of fertilizer applied to the soil
B. The type of soil used for all plants
C. The height of the plants after two weeks [CORRECT]
D. The amount of water each plant receives
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The dependent variable is what you measure in the experiment—in this case,
plant height—which depends on the independent variable you manipulate.
Q4: Convert 0.0045 kilograms into milligrams using dimensional analysis.
A. 45 mg
B. 450 mg
C. 4,500 mg [CORRECT]
D. 45,000 mg
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: You need to move from kilograms to grams (×1,000) and then grams to
milligrams (×1,000), giving you 0.0045 × 1,000 × 1,000 = 4,500 mg.
Q5: How many significant figures are in the measurement 0.000340 m?
A. 3 [CORRECT]
B. 4
C. 6
D. 7
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Leading zeros never count, and trailing zeros after a decimal point always
count, giving you exactly three significant figures (3, 4, 0).
Q6: A graph shows a straight line passing through the origin where the y-axis is
distance and the x-axis is time. What does the slope of this line represent?
A. Acceleration
B. Displacement
C. Average speed [CORRECT]
D. Total time traveled
Correct Answer: C
,Rationale: Since slope is rise over run (distance over time), the slope of a position-time
graph gives you the speed of the object.
Q7: Which of the following is an example of an extensive property?
A. Density
B. Boiling point
C. Mass [CORRECT]
D. Reactivity
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Extensive properties depend on the amount of matter present, like mass or
volume, while intensive properties like density and boiling point do not.
Q8: A scientist hypothesizes that a new drug will lower blood pressure. If the results of
the experiment show no significant difference between the treatment and control
groups, what is the most appropriate next step?
A. Reject the hypothesis and modify or abandon it [CORRECT]
B. Accept the null hypothesis as absolute proof that the drug does not work
C. Change the data to match the original hypothesis
D. Conclude that the experiment was a complete failure
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: In science, a hypothesis that isn't supported by data is discarded or revised;
you don't alter data to force a fit, and you can never "prove" anything absolutely.
Q9: Express the number 3,500,000 in correct scientific notation.
A. 3.5 × 10⁵
B. 3.5 × 10⁶ [CORRECT]
C. 35 × 10⁵
D. 0.35 × 10⁷
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: To write this in proper scientific notation, the coefficient must be between 1
and 10, and you move the decimal point six places to the right.
Q10: Which historical atomic model first proposed the existence of a small, dense,
positively charged nucleus?
A. Dalton's billiard ball model
, B. Thomson's plum pudding model
C. Rutherford's gold foil model [CORRECT]
D. Bohr's planetary model
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Rutherford discovered that alpha particles occasionally bounced straight
back, leading him to propose that the atom's positive charge and mass are concentrated
in a tiny nucleus.
Q11: A student looks at a position vs. time graph and sees a horizontal line. What does
this indicate about the object's motion?
A. The object is moving at a constant speed.
B. The object is moving backward toward the starting point.
C. The object is at rest. [CORRECT]
D. The object is accelerating.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: On the WGU C165 OA, a flat horizontal line on a position-time graph means
the position isn't changing over time, so the object is stationary.
Q12: Which of the following lists the phases of matter in order from lowest to highest
average kinetic energy?
A. Gas, liquid, solid
B. Solid, liquid, gas [CORRECT]
C. Liquid, solid, gas
D. Gas, solid, liquid
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Particles in a solid vibrate in place with low kinetic energy, liquid particles
move more freely, and gas particles move rapidly with the highest average kinetic
energy.
Q13: Which unit is the SI base unit for measuring temperature?
A. Celsius
B. Fahrenheit
C. Kelvin [CORRECT]
D. Joule
Correct Answer: C
EXAM 2026 | Exam Question Bank | Verified Questions &
Answers | Pass Guaranteed - A+ Graded
Section 1: Foundations of Physical Sciences – Scientific Inquiry & Basic
Concepts
Q1: Which of the following best describes the difference between a scientific theory and
a scientific law?
A. A theory is an educated guess, while a law has been proven absolutely true.
B. A law describes what happens in nature, while a theory explains why it happens.
[CORRECT]
C. A theory eventually becomes a law after decades of repeated experimentation.
D. A law is based on mathematics, while a theory is based only on qualitative
observations.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: On the WGU C165 OA, remember that a scientific law is a descriptive
statement of observed phenomena, whereas a scientific theory is a well-supported,
comprehensive explanation of the underlying mechanisms.
Q2: A student measures the mass of a rock three times and gets 12.4 g, 12.5 g, and
12.4 g. The actual mass of the rock is 15.2 g. Which of the following best describes the
student's measurements?
A. Both accurate and precise
B. Precise but not accurate [CORRECT]
C. Accurate but not precise
D. Neither accurate nor precise
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The measurements are very close to each other, showing precision, but they
are far from the true value of 15.2 g, meaning they lack accuracy.
,Q3: In a controlled experiment testing whether fertilizer affects plant growth, which
variable is the dependent variable?
A. The amount of fertilizer applied to the soil
B. The type of soil used for all plants
C. The height of the plants after two weeks [CORRECT]
D. The amount of water each plant receives
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The dependent variable is what you measure in the experiment—in this case,
plant height—which depends on the independent variable you manipulate.
Q4: Convert 0.0045 kilograms into milligrams using dimensional analysis.
A. 45 mg
B. 450 mg
C. 4,500 mg [CORRECT]
D. 45,000 mg
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: You need to move from kilograms to grams (×1,000) and then grams to
milligrams (×1,000), giving you 0.0045 × 1,000 × 1,000 = 4,500 mg.
Q5: How many significant figures are in the measurement 0.000340 m?
A. 3 [CORRECT]
B. 4
C. 6
D. 7
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Leading zeros never count, and trailing zeros after a decimal point always
count, giving you exactly three significant figures (3, 4, 0).
Q6: A graph shows a straight line passing through the origin where the y-axis is
distance and the x-axis is time. What does the slope of this line represent?
A. Acceleration
B. Displacement
C. Average speed [CORRECT]
D. Total time traveled
Correct Answer: C
,Rationale: Since slope is rise over run (distance over time), the slope of a position-time
graph gives you the speed of the object.
Q7: Which of the following is an example of an extensive property?
A. Density
B. Boiling point
C. Mass [CORRECT]
D. Reactivity
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Extensive properties depend on the amount of matter present, like mass or
volume, while intensive properties like density and boiling point do not.
Q8: A scientist hypothesizes that a new drug will lower blood pressure. If the results of
the experiment show no significant difference between the treatment and control
groups, what is the most appropriate next step?
A. Reject the hypothesis and modify or abandon it [CORRECT]
B. Accept the null hypothesis as absolute proof that the drug does not work
C. Change the data to match the original hypothesis
D. Conclude that the experiment was a complete failure
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: In science, a hypothesis that isn't supported by data is discarded or revised;
you don't alter data to force a fit, and you can never "prove" anything absolutely.
Q9: Express the number 3,500,000 in correct scientific notation.
A. 3.5 × 10⁵
B. 3.5 × 10⁶ [CORRECT]
C. 35 × 10⁵
D. 0.35 × 10⁷
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: To write this in proper scientific notation, the coefficient must be between 1
and 10, and you move the decimal point six places to the right.
Q10: Which historical atomic model first proposed the existence of a small, dense,
positively charged nucleus?
A. Dalton's billiard ball model
, B. Thomson's plum pudding model
C. Rutherford's gold foil model [CORRECT]
D. Bohr's planetary model
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Rutherford discovered that alpha particles occasionally bounced straight
back, leading him to propose that the atom's positive charge and mass are concentrated
in a tiny nucleus.
Q11: A student looks at a position vs. time graph and sees a horizontal line. What does
this indicate about the object's motion?
A. The object is moving at a constant speed.
B. The object is moving backward toward the starting point.
C. The object is at rest. [CORRECT]
D. The object is accelerating.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: On the WGU C165 OA, a flat horizontal line on a position-time graph means
the position isn't changing over time, so the object is stationary.
Q12: Which of the following lists the phases of matter in order from lowest to highest
average kinetic energy?
A. Gas, liquid, solid
B. Solid, liquid, gas [CORRECT]
C. Liquid, solid, gas
D. Gas, solid, liquid
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Particles in a solid vibrate in place with low kinetic energy, liquid particles
move more freely, and gas particles move rapidly with the highest average kinetic
energy.
Q13: Which unit is the SI base unit for measuring temperature?
A. Celsius
B. Fahrenheit
C. Kelvin [CORRECT]
D. Joule
Correct Answer: C
