← Home

Science and its Pedagogy (Paper II): key facts and practice questions

Revise Science and its Pedagogy (Paper II) for CTET and state TETs: the facts and distinctions that keep coming up, a one-glance revision list, and 10 practice questions with answers and explanations.

Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked on 2026-10-15; not yet read line by line by a human editor. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Editorial standards & corrections

Jump to practice questions ↓

Key concepts and facts

Nature and aims of science: Science is both a product (facts, concepts, laws, theories) and a process (observing, measuring, hypothesising, experimenting, inferring, communicating). Scientific knowledge is empirical, objective, cumulative and tentative, meaning open to revision when new evidence appears. The NCF 2005 Position Paper on Teaching of Science lists six validity criteria for a good science curriculum: cognitive (age-appropriate), content (significant and correct), process (engaging with methods of science), historical (placing ideas in their developmental context), environmental (linked to the local and global environment) and ethical (honesty, objectivity, cooperation, freedom from fear and prejudice). Developing scientific temper is a Fundamental Duty under Article 51A(h). Scientific attitude includes curiosity, open-mindedness, objectivity, suspended judgement and respect for evidence, never acceptance of authority without evidence. Scientific literacy means using scientific understanding to take informed decisions in everyday life.
Process skills and the observation-inference trap: Observation uses the senses (the flame went out, the water level rose). Inference is an explanation drawn from observations (the flame went out because oxygen was used up). Prediction is a forecast made before an event based on past experience; a hypothesis is a testable tentative statement that links variables. In a fair test the variable deliberately changed is the independent variable, the one measured is the dependent variable, and everything else is controlled. A sentence from a scenario may need to be labelled as observation, inference, prediction or hypothesis.
Methods and approaches in science: The 5E model runs Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate; formal vocabulary is introduced only at the Explain stage, after hands-on exploration. The heuristic method (H.E. Armstrong) places the child as discoverer; the project method (W.H. Kilpatrick) and problem-solving method (John Dewey) begin with a real problem felt by learners. Lecture-cum-demonstration is economical but leaves students as passive observers. Inquiry teaching is recognised by questions such as 'What do you think will happen if... How can we find out?'. Concept maps (Joseph Novak) show concepts in boxes joined by labelled linking words. Cooperative techniques such as Jigsaw make each group member an expert on one part. Science exhibitions, science clubs and the National Children's Science Congress (children aged 10 to 17 doing projects on a focal theme) nurture creativity and innovation. Low-cost and no-cost improvised apparatus makes science concrete and accessible; ICT simulations are valuable where real experiments are unsafe or impossible.
Evaluation in science: Assessment should cover the cognitive, psychomotor (handling apparatus, practical work) and affective (attitudes, values, assessed through observation schedules and rating scales) domains. Bloom's revised taxonomy rises from Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate to Create; 'explain why' is Understand, 'design an experiment' is Create. Formative assessment is assessment for learning during instruction; summative is at the end. A diagnostic test identifies specific difficulties and is followed by remedial teaching. Open-ended questions, rubrics, portfolios and CCE assess process skills and growth, not just recall.
Misconceptions and problems in teaching science: Common misconceptions are that heavier objects fall faster, that seasons are caused by the Earth's distance from the Sun (actually the axial tilt), that plants take food from the soil (they make it by photosynthesis), that a bucket and a cup of water at the same temperature contain the same heat, and that current is used up by a bulb. The correct teacher response is to create cognitive conflict through an activity and discussion, not to simply assert the right answer. Other problems: rote learning, lack of laboratories, difficult technical vocabulary in an unfamiliar language (answer: build on the home language and everyday words), and gender stereotypes (answer: rotate roles so all children handle apparatus). Laboratory safety: add acid slowly to water, never water to acid.

One-glance revision list

Observation versus inference: 'The water level rose in the jar' is an observation; 'because oxygen was used up' is an inference.
5E order mnemonic: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate. New vocabulary appears only at Explain, after Explore.
NCF 2005 validity criteria for science: Cognitive, Content, Process, Historical, Environmental, Ethical (remember 'C-C-P-H-E-E').
Method founders: Heuristic = H.E. Armstrong; Project = W.H. Kilpatrick; Problem-solving and reflective thinking = John Dewey; Concept map = Joseph Novak.
Bloom's revised taxonomy ladder: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate, Create. 'Design' or 'devise' signals Create; 'explain why' signals Understand.
Fair test: the variable you change is independent, the one you measure is dependent, the rest are controlled.
Misconception fixes: seasons come from axial tilt, not distance; plants make food by photosynthesis, soil only supplies water and minerals; current is the same throughout a series circuit.
Lab safety rule: add acid to water, slowly, with stirring; never water to acid. Scientific temper is Fundamental Duty 51A(h).
In pedagogy scenario questions, the answer that keeps the child active, builds on prior knowledge, offers multiple perspectives and treats the textbook as one resource is usually the one consistent with NCF 2005.

Lessons in depth

8 longer lessons on Science and its Pedagogy (Paper II), one per sub-topic, each with its key facts and a quick revision.

Practice questions

Try each question before opening the answer.

1. Which statement best captures the 'tentative' nature of scientific knowledge? (A) Scientific facts, once proved, can never be changed (B) Scientific knowledge is open to revision in the light of new evidence (C) Scientific knowledge depends on the opinion of famous scientists (D) Scientific laws hold true only inside laboratories

Answer: (B) Scientific knowledge is open to revision in the light of new evidence. Science is tentative because every conclusion remains open to modification when new evidence or better explanations appear. It is not fixed for ever, nor is it a matter of authority or opinion.

2. Which of the following is an open-ended question in science? (A) What is the boiling point of water at sea level? (B) In how many different ways can you separate a mixture of sand, salt and iron filings? Explain each. (C) Name the gas released during photosynthesis. (D) Which organ pumps blood in the human body?

Answer: (B) In how many different ways can you separate a mixture of sand, salt and iron filings? Explain each.. An open-ended question admits several valid responses and requires reasoning and explanation, encouraging divergent thinking. The other three have a single fixed answer and test recall only.

3. What is the role of the hydrochloric acid secreted in the stomach? (A) It protects the inner lining of the stomach from damage (B) It breaks down fats into fatty acids and glycerol (C) It absorbs water and salts from the undigested food (D) It kills bacteria and makes the medium acidic for digestion

Answer: (D) It kills bacteria and makes the medium acidic for digestion. Hydrochloric acid kills many bacteria that enter with food and makes the medium acidic, which helps the digestive juices act. The inner lining is protected by mucus, and fats are digested in the small intestine.

4. Consider the following statements about rusting: 1. For iron to rust, the presence of both oxygen and water (or water vapour) is essential. 2. Iron objects rust faster in a dry desert than in a humid coastal area. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (A) Only 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Both 1 and 2 (D) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (A) Only 1. Rusting needs both oxygen and water; if either is absent, iron does not rust. The more moisture in the air, the faster the rusting, so iron rusts faster in coastal areas than in deserts and statement 2 is wrong.

5. The calorific value of a fuel is the amount of heat produced by the complete combustion of 1 kg of it. Which of the following fuels has the highest calorific value? (A) LPG (B) Hydrogen (C) Petrol (D) Coal

Answer: (B) Hydrogen. Hydrogen has the highest calorific value among common fuels. NCERT's table gives 150000 kJ/kg for hydrogen against 55000 for LPG and 45000 for petrol, roughly three times as much. Calorific value is expressed in kilojoules per kilogram (kJ/kg).

6. A potted plant that is watered far too much, so that its soil stays waterlogged, may wilt and die. The main reason is that: (A) Its leaves can no longer carry out transpiration (B) The water washes away the chlorophyll of its leaves (C) Its roots absorb too many minerals from the soil (D) Its roots do not get enough air for respiration

Answer: (D) Its roots do not get enough air for respiration. Roots take in oxygen from the air present in the spaces between soil particles. When the soil is waterlogged these spaces fill with water, so the roots cannot get air for respiration and the plant may die.

7. The main purpose of setting up a biosphere reserve is to: (A) Keep wild animals in cages so that visitors can see them closely (B) Grow a single kind of tree on a large scale for timber (C) Allow hunting of wild animals under a government licence (D) Conserve biodiversity and the traditional life of local people

Answer: (D) Conserve biodiversity and the traditional life of local people. A biosphere reserve is a large protected area meant to conserve the biodiversity of a region, its plants, animals and microorganisms, together with the traditional life of the people living there. Keeping animals in cages describes a zoo.

8. A train is moving at a speed of 72 km/h. Its speed in metres per second is: (A) 72 m/s (B) 20 m/s (C) 7.2 m/s (D) 259.2 m/s

Answer: (B) 20 m/s. 1 km/h = 1000 m / 3600 s, so 72 km/h = 72 × 1000 / 3600 m/s = 20 m/s. Multiplying by 3.6 instead of dividing by it gives the wrong value 259.2.

9. A bar magnet is broken into two pieces. Which of the following is true of each piece? (A) Each piece has both a north pole and a south pole (B) One piece has only a north pole and the other only a south pole (C) Neither piece has any magnetic pole left (D) Only the larger piece still has magnetic poles

Answer: (A) Each piece has both a north pole and a south pole. Magnetic poles always occur in pairs. Each broken piece becomes a complete magnet with its own north and south poles; a single isolated pole cannot be obtained.

10. A group of students is caught in an open field when lightning starts. There is no building or vehicle nearby. What should they do? (A) Squat low, with hands on the knees and head between the hands (B) Lie flat on the ground with their arms and legs stretched out (C) Take shelter under the tallest isolated tree in the field (D) Stand still and hold an open umbrella above their heads

Answer: (A) Squat low, with hands on the knees and head between the hands. In the open, one should squat low, placing the hands on the knees and the head between the hands, so as to be the smallest target. Lying flat, standing under an isolated tall tree or holding an umbrella is unsafe.

All 353 practice questions on Science and its Pedagogy (Paper II), with answers →

Where this is tested

Science and its Pedagogy (Paper II) is tested in CTET and state TETs. Check the current official notification and syllabus of the exam you are preparing for to see how it is covered.

Keep practising

Try to recall the answer before opening it, then revisit the ones you missed.

Start this topic’s quiz →

Explore the lesson library