Question

Evan's nightly chores include washing dishes. His father cooks everything he prepares a bit too long. Because of this, Evan spends a lot of sweat, effort, and time washing dishes. He sees a commercial on television that claims a new dishwashing detergent, called Brand X, cuts through grease better than its competitor, called Brand Y. They back up their claim with testimonials from people who say they've used this new detergent.
What is a possible problem question or testable question that Evan might ask for this scenario?
A) How does Brand X affect the amount of grease that is cleaned off of a dish?
B) How does the amount of dishwashing detergent affect the amount of grease that is cleaned off of a dish?
C) How does the amount of dishes affect the amount of grease that is cleaned off of a dish?
D) How does the amount of cooking time affect the amount of dishes that need to be cleaned?

Answer 1

The correct answer is A) How does Brand X affect the amount of grease that is cleaned off of a dish?

Explanation:

In this scenario, the focus of Evan is to test the effect of detergent X on grease because this would allow Evan to verify if this detergent is better than brand Y. This means Evan's question needs to include the two main factors tested which are Brand X and the amount of grease cleaned off the dish.

According to this, the best option is "How does Brand X affect the amount of grease that is cleaned off of a dish?" because this focuses on the factor Evan is interested in. Also, this is a testable question because through experiments Evan can answer it. Moreover, other factors such as the number of dishes, the amount of detergent or the cooking time in other options are not related to Evan's interests.