What best describes scientific inquiry?

• A. Scientific inquiry is a form of problem-solving and questioning that helps people understand observable phenomena.
• B. It relies solely on guesswork.
• C. It ignores evidence.
• D. It is unrelated to the Scientific Method.

Answer: (A)

Scientific inquiry is the process of asking questions and gathering evidence to understand observable phenomena. It involves making observations, formulating hypotheses, designing investigations to test them, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating conclusions. This approach uses evidence and reasoning, not guesswork, and conclusions are drawn from data rather than intuition. It is tightly connected to the Scientific Method, which provides the structure for posing questions, testing ideas, and revising explanations. The description that fits best is that scientific inquiry is a form of problem-solving and questioning that helps people understand observable phenomena. The other descriptions fall short because they rely on guesswork, ignore evidence, or claim it’s unrelated to how scientists investigate the natural world.