Students should identify the structure and function of the major parts of animal and plant cells. (8)

[“Identifying” the cell parts and their functions only involves recalling and naming/labeling.]

Students should be able to recognize the phases of mitosis. (10)

[“Recognizing” phases of mitosis only involves recalling the basic parts of the cell and their changes.]

Students should be able to collect data for a single variable over time and represent them in a line graph. (8)

[Students are being asked to gather data and represent it in a graph – a two step procedure.]

Students should be able to explain the process of photosynthesis in detail. (10)

[At grade 10, a common expectation for this objective would be to require fairly detailed (complex) explanations, including a word or chemical equation of the substances involved.]

Students should understand the fundamentals of how plate tectonics explain the cause and nature of major types of earthquakes (8).

[Understanding the concepts of earth plate movements and how they result in different types of earthquakes involves abstract, complex reasoning.]

Students should be able use common species to illustrate the advantages of sexual reproduction over asexual reproduction. (10)

[“Illustrating” the difference would involve choosing some examples of each and providing a detailed explanation of the relative effects of each reproduction type on the species. While these concepts are less abstract than example 3.1, explaining them is fairly complex.]

Students should design and conduct a science investigation in their home or community that involves data collection, display and interpretation. (8)

[Requires major aspects of a scientific investigation over time.]