Identify materials based on properties with observation - 5th Grade Science

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Question

In a laboratory experiment, you are given a beaker of liquid and asked to determine what it is. You observe that:

-The liquid is clear

-The liquid is not odorless; it has a distinct smell

Which of the following statements is true?

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Answer

Based on your observation of the liquid, you know a few things to be true:

  1. The liquid is clear. Since cola is brown in color and not clear, this eliminates cola.

  2. The liquid has an odor. Since water is odorless, this eliminates water.

Given the available answer choices, this means that the liquid COULD be bleach, but of course you haven't proven that, you just haven't eliminated it as a possibility. There are many clear liquids that have an odor, so you can't definitively say it's bleach, but you can rule out odorless or colorful liquids. That's why the answer is that the liquid could be bleach, and cannot be cola or water.

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