Revise How to Calculate Range – GCSE Biology Quiz

Biology Quiz - Unit 4 - Range (Questions)

GCSE Biology practicals often use the range to show how spread out results are. This quiz helps you practise interpreting data sets and judging how consistent they are.

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Fascinating Fact:

In biology practicals, range is often used alongside the mean. Together they give information about both the typical value and the spread of the data.

In GCSE Biology, you collect numerical results from experiments, such as reaction times or growth measurements. Using the range helps you describe how spread out your data are and judge how consistent your results look.

Key Terms

Range: The difference between the largest and smallest values in a set of results.
Mean: The average value, found by adding all results together and dividing by the number of values.
Spread: A way of describing how far apart or close together data values are within a set of results.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What does range mean in GCSE Biology experiments?

In GCSE Biology, the range tells you how far apart the biggest and smallest results are. It is a simple way of showing how much your data vary in an investigation.

How do I calculate the range in a biology practical?

To calculate the range, identify the highest result and the lowest result in your data set. Subtract the lowest value from the highest value to give the range.

Why is range used as well as the mean in science?

The mean shows a typical value, but it does not show how spread out results are. The range adds this extra information so you can judge the consistency of your data.

Try These Related Quizzes

Which one of the following is the range of this data?
25, 16, 18, 10, 12, 16, 17

[ ]	12 to 16
[ ]	10 to 17
[ ]	10 to 25
[ ]	25 to 17

Which is the lower limit of this range of data?
22, 14, 16, 19, 11, 28

[ ]	11
[ ]	15
[ ]	16
[ ]	17

What is the upper limit of the following data?
15, 18, 25, 18, 45

[ ]	15
[ ]	18
[ ]	25
[ ]	45

If there is a very wide range of data for the same experiment, we say that the data is...

[ ]	precise
[ ]	unreliable
[ ]	ranging
[ ]	inaccurate

The range will guide us about a valid comparison between our experimental results and the control. If the ranges do not overlap, we say that there is...

[ ]	no difference
[ ]	a significant difference
[ ]	a fluke
[ ]	a chance that they may be different

If the range is large, we need to consider this.

[ ]	Repeating the experiment many more times
[ ]	Leaving it and working out the average
[ ]	Changing the experiment altogether
[ ]	Asking for more time

To calculate the range, we...

[ ]	subtract the largest number from the smallest
[ ]	subtract the smallest number from the largest
[ ]	subtract the mean from the largest number
[ ]	take an average

Calculate the range of the following data.
12, 14, 16, 13, 17, 19

[ ]	Six
[ ]	Seven
[ ]	Eight
[ ]	Nine

The range is the same thing as this.

[ ]	Average
[ ]	Spread
[ ]	Accuracy
[ ]	Median

10.

If the range is large, the variation of the data is...

[ ]	large
[ ]	small
[ ]	insignificant
[ ]	unchanged

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Practical skills

Biology Quiz - Unit 4 - Range (Answers)

Which one of the following is the range of this data?
25, 16, 18, 10, 12, 16, 17

[ ]	12 to 16
[ ]	10 to 17
[x]	10 to 25
[ ]	25 to 17

Remember, the range is the lowest to highest or vice-versa

Which is the lower limit of this range of data?
22, 14, 16, 19, 11, 28

[x]	11
[ ]	15
[ ]	16
[ ]	17

The lower limit is the smallest number

What is the upper limit of the following data?
15, 18, 25, 18, 45

[ ]	15
[ ]	18
[ ]	25
[x]	45

The upper limit is the highest number

If there is a very wide range of data for the same experiment, we say that the data is...

[ ]	precise
[x]	unreliable
[ ]	ranging
[ ]	inaccurate

Range is taken as a measure of reliability when applied to the repeat results of an experiment

The range will guide us about a valid comparison between our experimental results and the control. If the ranges do not overlap, we say that there is...

[ ]	no difference
[x]	a significant difference
[ ]	a fluke
[ ]	a chance that they may be different

If there is no overlap between the ranges, the experimental group must be different from the control and therefore we have a clear cut difference

If the range is large, we need to consider this.

[x]	Repeating the experiment many more times
[ ]	Leaving it and working out the average
[ ]	Changing the experiment altogether
[ ]	Asking for more time

If the range is very wide, it could just be the method or it could be genuine biological variation. Repeating the experiment is the best way forward as a first step to double checking the data

To calculate the range, we...

[ ]	subtract the largest number from the smallest
[x]	subtract the smallest number from the largest
[ ]	subtract the mean from the largest number
[ ]	take an average

This is a way of expressing the range as a single figure

Calculate the range of the following data.
12, 14, 16, 13, 17, 19

[ ]	Six
[x]	Seven
[ ]	Eight
[ ]	Nine

The upper limit is 19, the lower limit is 12 so the range is 19 - 12 = 7