Question

jon enjoys feeding the squirrels in his backyard. he notices that they spend a lot of time collecting seeds and nuts. he wonders about what factors affect which foods squirrels choose to collect. he has the following supplies available:

• two identical squirrel feeders
• a bag of sunflower seeds
• a bag of walnuts
• a tree to hang the feeders from

using only these supplies, which questions can jon investigate with an experiment? select all that apply.

• which type of tree do the squirrels feed from most often?
• do squirrels select sunflower seeds from the feeders when hung from a taller or shorter tree branch?
• do the squirrels select sunflower seeds or walnuts more often?
• do the squirrels eat walnuts from large feeders more often than from small feeders?

Explanation:

To determine which questions Jon can investigate, we analyze each option based on the available supplies:

1. "Which type of tree do the squirrels feed from most often?"

Jon only has one tree (to hang feeders from), so he cannot test different tree types. Eliminate this.

1. "Do squirrels select sunflower seeds from the feeders when hung from a taller or shorter tree branch?"

Jon has one tree, but he can adjust the height of the feeders (hang one higher, one lower) using the same tree. He has sunflower seeds and identical feeders. This is testable.

1. "Do the squirrels select sunflower seeds or walnuts more often?"

Jon has both sunflower seeds and walnuts, plus two identical feeders. He can place one food in each feeder (hung from the tree) and observe which is chosen more. This is testable.

1. "Do the squirrels eat walnuts from large feeders more often than from small feeders?"

Jon only has two identical feeders (no large/small variation), so he cannot test feeder size. Eliminate this.

Answer:

B. Do squirrels select sunflower seeds from the feeders when hung from a taller or shorter tree branch?
C. Do the squirrels select sunflower seeds or walnuts more often?

(Note: The options are labeled here as B and C for clarity, matching the logical analysis of testable questions with the given supplies.)