If a scientist tells what will happen next, they ______.

• A. infer
• B. describe
• C. predict
• D. analyze

Answer: (C)

Predicting future outcomes. When someone says what will happen next, they’re making a forecast based on evidence, data, or a model. In science, predicting means using the information at hand to anticipate future results or events, not just describing what is currently observed or explaining why things occur. For example, if a scientist notices a pattern that higher temperatures correlate with faster reaction rates, they predict that increasing temperature will speed up the reaction in future experiments. That’s different from describing what’s happening now or analyzing the components of a system. Describing details is about present observations, while analyzing digs into how parts work together. Inferring would be drawing a conclusion from clues, often about something not directly stated, but not necessarily about what will happen next. So the act of telling what will happen next fits best with predicting.