Science Assessment ~ Topics ~ Models ~ Misconception MOM003

A model should look like the object, event, or process it is modeling (with the possible exception that it can be smaller). Therefore, a diagram or graph could be considered a model only if it bore a physical resemblance to what is being represented (Grosslight et al., 1991; Penner et al., 1997; Treagust, et al. 2002; Schwartz & White, 2005).

Items that test for misconception MOM003 in this project (Original Project) and key idea (There is no guarantee that ideas ba…)
Item ID Number	Item Description	How Often the Misconception was Chosen	Select This Item for My Item Bank
MO070004	A model of an object can be used to predict how an object will behave, but the prediction may not be the same as the actual behavior of the object because a model is never exactly like the object it represents.	14%

Items that test for misconception MOM003 in this project (Original Project) and other key ideas
MO038004	It is acceptable and sometimes beneficial for a model to lack features of the real thing that are not relevant to what is being studied.	45%
MO022004	A model is similar to the thing it represents in some ways but different in other ways.	38%
MO024003	A model can be bigger or smaller than the thing it represents.	33%