Question

Leonardo is a five-year-old boy. While playing on the shore, he threw an empty, capped, plastic bottle into the waves. What do you think is likely to happen?
A. The bottle will sink to the bottom of the ocean.
B. The bottle will keep bobbing up and down.
C. The bottle will be carried across the ocean to a distant place.
D. The bottle will result in a series of tsunamis.
E. The bottle will remain floating still on the ocean water.

Answer 1

Answer:

B: I saw it an hour ago and I didn't want to answer because there are too many ifs. I tried, but it could be wrong.

Explanation:

This is not as simple as it sounds and I have a feeling that the correct answer is in the head of the person designing the question. In other words, I could easily get it wrong.

It depends on whether the tide is going in or going out to start with. The question would be a whole lot easier if the bottle was dropped miles from shore.

A: The bottle is capped. A is certainly not true. The low density of the bottle will keep it afloat until something happens that determines it's permanent direction. Not A.

B: It will if nothing else influences it. There will always be waves around that will insure an up and down movement. This is a possible answer, but not a certain one. A five year old could not throw it very far to start with. Let's read the rest.

C: Maybe. It has happened. The bottle needs a good start and the tide going out to happen.  Let's read the last 2.

D: Not in a million. Not D.

E: It won't be still. The ocean is always moving. Not E.

I'm going to pick B, but it is not a slam dunk.