Assess students' ability to analyze how temperature, concentration, surface area, and catalysts influence chemical reaction rates. Tasks include interpreting rate vs. time and rate vs. concentration graphs, applying collision theory and activation energy concepts to explain observed trends, predicting outcomes of controlled experiments when one variable changes, comparing effects of heterogeneous vs. homogeneous catalysts, and designing a simple investigation that isolates a single factor. Emphasis is on qualitative and quantitative reasoning, explanation of molecular-level mechanisms, and justification of predictions.