Final answer:
The student is exploring questions at various scales, particularly in biology, ranging from large ecological impacts to individual behaviors, down to microscopic structures, and are learning to use appropriate tools for physical measurements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student seems to be working on a variety of analytical questions that relate to different scales, possibly in a biology context. When constructing models and analyzing characteristics related to biological samples, such as the scales of a Siamese fighting fish, students are learning to ask questions at differing levels of magnitude - from the largest scales (such as ecological impacts) to the intermediate scales (such as organism behavior) down to the smallest scales (like cellular processes or microscopic features).
For example, on the largest scales, a question might be, 'How does the streamlined nature of fish scales affect the population dynamics in a river ecosystem?' On an intermediate scale, a pertinent question could be, 'Why is the streamlined skin important for an individual fish's swimming efficiency and survival?' Lastly, on the smallest scales, one could ask, 'How do the microscopic structures of fish scales contribute to their smooth, streamlined quality?'
Questions of scale are also relevant in other tasks such as determining physical measurements, where one would need to choose appropriate tools like a balance or a scale for measuring weight or volume. Hierarchical scale, as explained in the question, refers to the depiction of relative importance through size in visual arts, which differs from scale in a biological or physical context.