Science Trivia Questions for Students

Which of the following is the best example of a part of the propulsion system of a tractor?

• Afront headlight
• Bengine
• Chood
• Dsteering wheel

A research team wanted to produce a smaller variety of German shepherd dogs. They mated the smallest dogs from different litters for several generations. This is an example of which concept?

• Anatural selection
• Bselective breeding
• Cmutation
• Dextinction

In ecosystems where people live, which of the following are most likely to cause an increase in diseases transmitted by water?

• Aavalanches
• Bhailstorms
• Cfloods
• Dblizzards

In order for students to perform lab experiments safely and accurately, they should

• Aask the teacher to first demonstrate the entire experiment.
• Bcopy what the other students are doing.
• Cperform the experiment after memorizing the instructions.
• Dread and understand all directions before starting the experiment.

What is generated when the students count and record the number of organisms in the pond water?

• Aa hypothesis
• Bvariables
• Ca conclusion
• Ddata

What does a mirror do to light that causes objects to appear backwards?

• Arefracts
• Bblocks
• Creflects
• Dabsorbs

The sunlight used for solar heating is a resource that is best considered to be

• Aartificial.
• Brenewable.
• Cnonrenewable.
• Dinexhaustible.

Based on the organization of living things, tissues

• Aform systems.
• Bare made of cells.
• Cdo the work of cells.
• Dare made of organs.

What are the properties of the Earth's crust and mantle that are most responsible for Earth's tectonic activity?

• AThey are the same state and have the same temperature.
• BThey are in different states but have the same temperature.
• CThey are in different states and have different temperatures.
• DThey are in the same state but have different temperatures.

Most species of ducks have webbed feet. The webbed feet are an example of

• Aan instinctive trait.
• Bbehavioral trait.
• Ca learned trait.
• Dan inherited trait.

Which statement best describes the effect of the Sun on the oceans?

• AThe Sun's rays cause organisms to come to the surface.
• BThe Sun provides minerals.
• CThe Sun influences the formation of waves.
• DThe Sun creates water particles.

Which best describes why winds at the beach change direction between day and night?

• Abecause warm air over land sinks and stays in place over land
• Bbecause cool air sinks and stays in place over land
• Cbecause the temperatures over land and over water change
• Dbecause cool air rises and is replaced by warm air from the ocean

A certain atom has 20 electrons, 21 neutrons, and 20 protons. What is the atomic mass of the atom?

• A41
• B21
• C61
• D20

The best example of heat transfer by convection is when

• Aflames heat up a pan.
• Ba ceiling fan blows air.
• Csunlight warms soil.
• Dheat rises in a chimney.

Which human body system attacks viruses and bacteria once they have invaded the body?

• Aimmune
• Bdigestive
• Cendocrine
• Dcirculatory

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infects the cells that coordinate the human immune response. When these cells are killed or compromised, the body cannot effectively protect itself from infection. Which cells does HIV infect?

• Aregulatory T cells
• Bhelper T cells
• Ccytotoxic T cells
• Dnatural killer T cells

All of the inherited traits that are passed to offspring during asexual reproduction come from a single

• Asperm.
• Begg.
• Cvirus.
• Dparent.

What model is used to show the pattern of traits that are passed from one generation to the next in a family?

• Adichotomous key
• Benergy pyramid
• Cpedigree chart
• Dline graph

The force of gravitational attraction between Earth and any object on Earth is measured as

• Adensity.
• Bmass.
• Cweight.
• Dvolume.

A student prepares a report on gradual environmental changes. Which is the best topic for this report?

• Aflash flooding in a country area
• Bdecomposition of a desert rodent
• Cforest fires in mountain regions
• Dsuccession that transforms grassland to forest

Which part of a DNA molecule represents encoded information?

• Asugar
• Bguanine
• Chydrogen bond
• Dphosphate

Oscar is investigating how many days it takes for a chick to hatch from an egg. Which number of eggs would give Oscar the most reliable results?

• A3
• B5
• C7
• D1

In what way do transit systems, such as buses, benefit society?

• Aby eliminating the possibility of accidents
• Bby increasing the number of car sales
• Cby reducing the amount of pollution
• Dby increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air

An organism that breaks down dead plants and animals, returning matter back into the soil, is called a

• Adecomposer.
• Bproducer.
• Cherbivore.
• Dcompetitor.

Which process in the water cycle would be accelerated by an increase in temperature?

• Aevaporation
• Bprecipitation
• Ccondensation
• Drunoff

The plate-tectonic model has achieved the status of a scientific theory due to which property of the model?

• AIt is clearer, simpler, and more plausible than other models.
• BIt provides guidelines for Earth-science investigations that are scientifically valid.
• CIt has passed extensive, independent tests of its predictions.
• DIt has been empirically proved to be true.

Which device directly converts chemical energy into electrical energy?

• Awind-powered sailboat
• Bwood-burning stove
• Cbattery-powered flashlight
• Dsolar-powered calculator

Which of the following objects is probably the most flexible?

• Aa ceramic dish
• Ba wooden block
• Ca short steel rod
• Da new rubber hose

Animals respond to environmental stimuli obtained through their sensory organs. How does the body convert information from the environment to an internal response?

• Achemical signaling
• Bincreased cellular temperature
• Cosmotic pressure
• Dselective membrane transport

Scientists have developed an allergy medication from a plant that is part of the rainforest food chain. What concern might develop when producing this medication from the plant?

• Aoverproduction of the medication
• Bincrease in allergies in rainforest wildlife
• Cdecrease in a food source to rainforest wildlife
• Dlack of patients to test the new medication

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that occurs when the body attacks its own tissues. Which body system becomes disordered first?

• Adigestive
• Bnervous
• Ccirculatory
• Dimmune

Over time, dried lava from an old volcano is worn down and broken into small pieces. When these pieces pile up and are cemented together to form new rock, how would this new rock be classified?

• Amagma
• Bsedimentary
• Cigneous
• Dmetamorphic

Which structural characteristic is present in a paramecium that is not present in an amoeba?

• Acytoskeleton
• Bcell wall
• Ccytoplasm
• Dpellicle

Which of these is the best definition of heredity?

• Athe passage of genetic information from one generation to the next
• Bthe transfer of learning from one generation to the next
• Cthe transfer of visible features from one generation to the next
• Dthe passage of dominant genes from one generation to the next

Which change can occur when you add heat energy to water?

• AThe water can change from a liquid to a solid.
• BThe water can change from a liquid to a gas.
• CThe water can change from a solid to a liquid.
• DThe water can change from a gas to a liquid.

On which date does North America usually experience the longest period of daylight?

• AMarch 21
• BDecember 21
• CJune 21
• DSeptember 21

Mountain bike tires have large, knob-like treads. These tires are useful on steep slopes because they

• Aprevent braking of the bicycle.
• Bincrease the stopping distance.
• Ccarry heavy weights.
• Dincrease friction.

A country that has limited resources would most likely focus on the development of technology that includes

• Awater treatment.
• Bsatellite communications.
• Cspace exploration.
• Drobotic automation.

Which change would most likely cause deer to die or leave a woodland?

• Aa forest fire
• Ba rainstorm
• Ca sinkhole
• Da snow storm

A euglena cell has a structure called an eyespot that detects light. A paramecium does not have an eyespot, and so it cannot detect light. Why doesn't a paramecium need an eyespot?

• AA paramecium does not live where there is light.
• BA paramecium lives in shallower water than a euglena.
• CA paramecium does not photosynthesize its own food.
• DA paramecium uses cilia instead of a flagellum to move.

Which statement is not a reason why trees would be growing at different heights in a forest?

• ASome require less sunlight than others.
• BThe trees were planted in different years.
• CBirds are building nests in the shorter trees.
• DThe taller trees only have leaves on the top branches.

If the solar system were used as a model of an atom, what would the Sun most likely represent?

• Aa nucleus
• Ban ion
• Can electron
• Da neutron

What instrument should be used to monitor atmospheric pressure changes as a weather system approaches?

• Apsychrometer
• Bbarometer
• Cthermometer
• Danemometer

Which sea otter behavior is learned?

• Ausing fur to trap air for warmth
• Bclosing its ears under water
• Cnursing its young for six months
• Dcracking open clams with a rock

A small town is building their first water treatment plant. Their primary disinfectant is UV radiation. Which contaminant will UV radiation eliminate?

• Ametals
• Bbacteria
• Coil
• Dsediment

The breakfast that a student ate provided energy for bicycling later in the day. Which energy transformation most likely occurred?

• Aradiant to mechanical
• Bchemical to mechanical
• Cchemical to nuclear
• Dradiant to nuclear

What are the three common states of matter?

• Agas, liquid, fluid
• Bliquid, gas, vapor
• Csolid, gas, liquid
• Dsolid, vapor, liquid

Coal is solid rock that began as organic material that was deposited in a swamp. The formation of coal suggests that

• Ageologic processes continue over millions of years.
• Bcoal is made mostly of skeletal remains of animals.
• Cit quickly becomes petrified when water is removed.
• Dcoal is formed from magma that has solidified over time.

Which two activities use most of the water used in an average U.S. household?

• Aflushing toilets and washing clothes
• Bwashing clothes and using sink faucets
• Cshowering and flushing toilets
• Dusing sink faucets and showering

Sandbars form in many rivers because of

• Asediment being moved downstream by water.
• Bwater flowing into a lake.
• Cdams being built by beavers.
• Derosion of cliffs.