Science Trivia Questions for Students — page 114

Which activity most effectively ensures the proper functioning of osteocytes?

• Aconsuming mineral-rich foods
• Bdrinking ion-free water
• Cincreasing the respiratory rate
• Dreducing stressful exercise

Which of these phrases best describes atoms?

• Athe smallest units of an element
• Bdifferent forms of an element
• Ctwo or more combined elements
• Dparticles inside a nucleus

What is the downward movement of water through pores and other spaces in soil due to the force of gravity?

• Aevaporation
• Bpercolation
• Ccondensation
• Dprecipitation

A bird called a ptarmigan has feathered feet. The feathers on the feet of the ptarmigan are most helpful when this bird ___.

• Aclimbs rocky cliffs
• Bdigs up food
• Cruns under bushes
• Dwalks in deep snow

A forest was cleared for the building of a resort, but before construction began, secondary succession set in. Which of these describes why secondary succession appeared so rapidly?

• AThe clearing allowed mosses to grow quickly.
• BThe soil components remained for plants to grow.
• CExposed substrates allowed microbes to grow.
• DRock weathering occurred for lichens to grow.

When potholders are used to remove hot pans from an oven, the potholders are serving as

• Areflectors.
• Binsulators.
• Ctransmitters.
• Dconductors.

A marsh in your neighborhood dried up during a long, hot summer. This is most likely to cause which of the following changes in the neighborhood?

• Aan increase in the number of insect-eating birds
• Ban increase in the number of bats
• Ca decrease in the number of mosquitoes
• Da decrease in the number of Japanese beetles

An example of a solid turning into a liquid is

• Awater turning into ice.
• Bsteam turning into water.
• Cice turning into water.
• Dwater turning into steam.

Which factors can have the greatest effect on the health of a river system?

• Ahuman consumption and pH
• Bnatural disasters and tidal changes
• Cnitrate levels and turbidity
• Dtype of soil and salinity

Which equation summarizes the process of respiration?

• Acarbon dioxide + oxygen + water -> sugar + energy
• Bsugar + carbon dioxide + energy -> oxygen + water
• Coxygen + sugar -> carbon dioxide + water + energy
• Dwater + carbon dioxide + energy -> sugar + oxygen

One important use of coal is to produce energy for homes. Coal can be burned and converted to

• Aelectrical energy.
• Bwind energy.
• Csolar energy.
• Dnuclear energy.

Which causes the GREATEST change in a grassy field over time?

• ANumber of birds nesting
• BAmount of yearly rainfall
• CSeasonal migration of animals
• DThe time of day

Which seismic wave phenomenon, found at structural boundaries, allows scientists to interpret the interior structure of Earth?

• Atransformation of transverse waves into longitudinal waves
• Bgeneration of new waves
• Crefraction of waves
• Dtransformation of mechanical waves into electromagnetic waves

Which instrument would be best for measuring the volume of a pebble?

• Astopwatch
• Btriple beam balance
• Cmetric ruler
• Dgraduated cylinder

A scientist is measuring the amount of movement along a fault. Which tool is best used for making this measurement?

• Ameter stick
• Bbarometer
• Cstopwatch
• Dmagnifying lens

Which type of organism helps return nutrients from dead plants and animals to the soil?

• Adecomposer
• Bprey
• Cproducer
• Dpredator

Which activity is necessary for humans to maintain good health?

• Areading
• Bdriving
• Ctalking
• Dresting

What supplies most of the energy that plants need to make food?

• Arain
• Bminerals
• Csunlight
• Dwind

When the cells in an organism divide and reproduce, the organism can grow. Which cell organelle contains the genetic material for reproduction?

• Athe mitochondrion
• Bthe endoplasmic reticulum
• Cthe nucleus
• Dthe ribosome

When an atom loses or gains an electron, it changes

• Aatomic mass.
• Bcharge.
• Celement.
• Datomic number.

Which of the following would be most useful for calculating the density of a rock sample?

• Amicroscope and graduated cylinder
• Bgraduated cylinder and balance
• Cmicroscope and balance
• Dbeaker and graduated cylinder

Astronomers have determined the surface temperature of stars by studying their colors. What color emission represents stars with the hottest temperatures?

• Ayellow
• Bwhite
• Cred
• Dblue

Heating and cooling water change the state of matter of water. What happens when a block of ice is heated to 10° Celsius?

• AIt melts to form liquid water.
• BIt evaporates to become a vapor (gas).
• CIt condenses to form liquid water.
• DIt freezes to become heavier ice.

Which process of the water cycle transports water from plants to clouds?

• Atranspiration
• Bprecipitation
• Ccondensation
• Dsublimation

Scientists think that dolphins and whales may have evolved from a common ancestor. What evidence supports this hypothesis?

• AThey live in the same area of the ocean.
• BThey eat the same food.
• CThey swim the same way.
• DThey have similar anatomies.

Which is the best way to show the percent gas composition in Earth's atmosphere?

• Ascatterplot
• Bpie chart
• Cline graph
• Dbar graph

Why does the leaf of a plant look green?

• ABecause it reflects a mixture of yellow and blue light
• BBecause it reflects green light
• CBecause it absorbs only yellow and blue light
• DBecause it absorbs green light

With a microscope, you see that an object has a cell wall, a chloroplast, and a nucleus. What is being observed?

• Aa female organism
• Ban animal cell
• Ca male organism
• Da plant cell

A teacher asks her students to examine titles of four scientific articles. Which titled article is specifically about a chemical change?

• AHow Baking Soda Reacts With Vinegar
• BHow Elements Can Change Phase When Heated
• CHow Metals Respond to Electrical Currents
• DHow Rust Can Be Scraped off of Metal

Reptiles become more active as the day gets warmer. This is because

• Atheir body temperature changes with the environment.
• Btheir body temperature stays at a constant level.
• Cthey have slimy skin.
• Dthey have scaly skin.

Robert is thinking about buying a new refrigerator. His old refrigerator runs at about 43% efficiency. Which most likely accounts for the remaining 57% of the energy?

• AIt is released to the surroundings as heat.
• BIt is converted into mechanical energy.
• CIt stored as a form of potential energy.
• DIt is used up by the light in the refrigerator.

What causes nighttime and daytime on Earth?

• AEarth rotating on its axis
• Bthe Moon revolving around Earth
• CEarth revolving around the Sun
• Dthe Sun rotating on its axis

Which event is an example of a chemical change?

• Agrinding peppercorn into pepper flakes
• Bwood burning in a fireplace
• Cice cream melting in the sunshine
• Dfog rising off a river

Which of these would be the best representation of the particles in a solid material?

• AThe spectators sitting in their seats at the football stadium.
• BThe football players playing on the field.
• CThe spectators arriving at the football stadium and moving to their seats.
• DThe planes flying over the football stadium.

What is the relationship between an ecosystem and a community?

• AAn ecosystem includes a community and abiotic factors.
• BA community is a very large ecosystem.
• CAn ecosystem is a very large community.
• DA community includes an ecosystem and abiotic factors.

The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves that run throughout the entire body. Which of these is one function of the nervous system?

• Acarries blood to and from the heart
• Bsupplies the blood with oxygen
• Ccontrols body functions
• Dsupports body posture

Thunderstorms and hurricanes are examples of severe weather. Which of these weather conditions is necessary for the formation of thunderstorms and hurricanes?

• Aair moving toward the center of a storm and rising into the atmosphere
• Ba cold rain falling to the ground
• Cair masses combining to create a high-pressure area
• Dwinds spiraling downward and away from the center of a storm

On a cold, cloudy day, the local weather forecaster predicts that a high-pressure system will be moving into the area in the next 24 hours. Which weather conditions will this system most likely bring to the area?

• Asunny
• Bstormy
• Chot
• Dsnowy

Which of these statements is most accurate about the Sun?

• AIt has consumed approximately one-half of its expendable energy.
• BIt is in its infancy in terms of energy consumption.
• CIt has an infinite energy supply.
• DIt is near the end of its life cycle.

In the spring and early summer, bears often scratch their backs against trees to remove winter fur. This is an example of an animal

• Aresponding to its environment
• Bpreparing for migration
• Ccompleting its life cycle
• Dbeginning hibernation

Which of these tools is best for recording observations outdoors?

• Aa graph
• Ba notebook
• Ca ruler
• Da calculator

Some dairy farmers want their cows to produce greater amounts of milk than average cows. Which process will help the dairy farmers develop cows with this trait?

• Aecological succession
• Bgeographical isolation
• Cselective breeding
• Dbehavioral modification

A man ran on a treadmill for 1,800 seconds. At the end of his run, the treadmill indicated his energy output as 240,000 J. What average power did he generate?

• A133 W
• B666 W
• C66 W
• D7 W

Which is an effect of regular exercise?

• Aless energy
• Bweaker bones
• Cstronger heart
• Dbetter hearing

Which statement describes how muscles work to allow a person to extend an arm from a curled position by straightening the elbow?

• AThe triceps contract and the biceps relax.
• BThe biceps contract and the triceps relax.
• CBoth the biceps and the triceps relax.
• DBoth the biceps and triceps contract.

Calcium carbonate (CaCO_{3}) is considered a compound because it is made up of two or more

• Asolids.
• Belements.
• Cgases.
• Dmolecules.

Erin wants to make a strong, light chair. Which natural material should she use?

• Airon
• Bwood
• Cclay
• Dgranite

James placed a breath mint and a lump of toothpaste in a cup of water and let it sit overnight. Which statement best explains why the breath mint was gone the following morning, but the toothpaste was still at the bottom of the cup?

• AThe breath mint had a greater density than the toothpaste.
• BThe breath mint was more soluble than the toothpaste.
• CThe breath mint was less soluble than the toothpaste.
• DThe breath mint had a lower density than the toothpaste.

A researcher observes membrane-bound structures in a cell. Based on this observation, the researcher can conclude that the cell is classified as a

• Avirus.
• Bbacterium.
• Cprokaryote.
• Deukaryote.

Which object is best seen with a microscope?

• Ahuman cell
• Boak leaf
• Ccow heart
• Dchicken leg