Science Trivia Questions for Students — page 122

Which of the following do water (H2O), rust (Fe2O3), and salt (NaCl) have in common?

• AWater, rust, and salt are atoms.
• BWater, rust, and salt are elements.
• CWater, rust, and salt are mixtures.
• DWater, rust, and salt are compounds.

What happens to the water vapor in an air mass as it ascends?

• AIt condenses.
• BIt vaporizes.
• CIt polarizes.
• DIt freezes.

Fanning can make a wood fire burn hotter because the fanning

• Aprovides the energy needed to keep the fire going
• Bincreases the amount of wood there is to burn
• Cadds more oxygen needed for burning
• Dmakes the food hot enough to burn

Part of the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa have matching fossils within the same series of rock layers. This provides evidence that these two continents were once

• Aseparated by a much larger ocean
• Bjoined together as one landmass
• Clocated near the North Pole
• Din a different hemisphere

What is the body's first layer of defense against germs?

• Askin
• Bstomach
• Cbrain
• Dliver

Plate movement can form different features on Earth. The movement of tectonic plates can be both a constructive and a destructive force. At which type of plate boundary is new crust formed?

• Atransform
• Bconvergent
• Cdivergent
• Dsubduction

Rhinoceroses and horses are related. They have very similar digestive systems and an odd number of toes on their feet. Horses have one toe, and rhinoceroses have three. These facts best support which claim?

• AHorses are the ancestors of modern rhinoceroses.
• BHorses and rhinoceroses are genetically identical.
• CHorses have descended from modern rhinoceroses.
• DHorses and rhinoceroses share a common ancestor.

What best describes the electrical property of an atom?

• Anegatively charged
• Binsulated
• Cneutral
• Dpositively charged

Which action would most likely reduce air pollution caused by cars?

• Apurchase a larger car
• Bdrive a longer route
• Cuse smaller tires
• Dtake fewer car trips

The construction of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River resulted in abundant freshwater and electrical power for the region. Which of these is a disadvantage of the construction of Hoover Dam?

• Aan increase in flooding downstream
• Ba decrease in the amount of river ecosystems
• Ca decrease in the amount of water for irrigation
• Dan increase in regional humidity

A student pours a clear liquid from a test tube into a beaker with a clear liquid already in it and notices that the mixture turns pink. The student infers the two clear liquids are different. This inference is a result of

• Aprevious knowledge.
• Bstudent observations.
• Ctemperature changes.
• Dclass discussion.

A student is measuring the boiling point of a salt and water mixture. He takes one temperature measurement of 105°C. Which is the best way to ensure the results are valid?

• Aadd more salt to the mixture
• Brepeat the investigation
• Cchange the volume of water
• Ddo the investigation without salt

What part of a communication system converts binary codes in a computer into recognizable characters?

• Adecoder
• Btransmitter
• Cencoder
• Dreceiver

Snow turns to liquid water when it

• Acondenses.
• Bfreezes.
• Cevaporates.
• Dmelts.

While performing an experiment involving four different clear liquids, a student forgets to label the test tubes. What should the student do?

• Atry to identify the liquids by smell
• Bask another student to identify the liquids
• Ccontinue the experiment with the unidentified liquids
• Dask the teacher how to dispose of the liquids

Students are studying liquids that make bubbles. Which question could be answered by using a ruler?

• AWhich liquid makes bubbles that are the best smelling?
• BWhich liquid makes bubbles that are the prettiest?
• CWhich liquid makes bubbles that are the most interesting?
• DWhich liquid makes bubbles that are the largest?

During a presentation on astronomy, Professor Williams discussed various measurements in space. Which objects was she referring to when she talked about how astronomical units (AU) were determined?

• Athe inner and outer planets
• Bthe Sun and the closest star
• Cthe Sun and Earth
• Dthe Moon and Earth

Students run laps around the track in physical education class. After a few laps, the students' breathing gets heavier, and their pace begins to slow. The students are most likely slowing down because

• Atheir lung cells are multiplying.
• Bthey are getting less oxygen to their cells.
• Cthey are exhaling carbon dioxide.
• Dtheir respiratory system stops functioning.

Which calculation is used to determine acceleration?

• Amultiply change in velocity by distance traveled
• Bdivide change in velocity by change in time
• Cdivide average velocity by mass
• Dmultiply average velocity by change in time

Decaying plants and animals are important to an ecosystem because they

• Areduce soil erosion.
• Bcause disease in living organisms.
• Crecycle oxygen to the air.
• Dreturn nutrients to the soil.

Which action causes a chemical change?

• Aleaves being crushed into pieces
• Bleaves dropping from a tree
• Cleaves blowing in the wind
• Dleaves being burned in a fire

Most farmers use fertilizers on their cornfields. Which statement best explains why farmers should not use excess amounts of fertilizers?

• AFertilizers may evaporate into the air.
• BFertilizers may wash into streams.
• CFertilizers may be used by weeds.
• DFertilizers may come from natural materials.

A power plant uses chemical energy to produce electricity. What source of energy does the power plant most likely use?

• Atidal waves
• Bwind
• Cfossil fuel
• Dsunlight

A birdwatcher wants to identify an eastern bluebird. What feature of a bird should the birdwatcher evaluate first to identify an eastern bluebird?

• Atail-feather length
• Beye position
• Cfeather pattern
• Dbeak shape

Which tool should a student use to examine spots on a frog?

• Amagnet
• Bhand lens
• Cthermometer
• Dgraduated cylinder

Paula determines a property of a marble using a balance and a graduated cylinder. What property is Paula most likely determining by using both tools?

• Alength
• Bmass
• Cvolume
• Ddensity

The water cycle includes which processes?

• Aevaporation, condensation, precipitation
• Bmetamorphosis, evaporation, respiration
• Cprecipitation, perspiration, mitosis
• Dfixation, decomposition, respiration

Female seals usually return to the same beaches year after year to give birth. If they are repeatedly disturbed by humans at those beaches, how will the seals most likely respond?

• AThey will change color.
• BThey will give birth at different beaches.
• CThey will hunt for food more often.
• DThey will give birth to more pups.

A student observes a substance that is highly reflective and able to conduct electricity. The substance also has a high melting point. Which is the most likely classification for this substance?

• Asalt
• Bmetal
• Cglass
• Dplastic

A student investigated the percentage of energy obtained from several food sources for a population of eagles. Which format is the best way to display this data?

• Aa line graph
• Ba table
• Ca bar graph
• Da pie chart

Four solid balls, each with a different mass, are moving at the same speed. Which ball would require the most force to stop its motion?

• Aball with a mass of 5 kg
• Bball with a mass of 20 kg
• Cball with a mass of 10 kg
• Dball with a mass of 15 kg

The use of the Internet has changed life for many people by directly allowing them to

• Acommunicate faster.
• Bdrive larger cars.
• Cbuild bigger houses.
• Deat junk food.

Where would it be MOST dangerous to work with electric tools?

• Anear a television or computer
• Bbeside a swimming pool
• Cin a garage
• Din a cool basement

Light travels fastest through which of the following?

• Awater
• Bglass
• Ca vacuum
• Dair

Neutrons are particles of an atom that

• Aare located outside the nucleus.
• Bare part of the nucleus.
• Chave positive charges.
• Dhave negative charges.

Which of these had the greatest impact on the current shape of Nevada's basin and range landscape?

• Aplate tectonics
• Bwind erosion
• Cglobal warming
• Dtidal forces

Which statement explains what will most likely happen to the hydrosphere in an area where air temperatures increase?

• AEarthquake intensity will decrease.
• BMountain formation will decrease.
• CRock weathering will increase.
• DEvaporation will increase.

Sofia put a bat house in a tree in her yard. The bats ate mosquitos in Sofia's yard at night and roosted in the house during the day. Droppings from the bat house nourished the tree. What kind of relationship exists between Sofia, the bats, and the tree?

• AThe relationship is competitive.
• BThe relationship is predatory.
• CThe relationship is cooperative.
• DThe relationship is parasitic.

Which form of energy is required for a television set to work?

• Alight
• Belectrical
• Csolar
• Dheat

What helps skin feel heat and pressure?

• Ablood cells
• Bbone cells
• Cnerve cells
• Dmuscle cells

A class is studying the density of rock samples. What scientific equipment do they need to determine the density of the rock samples?

• Amicroscope and balance
• Bbeaker and graduated cylinder
• Cmicroscope and graduated cylinder
• Dgraduated cylinder and balance

A student investigated the effect of the color of light on the growth of plants. Red, yellow, and green lights were used in the experiment. If another student were to conduct the same experiment, which would be the most important procedure to follow to yield the same results?

• Ato do the investigation in the same room
• Bto use the same colors of lights
• Cto do the investigation at the same time of year
• Dto use the same chart for recording growth

What is the result of cellular respiration?

• AEnergy for cell processes is released.
• BOxygen is released for photosynthesis.
• CNutrients are excreted to prevent the buildup of body fat.
• DCells undergo decomposition.

Which renewable energy resource possesses the greatest potential for providing renewable energy to meet the future needs of the southern United States?

• Awater
• Bsolar
• Ctidal
• Dcoal

Offshore oil platforms affect ocean habitats. An ocean environment is most likely damaged by an offshore oil platform because

• Adrilling in the ocean floor might reduce the water temperature
• Bfishing from the oil platform might reduce the fish population
• Cchanging the ocean floor might increase the number of hurricanes
• Dleaking oil from the oil platform might pollute the water

Which body system processes foods into a useable source of energy?

• Askeletal
• Bcirculatory
• Cnervous
• Ddigestive

What happens to the chemical energy in methane's bonds when methane reacts with oxygen and forms H_{2}O and CO_{2}?

• AIt is released as heat.
• BIt is transformed into neutrons.
• CIt increases product mass.
• DIt generates a current.

The nucleus of MOST atoms consists of

• Aprotons and neutrons
• Bprotons and electrons
• Cneutrons and electrons
• Dneutrons only

A water company uses lab tests on the water supply before sending the water through pipes to people's homes. How do these lab tests help people?

• Aby adding minerals and nutrients to the water
• Bby filtering chemicals and organisms out of the water
• Cby checking the water to make sure it is safe to drink
• Dby stopping harmful substances from entering the water

Which force causes rocks to roll downhill?

• Agravity
• Bfriction
• Cerosion
• Dmagnetism