Science Trivia Questions for Students — page 34

Which statement best explains why summer days are warmer than winter days in Arkansas?

• AEarth's northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun during the summer.
• BThe Sun has more sunspots in the summer than in the winter.
• CThe Sun is closer to Earth in the summer than in the winter.
• DEarth's western hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun during the summer.

Use of nuclear fuel would most likely reduce human contributions to which environmental problem?

• Agreenhouse heating
• Bshoreline erosion
• Clandfill creation
• Dozone thinning

Today, almost all cars have seat belts. How does improving the design of seat belts help people the most?

• AIt increases the comfort of passengers in cars.
• BIt decreases injuries to passengers in cars.
• CIt decreases the cost of cars.
• DIt increases the speed at which cars can travel.

A ball is thrown straight up. Which statement best describes the motion of the ball while the ball is at the maximum height?

• AThe velocity is zero, and the acceleration is changing.
• BThe velocity is zero, and the acceleration is constant.
• CThe speed and acceleration are constant.
• DThe speed and acceleration are changing.

Which of these occurs when the North Pole is tilted toward the Sun and the United States has the most daylight hours of the year?

• Aspring equinox
• Bwinter solstice
• Cfall equinox
• Dsummer solstice

A student adds water and detergent to a cup of soil. The mixture is shaken and allowed to settle. The student observes that silt particles stay suspended long after the other particles form layers at the bottom of the jar. The most likely explanation is that the silt particles are

• Aorganic.
• Bless dense.
• Cdissolving.
• Dmoving faster.

Which two things are produced when a plant breaks down sugar to release energy?

• Acarbon dioxide and water
• Boxygen and food
• Coxygen and carbon dioxide
• Dcarbon dioxide and food

When water vapor rises and cools, the liquid water in the air comes together forming

• Atornadoes.
• Bwind.
• Cclouds.
• Dlightning.

The noble gases, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, rarely react with other elements because they

• Ahave two electrons in their outermost energy level.
• Bhave complete outermost energy levels.
• Care not abundant on Earth.
• Dare low-density gases.

Earthworms live underground in the soil. As they move through the soil, they create tunnels. The tunnels help improve the soil. Plants grow better in soil that has earthworms. Which statement explains how earthworm tunnels help plants?

• AEarthworm tunnels allow sunlight to reach the plant roots in the soil.
• BEarthworm tunnels create places where insects can hide and protect plant roots.
• CEarthworm tunnels loosen the soil so plant roots can easily grow
• DEarthworm tunnels bring heat into the soil that warms plant roots.

Which object best reflects light?

• Ablack sweater
• Bwhite floor
• Cbrown carpet
• Dgray door

Which material is primarily a mixture of weathered rock and organic matter?

• Aminerals
• Bseashells
• Csoil
• Docean water

Some runners ate pasta before a race. The pasta was broken down into simple sugars and was absorbed by the blood stream. What body system was responsible for breaking down the pasta into small nutrients for use in the cells of the runners?

• Athe endocrine system
• Bthe excretory system
• Cthe nervous system
• Dthe digestive system

A negative effect of the invention and use of paper is the

• Adecreased pollution in trash dumps.
• Bincreased use of glass bottles.
• Cdecreased amount of books to read.
• Dincreased number of trees cut down.

If it is determined that the particles in one solid are arranged in a repeating pattern and the particles in another solid are arranged randomly, what must be true about the solids?

• AThey are different substances.
• BThey are different mixtures.
• CThey have the same weight.
• DThey have the same densities.

Matter can undergo different changes. Which best demonstrates a chemical change?

• Awater boiling
• Bsalt dissolving
• Cice melting
• Dwood burning

Cells in the body use oxygen (O2) for cellular respiration. Which is the result of cellular respiration?

• AATP is produced and carbon dioxide (CO2) is released.
• BATP is produced and carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed.
• CATP is consumed and carbon dioxide (CO2) is released.
• DATP is consumed and carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed.

Which is the best way to help prevent the flu from becoming a pandemic?

• Awashing hands often
• Bgetting a vaccination
• Ctaking antibiotics
• Deating fruits and vegetables

After fields of crops are harvested, parts of the plants remain on the ground. For many years, farmers have mixed these plant remains into the soil. Which most likely results from this practice?

• AThe number of organisms in the soil decreases.
• BThe organic matter in the soil increases.
• CMore minerals are lost from the field.
• DMore nutrients in the soil are dissolved.

The roots of a plant can grow through cracks in a driveway, eventually causing the driveway to break. Which kind of process would be taking place?

• Aerosion
• Bweathering
• Cexfoliation
• Dsedimentation

As wood in a campfire burns, it releases heat and becomes ash. What kind of change occurs in the wood when it burns and releases heat?

• Achemical
• Bmagnetic
• Cnuclear
• Dmechanical

A student examined a rock sample and described it as having particles of various colors that were 1 millimeter to 12 millimeters in size. The student was making

• Aa hypothesis
• Ban inference
• Ca prediction
• Dan observation

Helen is preparing a presentation about objects in the solar system. She includes facts about the order of the planets and their distances from the Sun. Which statement could she include in an accurate presentation?

• ANeptune is one light-year from the Sun.
• BMars is closer to the Sun than Earth.
• CJupiter is farther from the Sun than Uranus.
• DEarth is one astronomical unit from the Sun.

A pan of soup is being heated on an electric stove. A metal spoon is used to occasionally stir the soup. Which of the following is an example of heat being transferred by convection?

• Aheating the soup
• Bheating the spoon
• Cheating the pan
• Dheating the stove burner

A toothpaste commercial states that a brand of toothpaste has a higher concentration of fluoride than any other toothpaste available. The commercial is most likely inferring that the advertised toothpaste

• Ais the most expensive brand sold.
• Bhas a pleasant flavor.
• Cpromotes good dental hygiene.
• Dis recommended by dentists.

Onions can reproduce from bulbs. One parent bulb generates daughter bulbs with duplicate genetic information. Which is the most likely advantage of this kind of reproduction?

• ABeneficial mutations are inevitable.
• BGenetic variation is maximized.
• CPopulation size remains constant.
• DLarge quantities of individuals can be produced rapidly.

Which characteristic explains why powdered tea becomes a solution when mixed with water?

• AThe tea and water separate easily.
• BThe tea has an odor.
• CThe tea spreads evenly through the water.
• DThe tea settles to the bottom of the container.

Warm water contains less dissolved oxygen than colder water. Which population will be most affected by a long period of hot, dry days?

• Afish in ponds
• Bplants in streams
• Cfish in oceans
• Dplants in lakes

Some different types of plants have characteristics in common. Which characteristic do most plants share?

• Athe shape of their leaves
• Bthe structure of their cells
• Cthe size of their roots
• Dthe color of their flowers

Which provides the oldest evidence for oxygen accumulation in Earth's atmosphere?

• Aimpact craters of oxidized-iron asteroids
• Bthe earliest fossils of animals
• Cthe earliest sediments of oxidized rock
• Dextensive volcanic calderas of similar age

Which force keeps the planets in their orbits around the Sun?

• Amagnetism
• Bgravity
• Cfriction
• Delectricity

Which statement about the molecules in ice and the molecules in liquid water is correct?

• AThe molecules in ice have more electric charge than the molecules in liquid water.
• BThe molecules in ice are less free to move than the molecules in liquid water.
• CThe molecules in ice have more energy than the molecules in liquid water.
• DThe molecules in ice contain different atoms than the molecules in liquid water.

Which type of energy is needed to cut a piece of wood into smaller pieces with a saw?

• Asound
• Bheat
• Clight
• Dmechanical

What part of skin helps keep people warm?

• Anerves
• Bhairs
• Csweat glands
• Dnails

Which of these lists has only products that come from plants?

• AMedicines, leather, and milk
• BWool, lumber, and butter
• CPaper, spices, and fibers
• DCotton, rubber, and eggs

The elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are parts of many different compounds. Which explains why these three elements can make so many different compounds?

• AThey can be a proton, a neutron, or an electron.
• BThey come in different sizes and shapes.
• CThey combine in different numbers and ratios.
• DThey can be solids, liquids, or gases.

Many sports stadiums use grass, but some use fake grass called artificial turf. Artificial turf is made of fibers that look like real grass. In which way is this technology most likely beneficial?

• AIt absorbs more carbon dioxide.
• BIt uses less water.
• CIt releases less moisture.
• DIt produces more heat.

Which phrase best describes the mass of an object?

• Athe volume of the object
• Bthe weight of the object
• Cthe amount of matter in the object
• Dthe amount of gravitational pull on the object

What forms both valleys and canyons?

• Arivers
• Bwind
• Ctides
• Dglaciers

Marshall researched some of the changes on Earth that happen over a long time. Which event most likely causes the slowest change to the surface of Earth?

• Awind
• Bearthquake
• Cvolcano
• Dlandslide

When a dog sees a cat, a message travels from the dog's eyes to the dog's

• Apaws
• Bbrain
• Cmuscles
• Dnose

In order for magma to be converted to igneous rock, which actions must occur?

• Amelting and cooling
• Bweathering and erosion
• Cheating and pressure
• Dcrystallization and cooling

Which of these statements best describes a possible environmental consequence in constructing a large-scale wind farm to generate electricity?

• AWind farms alter the regional climate.
• BWind farms use a renewable energy source.
• CWind farms generate direct current electricity.
• DWind farms can disrupt migrating wildlife.

Earth is composed of layers of material with different properties. Which of the following is most likely to be in constant motion?

• Acontinental crust
• Boceanic crust
• Cmantle
• Dcore

Which set of equipment would be best to use when investigating what is found in a sample of pond water?

• Anet, gloves, specimen bags
• Bbeaker, calculator, graph paper
• Cmicroscope, eye dropper, slides
• Dmeasuring tape, thermometer, clipboard

Energy companies often produce electricity from a variety of sources. Using which resource would improve air quality the most?

• Awind
• Bgas
• Ccoal
• Doil

A tuna is an ocean fish that is well adapted to catching small, fast-moving prey. Which of the following adaptations most helps a tuna swim fast to catch its prey?

• Atough scales
• Bsmall gills
• Csharp teeth
• Dlarge fins

Which statement best describes the energy changes that occur while a child is riding on a sled down a steep, snow-covered hill?

• ABoth potential energy and kinetic energy decrease.
• BKinetic energy increases and potential energy decreases.
• CKinetic energy decreases and potential energy increases.
• DBoth potential energy and kinetic energy increase.

Frog eggs hatch into tadpoles, and then tadpoles gradually develop into frogs. This process is known as

• Aregeneration.
• Bcrossbreeding.
• Cadolescence.
• Dmetamorphosis.

What is the function of skin on the human body?

• ASkin protects the body from harmful substances.
• BSkin brings oxygen directly into the body's bloodstream.
• CSkin has pores that help the body sense odor.