Science Trivia Questions for Students — page 36

Which process best explains how the Grand Canyon became so wide?

• Adeposition
• Berosion
• Cfolding
• Dsedimentation

In which way is a prokaryotic cell different from a eukaryotic cell?

• AA prokaryotic cell can reproduce itself.
• BA prokaryotic cell is larger.
• CA prokaryotic cell has no nucleus.
• DA prokaryotic cell has a cell membrane.

Which dog trait is a learned behavior?

• Apanting to cool off
• Bjumping to catch a ball
• Cblinking its eyes
• Dscratching an itch

If you breathe on a mirror, part of the mirror clouds up. What are you actually seeing when you see the mirror cloud up?

• AWater droplets that formed from cooled water vapor in your breath
• BCooled nitrogen in the air around you
• CCarbon dioxide that you are breathing out from your lungs
• DOxygen that you are breathing out from your lungs

Which two life processes occur in both plants and humans?

• Agerminating and making food
• Bgerminating and reproducing
• Cgrowing and making food
• Dgrowing and reproducing

Typically, sedimentary rocks are formed

• Aonly in erupting volcanoes.
• Bonly under great pressure and high temperatures.
• Cbelow Earth's surface as magma cools and crystallizes.
• Dfrom materials that settle.

An octopus has special cells in its skin called chromatophores which enable the octopus to change its color almost instantly. The chromatophores most likely help the octopus

• Abreathe slower.
• Bhide from predators.
• Cregulate body temperature.
• Dswim faster.

Discarded electronic devices, such as outdated computers and cell phones, contain materials that can be toxic to the environment. Which statement best explains why humans continue to use these technologies?

• AElectronics have become less expensive over time.
• BHumans value the benefits of these devices over their cost.
• CSome areas have recycling programs for electronics.
• DIndustries that produce electronics help the economy.

Green plants get the energy they need to make food from

• Asoil
• Bair
• Csunlight
• Dwater

Air is composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases. Based on that information, air can be described as

• Aa compound.
• Ba mixture.
• Ca molecule.
• Dan element.

Jonny climbed an apple tree. How are Jonny and the apple tree similar to each other?

• ABoth take in carbon dioxide.
• BBoth get nutrients directly from soil.
• CBoth get energy from other organisms.
• DBoth are made of cells.

Asexually produced offspring are genetically

• Aidentical to the parent
• Bdifferent from each other
• Cformed by two parents
• Ddifferent from the parent

Which event is an example of inherited behavior?

• Aa dog sitting on command
• Ba horse competing in a horse show
• Ca bird flying south for the winter
• Da parrot repeating a phrase

Which organisms form the base of all ecosystems?

• Aproducers
• Bconsumers
• Cdecomposers
• Dscavengers

Students perform an investigation designed to measure the daily growth of a bean plant. Which should the students do every day of this investigation?

• Aform conclusion
• Bdefine variables
• Crecord data
• Dform hypothesis

Choose the investigation that would best answer the question: Does the length of a string change how fast a pendulum swings?

• ATie two different weights to a string.
• BTie two different weights to two identical strings.
• CTie identical weights to a long string.
• DTie identical weights to two strings of different lengths.

Which of these is a natural resource of Virginia?

• AA glacier
• BA power plant
• CA dam
• DA river

Elephants on the African savanna eat shrubs and small trees. This behavior clears land and enables grass to grow. Grazers such as gazelles eat the grass. Lions prey on the gazelles. Which two organisms in this scenario are in the most cooperative relationship?

• Athe elephants and the gazelles
• Bthe gazelles and the lions
• Cthe shrubs and the lions
• Dthe elephants and the shrubs

Plants need iron to grow. What parts of plants take in iron?

• Aroots
• Bflowers
• Cstems
• Dleaves

Which tool would be most useful in studying the living organisms the students collected from the pond?

• Amicroscope
• BpH meter
• Cbalance
• Dthermometer

What is a characteristic of sedimentary rock?

• Ahigh hardness
• Bcontains fossils
• Cglassy texture
• Dshiny silver luster

An ecosystem is a community of organisms interacting with their physical environment. Why are decomposers an important part of ecosystems?

• AThey produce their own food for survival.
• BThey play a role in preventing weathering and erosion.
• CThey provide most of the energy to consumers.
• DThey break down dead organisms to return nutrients to the soil.

Soil color is closely related to its content. Which element causes soil to appear red?

• Amagnesium
• Bsilicon
• Ccalcium
• Diron

In an atom, the electrons can be found

• Abonded to the neutrons.
• Binside the nucleus.
• Corbiting the nucleus.
• Dbonded to the protons.

A major function of a plant's roots is to

• Arelease oxygen
• Btake in water
• Ctransport carbon dioxide
• Dproduce flowers

What is the first step in designing a product?

• Aidentify the need or want
• Bbuild a prototype
• Cmodel a solution
• Dcommunicate the solution

Energy appears in many forms. What form of energy is lightning?

• Aelectrical energy
• Bsound energy
• Cmechanical energy
• Dmagnetic energy

In a recycling program, people can separate paper from their other trash. The paper is sent to factories and turned into new products. What does paper recycling help conserve the most?

• Awater
• Bair
• Ctrees
• Dgasoline

The day before the class is going to do a lab experiment, their teacher reminds them not to wear open shoes to school the next day. Which rationale best explains their teacher's request?

• Ato prevent injury to toes or feet
• Bto keep them grounded in case of shock
• Cto keep them from getting tired feet
• Dto prevent spills of chemicals

When air is heated, it will most likely

• Acondense and fall.
• Bexpand and fall.
• Ccondense and rise.
• Dexpand and rise.

Light rays are focused by the lens of a camera through the process of

• Adispersion.
• Breflection.
• Crefraction.
• Ddiffraction.

Which statement best describes a liquid sample?

• AIt keeps its shape when transferred to a larger container.
• BIt will retain its volume if transferred to a larger container.
• CIts volume can be greatly reduced by adding pressure.
• DIts shape can be changed by increasing its temperature.

The numbat, a small Australian marsupial, requires fallen logs and dead trees for shelter and for its primary food, termites. Loss of old-growth forests containing logs and dead trees could threaten the numbat with extinction. What would be the best method to protect the numbat from extinction?

• Aprotect areas of old-growth forest from clear-cutting
• Bprohibit hiking in forests where numbats live
• Cmove the numbat to a different habitat
• Dprovide feeding stations with termites for the numbats

Which is the best example of an object that refracts light?

• Amirrors
• Bsilver bowl
• Ctelevision sets
• Deyeglasses

A perpetual motion machine is a theoretical device which, once started, continues to operate without any additional input of energy. Which statement describes why a perpetual motion machine is impossible to design?

• AThe amount of energy in a system remains constant.
• BPotential energy can be converted into kinetic energy.
• CEnergy can be converted into mass.
• DFriction reduces the efficiency in a system.

Genes code for specifically structured

• Alipids.
• Bproteins.
• Csugars.
• Dacids.

What is the major function of the human excretory system?

• Aabsorb nutrients from food
• Beliminate waste materials
• Crespond to stimuli
• Dbreak down food mechanically

Lighting a match and baking a cake are two actions that involve chemical changes. Why are these actions considered chemical changes?

• AThey change volume.
• BThey create energy.
• CThey change the state of matter.
• DThey create new substances.

Students kept some crickets in a classroom tank. The tank was kept in an area where it would get several hours of sunlight a day. The tank contained one area with water, and another area with soil where plants were growing. From which source did the crickets gain all of their energy?

• Athe sunlight
• Bthe water
• Cthe soil
• Dthe plants

The nervous system is composed of cells, tissues, and organs. Which is a cell of the nervous system?

• Aneuron
• Bbrain
• Cganglion
• Dspinal cord

A snail's shell provides the snail with

• Atransportation.
• Bprotection.
• Cfood.
• Denergy.

What is the main function of scales on a fish?

• Ato protect the fish
• Bto help the fish find food
• Cto attract predators
• Dto help the fish breathe

In a forest community, trees produce leaves that can be eaten by deer. The leaves also fall to the forest floor during autumn. Fungi break the leaves down into nutrients that enter the soil. What is the decomposer in this forest community?

• Athe trees
• Bthe fungi
• Cthe deer
• Dthe soil

Grasses, shrubs, and trees are called producers because they make

• Afood
• Bcarbon dioxide
• Cwater
• Dminerals

Indigo buntings are birds that nest in Florida during the summer. Male buntings are bright blue in color while females are a dull brown. How does the dull brown color of the female buntings help the species survive?

• AIt helps the birds find the flock when migrating.
• BIt helps male birds find a mate.
• CIt helps hide the birds while they sit on their nests.
• DIt helps the birds find food more easily.

What does the brain monitor to control the rate of breathing during normal activities?

• Athe level of carbon dioxide in the air
• Bthe level of carbon dioxide in the lungs
• Cthe level of carbon dioxide in the blood
• Dthe level of carbon dioxide in the cells

Which of the following structures is not present in animal cells?

• Amitochondrion
• Bcell wall
• Cnucleus
• Dcell membrane

Some health care professionals recommend that children use insect repellent before going outside. Using insect repellent is a good way to keep the insects from

• Adying.
• Blaying eggs.
• Creproducing.
• Dspreading disease.

In a zoo located in a warm region, which should be included in the polar bear exhibit?

• Acold-water pool
• Bhot, bright lights
• Cfood bowl with fruit
• Dtall palm trees

All of these are examples of the ways Earth and the Moon interact except

• Alunar eclipses.
• Bthe phases of the Moon.
• Cseasons on Earth.
• Dthe tides on Earth.