Science Trivia Questions for Students — page 38

As two continental plates collide, the edges of the plates are crumpled and uplifted. Which of these landforms is most likely a result of this type of collision?

• Ashield volcanoes
• Bmountain ranges
• CU-shaped valleys
• Dnormal faults

Jagged mountains would most likely become rounded hills through which process?

• Achemical change
• Bdeposition
• Cvolcanic activity
• Derosion

Why do two surfaces get warm when they are rubbed together?

• AThe surfaces absorb energy from the air.
• BEnergy is transferred between the two surfaces.
• CFriction changes energy of motion to heat energy.
• DMoving objects produce heat energy.

Over a long period of time, a rocky volcanic island that previously did not support any form of life got transformed into a dense forested region. Which of these species is most likely to have been the pioneer species that initiated this transformation?

• Amushrooms
• Blichens
• Cferns
• Dgrasses

Which instrument would be best to measure the volume of a liquid?

• Aa thermometer
• Ba pan balance
• Ca graduated cylinder
• Da stopwatch

The class puts the planters by the window so that the plants can get more sunlight. How do the tomato plants use sunlight?

• Ato get nutrients through the roots
• Bto move water to the flowers
• Cto make sugar in the leaves
• Dto use starch from the stems

Which enzyme acts first in response to the ingestion of a hamburger patty?

• Alipase in the small intestine
• Btrypsin in the small intestine
• Cpepsin in the stomach
• Damylase in the mouth

If a ball rolls at a constant rate on a flat surface, the motion is due to

• Agravitational forces.
• Belectromagnetic forces.
• Cfrictional forces.
• Dbalanced forces.

Which of the following best describes the purpose of cellular respiration?

• Ato supply carbon dioxide for photosynthesis
• Bto produce sugar for storage in cells
• Cto provide energy for cell activities
• Dto release oxygen for breathing

A new mutation that occurs in which type of cell can be passed on to offspring?

• Ablood cell
• Bbrain cell
• Cnerve cell
• Degg cell

In which of the following ways are photosynthesis and cellular respiration alike?

• ABoth processes produce glucose.
• BBoth processes consume carbon dioxide.
• CBoth processes take place in chloroplasts.
• DBoth processes involve energy transformations.

Which of these would be a model of diffusion?

• Atwo students bump into each other
• Ba student passes through a door
• Cstudents pass from a crowded room into a hall
• Dtwo students pass by each other

All energy resources have benefits, risks, and drawbacks. Which two resources present the most dangerous risks and consequences for the environment during their acquisition?

• Ageothermal energy and oil
• Bcoal and solar energy
• Coil and coal
• Dsolar energy and geothermal energy

Water enters a cell and waste material leaves a cell through the cell membrane. Based on this information, the cell membrane is

• Arigid.
• Btransparent.
• Csemi-permeable.
• Dimpermeable.

Which of the following are likely to do the most damage to ecosystems along the Rio Grande River?

• Afloods
• Bearthquakes
• Cblizzards
• Dtsunamis

Which of these steps in the rock cycle occurs ONLY in the formation of metamorphic rock?

• Acementation
• Brecrystallization
• Cerosion
• Dcompaction

Growth and activities of organisms can speed up the chemical weathering of rocks. Which organisms naturally cause most of the chemical weathering of rocks?

• Aplant seedlings
• Binsects
• Csmall mammals
• Dmosses

Why can steam be used to cook food?

• ASteam can transfer heat to cooler objects.
• BSteam is a form of water.
• CSteam does work on objects.
• DSteam is able to move through small spaces.

When a person speaks into a telephone, sound energy is changed mostly into which form of energy?

• Aelectrical
• Blight
• Cheat
• Dchemical

Stars are often classified by their apparent brightness in the nighttime sky. Stars can also be classified in many other ways. Which of these is least useful in classifying stars?

• Atemperature
• Bvisible color
• Ccomposition
• Dsurface texture

Which of these best describes how the surface of a beach is formed?

• Avolcanic eruption
• Bmechanical weathering
• Cchemical weathering
• Dmass movement

Which change will occur in the wire of an electrical circuit that is working properly?

• AThe wire will become warmer.
• BThe wire will develop a new crystal structure.
• CThe wire will lose some of its mass.
• DThe wire will form an electric field.

During an investigation, heat transferred from a liquid to the environment. Which pair of explanations can best account for this result?

• AThe temperature of the liquid increased, or the liquid became a gas.
• BThe temperature of the liquid decreased, or the liquid became a solid.
• CThe temperature of the liquid decreased, or the liquid became a gas.
• DThe temperature of the liquid increased, or the liquid became a solid.

Pedro shook a can of soda. When the soda was opened, foam and soda burst from the can. Which statement best explains what happened?

• AThe gas pressure was released from the can.
• BA new substance was formed.
• CThe can absorbed heat from the air.
• DThe sugar in the soda turned into a gas.

Light enters the human eye through the

• Alens.
• Bpupil.
• Cretina.
• Diris.

Windmills are used to obtain usable energy from wind. Which would be an advantage of using a windmill?

• AWindmills are expensive to build.
• BPollution is not created by windmills.
• CPopulations of birds can be reduced by windmills.
• DThe wind does not blow all the time.

Which process has most likely occurred when new traits appear in a species?

• Aselective breeding
• Bcrossbreeding
• Cgenetic mutation
• Dcloning

Of these research projects, which is the best choice for a student who is interested in environmental issues to study?

• Amaking ocean liners bigger and faster
• Bmaking cars run on less fuel
• Creplacing human workers with robots
• Dfinding more sites for copper mines

Scientists noted that muscles and bones would need physical stress to remain healthy during manned space flights. Which of these had to be planned for because of this need?

• Aexercising to maintain strength
• Bpracticing space walking
• Ccounseling activities for tension
• Dmonitoring circadian rhythms

Alisha's teacher glued a needle to a piece of cork so that the needle would float. Then he used a magnet to magnetize the needle. When the needle was placed in a bowl of water, it turned to point north. Which best describes the reason that the needle pointed north?

• AThe magnetic current in the bowl of water affected the needle.
• BThe teacher must have placed the magnet to the south of the bowl.
• CThe cork must also have been magnetized.
• DThe magnetic field of Earth affected the needle.

The waters off the Florida Keys are being polluted. This pollution affects the numerous marine ecosystems found in the Keys. Which action could most likely reduce water pollution?

• Ausing more plastic bottles and disposing them in landfills
• Busing compost as a fertilizer for lawns and gardens
• Cusing water from washing machines to water lawns
• Dusing cars that are designed to use petroleum products

What major and potentially catastrophic events can be predicted to occur in the Northern Hemisphere between the months of June and November?

• Aasteroid impacts
• Bhurricanes
• Ctsunamis
• Dvolcanic eruptions

Glaciers are slow-moving sheets of ice found on land. What process occurs when glacial ice is heated to 5° Celsius?

• Aprecipitation
• Bfreezing
• Cmelting
• Devaporation

What is the greatest contributor to air pollution in the United States?

• Aautomobiles
• Bpower plants
• Cburning waste
• Dfactories

Timber companies can best manage the number of trees in forests by

• Aconverting deforested areas into malls.
• Bplanting trees to replace what they cut down.
• Cremoving the tree stumps when trees are cut down.
• Dadding pesticides to the soil around the trees.

A town in northern Arkansas experienced colder than normal temperatures during part of the winter. Which change was most likely responsible for this?

• AThe Coriolis effect creating a high pressure area
• BA southward dip in the jet stream
• CThe Coriolis effect creating a low pressure area
• DA northward movement of the jet stream

Which of these must occur when a substance goes through a chemical change?

• AThe substance changes shape.
• BThe substance changes phases.
• CThe substance forms a new substance.
• DThe substance gets larger.

Coal is used for generating about 53% of the electrical energy in the United States. Which of these environmental issues is directly contributed to by the burning of coal?

• Aoverfishing
• Bair pollution
• Cozone depletion
• Dbeach erosion

Mars is an inner planet and Jupiter is an outer planet. Which best describes the relationship between the two planets?

• AThey have the same orbital periods around the Sun.
• BThey are made of the same materials.
• CThey are located on opposite sides of the asteroid belt.
• DThey orbit the Sun in opposite directions.

Which geologic feature most likely forms when an oceanic tectonic plate is slowly subducted beneath a continental tectonic plate?

• Acontinental rift valley
• Bmid-ocean ridge
• Ccontinental hot spot
• Docean trench

A student plans to conduct an experiment to see how quickly mice learn to navigate a maze to reach a reward at the other end. Which of these will help lead to the most accurate conclusion?

• Amake the maze bigger
• Buse the same maze and reward each day
• Cuse a reward other than food
• Dprovide different food rewards

Heat was applied to a substance. First the substance expanded, and then it melted. Which state of matter did the substance start off as?

• APlasma
• BSolid
• CGas
• DLiquid

Which part of digestion is mainly a chemical change?

• AStomach acids dissolve food into nutrients.
• BThroat muscles push food toward the stomach.
• CTeeth break food into small pieces.
• DIntestinal cells transport nutrients into the blood.

The leaves of a tree change color in the fall. This is an example of a tree

• Apreparing for migration
• Bresponding to its environment
• Cbeginning hibernation
• Dcompleting its life cycle

Oxygen and iron combine chemically to form rust. Rust is classified as which of the following?

• Aan element
• Ba compound
• Ca mixture
• Dan atom

Students conduct an investigation with 20 of the same tomato plants. Each plant receives the same amount of water but different amounts of sunlight. The students measure the number of fruits on each plant every day. What is the dependent variable in this investigation?

• Aamount of water
• Bamount of sunlight
• Ctype of plant
• Dnumber of fruits

Which of these is a renewable resource found in Nevada?

• Ageothermal energy
• Bgravel deposits
• Czinc metal
• Dpetroleum products

Astronomers have found low-energy background radiation in every part of the sky that they have studied. This radiation is taken as evidence of energy remaining from which event?

• Asupernovas
• Bmodern decay of unstable atoms
• Cthe big bang
• Dcollisions of galaxies

In October, the constellations Gemini and Orion appear in the sky after midnight. In January, Orion appears at sunset. At which time will Gemini most likely appear in January?

• Aat sunset
• Bat noon
• Cafter midnight
• Dbefore sunrise

A child walks across a carpet and generates an electrical charge. The child will get a slight shock by touching a

• Ametal doorknob.
• Bwooden block.
• Cplastic toy.
• Drubber ball.