Science Trivia Questions for Students — page 45

The part of the rock cycle that transforms compressed rock formed from sea organism shells into a harder, denser rock is

• Ametamorphic rock becoming igneous rock.
• Bsedimentary rock becoming metamorphic rock.
• Cigneous rock becoming sedimentary rock.
• Digneous rock becoming metamorphic rock.

Pumice is formed when magma blows out of a volcano and cools quickly. Pumice is the only rock that will float because pumice

• Ais an igneous rock.
• Bwas once a liquid.
• Cis a hard mineral.
• Dcontains air pockets.

Which of the following is a valid food chain?

• Asun -> rabbit -> moose -> wolf
• Bdead mouse -> flies -> frog -> snake
• Cgrass -> spider -> mouse -> rabbit
• Dwater -> grass -> fox -> hawk

Which factor will cause a decrease in the force of attraction between two magnets?

• Achanging the texture of the two magnets
• Bincreasing the distance between the two magnets
• Cincreasing the size of the two magnets
• Dchanging the color of the two magnets

When a molecule is separated into its component parts, it forms

• Aatoms.
• Bions.
• Cprotons.
• Dcompounds.

Competition is most likely to occur between which two organisms?

• Adeer and butterflies
• Bgoldfish and rabbits
• Cgrass and strawberry plants
• Dowls and bacteria

The weather forecast says a heavy snowstorm is coming later today. Which weather observation is likely just before the snow?

• Athick grey clouds
• Bwarm temperature
• Csmall white clouds
• Dclear sky

Jonas needs to split a log. He has a sledge hammer. What other tool should he also use to split the log?

• Aa fulcrum
• Ba lever
• Ca pulley
• Da wedge

How are cells able to produce the proteins required by certain conditions?

• Aby mutating new genes
• Bby synthesizing new genes
• Cby altering existing genes
• Dby expressing existing genes

Some meteorologists use visual aids such as diagrams, maps, and charts when they present the weather to television viewers. How do different types of visual aids help the viewers understand complex weather phenomena?

• Aby combining knowledge from past reports with new information
• Bby showing many components that impact the weather
• Cby providing information collected by other meteorologists
• Dby checking the accuracy of each part of the weather report

Agnes learned that the brain, spinal cord, and nerves work together. What do they combine to form?

• Aan organ
• Ba system
• Ca cell
• Da tissue

Which invention has technology that helps people keep food fresh for a long period of time?

• Aelectric mixer
• Bdishwasher
• Cmicrowave oven
• Drefrigerator

A meteorologist announces that the barometer reading is dropping. What does a barometer measure?

• Aair temperature
• Bground temperature
• Cair pressure
• Dwind speed

A piece of pine wood floats on the surface of a lake because the water exerts

• Aan upward force equal to the weight of the wood.
• Ba downward force equal to the weight of the displacement water.
• Can upward force equal to the weight of the displacement water.
• Da downward force equal to the weight of the wood.

Which would most likely need to happen for a new plant to grow?

• AA seed sprouts into a seedling.
• BA blossom falls into the soil.
• CInsects get attracted to the petals.
• DLeaves grow out of a stem.

A snack consists of peanuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, almonds, and chocolate pieces. Which statement describes why this is a mixture?

• AThe components retain their original properties.
• BIt is impossible to separate the substances.
• CIt is made up of more than one substance.
• DThe components chemically combine with each other.

Heat from deep in Earth's interior is transferred to its crust by which of the following?

• Aevaporation at mid-ocean ridges
• Bconvection in the mantle
• Cradiation from the solid core
• Dconduction in the ocean

Which of the following properties best describes a material's ability to resist scratching?

• Aflexibility
• Bhardness
• Cweight
• Dlength

Copper wire is often wrapped in plastic. Plastic material is a good

• Acurrent
• Belectromagnet
• Cinsulator
• Dcircuit

Water enters a plant cell through the

• Anucleus.
• Bcell wall.
• Cchloroplasts.
• Dmitochondria.

In a genetics investigation, students used two red straws to represent male parent DNA. They used two green straws to represent female parent DNA. The offspring in this activity are best represented by

• Aone red straw and one green straw.
• Btwo red straws.
• Ceither one red straw or one green straw.
• Dtwo green straws.

A conducting wire wrapped in plastic protects the user because the plastic

• Ahas magnetic properties.
• Bis a good electrical insulator.
• Ckeeps the wire cool.
• Dallows heat to move freely.

An astronomer is studying two stars that are the same distance from Earth. Star X appears brighter than star Y. Which statement best explains this observation?

• AStar Y reflects the Sun's light better than star X.
• BStar X reflects the Sun's light better than star Y.
• CStar X is larger than star Y.
• DStar Y is larger than star X.

Sugars are necessary for human cell function. Which of the following are human cells not capable of doing?

• Acreating simple sugars from smaller molecules
• Bbreaking down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars
• Cbuilding larger molecules from sugars
• Dattaching sugars to protein molecules

A device that converts light energy into electricity used in many handheld calculators is a

• Aphoto generator.
• Bphotovoltaic cell.
• Cphotocell.
• Dbattery.

A student conducts an experiment using a common but potentially harmful bacteria culture. After working with the bacteria, which is the most important safety practice to follow?

• Adispose of waste materials
• Bturn off any electrical equipment
• Cwash hands and tabletops thoroughly
• Dreturn materials to their proper place

The process by which water vapor in the atmosphere cools and becomes a liquid is called

• Aevaporation.
• Bcondensation.
• Ctransportation.
• Dperspiration.

Which event occurs only twice each year?

• Aequinox
• Blunar eclipse
• Cfull moon
• Dlow tide

Water puddles on a sidewalk evaporate when the Sun heats the water. Which of these best describes what is happening as the water evaporates?

• AWater becomes a gas as it absorbs energy from the Sun.
• BWater changes phase as it releases heat to the environment.
• CWater evaporates as its thermal energy is transferred to the air.
• DWater boils as it absorbs energy from the sidewalk.

In a cell, a newly synthesized protein requires modification by the addition of a carbohydrate. Which structure will transport the protein from the site of synthesis to the site of modification?

• Athe Golgi apparatus
• Bthe endoplasmic reticulum
• Ca vacuole
• Da ribosome

Some scientists believe that the mass extinction of dinosaurs was caused by the impact of a large meteorite on Earth. This impact would have caused a darkening of the sky due to dust blown into the upper atmosphere. This darkening would have reduced the sizes of some ecosystems because of

• Areduced photosynthesis.
• Blonger seasons.
• Cincreased number of hurricanes.
• Daccelerated erosion.

Which group of organisms can show significant trait changes in the shortest period of time?

• Abacteria
• Bbirds
• Creptiles
• Dfish

Which unit of measurement do astronomers use when measuring the distance between two stars found in the Milky Way?

• Aastronomical unit
• Blight-year
• Cmeter
• Dkilometer

A scientist found fossils of ocean shells on a mountain top. Based on this find, which statement can be made?

• AThe shells once lived on dry land.
• BThe shells were carried by the wind.
• CThe climate was once colder.
• DThe mountain was covered by water.

Which is most responsible for the uneven heating of the air in the atmosphere?

• Aconduction
• Bcondensation
• Cconvection
• Dradiation

Which phase change in the atmosphere forms clouds?

• Acondensation
• Bmelting
• Cevaporation
• Dfreezing

What do birds, bats and butterflies have in common?

• Ainternal skeleton
• Bfeathers
• Chair
• Dwings

Which of the following is the best evidence that an area of land was once covered by a glacier?

• Apeeling slabs of rock
• Bmarine fossils
• Climestone caverns
• Dabrasion of surface rocks

Researchers at a science laboratory have found ways to make carbon nanotubes from recycled plastic grocery bags. These nanotubes are then used as components of batteries. This approach best illustrates the ability of technology to

• Aincrease resource availability.
• Bdeplete available resources.
• Cimprove existing products.
• Dcause environmental degradation.

Which of the following is the best observation of the refraction of light?

• ALooking at a shadow of an object
• BLooking at oneself in a mirror
• CViewing an object partially in water
• DViewing an object through an open window

Which is an example of a renewable energy resource?

• Acoal
• Boil
• Cbiomass
• Dgas

Which situation is the best example of ecological succession?

• AThe populations in an area remain the same.
• BOne species replaces another species in an ecosystem.
• CAn organism survives a difficult winter.
• DEach of several species uses the same amount of resources.

Which object is a planet found in the Milky Way Galaxy?

• ATitan
• BEarth
• COrion
• DPolaris

Which property would best help a student determine if two substances are made of two different elements?

• Adensity
• Bshape
• Cvolume
• Dmass

Which statement explains why light from the Sun can warm up water in a glass?

• AWater absorbs light energy.
• BWater reflects light energy.
• CLight travels very fast.
• DLight travels in straight lines.

The crust, the mantle, and the core are structures of Earth. Which description is a feature of Earth's mantle?

• Acontains fossil remains
• Bconsists of tectonic plates
• Chas properties of both liquids and solids
• Dis located at the center of Earth

The energy required to lift an object is supplied by ATP derived from the breakdown of molecules of

• Aglycolysis.
• Bglycerol.
• Cglucose.
• Dglutamate.

Astronomers have found evidence for the existence of a super-massive black hole in the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87. What is thought to cause black holes to form?

• Athe collapse of a high-mass star
• Bthe combining of material from planets
• Cthe death of a low-mass star
• Dthe gravity of a large nebula

A chameleon can change colors to match its surroundings. This ability helps the chameleon survive because it can

• Ahunt for food.
• Bstay warm.
• Cfind a mate.
• Dbe easily seen.

Which of these is the best evidence that Earth's continental landmasses drifted apart over time?

• Athe distribution of biomes on all the continents
• Bthe fossil record along the edges of continents
• Cthe prevalence of granite on all the continents
• Dthe rocky coastlines at the edges of continents