Science Trivia Questions — page 115

The phases of the Moon are caused by the

• Arevolution of the Moon around the Earth.
• Btilt of the Moon.
• Ctilt of the Earth.
• Drevolution of the Earth around the Sun.

What activity must mRNA do in traveling from DNA to protein synthesis sites in eukaryotic cells that does not occur in prokaryotic cells?

• Abreak off some of its phosphates to release energy
• Bduplicate itself
• Ccross a membrane
• Dcoil into a compact crystal form

Decomposers are organisms that eat and break down dead plant and animal material. Which organism is a decomposer?

• Aalgae
• Bmoss
• Cbacteria
• Dfish

Which statement best describes the energy transformations that occur when a candle burns?

• AHeat energy from the wax is converted into chemical and light energy.
• BChemical energy from the wax is converted into light and heat energy.
• CHeat energy from the air is converted into mechanical and light energy.
• DChemical energy from the air is converted into mechanical and light energy.

An escalator at a shopping mall is 10 m long and moves at a constant speed of 0.5 m/s. If Jose steps onto the escalator at the bottom while it is moving, how long will it take him to travel the 10 m?

• A20 s
• B15 s
• C5 s
• D10 s

Students observed that a diamond was able to scratch a piece of talc. What does this observation best support?

• ATalc is softer than diamonds.
• BDiamonds have sharp edges.
• CDiamonds are very valuable.
• DTalc and diamonds are both minerals.

When blood that is high in carbon dioxide exits the heart, it immediately enters which body system?

• Adigestive
• Bnervous
• Crespiratory
• Dmuscular

Pesticides are chemicals that kill insects. What could happen if the pesticides killed all the pollinators near some apple trees?

• AThe trees could not make leaves.
• BThe trees could not make flowers.
• CThe trees could not make bark.
• DThe trees could not make seeds.

Which of the following explains why elements, such as carbon and oxygen, that are used in organic molecules are not permanently removed from the environment?

• AThey are replaced by volcanic eruptions.
• BThey are produced constantly from nutrients.
• CThey are cycled through ecosystems.
• DThey are replenished by sunlight.

Why do the Sun and Moon appear to move across the sky?

• AThe Sun and Moon revolve around Earth.
• BEarth revolves around the Sun and the Moon.
• CThe rotation of Earth makes the Sun and Moon seem to move.
• DThe rotation of the solar system makes the Sun and Moon seem to move.

What is the relationship between an ecosystem and a community?

• AAn ecosystem includes a community and abiotic factors.
• BA community is a very large ecosystem.
• CAn ecosystem is a very large community.
• DA community includes an ecosystem and abiotic factors.

When a book is dropped onto a wooden desk, the molecules in the wood begin to vibrate from the force of the book. Which of these is produced by the vibrations?

• Afriction
• Bultrasonic waves
• Csound waves
• Dinterference

Samuel investigated the effect of temperature on the growth of snapdragons. He recorded the results from the investigation and found that snapdragons do not grow well in low temperatures. What is the purpose of this conclusion in the scientific process?

• AIt helps to collect information from observations.
• BIt helps to evaluate the hypothesis.
• CIt helps to prepare for an investigation.
• DIt helps to organize the data.

Which characteristic is found ONLY in mammals?

• Abodies that are protected by scales
• Bskin that absorbs oxygen
• Ceyes that detect color
• Dglands that make milk

Most of the bacteria in a forest ecosystem are best classified as which of the following types of organisms?

• Adecomposers
• Bconsumers
• Cproducers
• Dpredators

A forecast for "wintry mix" indicates that vapor in the air will form both rain and snow. Which of these is a correct principle illustrated by this event?

• AWater exists in all three states on Earth.
• BThere is little water in the atmosphere of Earth.
• CMost water on Earth is found as vapor.
• DWater on Earth tends to form a solid over time.

How has the invention of the personal computer helped people the most?

• Aby improving transportation
• Bby replacing paper
• Cby reducing pollution
• Dby increasing communication

Which of these is the best way to dispose of a potentially dangerous compound?

• Aput it into a garbage can
• Brecycle the compound for a future lab activity
• Cpour it down the drain
• Dplace it in a hazardous material waste container

Hurricanes form over equatorial areas. This is because

• Asolar heating is greatest near the equator.
• Bthe Moon's plane of orbit is close to the equator.
• Cthe rate of rotation of Earth's surface is less at the equator.
• DEarth's volcanic activity is clustered around the equator.

A tropical rain forest contains many tall trees. Smaller plants with large leaves grow at the base of the tall trees. The large leaves are most likely an adaptation of the plant due to which condition?

• Alack of sunlight
• Black of food
• Clack of water
• Dlack of oxygen

Which is the best example of an inherited behavior?

• Aa cat clawing on a tree to sharpen its claws
• Ba bear knowing the best place to catch salmon
• Ca dog coming when it hears a bell
• Da horse trotting its way back to the barn

Miriam notices when she goes to the beach that sometimes the water rises as high as the pier. At other times of the day, the water barely covers the pillars under the pier. These differences in water level are primarily due to the gravitational influence of which of the following?

• Athe Sun
• Bthe Moon
• Ccomets
• Dasteroids

Gannymede is the largest moon of which planet?

• AUranus
• BMars
• CNeptune
• DJupiter

Kurt drinks frozen fruit juice from a small cup. He measures the amount of fruit juice in the cup. Which property is Kurt measuring?

• Avolume
• Bdensity
• Cheight
• Dtemperature

Which weather instrument measures air pressure?

• Aanemometer
• Bthermometer
• Cbarometer
• Drain gauge

If two objects are two meters apart, which of these changes will increase the gravitational force between the two objects?

• Adecreasing the mass of one object
• Bdecreasing the mass of both objects
• Cmoving the objects to one meter apart
• Dmoving the objects to three meters apart

Your community is planning to build a new sanitary landfill. In locating the landfill, which is the most important environmental consideration?

• Athe cost of the land
• Bthe accessibility to a major highway
• Cthe location of the groundwater
• Dthe proximity to an industrial park

Which measurement is the most accurate way to describe the distance between the Sun and its nearest neighboring star?

• A4 billion kilometers
• B4 light-years
• C400 billion kilometers
• D400 light-years

In living organisms, the level of organization from least complex to most complex is

• Acell, tissue, organ, organism
• Bcell, organ, tissue, organism
• Ctissue, organ, cell, organism
• Dtissue, cell, organ, organism

During the early 1990s, people began using cell phones to communicate. The development of the cell phone was most likely a response to the need of society to

• Abe able to communicate when away from home.
• Bprovide a safer method of communicating.
• Cbe able to communicate when sick.
• Dprovide more jobs in the communication industry.

Fiberfill is used to make ski jackets. What can be recycled to make enough Fiberfill for one ski jacket?

• A5 plastic soda bottles
• B1045 styrene cups
• C384 pounds of newspaper
• D149 pounds of composted lawn material

Minerals are formed by which process?

• Amagma cooling
• Bmetamorphosis
• Csedimentation
• Dfault lines moving

Which is most similar to the way a glacier makes a valley?

• AA drill makes a hole in a board.
• BA tree root splits a rock in half.
• CA bulldozer pushes a pile of dirt.
• DA shoe makes a footprint in soil.

Michael claims he can use the bands on a woolly caterpillar to predict winter. He says long black bands mean a hard winter, and short black bands mean a mild winter. Last week he found three woolly caterpillars with long black bands. Which of the following do his observations show?

• AProof that there is going to be a hard winter
• BEvidence that his claim is correct
• CNeither proof nor disproof for his claim
• DEvidence that his claim is wrong

A single prokaryotic cell can divide several times in an hour. Few eukaryotic cells can divide as quickly. Which of the following statements best explains this difference?

• AEukaryotic cells have less DNA than prokaryotic cells.
• BEukaryotic cells are smaller than prokaryotic cells.
• CEukaryotic cells have more cell walls than prokaryotic cells.
• DEukaryotic cells are more structurally complex than prokaryotic cells.

Over time, non-volcanic mountains can form due to the interaction of plate boundaries. Which interaction is most likely associated with the formation of non-volcanic mountains?

• Aoceanic plates separating from oceanic plates
• Bcontinental plates colliding with continental plates
• Coceanic plates colliding with oceanic plates
• Dcontinental plates separating from continental plates

Which would best help a forest animal avoid being eaten by hawks or owls?

• Aunderground home
• Bbright color
• Csharp claws
• Dsmall size

Which can provide the most energy in an ecosystem?

• Aa mushroom
• Ba grassy meadow
• Ca coyote
• Da pine tree

Jeremiah noticed a plant had many missing leaves and large holes in other leaves. Why do missing leaves hurt the plant?

• AThe plant does not have support.
• BThe plant takes in less water.
• CThe plant attracts fewer insects.
• DThe plant makes less food.

When salt is added to ice, the ice begins to melt because the salt

• Alowers the freezing point.
• Braises the freezing point.
• Craises the boiling point.
• Dlowers the boiling point.

Most birds sit on their eggs until they hatch. Which of these is the most important reason why birds sit on their eggs?

• Ato keep the eggs inside the nest
• Bto keep the eggs warm
• Cto protect the eggs from the wind
• Dto protect the eggs from the rain

Leather basketballs are made for indoor use on smooth surfaces. Rubber basketballs are made for use on many different surfaces. Which of the following properties of rubber makes it better than leather for use on many different surfaces?

• ARubber is dark in color.
• BRubber is quickly produced.
• CRubber is durable.
• DRubber is lightweight.

Which of the following happens only during the adult stage of the life cycle of a frog?

• AA frog swims in water.
• BA frog lays eggs.
• CA frog begins to develop lungs.
• DA frog begins to lose its tail.

Which of these provides the best evidence that the environment of Earth has changed over millions of years?

• Amarine fossils found in mountains
• Bbones of animals found on the ground
• Cpolished appearance of rock surfaces
• Dactive migration of sand dunes

Plants have specialized tissues at the ends of their stems. What do these tissues help the plants do?

• Agrow taller
• Babsorb water
• Cdigest food
• Dmake food

According to the endosymbiotic theory, double-membrane mitochondria originated as a result of some larger eukaryotic cells with flexible membranes engulfing smaller prokaryotic cells. Which of these explains where the outer layer of the double membrane of the mitochondria originated?

• Athe nuclear membrane of the eukaryotic host
• Bthe ribosomes of the engulfed prokaryotic cell
• Cthe lysosomes of the engulfed prokaryotic cell
• Dthe plasma membrane of the eukaryotic host

What is the first thing a student should do before starting an experiment?

• Aread all the directions
• Bfind a lab partner
• Cmake notes about observations
• Dwrite a report on the investigation

Students are preparing to determine the boiling points of several aqueous solutions. In addition to proper lab attire, what devices or instruments will the students need to conduct this experiment?

• Amatches, beaker, thermometer
• Bhot plate, beaker, masking tape
• Cbalance, hot plate, thermometer
• Dthermometer, hot plate, beaker

A rainforest area is experiencing a severe drought. As a consequence, the insect population has decreased. What will the insect-eating birds most likely do as a result of the drought?

• Abegin reproducing to increase population
• Bmove to a new area to find food
• Cstart the process of hibernation
• Dstop searching for food until it begins to rain

The morning temperature in a city is 41°F. If a sunny, mild day is forecast, which temperature is most likely for 2:00 p.m.?

• A78° F
• B32° F
• C41° F
• D98° F