Science Trivia Questions — page 163

A cell that is unable to import substances required to process chemical energy is most likely a result of a malfunctioning

• Aendoplasmic reticulum.
• Bnuclear envelope.
• Ccell membrane.
• DGolgi body.

Joey is making breakfast and pours a glass of milk over a bowl of dry cereal. Which best describes what Joey made for breakfast?

• Aelement
• Bcompound
• Csolution
• Dmixture

Estuaries in Florida often have mangrove trees growing in them. The roots of the mangrove trees slow the flow of the water, which allows soil particles to settle. If people were allowed to remove the mangrove trees, how would the estuary environment most likely be affected?

• AThe risk of erosion would be reduced.
• BPopulations of grasses would increase.
• CMore habitats for fish would be established.
• DThe amounts of nutrients in the water would decrease.

If a patient has chest pain and ST elevation in nearly all leads of the EKG, what is the likely diagnosis?

• APneumothorax
• BPericarditis
• CPulmonary Embolism
• DAcute Myocardial Infarction

Water can be found in three main states on Earth. Which of the following is not one of them?

• ACrystal
• BLiquid
• CVapor
• DIce

Which of the following human traits is least likely to be inherited?

• Aheight
• Beye color
• Cfingerprints
• Dhair color

Which statement is a MAJOR mistake in the experimental design?

• AA control group was not used.
• BThe same type of pot and soil was used.
• CEach plant received the same amount of water.
• DToo much data will be collected in three weeks.

Infections may be caused by

• Amutations
• Bclimate changes
• Ctoxic substances
• Dmicroorganisms

Planting certain crop plants in a field causes a disruption of the natural nitrogen cycle in that field. Which outcome would this disruption most DIRECTLY cause in the field over time?

• Adesert conditions appear
• Bsoil nutrients decrease
• Catmospheric carbon dioxide increases
• Dtopsoil erodes

Which objects are the most useful for collecting data on the speed of a toy car?

• Amicroscope, computer, ruler
• Bthermometer, calculator, magnet
• Ccamera, digital recorder, safety goggles
• Dstopwatch, calculator, meter stick

Which physical characteristic of Earth is similar to a physical characteristic of the Moon?

• Aits great seas
• Bits atmosphere
• Cits climate
• Dits mountain ranges

A student sees a bird at a feeder. The student identifies the bird as a sparrow. Which organ system did the student use to identify the bird?

• Anervous
• Bmuscular
• Ccirculatory
• Dskeletal

How is a moth's life cycle most different from an insect that goes through incomplete metamorphosis?

• AIt eats leaves.
• BIt becomes an adult.
• CIt lays eggs.
• DIt creates a cocoon.

What time of the day do tornadoes most often strike?

• A12 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• B2 a.m. - 12 p.m
• C10 p.m. - 3 a.m.
• D3 p.m. - 9p.m.

Which is NOT an example of a chemical change?

• ABurning match
• Bcorroding silver
• CMelting ice
• DRotting vegetation

A powder made up of both white specks and black specks is likely to be

• Aa solution
• Ba pure compound
• Ca mixture
• Dan element

Two identical containers each hold one liter of water. One container is kept at room temperature as a liquid. The other container is placed in a freezer and kept as a solid. Which property is most likely to be the same in both states of matter?

• Amass
• Bshape
• Cvolume
• Ddensity

Which process is most directly related to constructing new land?

• Adeposition
• Bpolluting
• Cerosion
• Dweathering

The diet of a brown bear includes roots, grasses, berries, nuts, fish, insects, and mammals. Based on this description, in what category is a brown bear?

• Adecomposer
• Bcarnivore
• Comnivore
• Dherbivore

In what type of tube is blood drawn for a substance abuse test?

• ASmall Lavender
• BLight blue
• CRed
• DDark Green

What caused the death of Wayne McLaren and David McLean, famous for appearing in many Marlboro television and print advertisements?

• ALung cancer
• BHorse accident
• CCar crash
• DFire caused by a cigarette

Which transition is most responsible for gaps in the fossil record?

• Aigneous rock to metamorphic rock
• Bmetamorphic rock to igneous rock
• Csedimentary rock to metamorphic rock
• Dmetamorphic rock to sedimentary rock

Which of these animals does dipterology study?

• AFoxes
• BLizards
• CFlies
• DMoles

Many animals depend on plants for ___.

• Asunlight
• Bpollination
• Cseed dispersal
• Dshelter

Which of the following is NOT a constellation of the Zodiac (the ring of constellations that the sun passes through each year)?

• AThe Crab
• BThe Archer
• CThe Winged Horse
• DThe Fish

For centuries, farmers have been taking cuttings of productive plants and rooting the cuttings to make new plants. Which kind of modern technology uses genetic information most similarly to the cutting and rooting process?

• ADNA fingerprinting
• Bcloning of organisms
• Cgenetic engineering
• Dantibody therapy

What happens to water when it boils?

• AIt changes color.
• BIt becomes heavier.
• CIt stops bubbling.
• DIt changes into water vapor.

In 1918, an outbreak of influenza infected 500,000 people all over the world. Tens of millions of those infected died. In 1994, an outbreak of pneumonic plague spread quickly through the city of Surat in India, killing 52 people. Which statement best describes the two events?

• ABoth outbreaks were pandemics.
• BThe influenza outbreak was a pandemic. The plague outbreak was an epidemic.
• CThe influenza outbreak was an epidemic. The plague outbreak was a pandemic.
• DBoth outbreaks were epidemics.

In which way is the Sun different from Earth?

• AThe Sun has many organisms living on it.
• BThe Sun is in the Milky Way galaxy.
• CThe Sun is a star made of gases.
• DThe Sun has moons revolving around it.

When chlorine gas reacts with sodium metal, what type of substance is formed?

• AA mixture
• BAn element
• CAn alloy
• DA compound
• EA solution

The end result in the process of photosynthesis is the production of sugar and oxygen. Which step signals the beginning of photosynthesis?

• ASunlight is converted into chlorophyll.
• BChlorophyll in the leaf captures light energy.
• CLight energy is converted to chemical energy.
• DChemical energy is absorbed through the roots.

Which human activity directly affects the quality of freshwater resources?

• Aburning gasoline in car engines
• Ballowing runoff from agricultural fields
• Cthrowing trash out of car windows
• Ddepleting the ozone layer

What is the chemical symbol for Uranium?

• AUr
• BU
• CUa
• DUn

Which was the first implemented high-level general purpose programming language?

• AFortran
• BBASIC
• CCobol
• DPascal

How oblate is Saturn?

• A.07
• B.11
• C.1
• D.08

Which best describes how the sun might compare to a different-sized star, if they were right next to each other?

• AThe sun would be extremely bright next to an average star.
• BThe sun would be very dim next to one of the smallest stars.
• CThe sun would be enormous next to an average star.
• DThe sun would be tiny next to one of the largest stars.

A student used two long wires to connect a lightbulb to a battery. The student noticed that as soon as the circuit was complete, a nearby compass started to point in a direction other than north. The compass pointed in a different direction because it was reacting to the

• Alight produced by the lightbulb.
• Bheat produced by the lightbulb.
• Celectric field produced by the battery.
• Dmagnetic field produced by the electric current.

Convection currents in the mantle are thought to be the driving force behind tectonic movement. At which location do the convection currents cause the plates to diverge?

• Afolded mountains
• Bstrike-slip fault
• Cmid-ocean ridges
• Dsubduction zone

Scientists found evidence of past glacial activity in Massachusetts. Which of the following conclusions is best supported by this evidence?

• ASea levels were much higher in the past.
• BThe total amount of radiation from the Sun was much higher in the past.
• CTotal numbers of organisms on Earth have changed over time.
• DThe climate on Earth has changed over time.

Which skeletal muscle moves the scapula forward, as in pushing something?

• ASternocleidomastoid
• BSoleus
• CSerratus anterior
• DSartorius

Which of the following remains constant in Earth's carbon cycle?

• Athe total mass of available carbon
• Bthe physical state of carbon-containing molecules
• Cthe molecule in which a particular carbon atom is found
• Dthe way organisms use carbon

Diversity among members of a species is important because diversity

• Aensures the variety of reproductive methods for a species.
• Bensures high levels of competition.
• Cincreases the chances of survival under changing conditions.
• Dincreases the available ecosystem resources.

A student drops a ball. Which force causes the ball to fall to the ground?

• Aelectricity
• Bfriction
• Cmagnetism
• Dgravity

The USA leads" the world in per capita consumption of water. Which country is second?

• ACanada
• BIndia
• CBrazil
• DChina

What may form as a direct result of a star collapsing?

• Aprotostar
• Bgalaxy
• Csupernova
• Dconstellation

Which of these is the best example of physical weathering?

• Aacid rain dissolving limestone
• Bice fracturing a stone
• Ca bulldozer pushing soil
• Dinsects eating a dead tree

Which example shows a chemical change to food during digestion?

• Ateeth chewing food
• Bfood moving through the intestines
• Cfood churning in the stomach
• Denzymes breaking down food

When large areas of the rainforests are cleared and burned, climate can be affected. Which best explains how rainforest destruction can contribute to the greenhouse effect?

• Aby releasing carbon into the atmosphere
• Bby threatening native plants and animals
• Cby increasing the rate of soil erosion
• Dby increasing the water levels in oceans

During his famous voyage to the Galapagos Islands, Charles Darwin studied differences in a specific animal's anatomy, his observations setting the stage for his eventual theory of evolution. What animal's anatomy did Darwin study?

• AMonkey paws
• BIguana tails
• CMockingbird talons
• DFinch beaks

Mars lower density and size gives it a mass about how much that of Earth?

• A1/6
• B1/2
• C1/10
• D1/8