Science Trivia Questions — page 169

Which letter of the alphabet is also the name of a popular computer programming language?

• AA
• BC
• CB
• DE

A glider is a motorless airplane. In addition to size, which would be the main things to consider when designing a glider to cover a large distance?

• Astrength and cost
• Bmass and strength
• Ccost and environmental impact
• Denvironmental impact and mass

Pepsin is an enzyme that acts in the stomach for protein digestion. Which of these is most likely the main role of pepsin in this metabolic reaction?

• Ato control the direction of the reaction
• Bto reduce the loss of energy as heat
• Cto protect the reaction from other chemicals
• Dto speed up the rate of reaction

The students in a class are making a scale model. They need a material that they can easily bend into a circle. Which of the following objects is best for the students to use?

• Acopper wire
• Blead pipe
• Cglass rod
• Dwooden stick

Scientists studying a group of young sage grouse discovered a large percentage were infected with blood parasites. How will these blood parasites most likely affect the young birds?

• Aby altering the birds' social behaviors
• Bby decreasing the birds' overall health
• Cby increasing the birds' available energy
• Dby mutating the birds' genetic traits

In the morning, students observed puddles of water all over the playground. What would best explain why the playground was dry in the afternoon?

• AThe wind stopped blowing.
• BThe water evaporated during the day.
• CSomeone dried the puddles.
• DAnimals drank the water.

A neutral atom is best described as having

• Amore electrons than protons.
• Ban equal number of protons and neutrons.
• Can equal number of protons and electrons.
• Dmore protons than neutrons.

A mass of air is at an elevation of 1000 meters in the low pressure center of a Northern Hemisphere storm. Which of the following best describes the motion of air particles in this air mass due to storm conditions and the rotation of Earth as the air mass moves outward?

• AAir particles move up and to the right.
• BAir particles move down and to the right.
• CAir particles move down and to the left.
• DAir particles move up and to the left.

In late fall, a rabbit's fur grows thicker. This adaptation occurs to

• Akeep the rabbit safe from predators
• Bhelp the rabbit find green plants
• Chelp the rabbit find a mate
• Dkeep the rabbit's body warm

A teacher was discussing with the class that a bowling ball has more inertia than a basketball. Which physical property is most likely being compared?

• Amass
• Barea
• Cweight
• Dvolume

The marsh willow herb is a plant native to the northeastern United States. It grows best in damp habitats. Which of the following environmental changes would most likely cause a decrease in the marsh willow herb population in an area?

• Aunusually high temperatures during the month of January
• Ba rainstorm lasting several weeks
• Cunusually low temperatures during the month of July
• Da drought lasting twelve months

The spectrum of visible light can be seen in a rainbow because white light is

• Areflected and transmitted.
• Babsorbed and diffracted.
• Cproduced and emitted.
• Drefracted and dispersed.

Carlos puts a new battery into a radio. What does the battery supply to the radio that makes it turn on?

• Aelectricity
• Bfriction
• Ca sound wave
• Da magnetic field

In 1938 Doug Corrigan set out on a flight from New York to California. What nickname did he get after the flight?

• ACalifornia DreaminCorrigan
• BDay/Night Corrigan
• CWrong Way Corrigan
• DAll-the-Way Corrigan

What atomic number does Calcium have?

• A22
• B19
• C20
• D21

Which one of these scientists conducted the Gold Foil Experiment which concluded that atoms are mostly made of empty space?

• AJoseph John Thomson
• BErnest Rutherford
• CArchimedes
• DNiels Henrik David Bohr

A plant sitting on a windowsill has wilted. A student explained that the plant wilted because it is in direct sunlight. What is another possible reason the plant wilted?

• AThe plant did not receive enough water.
• BThe noise in the room was too loud.
• CThere was too much space for the plant to grow.
• DThere was too much carbon dioxide in the room.

A coach is standing at the finish line of a race. He is holding a stopwatch. What is the coach most likely measuring with the stopwatch?

• Athe number of steps taken by the runners
• Bthe time of day
• Cthe distance of the race
• Dthe time it took to run the race

If 1 kg of the compound toluene melts at -95°C, then 500 g of toluene will

• Aboil at 95°C.
• Bboil at 47.5°C.
• Cmelt at -47.5°C.
• Dmelt at -95°C.

In 1783, Europe was unusually cold and foggy. The rain was acidic. Which event most likely caused the unusual climate in Europe that year?

• AAn increase in the use of automobiles released more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• BA major volcanic eruption released ash and sulfur gas into the atmosphere.
• CA major earthquake and tsunami changed the path of the Gulf Stream.
• DA logging company deforested millions of acres in South America.

In their science classroom, Sam and Julia cross a heterozygous tall (Tt) pea plant with a homozygous short (tt) pea plant. What ratio represents the results Sam and Julia can expect?

• A2 tall plants to 2 short plants
• B1 tall plant to 3 short plants
• C3 tall plants to 1 short plant
• D4 tall plants to 0 short plants

A plant that needs well-drained soil would grow best in soil made mostly of

• Asand.
• Bsilt.
• Chumus.
• Dclay.

When two objects are touching, heat is transferred from the warmer object to the cooler one by

• Ainsulation.
• Bconduction.
• Cconvection.
• Dradiation.

Which type of organism is the best at fixing nitrogen?

• Aprotists
• Banimals
• Cfungi
• Dbacteria

A student observes a substance that is highly reflective and able to conduct electricity. The substance also has a high melting point. Which is the most likely classification for this substance?

• Asalt
• Bmetal
• Cglass
• Dplastic

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO_{3}) will neutralize stomach acid (HCl) in a double replacement reaction as follows: NaHCO_{3} + HCl -> NaCl + CO_{2} + \Box What is the product necessary to make this reaction complete?

• AH_{2}O_{2}
• B2HO
• CHO_{2}
• DH_{2}O

Manuel wants an area in the yard to wash the dog without making mud puddles. He wants to put something on the ground that water passes through easily. Which of these materials would be the best for him to use?

• Apebbles
• Bsoil
• Cclay
• Dplastic

This group of alloys, which is a combination of at least one metal and one or more other elements, is used to clad fuel rods in nuclear plants.

• AHastelloy
• BZircaloy
• CAmalgam
• DElectrum

Students test different model airplane wing designs to determine which design allows for the greatest flight distance. The flight tests take place in a gymnasium. Which of the following is the most appropriate SI unit to use for measuring the flight distance?

• Amiles
• Bmeters
• Ckilometers
• Dfeet

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

A student counts ants in an ant colony every day at the same time. The student writes the date of observation in one column in a notebook and the number of ants counted on each date in a second column. Which best describes how the student arranged the information?

• Apie chart
• Bbar graph
• Cscatterplot
• Ddata table

What do transitional fossils best support?

• Athe Theory of Continental Drift
• Bthe Theory of Biological Evolution
• Cthe Law of Superposition
• Dthe Theory of Geological Evolution

Which motion causes the pattern of day and night on Earth?

• Athe moon rotates on its axis
• BEarth rotates on its axis
• CEarth orbits around the sun
• Dthe moon orbits around Earth

A student rolls a ball on the ground. Which of these causes the ball to slow down and then stop?

• AA magnetic field
• BThe motion of the ball
• CFriction from the ground
• DThe speed of the ball

A species of bird has not been seen since the 1900s and is considered extinct. Which evidence would best disprove the claim that the bird is extinct?

• AA bird watcher makes a sketch of the bird.
• BA park ranger finds a suitable habitat for the bird.
• CA researcher takes a photograph of the bird.
• DA scientist discovers fossil remains of the bird.

What is true about elephant tusks?

• AThey are not teeth.
• BThey are not really made of ivory.
• CThey are highly developed canine teeth.
• DThey are highly developed incisors.

Which action results in a chemical change?

• Awet clothes drying on a clothesline
• Bwood burning in a fireplace
• Csnow being shoveled off of a sidewalk
• Dapples being cut into slices

What is the most likely result of large-scale agricultural fertilization on aquatic systems?

• Aincreased fish populations
• Bless oxygen available for fish
• Creduced water levels
• Dmore biodiversity over time

Which step of the scientific method will follow after a student graphs collected data during a lab experiment?

• Aresearching
• Bhypothesizing
• Cobserving
• Danalyzing

Atoms of which of these elements are part of many organic molecules?

• Asilicon
• Bmagnesium
• Ccalcium
• Doxygen

Which part of a plant takes in water and nutrients from the soil?

• Astem
• Bflower
• Cleaf
• Droot

Biologists have discovered that the beluga whales of Canada's St. Lawrence River have the highest rates of cancer among animals. What is most likely the reason for this high incidence of cancer in these whales?

• Aincreased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
• Baverage temperatures increased in the region
• Cdepletion of natural prey from the ecosystem
• Dchemical and pollutant runoff into the ocean

Which of the following is NOT needed for skin puncture?

• AGauze pad
• BLancet
• CMicro-collection device
• Dpovidone-iodine pad

In a lab investigation, students had to identify different mineral specimens. Which property is the most reliable for identifying one mineral from another?

• Asurface color
• Bcrystal shape
• Chardness
• Dtexture

Which of these is never found in prokaryotic cells?

• Acell membrane
• Bribosome
• Cnucleus
• Dcell wall

How a material responds to heating and cooling tells us about the material's

• Amechanical properties.
• Bthermal properties.
• Coptical properties.
• Dacoustical properties.

Which is an example of a hypothesis?

• ALarge mice will eat more food than smaller mice.
• BOn a dark night, a student counted hundreds of stars.
• CPeople should be careful to protect endangered animals.
• DOne flower was measured to be 13 centimeters tall.

Which of the following was the first womens advocacy show?

• ALeave It To The Girls
• BThe Ladies Hour
• CThe Ladies Home Journal Hour
• DGirl Talk

Which statement is describing climate?

• AThe temperature will be between 32°C and 37°C all week.
• BLast winter was colder than normal.
• CThere is a thunderstorm watch for the local area.
• DIt snowed 12 centimeters last night.

What is the chemical makeup of water?

• AH
• BC12H6O2
• CH20
• DCO2