Science Trivia Questions — page 171

What is a primary role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

• AThey cycle matter by returning oxygen and other matter to the ecosystem.
• BThey cycle matter by returning carbon and other matter to the ecosystem.
• CThey eliminate matter by taking phosphorus from the ecosystem.
• DThey eliminate matter by taking nitrogen from the ecosystem.

How are electromagnetic waves different from other waves?

• AThey can travel through a vacuum and through matter.
• BThey can change direction by reflection when they strike an object.
• CThey have very short wavelengths.
• DThey transmit energy instead of matter.

Which is not a type of electromagnetic wave?

• Ax-ray
• Bsound wave
• Cradio wave
• Dmicrowave

The biggest distinction between a eukaryotic cell and a prokaryotic cell is:

• AThe mode of reproduction
• BThe overall size
• CThe presence or absence of certain organelles
• DThe presence or absence of a nucleus

Hurricanes are large, powerful storms that form as they travel over warm ocean waters. What do oceans add to make hurricanes so strong?

• Awaves and flooding
• Bwind and tides
• Csalt and water
• Dheat and moisture

In 1903 Mary Anderson invented the first windshield wiper. How did this invention most likely help people?

• AIt made cars safer to drive in bad weather.
• BIt helped people use less gas.
• CIt kept people from driving too fast.
• DIt made cars easier for people to buy.

What type of rock was the fossil most likely found in?

• Aigneous
• Bsedimentary
• Cvolcanic
• Dmetamorphic

Plants and animals are composed of organic compounds. Which of the following are the common elements found in organic compounds?

• Asodium, potassium, gold, hydrogen.
• Biron, oxygen, nickel, copper.
• Ccarbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen.
• Dhelium, neon, argon, krypton.

A scientist crosses a red-flowered plant with a white-flowered plant, and all offspring have red flowers. What will most likely result if these red-flowered offspring are crossed with white-flowered plants?

• AThe offspring will have neither red nor white flowers.
• BAll of the offspring will have white flowers.
• CThe offspring will have either red or white flowers.
• DAll of the offspring will have red flowers.

Farmers in Wyoming were concerned because some of their chickens were being preyed upon by hawks that lived in areas around their ranches. The farmers grouped together and hunted the hawks until they were no longer in their area. Which would most likely happen next?

• AAnother bird of prey would replace the hawk.
• BThe chickens would have a lower rate of disease.
• CThe chicken population would go down.
• DPopulations of mice and rats would increase.

Darwin's theory that animal species can change over time was inspired by his research on which set of islands?

• Athe Virgin Islands
• Bthe Hawaiian Islands
• Cthe Philippine Islands
• Dthe Galapagos Islands

What event happens in a daily cycle?

• Acliffs erode
• Bhigh and low tides
• Cvolcanoes erupt
• Drivers flood

Which type of ecosystem has the greatest variation in temperature from its top to its bottom?

• Apond
• Blake
• Cocean
• Destuary

Which two body systems interact to produce antibodies that require essential amino acids?

• Adigestive and immune systems
• Bintegumentary and circulatory systems
• Cdigestive and reproductive systems
• Dendocrine and respiratory systems

Adaptive characteristics that help dolphins survive life in the ocean include all of these except

• Atraveling alone.
• Btheir body shape.
• Ctheir sleek skin.
• Dswimming very fast.

Which would provide evidence of seafloor spreading?

• Ahigher levels of salinity in the ocean water
• Bcooled magma found on the edge of the plates
• Cstronger currents at the surface of the ocean
• Dgreater reproduction levels for organisms at the bottom of the ocean

The iron in iron-rich red soils may not be in a form that can be taken up by tree roots. As a result, leaves and needles may look yellow. Some trees release acids that convert iron in soil to a usable form. This change in soil chemistry is a type of which process?

• Adeposition
• Bphotosynthesis
• Cweathering
• Dprecipitation

One of these things will not help you to get in touch with your neighbours PC.

• ANetwork card
• BHub
• CCache server
• DRouter

If a fox and an eagle eat some of the same organisms in an ecosystem, the relationship between the fox and the eagle could be classified as

• Amutualism.
• Bpredation.
• Cparasitism.
• Dcompetition.

Which type of evidence would a geologist need to support plate tectonic theory?

• Aplant fossils that are similar in size
• Bnew crust formed by the sea floor spreading
• Cthe weathering and erosion of coastlines
• Drocks with different physical appearances

Which of these elements is found in the greatest amount in organisms?

• Aneon
• Blead
• Ciron
• Dcarbon

Which one of these organelles is a part of the endomembrane system of eukaryotic cells?

• AEndoplasmic reticulum
• BNucleus
• CMitochondrion
• DChloroplast

Which features are physical properties of an iron nail?

• Aconducts sound, insulates, non-magnetic
• Bconducts heat, magnetic, solid
• Cconducts electricity, magnetic, rusts
• Ddissolves, conducts heat, non-magnetic

A scientific article about the universe will most likely describe the universe as

• Aconsisting of billions of galaxies.
• Bcontaining approximately ten planets.
• Cbecoming smaller over time.
• Dbeing less than two billion years old.

This is one of the first signs of pregnancy.

• AWaddling
• BMissed period
• CSwollen Feet
• DHair loss

Which piece of safety equipment is used to keep mold spores from entering the respiratory system?

• Alead apron
• Bsafety goggles
• Crubber gloves
• Dbreathing mask

As members of a food web, humans are considered to be

• Ascavengers.
• Bproducers.
• Cdecomposers.
• Dconsumers.

Which of these substances is correctly identified as a mineral?

• Aquartz
• Bgranite
• Csandstone
• Dcoal

A plover bird eats bits of food that become stuck in a crocodile's teeth without being hurt. The crocodile gets its teeth cleaned and the bird gets food. Which type of relationship exists between the bird and the crocodile?

• Aparasitism
• Bphototropism
• Cmutualism
• Dcommensalism

What do you call the force which slows down and stops a moving object?

• AFriction
• BMolecular force
• CGravitational force
• DMagnetic force

A girl with long hair is going to be participating in an experiment that uses an alcohol burner for an energy source. What is the best thing for her to do to prepare for this experiment?

• Awear a lab apron during the experiment
• Btie her hair back away from her face
• Cleave her large jacket in her locker for the day
• Duse goggles during the experiment

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.

What effect does gravity always have on an object on Earth?

• Apulls the object downward
• Bmakes the object stay still
• Cpushes the object upward
• Dmakes the object move

How is the discipline of biology dedicated to the study of fungi called?

• AMycology
• BFungitics
• CFungology
• DMyology

A country that has limited resources would most likely focus on the development of technology that includes

• Awater treatment.
• Bsatellite communications.
• Cspace exploration.
• Drobotic automation.

Fossil records indicate that species changes generally

• Atake place over many generations.
• Bspeed up with stable conditions.
• Care independent of the environment.
• Dstop when a species forms.

Which question can be answered using an investigation done by a science class?

• ADo plants grow differently with and without light?
• BWhat is the climate on Jupiter?
• CWhere is the warmest place on Earth that has life?
• DHow far do monarch butterflies migrate?

What happens to water molecules during the boiling process?

• AThey move more slowly but move farther apart as they lose heat.
• BThey move faster and move farther apart as they absorb heat.
• CThey move faster and remain close together as they absorb heat.
• DThey move faster and move farther apart as they lose heat.

Which vehicle can also transport data?

• ABus
• BCar
• CShip
• DPlane

Microbes are generally considered to be this.

• ABoth harmless and deadly.
• BDeadly
• CIllness-causing
• DHarmless

Which particles make up the mass of an atom?

• Aneutrons and molecules
• Bprotons and electrons
• Celectrons and molecules
• Dprotons and neutrons

Which type of light can cause severe eye damage if it is viewed directly?

• Aan infrared light
• Ba laser beam
• Ca Bunsen burner flame
• Dan incandescent light

How does flipping a switch turn on a light?

• AIt completes an electrical circuit.
• BIt generates electricity.
• CIt breaks an electrical circuit.
• DIt creates a spark.

A research scientist writes a paper on the initial regrowth of a forest after a fire has damaged the entire ecosystem. Which title would be best for the paper?

• AClimax Communities
• BPrimary Succession
• CSecondary Succession
• DStable Communities

It may be stated that the process of thinking like an economist involves three basic issues. Which of the following is the odd one?

• AEconomists consider opportunity costs.
• BEconomists think in marginal terms.
• CEconomists deal only with items with explicit prices
• DEconomists explore the relationships between two variables, which hold other variables fixed.

Anna ran 100 meters in 20 seconds. What was her average speed?

• A20 m/s
• B2 m/s
• C5 m/s
• D25 m/s

Which process is the best example of a sudden change to Earth's surface?

• Amountains building up
• Bdeltas forming at the mouth of rivers
• Clandslides moving loose rocks downhill
• Dsediments depositing on the seafloor

What supplies most of the energy that plants need to make food?

• Arain
• Bminerals
• Csunlight
• Dwind

Which is an effect that cities have on the weather?

• ALarge numbers of houses cause the wind to be stronger.
• BSmall numbers of plants cause rain to fall more often.
• CSmall areas of open water cause fog to be more common.
• DLarge areas of pavement cause the temperature to be hotter.

What is the long term memory of the computer?

• ANetworking Cards
• BMotherboards
• CHard Drive
• DRAM