Science Trivia Questions — page 172

Genetically modified plants with new characteristics have been produced through genetic engineering methods. What impacts have resulted from the use of genetically modified plants?

• Aincreases in resistance to herbicides, insects, and viral diseases
• Bdecreases in farm production
• Cincreases in time required to plant, grow, and harvest crops
• Ddecreases in corn, soybean, cottonseed, and canola oils

What are the two largest veins in the body?

• AAtria
• BVena cavae
• CCoronary veins
• DPulmonary veins

Which description is an example of camouflage?

• Aplant leaves closing up when touched
• Bgreen insects sitting on green leaves
• Cbutterflies migrating south for the winter
• Dearthworms moving through soil

Which is the best evidence for the theory of continental drift?

• Athe appearance of volcanoes at the boundaries where plates collide
• Bcases where a species exists in only one isolated place
• Cearthquakes at boundaries where one plate slides past another
• Dfossils of the same species found on widely separated continents

Pumice is formed when lava from a volcano cools. Which rock type is pumice?

• AIgneous rock
• BSedimentary rock
• CMetamorphic rock
• DGaseous rock

Evidence of organisms that lived on Earth a long time ago would most likely be found in

• Asedimentary rock.
• Bmetamorphic rock.
• Ccrystals.
• Dlava.

This is the year in which the worlds first nuclear power plant generating electricity for commercial use was officially connected to the Soviet power grid.

• A1954
• B1953
• C1955
• D1956

What biological term refers to the organs, whose function is considered to have been lost or reduced during evolution?

• AUndeveloped organs
• BObsolete organs
• CVestigial organs
• DStunted organs

What does RAM stand for?

• ARandom Access Memory
• BReadAble Memory
• CRaise All Memory
• DErase All Memory

Members of a planning team build a model of a nearby stream and then block the stream to show how it can form a lake. Which is a limitation of the model?

• Aexplaining how the lake will be used for recreation
• Bshowing how a nearby town will avoid flooding
• Cshowing how the dam will affect the plants and animals in the area
• Dexplaining how some of the water can be used for agriculture

High-altitude cirrus clouds are primarily formed from which substance?

• Acarbon dioxide gas
• Bnitrogen compounds
• Cozone molecules
• Dsolid ice crystals

Which substance, when mixed with water, will produce the best conductor of electricity?

• Agranulated sugar
• Btable salt
• Ccarbon dioxide
• Dmotor oil

Sonar helps people find which information about an object?

• ATemperature
• BLocation
• CWeight
• DColor

The boiling point of water in degrees Celsius is

• A0°C.
• B212°C.
• C100°C.
• D32°C.

What is the standard SI unit for distance?

• AMetre
• BFoot
• CFathom
• DAngstrom

Which is the most abundant element in the universe?

• AHydrogen
• BHelium
• CLithium
• DOxygen

Which of these do all cells release?

• Aenergy
• Boxygen
• Cwater
• Dsugar

A puddle of water on a concrete driveway will disappear after a few hours during a sunny day. Where does the water go as it disappears?

• AIt soaks into the concrete.
• BAnimals drink it.
• CIt becomes a different substance.
• DIt goes into the air.

Dumping toxic chemicals into a pond would most likely result in

• Athe toxic chemicals having no effect on the pond.
• Bfish in the pond being harmed or dying off.
• Can increase in oxygen levels in the pond.
• Dplants near the pond growing more quickly.

Moons shape is not quite round. What does it resemble?

• AEgg
• BKiwi
• CPear
• DLemon

Hexagon ABCDEF has six equal sides and six equal angles. How many degrees is each angle?

• A180 degrees
• B144 degrees
• C90 degrees
• D120 degrees

What is the name given to the current model of a cell membrane?

• ADavson-Danielli model
• BBilayer Phospholipid model
• CFluid Mosaic model
• DProtein-Lipid model

Which is the best description of the brightness of the Sun?

• AIt is brighter than other stars.
• BIt is less bright than planets.
• CIt is of average brightness compared to other stars.
• DIt is of average brightness compared to planets.

A rock sample will most likely contain

• Aminerals.
• Bwater.
• Cplants.
• Dwood.

In the initial stages of manned space exploration, scientists needed to address adequate nutrition to provide astronauts with energy throughout the mission. Which of these criteria could not be used when considering food and energy for astronauts during manned space flights?

• Ahistory of space food
• Bfood storage for long periods
• Crehydration of certain foods
• Dfood crumbs in zero gravity

Jake and Molly each have a few different objects. They want to see which objects can float. How can they best compare the results of their investigations with each other?

• ATest the objects in groups from smallest to largest.
• BMeasure the length and mass of each object.
• CRecord in a table how each object behaves.
• DDrop each object in different liquids.

The skin, lungs, and kidneys work together to

• Ahelp eliminate body wastes.
• Baid in respiration.
• Chelp blood circulate.
• Daid in digestion.

A magnet and a metal paper clip have the strongest magnetic attraction when the distance between them is

• A8 centimeters
• B16 centimeters
• C4 centimeters
• D12 centimeters

Sally noticed that there was a decline in the number of eggs her hens were laying. She decided to investigate if the decline might be caused by the amount of food she was feeding the hens. Which would be the dependent (responding) variable in Sally's investigation?

• Aage of hens
• Bnumber of eggs laid
• Csize of the cage
• Damount of food

Drake has started a garden. What can Drake do to enrich the soil so that his plants will grow better?

• Aremove earthworms
• Badd more water to the soil
• Cincrease the amount of pesticide he uses
• Dmix decomposed plant matter into the soil

Infectious diseases are caused by

• Aallergies
• Bchemical spills
• Cvitamin deficiencies
• Dmicroorganisms

In areas where a lot of earthquakes occur, architects are designing buildings with the ability to move with the land. How are the new building designs most likely to help people?

• AThe new designs are more attractive.
• BThe new designs are much taller.
• CThe new designs can help save lives.
• DThe new designs cost less to make.

Why is water considered to be a renewable resource?

• AWater can be used over again.
• BWater can be found all over Earth.
• CWater can dissolve other substances.
• DWater is needed by organisms to stay alive.

Several interchangeable parts are used in the manufacture of automobiles. Some examples of these parts are batteries, windshield wiper blades, spark plugs, and tires. Which of the following is an advantage of interchangeable parts over non-interchangeable parts on automobiles?

• AInterchangeable parts break more often now than in years past on most automobiles.
• BInterchangeable parts can fit many kinds of automobiles.
• CInterchangeable parts are plentiful for custom-made automobiles.
• DInterchangeable parts are generally more expensive than custom-made parts for automobiles.

This health care discipline uses mostly the technique of spinal adjustment.

• AChiropractic
• BRolfing
• CAlexander Technique
• DAcupuncture

The changing appearances of the nighttime sky over the surface of Earth and eclipses of the Moon have provided evidence that

• AEarth is covered mostly with water.
• BEarth supports life.
• CEarth has a layered atmosphere.
• DEarth is a sphere.

Scientists found fish fossils in the desert. What do the fossils tell about this environment when the fish were alive?

• AThere were mountains with glaciers.
• BThere was a forest with large trees.
• CThere was a desert with large rocks.
• DThere were lakes with water plants.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It rotates on its axis once about every 10 hours. What time period on Earth would be 10 hours long if Earth rotated on its axis once every 10 hours?

• Aa month
• Ba week
• Ca year
• Da day

Cats are most closely related to which of the following animals?

• Acrocodiles
• Bwhales
• Cpenguins
• Dfrogs

When did the first grasses evolve?

• A35 million years ago
• B55 million years ago
• C200 million years ago
• D65 million years ago

Although they belong to the same family, an eagle and a pelican are different. What is one difference between them?

• Atheir preference for eating fish
• Btheir method of reproduction
• Ctheir method of catching food
• Dtheir ability to fly

Which occurs as a result of the rotation of Earth about its own axis?

• Aseasons of the year
• Bsunrises and sunsets
• Cglobal climate changes
• Dthe water cycle

A marine iguana is an animal that lives on the shoreline of warm islands. Its tail is long and thick. Which of these is improved by the shape of its tail?

• Afinding food inland
• Babsorbing nutrients
• Cswimming in the ocean
• Dblending in with rocks

An engineer constructs a prototype from wood. Which of the following is the best tool for the engineer to use to make the prototype's surface smooth?

• Achisel
• Bband saw
• Cdrill
• Dsandpaper

A full Moon is observed in Buffalo, New York, on June 1. Approximately when will the next full Moon be observed in Buffalo?

• AJune 15
• BJune 7
• CJuly 1
• DJuly 7

Which is a learned behavior?

• AA worm moves to the top of flooded ground.
• BA chimpanzee digs for termites with a stick.
• CA dog uses its tongue to drink.
• DA robin holds a branch with its feet.

Which of these items contains only a solution?

• Aa bottle of juice
• Ba can of mixed fruit
• Ca jar of pickles
• Da bag of peanuts

A student slides an object down a ramp. The student states that friction is causing the object to slide slowly. Another possible explanation for the slow movement is that the

• Aincline of the ramp is small.
• Bobject is round and polished.
• Csurface of the ramp is smooth.
• Dpull of gravity on the object is weak.

In 1922 N. L. Bowen developed the concept of magmatic evolution which is also known as Bowen's Reaction Series. Applying the Bowen's Series principles, what mineral forms and crystallizes first in the region of highest temperature and pressure?

• Aamphibole
• Bpyroxene
• Cquartz
• Dolivine

Which trait does a cactus seedling inherit from its parents?

• Athe type of organism that pollinates its flowers
• Bthe amount of water it absorbs
• Cthe number of organisms that consume its fruit
• Dthe length of its spines