Science Trivia Questions — page 176

Which tool is most responsible for preventing future pandemics of smallpox?

• Abetter worldwide urban sanitation
• Bworldwide vaccination for smallpox
• Cimproved global quarantine facilities
• Dglobal education about smallpox

At what time in a womans life is she most likely to gain the most weight?

• ABefore her menstruation
• BAfter the age of 60
• CDuring pregnancy
• DDuring menopause

Years ago, most family members lived near one another. Today, family members often live all over the country. People are able to live far from their loved ones because of the technologies of

• Arefrigeration and heating systems.
• Bmedicine and computers.
• Cmanufacturing and home entertainment.
• Dcommunication and transportation.

How long is a day on the planet Mars?

• A48 Earth hours
• B24.6 Earth hours
• C26 Earth hours
• D12.6 Earth hours

What can a flower become?

• Aa branch
• Ba fruit
• Ca leaf
• Da stem

Squirrels in cold climates gather and store food for winter. The squirrels sometimes bury nuts and then do not return for them. These nuts can grow to become trees. This chain of events is an example of

• Aseed fossilization
• Bpredation
• Cseed distribution
• Dcompetition

In November of 2002 Sprint PCS announced the launch of the first US camera phone. Who was the manufacturer?

• ASiemens
• BLG
• CSanyo
• DNokia

A scientist is comparing two body cells of a multicellular organism. Which of the following is most likely identical?

• Ashape of cell walls
• Bnumber of mitochondria
• Cnumber of chromosomes
• Dshape of cell membranes

In the city of Athens, Georgia, USA , there is a White Oak tree with more rights than any other tree. What is so special about this tree?

• AIt has the right to vote.
• BIt owns a human being.
• CIt owns itself.
• DTouching it is against the law.

Amanda is learning about different adaptations of animals. Which is an example of a behavioral adaptation?

• Amigration of songbirds
• Bsharp eyesight of an eagle
• Cwebbed feet on a duck
• Dcamouflaged colors on a frog

The Statue of Liberty was built in France and then taken apart into 350 pieces for shipping. When the pieces arrived in New York, the statue was put together. Which statement describes the relationship between the mass of the 350 pieces and the mass of the whole statue?

• AThe mass of the statue is greater than the mass of the pieces.
• BThe mass of the pieces is the same as the mass of the statue.
• CThe mass of the pieces is greater than the mass of the statue.
• DThe mass of the statue is not related to the mass of the pieces.

A Raleigh man turned on his kitchen faucet and filled a glass with water. When he looked at the water, he thought that it might not be safe to drink, so he called the water company to find out. What factor did the man use to evaluate the safety of the water?

• Aphosphate concentration
• Bturbidity
• CpH
• Dnitrate concentration

What are two of Earth's natural resources?

• Aforests and nuclear power plants
• Bbatteries and waterfalls
• Cnuclear power plants and batteries
• Dforests and waterfalls

The main source of food for a coyote population in one area is mice. Which is most likely to happen to these coyotes if a new predator begins eating the mice?

• AThe coyotes will produce more young.
• BThere will be fewer coyotes.
• CMore coyotes will arrive from other locations.
• DEach coyote will spend less time hunting food.

A squirrel gathering nuts helps trees

• Areproduce.
• Bresist disease.
• Cgrow.
• Dbecome stronger.

Which part of Earth's structure is composed of a solid mixture of nickel and iron?

• Athe outer core
• Bthe lithosphere
• Cthe inner core
• Dthe asthenosphere

When heated, mercuric oxide decomposes to form liquid mercury and oxygen. A scientist heated 10 grams (g) of mercuric oxide and formed 9.3 grams of liquid mercury. How many grams of oxygen were formed?

• A9.3 g
• B19.3 g
• C0.7 g
• D10.0 g

Which of these is evidence for the theory of plate tectonics?

• Athe melting of the polar ice caps
• Bthe shifting of biomes as climates change
• Cthe prevalence of granite on all the continents
• Dthe presence of volcanoes around the Pacific rim

What is isobutylphenylpropanoic acid more commonly known as?

• AMorphine
• BAspirin
• CKetamine
• DIbuprofen

In a lab, a bacterial strain shows resistance to an antibiotic. The presence of the antibiotic allows an existing variant within the genetic code to help the bacteria survive. The resistance of bacteria due to an existing genetic variant can be best described as which process?

• Aasexual reproduction
• Bnatural selection
• Cselective breeding
• Dbehavioral adaptation

Which fact about water is an example of a chemical property?

• AThe density of water is greater than the density of ice.
• BWater expands when it freezes.
• CThe boiling point of water is 100ºC.
• DWater can separate into hydrogen and oxygen.

A certain atom has 20 electrons, 21 neutrons, and 20 protons. What is the atomic mass of the atom?

• A41
• B21
• C61
• D20

Students are designing kites to discover what type of kite flies the highest. Which is the most important to consider when designing a kite to fly high?

• Asurface area
• Bmaterials used
• Ctime of day
• Dstring length

Excess nitrogen fertilizers sometimes drain into waterways that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. This nitrogen may cause algae blooms, which reduce dissolved oxygen in the water. How does nitrogen negatively affect the Chesapeake Bay?

• Asediment on the bottom of the bay decreases
• Bthe rate of water runoff into the bay increases
• Cfish populations decrease
• Dfish births increase

The fingerprints of the baby begin forming in this week of pregnancy. The baby also starts grasping and sucking its thumb at this time.

• A18th
• B21st
• C10th
• D35th

Which statement is true about the particles of a liquid compared to the particles of a gas?

• AParticles of a liquid are faster and closer together.
• BParticles of a liquid are a slower and further apart.
• CParticles of a liquid are faster and farther apart.
• DParticles of a liquid are slower and closer together.

Light sometimes behaves as waves and other times as particles. Which property of light is equally explainable by treating light as either particles or waves?

• Ainterference of light
• Bdiffraction of light
• Cpolarization of light
• Dreflection of light

When and where would the number of daylight hours each day be greatest?

• Aduring the winter near the North Pole
• Bduring the summer near the North Pole
• Cduring the winter near the equator
• Dduring the summer near the equator

Which factor will most likely cause a person to develop a fever?

• Acarbohydrates being digested in the stomach
• Ba leg muscle relaxing after exercise
• Ca bacterial population in the bloodstream
• Dseveral viral particles on the skin

Which constellation contains the center of the Milky Way?

• AScorpius
• BOphiuchus
• CCapricornus
• DSagittarius

Roberto is sliding down a plastic slide on the playground. After he reaches the ground, he feels a small electric shock when he touches a piece of metal. What has been built up on his body that causes the shock?

• Aneutrons
• Belectrons
• Cprotons
• Datoms

Which resource has the most potential for production of renewable electric energy?

• Ageothermal
• Bcoal
• Coil
• Dnatural gas

When cold air is at the tops of mountains, the air

• Awill flow toward areas of lower pressure in valleys.
• Bis considered to be free of oxygen atoms.
• Cwill flow toward areas of higher pressure in valleys.
• Dis considered to be less dense than warmer air.

There are different kinds of muscles in the human body. Each muscle is formed from a group of cells that works together. The main function of a group of muscle cells is to

• Arelease energy.
• Bmake oxygen.
• Ccause movement.
• Ddigest nutrients.

At what depth should you make a decompression stop, or safety stop, on a typical scuba dive?

• A75 Feet / 23 Meters
• B25 Feet / 7.5 Meters
• C15 Feet / 5 Meters
• D50 Feet / 15 Meters

Which action explains how a somatic cell mutation can harm an organism?

• Abeing passed on to offspring
• Bcreating a dominant allele
• Cleading to tumors in tissue
• Daffecting gamete formation

Two identical lamps contain the same amount of different types of oil. They are allowed to burn until all the oil has been burned. Which measurement will best provide the total difference in chemical energy between the two oils?

• Atime it took for lamps to use oil
• Bfinal weight of lamp
• Coriginal volume of oil
• Dheight of flame produced by lamp

Which of the following groups of materials would most likely be used to build an electromagnet?

• Ainsulated wire, iron rod, battery
• Bbare wire, plastic rod, battery
• Cbare wire, iron rod, light bulb
• Dinsulated wire, plastic rod, light bulb

Which is the best way a science student can help to maintain laboratory equipment?

• Athrow away glass items after investigations are complete
• Bclean up all materials and workspaces after investigations
• Ceat in the laboratory only after investigations are complete
• Dperform investigations using only new materials

Rhinoplasty is a surgical procedure on what part of the human body?

• ANose
• BEars
• CChin
• DNeck

An engineer is analyzing which areas in a city might become flooded if there are heavy rains. Which of the following maps is best to use for this analysis?

• Aa map showing the elevations of ground surfaces
• Ba map showing the locations of streets
• Ca map showing the routes of city buses
• Da map showing the locations of houses

Two parent butterflies with normal wings have offspring with altered wing shapes. What most likely caused this change?

• Aa genetic mutation
• Ban adaptation
• Cnatural selection
• Dspeciation

A student mixes a teaspoon of sugar in a large glass of water. What happens to the sugar when it is mixed with the water?

• AIt boils.
• BIt melts.
• CIt evaporates.
• DIt dissolves.

Which action is an example of an exothermic process?

• Abaking bread
• Bevaporation of water
• Cmaking ice cubes
• Dcooking an egg

The BEST way to tell the DIFFERENCE between an oak and a maple tree is to compare the

• Anumber of leaves on the trees.
• Bshape of the leaves.
• Cheight of both trees.
• Dsize of the root systems of the trees.

A student put a metal pot on the stove to boil some water. The metal transferred heat to the water through

• Aconduction.
• Bradiation.
• Cconvection.
• Dinsulation.

Which of these was used by Alfred Wegener as evidence that Earth's continental landmasses had drifted apart over time?

• Athe thickness of the continents
• Bthe composition of the continents
• Cthe age of the continents
• Dthe shape of the continents

Which serve as evidence for a scientific theory?

• Aguesses
• Bobservations
• Carguments
• Dopinions

Although the Australopithecus were much more intelligent and sophisticated than other animals at that time, they were still closer to monkeys than humans. Later, a new genus developed -- the Homo genus. The first Homo genus specie diverged from the Australopithecus and was called this.

• AHomo neanderthalensis
• BHomo sapiens
• CHomo habilis
• DHomo erectus

Which of these meals would give you most of the nutrients that you need?

• AVegetables, fruits, and water
• BMeat, milk, and a piece of chocolate
• CBread, vegetables, and fish
• DMeat, fish, and bread