Science Trivia Questions — page 183

Materials combine chemically or physically. Which materials form a new substance when chemically combined?

• Asalt and pepper
• Bbaking soda and vinegar
• Ciron nails and pennies
• Dwater and sugar

Deer live in forest for shelter. If the forest was cut down, which situation would most likely happen?

• AThe deer would wait for the forest to grow back.
• BThe deer would find shelter in a different habitat.
• CThe deer would change the type of foods they eat.
• DThe deer would move to another forest area.

A student leaves a rock in the Sun on a bright afternoon. An hour after sunset, the weather is cool, but the rock still feels warm. The student has demonstrated a property of the rock resulting directly from which of the rock's other properties?

• Aits magnetism
• Bits specific heat
• Cits reactivity
• Dits chemical energy

Which of the following can cause erosion?

• Aflowing water
• Bgrowing grass
• Crising temperatures
• Dfalling leaves

All planets of the solar system rotate, but not all planets have the same rotational velocity. Which characteristic of a planet is determined by the rotational velocity of the planet?

• Athe length of the day
• Bthe size of the planet
• Cthe shape of the orbit
• Dthe strength of the gravity

What keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun?

• Afriction
• Bair resistance
• Cmagnetism
• Dgravity

What is the role of the kidneys in the excretory system?

• Ato oxygenate blood
• Bto digest food
• Cto remove toxins
• Dto produce bile

Which of these scientific advances occurred first?

• Athe breeding of plants
• Bthe building of submarines
• Cthe generation of electricity
• Dthe invention of the telescope

Aluminum and copper are composed of different types of matter. Which statement best describes matter?

• AMatter has mass.
• BMatter has mass and volume.
• CMatter must change into different forms.
• DMatter must be contained in a certain volume.

A group of engineers wanted to know how different building designs would respond during an earthquake. They made several models of buildings and tested each for its ability to withstand earthquake conditions. Which will most likely result from testing different building designs?

• Abuildings will be built faster
• Bbuildings will be made safer
• Cbuilding materials will be cheaper
• Dbuilding designs will look nicer

This 1903 Nobel Prize laureate discovered radioactivity in 1896.

• ANiels Bohr
• BElihu Thomson
• CWilhelm Conrad Rontgen
• DHenri Becquerel

Which of the following materials would best slow the transfer of heat?

• Acopper
• Bglass
• Cwood
• Daluminum

Which tool is used to measure the diameter of a dime?

• Aruler
• Bbeaker
• Ccompass
• Dbalance

The Lunar seas are actually plains of gabbro and this rock. The same rock is also a main component of the surface of Mars.

• AAndesite
• BObsidian
• CGranulite
• DBasalt

What is the major process of surface rock formation on volcanoes?

• ARock solidifies slowly deep underground.
• BRock is recrystallized by extreme pressure.
• CRock cools quickly from melted rock.
• DRock is formed from deposited sediment.

Which stage of a frog's life cycle can be compared to a plant seed growing into a new plant?

• Awhen frogs use lungs for breathing out of water
• Bwhen tadpoles live in water and breathe with gills
• Cwhen frog eggs hatch into tadpoles
• Dwhen frog eggs are laid in water

In eukaryotic organisms, microtubules give cells structure, and microfilaments help the cell contract and move. Together, they combine to perform functions similar to what two human body systems?

• Athe skeletal and muscular systems
• Bthe endocrine and skeletal systems
• Cthe circulatory and respiratory systems
• Dthe integumentary and excretory system

All plants and animals have mechanisms that

• Aregulate nerves
• Bproduce flowers
• Cperform photosynthesis
• Dtransport nutrients

What allows two students standing ten feet apart to hear each other talk?

• Asubatomic particles
• Bair vibrations
• Csolar radiation
• Delectric current

A star is a celestial object that produces its own heat and light. Which of these celestial objects is the closest star to Earth?

• Athe moon
• BVenus
• CMars
• Dthe sun

What unit do scientists use to measure the distance between stars?

• Aangstrom unit
• Blight-year
• Capparent magnitude
• Dastronomical unit

Which term describes an organism's ability to maintain a stable internal environment?

• Areproduction
• Blocomotion
• Cextinction
• Dregulation

Which of these will always produce a magnetic field?

• Aan electric charge
• Ban electric current
• Ca bar of steel
• Da bar of aluminum

Which feature of Great Basin National Park provides the best evidence that glaciers have moved over the landscape?

• Afields of sagebrush
• Bshallow salt lakes
• Cmud flats
• Dpiles of rocky debris

A scientist uses angstrom units to measure the distance between two points. The scientist is most likely measuring the distance between two

• Astars.
• Bcities.
• Catoms.
• Dcontinents.

In which type of rock are fossils generally found?

• Aigneous
• Bvolcanic
• Csedimentary
• Dmetamorphic

Why does a town in the desert rarely experience early morning fog as compared to a town along the coast?

• AThere is less rainfall in the desert.
• BThere are fewer plants in the desert.
• CTemperatures vary more in the desert.
• DThere is less water vapor in the desert air.

Which is a process that occurs during photosynthesis?

• APlants take in minerals and release carbon dioxide.
• BPlants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
• CPlants take in oxygen and release sugar.
• DPlants take in sugar and release minerals.

When you are riding a bicycle at night, your bicycle's reflectors help people in cars see your bicycle. How do bicycle reflectors work?

• AThey bounce light back from other sources.
• BThey are hooked up to batteries that allow them to produce light.
• CThey are made of a special material that gives off its own light.
• DThey are covered with paint that glows in the dark.

In plants, the xylem and phloem move water and nutrients through the plant for use and storage. In humans, an organ system with a similar function is the

• Acardiovascular system.
• Brespiratory system.
• Cintegumentary system.
• Dnervous system.

Which of the following is the farthest from Earth?

• AHalley's comet
• Bthe Andromeda galaxy
• Cthe Sun
• DNeptune

A plant has yellow flowers. What best explains why the flowers are yellow?

• AIt rained every day.
• BThe sunshine colored the flowers yellow.
• CThe flowers of the parent plants were yellow.
• DIt was very warm when they flowered.

Lemon juice turns litmus paper red, is corrosive and tastes sour. Lemon juice is classified as

• Aan element.
• Ban acid.
• CMore information is needed to classify lemon juice.
• Da base.

Which alternative energy resource is used most like coal?

• Ageothermal energy
• Bhydropower
• Cnuclear energy
• Dbiofuel energy

Some wasp species lay their eggs inside living caterpillars. As the eggs mature, they use the caterpillar as a food resource. Eventually, the wasp larvae hatch out of the caterpillar. This type of relationship is best described as

• Aparasitic.
• Bmutualistic.
• Ccommensalistic.
• Dpredator-prey.

Sherry is going to use her computer to draw a three-dimensional box. She wants to be able to specify the exact dimensions and angles and to rotate the box as needed on the screen. Which of the following types of programs would Sherry most likely use for this purpose?

• Amath spreadsheet program
• Bcomputer-aided design program
• Cword processing software
• DInternet-based search engine

In 1989, the unusually low snowpack in portions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains led to a widespread emergence of Edith's checkerspot butterflies in April. In these regions, flowers do not appear until May. What was the most likely result of the early emergence of these butterflies?

• AMost butterflies switched to other food sources.
• BMost butterflies adapted to the new environment.
• CMost butterflies did not survive.
• DMost butterflies reproduced earlier.

While studying the relationship between number of trees and amount of atmospheric oxygen, which of the following would be most important to take into account?

• Athe ways in which industrialized nations use trees
• Bthe bark mass of trees
• Ccontributions to atmospheric oxygen from sources other than trees
• Dthe root area of trees

Sam builds a ramp and lets a toy car roll down. Which describes the energy of the car as it rolls down the ramp?

• AThe kinetic energy and the potential energy both increase.
• BThe kinetic energy and the potential energy both decrease.
• CThe kinetic energy decreases and the potential energy increases.
• DThe kinetic energy increases and the potential energy decreases.

A student conducts an investigation testing a material's effectiveness as a heat insulator. Which tool will help the student conduct this investigation safely?

• Aa ventilator hood
• Ba face mask
• Cinsulated gloves
• Dplastic gloves

Which of these describes water in a solid state?

• AVapor rising in the sky
• BRain falling from the clouds
• CWaves crashing on the seashore
• DHail during a storm

Who is the author of the 1988 book 'The Alchemist'?

• AJ. K. Rowling
• BPaulo Coehlo
• CTerry Pratchett
• DUmberto Eco

As a result of human activity, many lakes in Florida have increased levels of nutrients that support algal growth. These algae grow very rapidly, then die and decompose. What impact does this overgrowth of algae most likely have on the lake ecosystem?

• AThe number of fish species increases.
• BThe amount of dissolved oxygen decreases.
• CThe volume of lake water increases.
• DThe buildup of bottom sediments decreases.

What spice possesses antidepressant properties?

• ASaffron
• BChilli
• CNutmeg
• DBlack pepper

A student places a chemical in an insulated container and measures the temperature. A second chemical is added and the container is sealed and the temperature is monitored. What is the student trying to determine?

• AHow can this reaction be reversed?
• BHow much precipitate is formed?
• CWhat color changes can be observed?
• DIs heat absorbed or released?

Long shore currents are ocean waves that strike beaches at extremely small angles. In areas where long shore currents exist, what effect do they have on land areas?

• AThey move sand, creating sandbars.
• BThey build mountains.
• CThey create inland saltwater rivers.
• DThey cause earthquakes.

If enough heat is taken away from a container of water, what will happen to the water?

• AIt will increase in weight.
• BIt will begin to boil.
• CIt will become a solid.
• DIt will turn into a gas.

Some of the new cars being made can run on a renewable fuel that is made mostly from corn. Scientists are developing even more renewable fuels to replace gasoline. Why are renewable fuels most likely becoming more important?

• ANonrenewable fuel supplies are limited.
• BCar fuel tanks are being made smaller.
• CThe demand for gasoline is decreasing.
• DRenewable fuels release less energy.

What relationship exists between a dog and its fleas?

• Agradualism
• Bcommensalism
• Cmutualism
• Dparasitism

A student drops a white tablet into a glass of water, producing carbon dioxide gas. This is a demonstration of

• Aa chemical reaction.
• Bthe creation of matter.
• Cthe movement of electricity.
• Da change of state.