Science Trivia Questions — page 75

Of the examples listed, which event is thought by scientists to have led to the greatest extinction?

• Athe construction of the Hoover Dam
• Bthe Mississippi River flooding its banks each summer
• Cwhalers of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries
• Da volcano in Hawaii erupting

Students go on a class field trip to collect insects. Which of these is an important safety rule for the students to follow?

• AStay with a classmate at all times.
• BPick up insects with bare hands.
• CReach under large rocks without looking first.
• DWork away from the group.

Secondary pollutants are produced in the environment by chemical reactions involving primary or emitted chemicals. Which of the following is a secondary pollutant?

• Aozone (O_{3})
• Bcarbon monoxide (CO)
• Cnitrogen oxide (NO)
• Dmethane (CH_{4})

Mr. Jenkins constructed a circuit consisting of a variable source, wires, and a resistor. In order to triple the amount of current, how should he change the voltage of the source?

• Amake the voltage three times larger
• Bmake the voltage one-third as great
• Cmake the voltage one-ninth as great
• Dmake the voltage nine times larger

In which time zone would you find the state of West Virginia?

• ACentral
• BMountain
• CEastern
• DPacific

Panels of solar cells are used to collect energy from the Sun and convert it into energy for use in homes. Into what type of energy is the solar energy converted?

• Ageothermal
• Bchemical
• Chydroelectric
• Delectrical

Some students wanted to make a model to show how the size of the moon compares with the size of Earth. They used an orange to represent the moon. Which of the following would best represent Earth?

• AA lime
• BA cherry
• CA grape
• DA cantaloupe

A factory in Japan had been dumping mercury into Minamata Bay. Certain microorganisms in the water were able to change the mercury into a form that the plankton could use. Which most likely happened next?

• AThe plankton made the mercury safe.
• BThe organisms built up a resistance to the mercury.
• CThe mercury passed through the food chain.
• DThe fish would not eat the plankton.

During which time of day are the highest temperatures most often recorded?

• Asunrise
• Bsunset
• Cafternoon
• Dnight

Which planet has the longest planetary year?

• AEarth
• BJupiter
• CVenus
• DNeptune

Which of these is an output device that produces audible sound?

• APrinter
• BSpeaker
• CMonitor
• DMicrophone

Which unit of measurement describes an object's length?

• Aliter
• Bkilogram
• Cdegree
• Dmeter

Drosera, an insectivorous plant that grows in South Africa, South America and Australia, attracts the insects to its tips in what way?

• ABy its dew-drop appearance
• BBy its sweet smell
• CBy its smell of rotting meat
• DBy its colours

What is the main difference between fungi and plants when cell structure is considered?

• AFungal cells contain membrane-bound nuclei
• BFungi lack mitochodria
• CFungi do not have cellulose in their cell walls
• DFungi lack ribosomes

During what period does your sleep become almost impossible and interrupted.

• AThe first month of the pregnancy
• BThe second trimester
• CThe first trimester
• DThe third trimester

From smallest to largest, the levels of organization in living things are

• Acells, tissues, organs, organ systems.
• Btissues, cells, organ systems, organs.
• Ctissues, cells, organs, organ systems.
• Dcells, tissues, organ systems, organs.

Chris stirs a cup of hot chocolate. He uses a wooden stick thinking it will stay cooler than a metal spoon. Which activity best describes the student's action?

• Acomparing data
• Bforming a conclusion
• Casking a question
• Dmaking a prediction

A scientist observes changes in a bee population every day for thirty days. The scientist arranges the data in a pictogram. Which form of data display is most similar to the organization of a pictogram?

• Abar graph
• Bline graph
• Cpie chart
• Ddata table

The length of a year is equivalent to the time it takes for one

• Arevolution of Earth around the Sun
• Brotation of Earth
• Crotation of the Sun
• Drevolution of the Sun around Earth

A person riding in a moving Ferris wheel is constantly changing

• Aspeed.
• Bnet force.
• Cmass.
• Drate of rotation.

A star with twice the mass as the Sun would

• Aprovide more solar flares.
• Bstart its life cycle with a fission process.
• Cresult in a nebula.
• Duse its fuel source much more quickly.

This organ expands up to 500 times its normal size during the pregnancy.

• AThe bladder
• BThe uterus
• CThe stomach
• DThe ovaries

Four identical candles are set on a safe surface and lit. One is covered with a small-sized jar, one is covered with a large-sized jar, and one candle is left in the open. A fourth lit candle is placed in a vacuum. Which candle will most likely stay lit the longest?

• Athe candle covered with the large-sized jar
• Bthe candle placed in the vacuum
• Cthe candle left out in the open
• Dthe candle covered with the small-sized jar

Rachel purchased a kit for making a skateboard ramp. Which of the following is most important to have for putting the ramp together?

• Aa set of instructions for the kit materials
• Ba diagram showing some ways to use the ramp
• Ca list of prices for other available kits
• Da picture showing the colors of different ramp parts

Which layer of Earth is the source of lava that erupts from volcanoes?

• Aasthenosphere
• Bouter core
• Clithosphere
• Dinner core

How do sprouting plants exhibit positive gravitropism?

• AThe roots turn downward.
• BThe stems curl around supports.
• CThe roots move horizontally.
• DThe leaves face toward the Sun.

People sitting around a campfire are able to feel the heat from the fire. How are the people able to feel the heat from the fire without touching the fire?

• AThe heat from the fire travels through the ground and heats the ground around the people.
• BThe heat from the fire radiates from the fire to the people.
• CThe heat from the fire is conducted through air molecules to the people.
• DThe heat from the fire rises in the air and then settles around the people.

During which activity will light most likely be refracted?

• Aviewing objects using the side mirror of a car
• Busing a flashlight to light up a forest path at night
• Clooking at pebbles through the water in a stream
• Dplacing a scarf over the shade of a lamp

An organism's cells include organelles and a cell wall. In which taxonomic group or groups might the organism be classified?

• Abacteria, fungi, or protists
• Bplants, fungi, or protists
• Cplants only
• Dbacteria or archaea

In the atomic model that includes a nucleus, the positive charge is

• Alocated at multiple sites in the model.
• Bconcentrated in the center of the model.
• Cspread evenly throughout the model.
• Dpositioned outside the center of the model.

Sheila ran around a track four times. She felt the need to breathe harder and faster. What were her muscles requiring?

• Amore carbon dioxide
• Bmore water
• Cmore oxygen
• Dmore nitrogen

Which of these is a safe practice in a laboratory investigation when working with chemicals?

• Awearing safety goggles when working with chemicals
• Bpouring unused chemicals down the sink
• Cmixing leftover chemicals in one container
• Dreturning unused chemicals to the original container

A satellite image can help scientists locate the area where two plates have diverged by showing the existence of

• Arift valleys.
• Bplateaus.
• Cgrassy plains.
• Dmountains.

The salt in ocean water comes from all of the following except

• Aeroding land.
• Bmelting glacial ice.
• Cvolcanic emissions.
• Dreactions on the sea floor.

Water moves by capillary action through soil from moist areas to dry areas. Which property of water is most responsible for this capillary action?

• AWater contains an oxygen atom.
• BWater is a polar molecule.
• CWater has a high specific heat.
• DWater has a high surface tension.

Which BEST explains why green marine algae are most often restricted to the top 100 meters of the ocean?

• AThey can live only where there is light.
• BThe pressure is too great for them to survive below 100 meters.
• CIf the algae lived below 100 meters they would be eaten by animals.
• DThey have no roots to anchor them to the ocean floor.

It's your birthday, and you're in Tokyo. Later that calendar day, you board a flight for Los Angeles. Will you be able to celebrate your birthday twice?

• AYes
• BNo

It is interesting to note that contrary to popular belief, by scientific definiton, there were no dinosaurs of this type.

• Amarine dinosaurs
• Bneither flying nor marine dinosaurs
• Cflying dinosaurs
• Dcold-blooded dinosaurs

When gasoline in a car engine is burned, only about 15 percent of the gasoline is converted into mechanical energy. This is because most of the energy in the gasoline is

• Astored for use at a later time.
• Bchanged into chemical energy.
• Ctransformed into heat.
• Dused to make the vehicle move.

Which form of energy do plants need to capture in order to perform photosynthesis?

• Achemical
• Bsolar
• Celectrical
• Dheat

Pluto was discovered in 1930 and was named the ninth planet. In 2003, an object larger than Pluto was discovered by astronomer Michael Brown. Pluto has been reclassified as a "dwarf" planet. What does this most likely suggest about scientific investigations?

• APluto should not have been classified as a planet.
• BEarlier scientists did not use appropriate tools.
• CClassifications change as new evidence is gathered.
• DReview of planetary characteristics should occur every year.

Which is the most appropriate SI unit to use for expressing the mass of an automobile?

• Akilogram
• Bkilometer
• Cmilligram
• Dmillimeter

All telephones in the USA were shut down on August 2, 1922. Why?

• AIt was the day when Alexander Graham Bell died.
• BThe electrical workers in New York, Chicago, and Washington went on strike.
• CIt was the day for the Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio telecast.
• DThe International Brotherhod of Communications Workers went on strike.

Warm water contains less dissolved oxygen than colder water. Which population will be most affected by a long period of hot, dry days?

• Afish in ponds
• Bplants in streams
• Cfish in oceans
• Dplants in lakes

A female opossum can give birth to 5-15 offspring. What increases with a larger litter?

• Athe likelihood that some will survive and reproduce
• Bthe amount of maternal care per offspring
• Cthe rate at which they mature
• Dthe number of reliable food sources

An atom with a +1 charge has

• Alost a proton.
• Bgained an electron.
• Cgained a proton.
• Dlost an electron.

A group of cells performing the same function in the body is called

• Aa system.
• Ban organism.
• Can organelle.
• Da tissue.

Which girls name is also a the name of a computer programming language?

• AAmelia
• BAgnes
• CAnna
• DAda

This formation is a conical hill or mountain. It is formed by mantle material being pressed through an opening in the Earths crust.

• AA hill
• BAn earthquake
• CA geyser
• DA volcano

In which example could a thermometer be used to show that heat energy is being transferred?

• AA piano is played by striking the keys.
• BA stove is used to boil water in a pan.
• CA shovel is used to move dirt from one place to another.
• DA ball is thrown into the air.