practice questions

Question 1

Which of the following is an example of asexual reproduction?

A.The growth of an oak tree from an acorn buried by a squirrel
B. The earthworm’s use of sperm stored in its body to fertilize eggs that are produced by the earthworm
C. The formation of a new Hydra by budding from the parent Hydra
D. The transfer of pollen between flowering plants by foraging worker bees

Answer 1

C. The formation of a new Hydra by budding from the parent Hydra

Question 2

A meteor shower observed from Earth is the result of which of the following?

A. A sudden increase in the number and intensity of solar flares
B. Moon dust ejected by a meteorite colliding with the Moon
C.Earth passing through a debris trail of a comet
D. burst of charged particles carried to Earth by the solar wind

Answer 2

C. Earth passing through a debris trail of a comet

Question 3

A sample contains 8 g of a radioisotope that has a half-life of 10 years. How much time is required for the sample to decay until approximately 1 g of the isotope remains in the sample?

A. 10 years
B. 30 years
C. 80 years
D. 800 years

Answer 3

B. 30 years

Question 4

If a cell has 12 chromosomes, how many chromosomes will each of its daughter cells have after mitosis?
A. 5
B. 6
C. 12
D. 24

Answer 4

C. 12

Question 5

The number of moles of atoms in 48.6 g of Mg is

A. 0.5
B. 2
C. 6.02 × 1023
D. 12.04 × 1023

Answer 5

B. 2

Question 6

The gravity on the Moon is 1/6 as strong as the gravity on Earth. With respect to the weight (W) and mass (M) of two identical bricks that are placed on the surfaces of Earth and the Moon, which of the following is true?

A. MEarth=MMoon
B. MEarth>MMoon
C. WEarth=WMoon
D. WEarth<WMoon

Answer 6

A. MEarth=MMoon

Question 7

Clover →
Grasshopper →
Quail →
Hawk

In the food chain shown above, which of the following is the tertiary consumer?

A. A carnivore
B. A herbivore
C. A producer
D.A parasite

Answer 7

A. carnivore

Question 8

Exploration of Mars’s surface by the Mars Rovers in 2004 has led to the discovery of which of the following?

A. Fossilized microbial organisms
B. Living, single-celled organisms
C. Evidence of liquid water in the past
D. Pockets of ammonia ice, which may have been deposited by comets

Answer 8

C. Evidence of liquid water in the past

Question 9

Which of the following parts of a compound microscope would be used to regulate the amount of light transmitted through the specimen on a slide?

A. Diaphragm
B. Nosepiece
C. Fine adjustment knob
D. Coarse adjustment knob

Answer 9

A. Diaphragm

Question 10

The minerals calcite and aragonite are both composed of calcium carbonate. Which of the following properties best distinguishes them as different minerals?

A. Crystal structure
B. Magnetism
C. Reaction to dilute acid
D. Streak

Answer 10

A. Crystal structure

Question 11

Which of the following will decrease the likelihood of mass wasting occurring on a hillside?

A. Experiencing frequent, heavy rainstorms
B. Planting vegetation on the hillside
C. Increasing the slope of the hillside
D. Building houses near the top of the hillside

Answer 11

B. Planting vegetation on the hillside

Question 12

Which of the following is a balanced chemical equation?

A. Cl2 + NaBr →Br2 + 2 NaCl
B. Cl2 + 2 NaBr → Br2 + NaCl
C. Cl2 + 2 NaBr →Br2 + 2 NaCl
D. 2 Cl2 + NaBr → 2 Br2 + NaCl

Answer 12

C. Cl2 + 2 NaBr →Br2 + 2 NaCl

Question 13

The figure shows a diagram of a circuit with a battery labeled 2 volts, connected in a series to a resistor labeled 2 ohms.
In the circuit shown above, what is the current in the resistor? (Assume that the battery and the connecting wires have negligible resistance.)

1/4 ampere
1 ampere
2 amperes
4 amperes

Question 14

Commercial plant growers typically stimulate plants to bloom at a particular time of year by controlling the

A. amount of water the plants receive each day
B. concentration of fertilizer the plants receive daily
C. type of soil in which the plants are grown
D. lengths of the light and dark periods to which the plants are exposed

Answer 14

D. lengths of the light and dark periods to which the plants are exposed

Question 15

Which of the following elements is often used in integrated circuits (microchips) ?

A. Calcium
B. Sodium
C. Neon
D. Silicon

Answer 15

D. Silicon

Question 16

Which TWO of the following are true about insulin?

A. It is secreted by cells of the pancreas.
B. It plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels.
C. It acts as an enzyme in the initial step of the digestion of fats.
D. It is a steroid hormone.

Answer 16

A. It is secreted by cells of the pancreas.
B. It plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels.

Question 17

When the Sun, the Moon, and Earth are aligned as shown above, which of the following could probably be observed at point X on Earth? (Note: figure is not drawn to scale.)

The Moon passing through Earth’s shadow
A solar eclipse
The Moon in its full phase
The Sun setting below the horizon

Question 18

Earth’s seasons in the temperate regions are caused by

the rotation of the Sun on its axis
the tilt of Earth on its axis as it revolves around the Sun
changes in the distance of Earth from the Sun
the gravitational pull of the Sun on Earth

Question 19

Which of the following is the number of neutrons in ?
23/11Na+

Question 20

A small amount of a substance is placed into a flask containing a solution. Upon contact a reaction occurs, causing an increase in the temperature of the solution. Which statement best describes the reaction that took place?

The reaction is endothermic.
The reaction is exothermic.
The reaction is nonspontaneous.
The reaction mixture absorbs energy from its surroundings.

Question 21

In which of the following structures is ATP produced by cellular respiration?

Nucleus
Ribosome
Mitochondrion
Plasma membrane

Question 22

An emergency vehicle, blowing its fixed-frequency siren, approaches a stationary observer and then passes and moves away. Which of the following is true of the frequency of the sound of the siren heard by the stationary observer as compared with that heard by the driver?

Question 23

Which of the following best describes the mechanism of natural selection?

Organisms with certain heritable characteristics survive and produce the most offspring.
Density-independent events control population size.
Random selection follows a natural disaster.
Changes in organisms are driven by need.

Question 24

Which of the following most accurately describes the direction in which all rivers flow?

From north to south
From higher elevations to lower elevations
From areas of greater air pressure to areas of lower air pressure
From areas with dense vegetation to areas with sparse vegetation

Question 25

Which TWO of the following are appropriate laboratory safety standards?

An emergency shower is located within a travel time of 10 seconds.
Prescription eyeglasses provide sufficient eye protection.
Short pants are proper laboratory attire.
Closed-toe shoes should always be worn

Question 26

Two identical positive electric charges are located as shown in the diagram above. At which of the points shown would a negative charge have no tendency to move due to electrical forces exerted on it by the two positive charges?

Question 27

Lymphocytes have which of the following functions in the human body?

They carry oxygen to other cells.
They form blood clots.
They defend the body from foreign substances.
They are enzymes involved in metabolism.

Question 28

Which of the following is a by-product of the fission process in a nuclear power plant and is of serious environmental concern?

Carbon monoxide
Radioactive waste
Acid rain
Methane gas

Question 29

Which of the following planets in the solar system takes the greatest number of Earth days to revolve around the Sun?

Venus
Mars
Neptune
Saturn

Question 30

Which of the following statements best describes the general direction of movement of weather systems affecting the continental United States?

Most weather systems move according to no particular pattern.
Most weather systems move from south to north.
Most weather systems move from east to west.
Most weather systems move from west to east.

Question 31

A 100.0 g sample of water has an initial temperature of 20.0°C. The water is heated, and after 5.00 minutes its temperature rises to 50.0°C. Approximately how much energy is absorbed by the water? (The specific heat of water is 4.18 J/g°C.)

    20.9 J
  418 J   6,250 J 12,500 J

Question 32

Zn →
Zn2+ + 2 e–

Which of the following processes is represented by the equation shown above?

Oxidation
Reduction
Decomposition
Precipitation

Question 33

In which of the following are the types of electromagnetic radiation listed in order of increasing energy?

Visible < infrared < gamma rays < ultraviolet
Infrared < visible < ultraviolet < gamma rays
Gamma rays < visible < infrared < ultraviolet
Ultraviolet < visible < infrared < gamma rays

Question 34

When the bones of the human arm and the bones of a bat wing are compared, many similarities are observed. These similarities are examples of

vestigial organs
homologous structures
embryonic similarity
convergent evolution

Question 35

The position on Earth’s surface that lies directly above the point inside Earth where an earthquake originates is known as the

epicenter
focus
fault
plate

Question 36

Of the following animal classes, which includes the greatest number of species?

Insecta
Amphibia
Reptilia
Mammalia

Question 37

Based on its position on the periodic table, which of the following elements is most likely to have luster and malleability?

Cs
Se
Si
Xe

Question 38

An open container is filled with a liquid to the level shown in the diagram above. Which of the following statements is true of the pressure at the lettered points shown?

The pressure is least at p.
The pressure at r is greater than the pressure at s.
The pressure at q is the reciprocal of the pressure at r.
The pressure is the same at each of the lettered points.

Question 39

In large areas of the northeastern United States, there has been a reduction in the number and types of aquatic organisms in many lakes. Scientists attribute the reduction to which of the following?

Contamination by nuclear waste
Introduction of nonnative reptiles
Illegal dumping of garbage
Runoff from acid precipitation

Question 40

An investigation to study the factors that affect the rate of reaction is conducted. In an experiment, one calcium carbonate tablet each is added to equal volumes of hydrochloric acid with different concentrations. The mass of carbon dioxide gas produced over time is recorded. Which of the following is the independent variable in the experiment?

The number of calcium carbonate tablets
The volume of hydrochloric acid
The concentration of hydrochloric acid
The mass of carbon dioxide produced over time

Question 41

Since the lungs in many adult amphibians are small or even absent, upon which of the following do they mainly depend for gas exchange?

Alveoli
Tracheae
Skin
Air bladders

Question 42

Which of the following principles states that the processes observed at work on Earth today can be used to explain geologic evidence from the past?

Uniformitarianism
Second law of thermodynamics
Conservation of energy
Convergent evolution

Question 43

Which of the following statements best describes the global wind pattern at the equator?

Strong, steady winds moving toward the North Pole
Strong, steady winds moving toward the South Pole
Strong, steady winds moving from east to west
Calm surface winds