Round #6 Flashcards
1) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer What are the two types of optical phenomena that must
occur for light to form a rainbow through the water droplets in the air?
ANSWER: DISPERSION AND REFLECTION (ACCEPT: DISPERSE AND REFLECT)
1) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Numerous individuals contributed to the development
of the scientific method, and thus modern science. Which of the following scientists placed an
emphasis on mathematics, drew upon the writings of Muslim scientists, and described a
repeating cycle of observations, hypothesis generation, experiments, and independent
verification?
W) Aristotle
X) John Dalton
Y) Roger Bacon
Z) Robert Boyle
ANSWER: Z) ROBERT BOYLE
2) ENERGY Short Answer Using his arms, a boy holds a box weighing 1 kilogram 1 meter
above the ground for 1 minute. How much work, in joules, does the boy do on the box?
ANSWER: 0
2) ENERGY Multiple Choice How many Btus are needed to raise the temperature of 5 pounds
of water from 45° Fahrenheit to 65° Fahrenheit?
W) 20
X) 40
Y) 75
Z) 100
ANSWER: Z) 100
3) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice The “great ocean conveyor belt” refers to what?
W) The series of strong currents that shipping companies follow
X) The path of water as it circulates throughout the world’s ocean
Y) The influx of migrants from Europe and Asia across the sea to the New World
Z) A collection of prominent currents, such as the Gulf Stream and the East Australian Current
ANSWER: X) THE PATH OF WATER AS IT CIRCULATES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD’S
OCEAN
3) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Within our solar system, what are the four Jovian
planets?
ANSWER: JUPITER, SATURN, URANUS, NEPTUNE
4) LIFE SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following animals possesses a lateral line?
W) Fish
X) Salamander
Y) Snake
Z) Turtle
ANSWER: W) FISH
4) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer Following is a list of organisms in a food chain: grass,
grasshoppers, mice, snakes, and hawks. A toxin exhibits biomagnification and can be found in
all members of this food chain. Which organism will have the highest concentration of this toxin?
ANSWER: HAWKS
5) MATH Short Answer What is the probability that a randomly chosen person has his or her
next birthday on a weekend?
ANSWER: 2/7
5) MATH Short Answer If 𝑎+𝑏
𝑏 = 3.5, what is 𝑎
𝑏
?
ANSWER: 2.5 (ACCEPT: 5/2)
6) EARTH AND SPACE Multiple Choice What term describes the height of an object in the sky?
W) Zenith
X) Altitude
Y) Nadir
Z) Meridian
ANSWER: X) ALTITUDE
6) EARTH AND SPACE Multiple Choice What is responsible for producing ozone in the
stratosphere?
W) The interaction of oxygen and ultraviolet light
X) Biogenic emissions
Y) Volcanic emissions
Z) The interaction of methane and ultraviolet light
ANSWER: W) THE INTERACTION OF OXYGEN AND ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT
7) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice What is the difference between magma and lava?
W) Lava cools more slowly than magma
X) Lava interacts with oxygen on the Earth’s surface, while magma remains beneath the surface
Y) Magma erupts from volcanoes and hot spots, while lava flows below or on the surface
Z) Magma is the liquid form of lava, while lava is the hardened rock from magma
ANSWER: X) LAVA INTERACTS WITH OXYGEN ON THE EARTH’S SURFACE, WHILE
MAGMA REMAINS BENEATH THE SURFACE
7) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Put the following three Earth layers in order from the
outermost layer to the innermost layer: 1) asthenosphere [as-THEN-uh-sfeer], 2) inner core, 3)
lithosphere.
ANSWER: 3, 1, 2 (ACCEPT: LITHOSPHERE, ASTHENOSPHERE, INNER CORE)
8) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer Under atmospheric pressure, carbon dioxide in the solid
state transitions directly into the gaseous state. What is this phase change called?
ANSWER: SUBLIMATION
8) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer To a chemist, the term “organic” means that a compound
is based on what element?
ANSWER: CARBON
9) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer Appearing approximately 2.7 billion years ago, the first oxygenproducing organisms most likely belonged to what group of bacteria?
ANSWER: CYANOBACTERIA (ACCEPT: BLUE-GREEN ALGAE or BLUE-GREEN BACTERIA)
9) LIFE SCIENCE Multiple Choice Agar is derived from what organism?
W) Brown algae
X) Red algae
Y) Green algae
Z) Fungi
ANSWER: X) RED ALGAE
10) MATH Multiple Choice On the graph of the function y = (x + 2)2, what is the x-value of the
point with the least y-value?
W) -2
X) 0
Y) 2
Z) 4
ANSWER: W) -2
10) MATH Short Answer In terms of n, what is the number of diagonals that can be drawn from
any one vertex of a convex polygon with n sides?
ANSWER: n – 3
11) EARTH AND SPACE Multiple Choice Which of the following scales is used to rate
hurricanes?
W) Saffir-Simpson
X) Modified Mercalli
Y) Enhanced Fujita
Z) Richter Magnitude
ANSWER: W) SAFFIR-SIMPSON
11) EARTH AND SPACE Short Answer Snowflakes can take on a variety of shapes depending
on the physical environment in which they form. In addition to temperature, what is the major
physical factor that determines snowflake shape?
ANSWER: HUMIDITY (ACCEPT: WATER AVAILABILITY, SUPERSATURATION LEVEL)
12) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer A scientist wants to use a figure to show the change in
ATP production over time by a cell infected by the flu virus. In what type of graph should a
scientist most likely present the results of this experiment?
ANSWER: LINE GRAPH (ACCEPT: LINE CHART)
12) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Divergent boundaries have a unique structure in their
centers. For example, one such structure contains the Red Sea and was formed from the
separation of the African and Arabian Plate. What is the name for this structure?
ANSWER: RIFT VALLEY
13) ENERGY Short Answer A battery generates what type of current?
ANSWER: DIRECT CURRENT (ACCEPT: DC)
13) ENERGY Short Answer Rank the following three materials from best thermal insulator to
worst: 1) brick, 2) fiberglass batting, 3) steel.
ANSWER: 2, 1, 3 (ACCEPT: FIBERGLASS BATTING, BRICK, STEEL)
14) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice For the balanced combustion reaction of methane to
produce carbon dioxide and water, which of the following would NOT be expected?
W) The reaction is exothermic
X) The reactants are gases
Y) A catalyst is necessary
Z) The reaction produces heat
ANSWER: Y) A CATALYST IS NECESSARY
14) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following sound wave frequencies in
hertz would a human be most likely to hear?
W) 10
X) 1,000
Y) 50,000
Z) 100,000
ANSWER: X) 1,000
15) LIFE SCIENCE Multiple Choice Epiphytes [EP-uh-fyts] primarily obtain water and nutrients
through what?
W) Roots
X) Leaves
Y) Other plants
Z) Haustoria [haw-STOHR-ee-uh]
ANSWER: X) LEAVES
15) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer The Q10 effect is the degree by which metabolic activity is
reduced with a 10° Celsius drop in temperature. A typical Q10 value is 2, meaning that
metabolic activity is halved for every 10° decrease in temperature. If a collection of cells with a
Q10 value of 2 produces 10 nanograms of carbon dioxide per hour at 40° Celsius, how much
would you expect them to produce in nanograms in one hour at 10° Celsius?
ANSWER: 1.25 (ACCEPT: 5/4, 1 ¼)
16) MATH Short Answer What is the least integer between -44.5 and -15.7?
ANSWER: -44
16) MATH Short Answer For the equation y = x2+ 6x – 3, what is the axis of symmetry of its
graph?
ANSWER: x = -3
17) EARTH AND SPACE Multiple Choice In which of the following rock types are you most likely
to find a fossil?
W) Sandstone
X) Slate
Y) Conglomerate
Z) Granite
ANSWER: W) SANDSTONE
17) EARTH AND SPACE Short Answer What will be limited by the presence of a thick snowpack
on the surface of sea ice, which will reduce primary production among sea ice algae?
ANSWER: LIGHT (ACCEPT: SUNLIGHT, PHOTOSYNTHETICALLY ACTIVE RADIATION)
18) LIFE SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a tundra?
W) Presence of large carnivores
X) Absence of migrant animals
Y) Herbaceous vegetation [hur-BAY-shuhs]
Z) Permafrost
ANSWER: X) ABSENCE OF MIGRANT ANIMALS
18) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer The African baobab [bay-oh-bab] has evolved large, white,
pungent flowers to attract what pollinator?
ANSWER: BATS
19) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following best describes Bernoulli’s
principle?
W) As the speed of a moving fluid increases, the pressure of the moving fluid decreases
X) The individual actions of an organism during its lifetime are the driving force of adaption
Y) The buoyant force on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced
Z) All atoms of a given element are exactly alike and atoms of different elements could join to
form compounds
ANSWER: W) AS THE SPEED OF A MOVING FLUID INCREASES, THE PRESSURE OF THE
MOVING FLUID DECREASES
19) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Aquifers are areas of underground bodies of rock
through which large amounts of water can flow and be stored. Which of the following rock
arrangements will make for the least productive aquifer?
W) Well-sorted, small-grained rocks that are loosely packed
X) Well-sorted, small-grained rocks that are tightly packed
Y) Poorly sorted rock with grains of many different sizes that are loosely packed
Z) Poorly sorted rock with grains of many different sizes that are tightly packed
ANSWER: Z) POORLY SORTED ROCK WITH GRAINS OF MANY DIFFERENT SIZES THAT
ARE TIGHTLY PACKED
20) ENERGY Short Answer What term is used to describe the amount of energy needed to
raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit?
ANSWER: BRITISH THERMAL UNIT (ACCEPT: BTU)
20) ENERGY Multiple Choice What are the percentages of ethanol used in the fuel of a regular
vehicle and a flexible fuel vehicle (FFV), respectively?
W) 40% and 90%
X) 25% and 95%
Y) 10% and 85%
Z) 50% and 60%
ANSWER: Y) 10% AND 85%
21) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice A vector of magnitude 14 is added to a vector of
magnitude 2. The magnitude of the resulting vector is which of the following?
W) 12
X) 16
Y) Between 2 and 14, inclusive
Z) Between 12 and 16, inclusive
ANSWER: Z) BETWEEN 12 AND 16, INCLUSIVE
21) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer Identify all of the following four substances that are
examples of compounds: 1) alcohol, 2) soil, 3) milk, and 4) water.
ANSWER: 1, 4 (ACCEPT: ALCOHOL, WATER)
22) LIFE SCIENCE Multiple Choice Assuming that the following structures are unlabeled and
unstained, which would be least likely to be visualized using a light microscope with the
standard resolution of 0.2 microns?
W) Nucleus
X) Cell wall
Y) Ribosome [RY-buh-sohm]
Z) Mitochondria [my-tuh-KON-dree-uh]
ANSWER: Y) RIBOSOME
22) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer Animals have two sources of DNA in their cells and plants
have three sources. Name the three organelles in which plant DNA can be found.
ANSWER: CHLOROPLASTS, MITOCHONDRIA, AND THE NUCLEUS
23) MATH Short Answer Providing your answer in slope intercept form, what is the equation of
the line passing through the points (6, -5) and (2, 7)?
ANSWER: y = -3x + 13
23) MATH Short Answer What are the coordinates for the point of intersection in the first
quadrant of the graphs with equations xy = 4 and y = x +3?
ANSWER: (1, 4)
24) EARTH AND SPACE Multiple Choice Which of the following contains the largest amount of
the earth’s freshwater?
W) Rivers and lakes
X) Groundwater
Y) Ice caps and glaciers
Z) Soil moisture
ANSWER: Y) ICE CAPS AND GLACIERS
24) EARTH AND SPACE Multiple Choice Which of the following greenhouse gases is the
longest-lived in the atmosphere?
W) Methane
X) Water vapor
Y) Nitrous oxide
Z) CFC-11
ANSWER: Y) NITROUS OXIDE
25) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following most accurately describes the
difference between graphite and diamond?
W) The carbon atoms are arranged in hexagonal planes in graphite, while they are arranged in
a crystal structure in a diamond
X) The carbon atoms in graphite are held together by weak hydrogen bonds, while they are held
together by strong covalent bonds in a diamond
Y) The carbon atoms in graphite are mixed in with impurities, while diamond contains no
impurities
Z) The carbon atoms in graphite are bonded to more other atoms than the carbon atoms in
diamond
ANSWER: W) THE CARBON ATOMS ARE ARRANGED IN HEXAGONAL PLANES IN
GRAPHITE, WHILE THEY ARE ARRANGED IN A CRYSTAL STRUCTURE IN A DIAMOND
25) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true of the Earth’s
magnetic field?
W) It is created by the molten iron in the Earth’s outer core
X) It changes over time
Y) The intensity of the field is the same at the poles and at the equator
Z) It is possible that in a few hundred thousand years, the Earth’s magnetic north pole will be
reversed
ANSWER: Y) THE INTENSITY OF THE FIELD IS THE SAME AT THE POLES AND AT THE
EQUATOR
