Practice Test: Science

Which of the following represents the order of the layers of the Earth if one were to travel from the surface to its center?

- Crust - Mantle - Outer Core - Inner Core

Which of the following options explains why some species may be unable to adapt and no longer survive in its environment?

- The environment changed from forest to industrialized city. - The amount of water in lakes and marshlands in the environment significantly decreased. - The predator population in the environment significantly increased in number. - The population moved to urban areas and became dependent on humans.

Black fur in guinea pigs is dominant over white fur. If a homozygous black furred female guinea pig mates with a heterozygous black furred male guinea pig, what percentage of their offspring will have white fur?

0% white

Which is longer, three yards or 25 decimeters?

3 yards 1 decimeter = 4 inches 3 yards = 36 inches 36 inches = 9 decimeters

The chemical formula for water is H2O, making water which of the following?

A Compound

The forest and pond are area inhabited by wildlife including raccoons was demolished to build a large restaurant. It so happens the restaurant disposes of uneaten meals in an open dumpster in the far end of the parking lot behind the building. Which of the following basic needs specifically among the raccoons likely changed the LEAST due to the construction of this building?

Air

Which of the following scientists first proposed the theory of plate tectonics, which maintains that the Earth's continents were formed long ago as part of a single landmass?

Alfred Wegener

Which of the following indicates the type of questioning used to gain the most participation from students?

Asking the question first, then calling on students at random to respond.

When does cellular respiration occur in plants?

Cellular respiration occurs all day and night, the same as in animals.

In Ms. Sullivan's class, the students measured the starting temperature of two thermometers. They used one thermometer to measure the temperature at the surface of a pond. The second was attached onto a sinker on an eight meter rope and was dropped to near the bottom of the pond. They repeated the experiment several times, recording their findings. The students results revealed that the temperature at the surface was on average four degrees higher than the temperature near the bottom. Which of the following forms of energy transfer best explains their findings?

Convection

In which of the following ways does deforestation of the rainforests in South America impact residents of the United States?

Deforestation results in an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which contributes to the threat of global warming.

A rocket burns fuel in bursts out of a nozzle, allowing it to maneuver and turn in the vacuum of space. Which of Newton's Laws of motion explains how this maneuvering is able to occur?

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Giraffes with long necks have survived over time because they can reach treetop leaves, which they eat for nourishment. What is one reason giraffes developed long necks over time?

Genetic mutations occurred over time, resulting in some giraffes developing longer necks than others; these giraffes were more likely to survive than those with shorter necks.

Which of the following is the most effective, concrete way to teach elementary students the concept of diffusion for the first time?

Give students a clear plastic cup of water and ask them to place one drop of feed coloring in the water without stirring and observe; then follow-up with discussion on their observations.

Which of the following instruments should be used to most accurately measure a liquid in milliliters in a laboratory investigation?

Graduated cylinder

What do green plant leaves do with green wave lengths of visible light in the electromagnetic spectrum and what is the evidence?

Green plants reflect green wavelengths and the evidence is that the leaves are green in color.

Which of the following is the BEST way to evaluate whether students are able to determine the density of an irregular object?

Have students conduct a hands on lab practical test to demonstrate their knowledge.

Which of the following is a learned characteristic rather than an inherited trait in humans?

Having interest in being a runner, like one or both parents.

Mr. Garcia spends three weeks teaching students about ecosystems. At the end of the unit, he gives students a 45 minute unit exam consisting of a variety of question formats, such as short answer, multiple choice, and essay. After grading the exam, he is surprised and disappointed that his students did not perform well on the exam, with most students failing. What is the most important thing he should have done to prevent this?

He should have used different assessments throughout the unit instead of waiting until the end to measure his students learning.

The arm of a human and the front legs of a cat have the same structure and function in a similar way. They were inherited from the same ancestor. Which of the following describes these structures?

Homologous

In using the 5E inquiry model in teaching, which of the following is the best way to introduce new science concept vocabulary to students and English language learners in particular?

Introduce science vocabulary that labels the science concept after students have conducted an exploration and have stated the concept.

What is the usefulness of informing students of their results on a test or project?

It provides both the student and teacher with information on the extent to which the students have learned the material.

Which of the following is a rocky planet?

Mars

In sexual reproduction, what is the process that occurs in specialized cells to produce the gametes before fertilization and the process that then occurs in the fertilized egg or zygote to begin development of the embryo?

Meiosis occurs to produce the gametes and then mitosis occurs in the zygote.

Which of the following types of rock is formed from other types of rock listed below after it has been subject to extreme pressure and temperature over time?

Metamorphic Rock

What is true about using models in teaching to represent the natural world in science?

Models will always differ from the actual phenomena they represent.

What is the energy source for each of the following nonrenewable and renewable energy types used to generate electricity for human use, listed in the same order as the energy type? Nonrenewable and Renewable energy types: Hydroelectric - Nuclear - Fossil Fuel - Geothermal - Solar

Moving water - Uranium - Coal - Heat from beneath Earth's surface - Sun

Which of the following is a non-renewable source of energy?

Natural gas

Which of the following gases comprises the majority of the air in the Earth's atmosphere?

Nitrogen

Which of the following is a chemical change in matter?

Paper burning

Which of the following is a physical change?

Pouring salt in a glass of water to form a mixture.

Which of the following organisms in a food chain or food web absorbs and holds the most energy?

Producers

The students in Mr. Lawson's class are going to engage in an inquiry based laboratory investigation in which they will be placing a glass thermometer in a beaker of ice and heating it on a hot plate so they can graph the heating curve of water. What is the first and most important thing he should do before students begin this investigation?

Read aloud and discuss all safety precautions of the investigation, including wearing safety goggles and the use of glassware and heating surfaces.

What is relative humidity and what instrument is used to measure it?

Relative humidity is a measure of the moisture in the air in a specific region and time, and is measured by a psychrometer

In an inquiry lesson, the teacher noticed Keysha as she was conducting an experiment in which she obtained two thermometers and recorded the starting temperatures of each. Keysha then placed one thermometer near the ceiling and the second near the floor. After 15 minutes, she observed the thermometers and again recorded the temperature. In comparing the temperature change on the thermometers in the two locations, Keysha observed that air neat the ceiling was 2 degrees warmer than the air near the floor. Che concluded that warmer air rises and stays near the ceiling, while cooler air sinks and stays near the floor. Although her conclusion is scientifically accurate, what was the major flaw the teacher should notice with Keysha's experiment?

She did not repeat her measurement multiple times before drawing a conclusion.

The students in Mr. Gonzales's class are reading about a research scientist who believes she has found the cure for lung cancer tumors with a new medication that needs to undergo further research. Her research involves 200 lung cancer patients. Half are given the new medication and half are given a placebo pill. None of the patients know whether they are receiving the actual medication or the placebo. After three months of recording data measuring the size of cancer tumors in the lungs of all patents, the scientist finds that the size of the cancer tumor has not grown in about 3% of the patients receiving the new medication. However, all patients receiving the new medication are exhibiting severe and unusual mental side effect reactions, including fits of rage and physical violence toward others and themselves. Which of the following is the ethical course of action?

Stop the experiments immediately and return to the laboratory for more testing, without using humans, on the mental side effects it has caused.

Working in groups, the students in Ms. Rosa's class plant three seeds in a pot of soil, then water them, and place the pot in a tall, narrow cardboard box with a half dollar sized circular hole cut out on one side near the top of the box where light can enter. The students only briefly open the box each day to measure their plant's growth and add water, then close it again. They keep their boxes on the window sill with the hole side facing the outside light. After several weeks, what will students most likely observe happening to the plant, and why?

Students will observe the plant stem bending toward the hole in the side of the box due to the stimulus produced by light, called phototropism.

What time of day or night would the New Moon phase be as close to directly overhead as possible for your location?

The Moon would be directly overhead at noon.

Which of the following regions of the U.S. will experience lake effect snow in the winter?

The Northeast states just east of the Great Lakes.

Which of the following BEST describes the transpiration in the water cycle?

The evaporation of water from the leaves of green plants.

Jorge and Rita were working on a laboratory activity where they connected one end of an electric wire to the positive node of a new 6 volt battery, then wound the wire around an iron nail with 20 twists, then attached the other end of the with to the negative node of the battery. The students then plunged the point of the nail into a pile of small paper clips and made observations. The repeated this experiment three more times. The two students then changed the number of times the wire was wound around the nail to 10 twists, and plunged the point of the nail in the paper clips again. The students made observations and again repeated this experiment three more times. What did the students observe happen with 20 twists compared to 10 twists?

The first trial with 20 twists attracted and picked up more paper clips than with 10 twists because the electric field was stronger with 20 twists compared to 10 twists.

In an exploration activity, the students measure 50 ml of water and pour it into one cup and 50 ml of isopropyl alcohol and pour it into a second cup. They then drop one ice cube in the cup of water and one ice cube in the alcohol. The students observe that the ice floats in the water but sinks in the alcohol. Why?

The ice cube is less dense than the water and denser than the alcohol.

Mr. Little hands his students a seed, and then hands them a log from a tree. He discusses with students that somehow this tiny seed becomes a great tree, part of which the students are holding in their hands as a log. He asks the students "where does all the mass come from that allowed this tiny seed to grow into a tree?"

The mass that made the tree came from the carbon dioxide in the air.

The students in Mrs. Leons class are studying mealworms. They fill the bottom of a petri dish with oatmeal for food and tiny slices of apple for moisture, and then place three mealworms in the dish and replace the cover. The students observe the mealworms over several days, drawing their observations. After several days the students notice their mealworms are shorter, curled up, and no longer moving. The students are concerned but continue to draw and write observations. After several more day, the students observe that there are three black beetles in their petri dish and no curled up mealworms. Why?

The mealworms underwent metamorphosis, changing from larva to pupa to adult.

The students in Ms. Johnsons class are rolling a toy convertible car down a slanted ramp with a brick at the end of it. The place a small stuffed animal in the convertible, unrestrained, and then let the car roll down the ramp. The car hits the brick and stops. What happens to the stuffed animal as soon as the car hits and is stopped by the brick? Why?

The stuffed animal flies out of the car forward because an object in motion will continue to stay in motion unless acted upon by a force.

What day in the Earth's Northern Hemisphere has the longest daylight hours of the year and why?

The summer solstice because the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth is tilted toward the sun.

What does using two pulleys in a single system (movable pulley) to lift an object do to the force required compared to lifting the object without the movable pulley?

The use of the movable pulley reduces the amount of force required by one half.

What is the proper instrument to use in measuring the mass of an object?

Triple beam balance

What causes sound waves?

Vibration of air molecules

Which of the following is a property of water?

When water freezes to ice it expands.

What is the proper sequence of energy transformations that occurs in ringing a doorbell?

mechanical, electrical, sound