Space
What is the most common element in the universe?
A. Helium
B. Oxygen
C. Hydrogen
D. Carbon
C. Hydrogen
The most common element in the universe is Hydrogen, making up about 74% of its mass, followed by Helium at around 24%, with all other elements making up the remaining small percentage.
A bolt of lightning is hotter than the surface of the Sun.
True
A bolt of lightning is significantly hotter than the surface of the Sun, reaching temperatures around 50,000°F (30,000°C), which is about five times hotter than the Sun's surface of roughly 10,000°F (6,000°C).
The Treaty of Versailles formally ended which conflict?
A. World War I
B. World War II
C. Franco-Prussian War
D. Napoleonic Wars
A. World War I
Which of the following is not classified as a fundamental force of nature?
A. Electromagnetism
B. Gravity
C. Nuclear fusion
D. Strong nuclear force
C. Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is a process, not a force.
Which space probe was the first to leave the Solar System?
A. Voyager 1
B. Voyager 2
C. Pioneer 10
D. New Horizons
C. Pioneer 10
Pioneer 10 officially left the solar system on June 13, 1983, when it crossed the orbit of Neptune, becoming the first human-made object to venture beyond the planets and onto a path for interstellar space. Its last signal was January 23, 2003, from over 7.6 billion miles away.
Voyager 1 was the first to reach interstellar space (beyond the Sun's plasma bubble, the heliosphere) in 2012. Even though Pioneer 10 was launched earlier and had a trajectory to escape, it was outpaced by Voyager 1 in distance and speed.
The Earth is closer to the Sun in summer than in winter.
False
The Earth is closer to the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere's winter (around January) and farthest away in the Northern Hemisphere's summer (around July).
Who was the first Roman emperor?
A. Julius Caesar
B. Augustus
C. Tiberius
D. Romulus Augustulus
B. Augustus
The Roman Empire was founded when Augustus Caesar proclaimed himself the first emperor of Rome in 31 BC and came to an end with the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
What is the most abundant protein in the human body?
A. Keratin
B. Actin
C. Myosin
D. Collagen
D. Collagen
The most abundant protein in the human body is collagen, making up about 30% of the total protein mass.
What primarily determines whether a star will end its life as a neutron star or a black hole?
A. Temperature
B. Rotation speed
C. Initial mass
D. Chemical composition
C. Initial mass
The primary factor determining if a star becomes a neutron star or black hole is the mass of its core after it explodes in a supernova.
If the core's mass is below this limit but above ~1.4 solar masses, it forms a dense neutron star. If it's above the TOV limit, gravity overwhelms all other forces, collapsing it into a black hole.
Humans only use about 10% of their brains.
False
This myth refuses to die. In reality, brain scans show we use virtually all of our brain, with most areas active all the time, even during sleep.
Which war was fought first?
A. American Revolutionary War
B. Seven Years’ War
C. Napoleonic Wars
D. War of 1812
B. Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was fought globally from 1754 to 1763.
The U.S. Census has a diversity index, which is the probability that if two random people meet, they will be of different races or ethnicities from each other. What is the most diverse state by this definition?
A. California
B. New York
C. Hawaii
D. Florida
C. Hawaii
Hawaii consistently ranks as the most diverse U.S. state by the Diversity Index, with scores around 76%.
What distinguishes a brown dwarf from a true star?
A. It never emits light
B. It cannot fuse hydrogen under any conditions
C. It forms through planetary accretion
D. It lacks a photosphere
B. It cannot fuse hydrogen under any conditions
The defining difference is sustained nuclear fusion: True stars are massive enough to fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores, generating immense light and heat, while brown dwarfs lack the mass for this, acting as "failed stars" that cool over time.
Which question is false:
A. There are stars in the observable universe that formed before the Milky Way galaxy itself.
B. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man-made structure on Earth for over 3,800 years.
C. The Oxford University Press predates the Aztec Empire.
D. The Roman Republic legally continued to exist for years after Augustus became emperor.
C. The Oxford University Press predates the Aztec Empire.
Oxford University is old, but the Aztec Empire predates the Oxford University Press. (Oxford teaching existed earlier, but the Press itself does not.)
The collapse of the Soviet Union officially occurred in what year?
A. 1989
B. 1990
C. 1991
D. 1992
C. 1991
The Soviet Union officially collapsed in December 1991, with key events including Mikhail Gorbachev's resignation on December 25, 1991, and the formal dissolution by the Supreme Soviet on December 26, 1991.
Which country has the most time zones (including overseas territories)?
A. Russia
B. United States
C. France
D. United Kingdom
C. France
France has the most time zones of any country, with 12 (or 13, depending on DST/Antarctic claims), thanks to its numerous overseas territories scattered globally, like French Polynesia and Réunion, even though mainland France uses only one time zone.
Which statement about gravitational waves is correct?
A. They propagate only through matter
B. They require accelerating masses
C. They travel faster than light in vacuum
D. They lose energy exponentially with distance
B. They require accelerating masses
Gravitational waves need accelerating masses because they are ripples in spacetime caused by changing gravitational fields, and a changing field requires motion (acceleration), not just constant velocity.
Which agreement formally created the European Union?
A. Treaty of Rome
B. Treaty of Rome
C. Lisbon Treaty
D. Schengen Agreement
B) Maastricht Treaty