Astronomy
Europa, unlike Io, is a very cold moon. The surface of Europa is a methane and water mixture of solid ice. This is similar to the composition of the ice on many asteroids and distant dwarf planets. Underneath the ice of Europa, many scientists hypothesize that the tides of Europa are capable of maintaining liquid water. How can tides cause a liquid ocean underneath a layer of ice?
F. Tidal forces can only work on liquids.
G. Gravity on the tides is enough to melt the water ice on Europa’s surface.
H. The tides create a chemical reaction between the methane and the water that cause the ice to melt.
I. The constant motion caused by the tides keeps the liquid from completely freezing.
I. The constant motion caused by the tides keeps the liquid from completely freezing.
Why is sunlight so important to the photosynthesis process?
F. It turns the carbon dioxide into oxygen to be released through the leaves.
G. It provides the needed temperatures to change glucose into water.
H. It provides the energy needed to combine the atoms in glucose.
I. It raises the levels of gases in the air so that water can change into oxygen.
H. It provides the energy needed to combine the atoms in glucose.
Pierre’s science class is studying pendulums as an example of cyclic motion. All the teams in the class have identical weights that hang from strings of the same length. The teams have measured the time for one back-and-forth cycle and found that the time is the same whether the pendulum swings through a small arc or a large one. The teacher points out that the constant cycle time of pendulums is why they have been used in clocks for hundreds of years.
When you pull a pendulum weight back and let it swing, ___________ is the force that pulls it downward.
A. magnetism
B. electricity
C. gravity
D. pulling
C. gravity
Jonna is making a graph of a train’s motion, with "Time" on the x-axis and "Distance traveled" on the y-axis. How would she represent the train moving at a constant speed on this graph?
A. By drawing a diagonal line that slopes upward from left to right
B. By drawing a shape like an upside-down letter "U"
C. By drawing a vertical line through a portion of the graph
D. By drawing a horizontal line through a portion of the graph
C. By drawing a diagonal line that slopes upward from left to right.
A geologist examines a sample of beach rock and discovers that it was composed of grains of sand squeezed tightly together. The quartz grains were cemented together by narrow bands of calcium carbonate. What geologic event occurred that led to the formation of this rock?
A. uplift
B. deposition
C. plate subduction
D. volcanic eruption
B. deposition
If two orbiting objects have very different temperatures, which statement is most likely true?
A. The objects must be of significantly different sizes.
B. They have very different patterns in their exposure to the Sun.
C. They are moving at different speeds.
D. They exert and experience different gravitational forces.
B. They have very different patterns in their exposure to the Sun.
A student draws a model of a food web that includes the sun, a plant, a grasshopper, a mouse, a snake and a hawk. What is the role of the mouse in the food web?
F. It is a consumer that provides energy to other consumers.
G. It is a decomposer that provides energy to producers.
H. It is a producer that provides energy to other producers.
I. It is a producer that provides energy to consumers.
F. It is a consumer that provides energy to other consumers.
Augusta studies the energies of visible light, radio waves, and infrared light. She wants to rank the three types of waves in order of least energetic to most energetic. In what order should she list the three types of waves?
F. radio waves < visible light < infrared light
G. radio waves < infrared light < visible light
H. visible light < radio waves < infrared light
I. visible light < infrared light < radio waves
G. radio waves < infrared light < visible light
The discovery of moscovium (Mc) is most like what development in a field of science?
A. chemists combining molecules to form a new compound
B. astronomers designing a more powerful telescope
C. engineers updating code to be more efficient
D. biologists discovering a new domain of life
A. chemists combining molecules to form a new compound
Which process is most likely to be associated with the formation of metamorphic rock from sedimentary rock?
F. volcanic eruption
G. mountain-building
H. trench development
I. mid-ocean ridge formation
G. mountain-building
The forces of the tides on Io are strong enough to push the rocks of Io on top of each other. This constant rubbing and grinding creates enough heat and pressure to cause new minerals to form. This makes Io one of the most geologically active places in the solar system.
What are the tidal forces acting on Io most similar to in the geology of the Earth?
A. the formation of metamorphic rocks
B. our planet’s molten core
C. mudslides after earthquakes
D. the accumulation of sedimentary rocks
A. the formation of metamorphic rocks
Which discovery of a new organism would be most likely to change or modify our current understanding of cell theory?
A. an organism that has different types of cells
B. an organism that has cells that can survive outside of its body
C. an organism that has cells that have vacuoles
D. an organism that is not made up of cells
D. an organism that is not made up of cells
Augusta wants to know how light behaves when it interacts with different materials. She points the laser light at the flat side of the glass block and observes that the light bends when it moves from air into glass. Which of the following phenomena is responsible for this bending of light?
A. reflection
B. refraction
C. absorption
D. transmission
B. refraction
One previous hypothesis about wombat cube-shaped scat was that wombats shaped them into cubes to be able to stack them to mark their territory. Which of the following sets of observations might be used to support or disprove that hypothesis?
A. Count how many wombats are in several colonies and average that number. Then count how many cube-shaped wombat droppings are left by each colony and average that number.
B. Identify the edges of a wombat colony and compare the number of scat piles at the boundaries of the territory with the number of cube-shaped scat piles that are found inside the territory.
C. Measure the amount of food wombats eat and compare how the food intake compares with the volume of scat produced.
D. Set up low-light cameras to catch wombats shaping their scat into cubes at the borders of the colony’s territory.
B. Identify the edges of a wombat colony and compare the number of scat piles at the boundaries of the territory with the number of cube-shaped scat piles that are found inside the territory.
Which of these provides evidence for the theory that natural processes have caused Earth’s continents to come together and separate repeatedly over time?
A. formation of fresh rock during a volcanic eruption
B. development of a new fault line during an earthquake
C. fossils of the same plant species discovered on multiple continents
D. rocks of the same mineral composition found at the source and mouth of a river
C. fossils of the same plant species discovered on multiple continents
Europa, unlike Io, is a very cold moon. The surface of Europa is a methane and water mixture of solid ice. This is similar to the composition of the ice on many asteroids and distant dwarf planets. Underneath the ice of Europa, many scientists hypothesize that the tides of Europa are capable of maintaining liquid water. How can tides cause a liquid ocean underneath a layer of ice?
F. Tidal forces can only work on liquids.
G. Gravity on the tides is enough to melt the water ice on Europa’s surface.
H. The tides create a chemical reaction between the methane and the water that cause the ice to melt.
I. The constant motion caused by the tides keeps the liquid from completely freezing.
I. The constant motion caused by the tides keeps the liquid from completely freezing.
A cell’s ability to keep an internal balance in order to remain stable is a natural phenomenon known as homeostasis. Which of these is one way in which the structure represented by the gray ring around the cell helps maintain homeostasis?
F. It loses layers as the cell increases in size.
G. It regulates the flow of materials into and out of the cell.
H. It prevents any materials from entering or leaving the cell.
I. It gains layers when the cell needs greater protection from the environment.
G. It regulates the flow of materials into and out of the cell.
Students classify various samples into two groups as shown in the chart.
Group A: water, table salt, oxygen
Group B: salt water, air, milk
Which describes how these samples were classified?
A. Group A is mixtures; Group B is solutions.
B. Group A is pure substances; Group B is mixtures.
C. Group A is elements; Group B is compounds.
D. Group A is compounds; Group B is pure substances.
B. Group A is pure substances; Group B is mixtures.
Dr. Yang had to study wombat intestines to support or disprove her hypothesis. Which statement best describes the method of determining whether her findings were valid?
F. Using the practice of replication, Dr. Yang examined one set of wombat intestines multiple times with the same result.
G. Using the practice of repetition, Dr. Yang examined several sets of wombat intestines with the same result.
H. Using the practice of replication, Dr. Yang sent her results to several colleagues to have them review her research documents.
I. Using the practice of repetition, Dr. Yang had several colleagues test wombat intestines the same way she did with the same result.
G. Using the practice of repetition, Dr. Yang examined several sets of wombat intestines with the same result.
Modern-day Africa and the Eurasian continent are separated from the North American continent by an ocean that has been growing in width for 250 million years. This is evidence that which tectonic process is taking place at the boundary between the tectonic plates that these continents occupy?
F. earthquake activity
G. volcanic eruptions
H. mountain-building
I. sea-floor spreading
I. sea-floor spreading
A deep-field survey is a very special investigation by astronomers. They point their telescopes into a particular part of the sky for long periods of time. This is difficult because the telescopes must remain completely still for many hours in order to take a good picture. The results of this picture, however, are astounding.
Why does a telescope need to stay stationary and focused for so long in order to take a deep-field photograph?
A. to capture the motion of objects that move very slowly
B. to account for when the Sun is shining and hiding stars and when it is not
C. to collect samples from many different parts of the sky
D. to collect the faint light from objects that are very far away
D. to collect the faint light from objects that are very far away
Sponges live their lives attached to the sea floor or to rocks that are under water. They have no organs, so they feed by allowing nutrient-rich water to flow through them. Which of the following best explains whether sponges are animals or plants?
A. Their cells do not have chloroplasts, so they must be animals.
B. Their cells do have cell walls, so they must be plants.
C. Their cells do not have mitochondria, so they must be plants.
D. Their cells do have vacuoles, so they must be animals.
A. Their cells do not have chloroplasts, so they must be animals.
When six atoms of carbon are combined with twelve atoms of hydrogen and six atoms of oxygen, the combination is a simple sugar. Which answer below best describes that combination of atoms?
F. solution
G. mixture
H. compound
I. element
H. compound
Patricia is making a model to explain to her class how energy is neither created nor destroyed. She has the following objects to work with: copper wire, light bulb, bottle of water, digital scale, battery, thermometer and bowl of ice cubes.
What evidence can she produce to explain to the class that energy is not
created or destroyed but only changes from one form to another?
F. Pour the water from the bottle onto the ice cubes in the bowl and use the thermometer to show the change in temperature of the water.
G. Stir the water in the bottle using the copper wire and use the digital scale to show no change in mass from the motion.
H. Attach the battery to the light bulb using the copper wire and use the thermometer to show the change in temperature near the bulb.
I. Warm the ice cubes in the bowl using the light bulb and use the digital scale to show no change in mass of the bowl of melting ice.
H. Attach the battery to the light bulb using the copper wire and use the thermometer to show the change in temperature near the bulb.
Which of the following events is evidence that continents are moving apart as tectonic plates move?
A. an increase in height of a mountain range where two plates meet
B. the formation of a chain of volcanic islands in the center of an oceanic plate
C. an increase in number of earthquakes in a volcanic mountain before eruption
D. the formation of a rift valley between two plates moving away from each other
D. the formation of a rift valley between two plates moving away from each other