Section 1
A scientist conducts a demonstration using a sample of solid aluminum (Al) and a test tube containing liquid bromine (Br2). The aluminum is added to the test tube, and a chemical reaction takes place. The only product of the chemical reaction is a solid white powder. How should this solid white powder be classified?
Compound
Which choice provides the best description of hydroelectric energy?
A. It is a renewable energy resource because this form of energy is easily replenished by the water cycle.
B. It is a renewable energy resource because this form of energy removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
C. It is a nonrenewable energy resource because this form of energy is not easily replenished by the water cycle.
D. It is a nonrenewable energy resource because this form of energy contributes greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
A. It is a renewable energy resource because this form of energy is easily replenished by the water cycle.
Certain flowering plants have become dependent on honeybees for pollination. In recent years, a mite has infested and killed honeybees in many parts of the United States. Which plants would have the best chance of survival in the absence of the honeybees?
A. plants that have adapted to become drought resistant
B. plants that have adapted seeds that will thrive in many conditions
C. plants that have adapted to attract other pollinating insects as well as honeybees
D. plants that have adapted to grow taller so that the few remaining honeybees will find them
C. plants that have adapted to attract other pollinating insects as well as honeybees.
Why do most earthquakes and volcanoes occur near plate boundaries?
A. The crust is thinner in the center of plates.
B. Plate boundaries are where crustal movement and interactions occur.
C. Earthquakes only happen near oceans, and plate boundaries are underwater.
D. Volcanoes only exist on transform boundaries.
B. Plate boundaries are where crustal movement and interactions occur.
Which statement best explains why plant cells can produce their own food, but animal cells cannot?
A. Plant cells have more mitochondria than animal cells.
B. Plant cells contain chloroplasts, which convert sunlight into energy.
C. Animal cells do not need food because they use oxygen directly.
D. Plant cells do not use energy the same way animal cells do.
B. Plant cells contain chloroplasts, which convert sunlight into energy.
A potato farmer uses animal-waste fertilizer. Runoff from the farm leads directly to a nearby creek. What should the farmer do to ensure there is no impact on the environment?
A. use less electricity at home
B. use more electricity at home
C. take regular water samples from the creek to check for oil
D. take regular water samples from the creek to check for nitrates
D. take regular water samples from the creek to check for nitrates
What do the positions of helium (He) and radon (Rn) on the periodic table of elements indicate?
They have similar chemical properties.
Methane is a greenhouse gas. The main contributor of methane to the atmosphere is agriculture. Cows and other grazing animals release methane as their bodies digest plant matter. The amount of methane in the atmosphere has increased by about 15% since 1985. Which is a likely cause of this increase in methane?
A. a decreasing human population
B. an increasing human population
C. a decrease in the amount of radiation produced by the sun
D. an increase in the amount of radiation produced by the sun
B. an increasing human population
The list below describes the relationship between an ant species and a tree species.
The ants protect the tree by stinging any animal that might try to eat the tree’s leaves. The ants also eat any plant that tries to grow around the tree.
The tree produces nectar that the ants can eat. The tree also provides shelter for the ants.
How is the relationship between the ants and the tree classified?
competition
mutualism
parasitism
coexistence
2. mutualism
In an open system, a reaction releases a gas into the air. What will happen to the measured mass?
A. It will increase
B. It will stay the same
C. It will decrease
D. It depends on the temperature
C. It will decrease
Why are people who may have become infected with a rare virus quarantined?
to allow the disease to grow and reproduce
to study the genetic inheritance of the disease
to develop an immediate cure for those who are ill
to prevent an epidemic from becoming a pandemic
4. to prevent an epidemic from becoming a pandemic
A community uses a coal-fired power plant to generate all of its electricity. The community recognizes that the demand for electricity will exceed the power plant’s capacity. The community decides to
set aside a large portion of grassland,
construct solar panels on this land to generate all of the community’s electricity, and
phase out the coal-fired power plant.
Which choice best identifies the implications of this plan?
The community will increase its contribution of greenhouse gases and disrupt the water cycle.
The community will increase its contribution of greenhouse gases and disrupt the grassland ecosystem.
The community will decrease its contribution of greenhouse gases but disrupt the water cycle.
The community will decrease its contribution of greenhouse gases but disrupt the grassland ecosystem.
4. The community will decrease its contribution of greenhouse gases but disrupt the grassland ecosystem.
A student conducted a scientific demonstration. The student combined 50 grams of liquid X and 150 grams of liquid Y in a beaker. A chemical reaction occurred and produced gas bubbles and a new liquid. Both liquid X and liquid Y were completely consumed in the reaction. What should be the combined mass of the new liquid and the gas bubbles?
200 grams
Which observation is best evidence that a chemical change has occurred?
A. A substance changes shape
B. A solid melts into a liquid
C. A colorless solution turns bright yellow and bubbles form
D. Water evaporates when left in the sun
C. A colorless solution turns bright yellow and bubbles form
A squirrel population lives in a forest ecosystem. Some squirrels are born with thick fur, and others are born with thin fur. The list below describes the advantage of each fur type.
Thick fur helps keep heat contained around the squirrel’s body.
Thin fur helps release heat quickly to the environment.
Suppose the climate of the forest changes. Average daily temperatures decrease, producing cooler summers and much colder winters. How will this climate change affect the squirrel population?
The number of squirrels with thin fur will remain the same.
The number of squirrels with thick fur will remain the same.
The squirrels with thin fur will be more likely to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation.
The squirrels with thick fur will be more likely to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation.
4. The squirrels with thick fur will be more likely to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation.
Which of the following changes would most likely affect only the physical properties of a substance?
A. Burning a piece of wood
B. Dissolving sugar in water
C. Baking cookie dough in the oven
D. Rusting of an iron nail
B. Dissolving sugar in water
Which scenario would be classified as a pandemic?
The Zika virus spreads worldwide due to increased human mobility.
An area in Africa experiences extremely high levels of the flu virus.
The activity habits of the residents of a town cause many to become overweight.
A bacterial contaminant in the drinking water of a city causes mass numbers of residents to become ill.
The Zika virus spreads worldwide due to increased human mobility.
What must be true if a geologic fault runs through a sedimentary rock layer?
The fault is geologically older than the rock layer.
The fault is geologically younger than the rock layer.
The fault and the rock layer formed at the same time.
The fault was created by volcanic activity.
2. The fault is geologically younger than the rock layer.
A molecule of sucrose has 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, and 11 oxygen atoms. How is sucrose classified?
Compound
Why does a solid keep its shape, while a liquid does not?
A. Solids are heavier than liquids.
B. The particles in a solid are tightly packed and vibrate in place.
C. Liquids do not have particles.
D. Solids have more energy than gases.
B. The particles in a solid are tightly packed and vibrate in place.
What would most likely happen if all the decomposers in an ecosystem died off?
A. Energy would increase at the top of the food chain.
B. Nutrients would stop cycling, and waste would build up.
C. Producers would stop doing photosynthesis.
D. Consumers would grow faster without decomposers.
B. Nutrients would stop cycling, and waste would build up.
Which of the following would make the best index fossil?
A. A fossil that is found worldwide and lived for a short time.
B. A fossil found only in one region that lived a long time.
C. A large fossil found only in deep ocean layers.
D. A rare fossil from several different time periods.
A. A fossil that is found worldwide and lived for a short time.
The list below describes the fossil remains of two extinct dinosaurs.
Triceratops: a large dinosaur that walked on four legs. Its skull has a large bony plate behind the eye sockets and three horns.
Stegoceras: a small dinosaur that walked on two legs. Its skull has a thick dome on top, but no horns.
What is the best way to study the evolutionary relationship between Triceratops and Stegoceras?
by comparing their method of walking
by comparing their footprints
by comparing their skeletal systems
by comparing their fossil locations
3. by comparing their skeletal systems
Why is ocean water warmer near Earth’s equator than at its poles?
Geothermal energy near the equator is more intense than at the poles.
Sunlight near the equator is more intense than at the poles.
More convection occurs near the poles than at the equator.
More evaporation occurs near the poles than at the equator.
2. Sunlight near the equator is more intense than at the poles.
A student mixes vinegar and baking soda in a sealed plastic bag. Bubbles form and the bag inflates. The student says mass was lost because the reaction produced gas. What’s the best response?
The student is wrong because mass is conserved even when a gas forms in a sealed system.