Genetics
Evolution
Heat and Energy Transformations
Rock Creation and Destruction
A Moving Planet
100
Sexual reproduction in animals allows traits to be passed to offspring. In which cell part is the genetic information stored?

A. cytoplasm

B. chromosomes

C. endoplasmic

D. ribosomes

B. chromosomes
100
Which of the following terms correctly describes the process by which populations can slowly change over time based on pressure from limiting factors in their environment?

A. artificial selection

B. genetic engineering

C. natural selection

D. gene-splicing

C. natural selection
100
Carl put his cool metal spoon into a bowl of steaming hot soup. Why did the spoon get hotter?

A. There was no flow of thermal energy but molecules moved slower.

B. Thermal energy flowed from the soup to the spoon.

C. Thermal energy flowed from the spoon to the soup.

D. There was an exchange of thermal energy.

B. Thermal energy flowed from the soup to the spoon.

Remember, heat (thermal energy) moves from hot places to cold places. Always. (it's a law)

100
Through which process can igneous rocks become metamorphic rocks?

A. weathering and erosion

B. heat and pressure

C. deposition

D. melting

B. heat and pressure
100
Earth's internal structures influence plate tectonics. In which layer does the heat transfer occur that causes the plates to move?

A. crust

B. mantle

C. outer core

D. inner core

B. mantle
200
What could be the phenotype of a pumpkin?

A. PP

B. Pp

C. orange color

D. jack-o-lantern

C. orange color

Remember that a phenotype is the way an organism looks!

200
A forest ecosystem contains many small mammals such as chipmunks and mice that live in the brown leaves on the forest floor. Imagine that a population of white mice was introduced into the forest environment. Why would there be no white mice found in the forest one year later?

A. The mice could not find water.

B. The mice could not find shelter.

C. The mice could not find and store food.

D. The mice could not hide from predators.

D. The mice could not hide from predators.
200
How do the molecules change when room temperature water is placed in the refrigerator?

A. They move closer.

B. They move freely.

C. The specific heat increases.

D. The specific heat does not change.

A. They move closer.

As the thermal energy leaves the cup to the refrigerator, its molecules slow down and clump together.

Heat moves from the hotter object to the colder object!

200
The state of Montana has the largest variety of dinosaur fossils found in North America. Fossils are created over a long period of time through the compaction of layers of soil and sand. Which type of rock would be found in abundance in the state of Montana?

A. igneous

B. petrified

C. metamorphic

D. sedimentary

D. sedimentary

The hint? LAYERS

200
Geologists use the word plastic to describe solids that move under pressure. A common example of this is squeezing toothpaste out of a tube. What layer of the Earth is considered a plastic?

A. top of crust

B. top of mantle

C. middle of inner core

D. middle of outer core

B. top of mantle
300
In garden pea plants, the gene for tall stems "T" is dominant to the gene for short stems "t". Which of the following would represent the genotype for a plant with short stems.

A. tt

B. TT

C. ST

D. short stems

A. tt

Remember that a genotype is a two-letter code that stands for how something will be built.

300
Bacteria are microscopic organisms that reproduce rapidly and often cause disease. Antibiotics are drugs given to people to cure bacteria-caused diseases. Since the 1950s, scientists have observed that antibiotics cannot kill many kinds of bacteria. What best explains the reason why antibiotics are less effective now?

A. People today do not take antibiotics as directed by doctors.

B. Antibiotics used today are weaker drugs than those in the past.

C. The genes of some kinds of bacteria make them resistant to antibiotics.

D. Doctors have increased the testing of patients for diseases caused by bacteria.

C. The genes of some kinds of bacteria make them resistant to antibiotics.

This is the most direct answer to the problem. "A" is also a good choice, but just not the best.

300
What type of energy transformation takes place when you turn on a toaster?

A. electrical energy into heat and light energy

B. electrical energy into chemical energy

C. thermal energy into light energy

D. light energy into heat energy

A. electrical energy into heat and light energy
300
On a trip to Hawaii, Jayden collects several type of igneous rocks to add to his rock collection. What kind of landform would produce igneous rocks?

A. rivers

B. valleys

C. volcanoes

D. earthquakes

C. volcanoes
300
Scientists believe the Earth's interior is hot. What method do we believe transfers this heat from the core to the crust?

A. radiation

B. evaporation

C. conduction

D. convection

D. convection

The Earth's mantle slowly convects the heat as a liquid.

400
Jermaine crosses a heterozygous seed "Dd" with a homozygous recessive, wrinkly seed "dd". What percent of this cross will likely carry the trait for wrinkled seeds?

A. 100%

B. 50%

C. 25%

D. 0%

A. 100%

Note that all seeds will have at least 1 "d" in their genotype. All of the seeds will carry the trait. Only 50% will actually grow wrinkled seeds, though.

400
When Charles Darwin first observed the finches on the Galapagos Islands, he noticed that the beaks of the birds on each island were different. The birds seemed to have no natural predators. What is a possible explanation for the difference in bird beaks?

A. adaptation to different food sources

B. adaptation to different temperature ranges

C. ability to attract different mates

D. ability to protect from predators

A. adaptation to different food sources

This is the best, to the point answer. A beak mostly has to do with food collection. It's a mouth.

Answer C is the next best answer, as sometimes birds have flashy beaks to attract a mate. However, Answer A is still the best.

400
Which statement best describes what happens to the total amount of energy during an energy transformation?

A. It increases.

B. It decreases.

C. It stays the same.

D. It depends on the type of energy.

C. It stays the same.

Energy can never be created or destroyed!

400
Which of the following processes is not part of the breakdown of rocks on the Earth's surface?

A. erosion

B. compaction

C. deposition

D. weathering

B. compaction
400
A biologist may study animal behavior in the rain forest. Geologists use indirect evidence to understand the layers of the Earth. What method is best for studying the composition of Earth's core?

A. study rocks eroded by rivers

B. examine plant and animal fossils

C. drill holes to the center of the Earth to take samples

D. study seismic waves as they travel through the Earth

D. study seismic waves as they travel through the Earth

While drilling a hole would be really cool, we can only go a couple of miles deep before our drills melt.

500
A group of scientists were studying the mating habits and offspring of a population of long-haired dogs. They noticed a small population of short-haired puppies in the offspring of some long-haired dogs. What is the best conclusion the scientists can make to explain the occasional appearance of short-haired puppies?

A. Long hair is dominant over short hair and none of the long-haired dogs carry the short-haired trait.

B. Long hair is dominant over short hair and some of the long-haired dogs carry the short-haired trait.

C. Short hair is dominant over long hair and some of the long-haired dogs carry the short-haired trait.

D. No conclusion can be made because heredity cannot be determined by looking at the phenotypes of the offspring.

B. Long hair is dominant over short hair and some of the long-haired dogs carry the short-haired trait.
500
Which of the following would not be a factor in a species' extinction?

A. producing a healthy number of offspring

B. producing offspring that do not have a wide variety of traits

C. very little time to adapt to new environmental factors

D. very little time to produce offspring that can survive the environment

A. producing a healthy number of offspring
500
In order to keep my swimming pool from turning green because of algae, I dissolved a white powder into a bucket of water and added it to the pool. A chemical reaction would take place in the bucket. The solution would become warm. What statement best describes what happened in the bucket?

A. Energy was created.

B. Energy was transferred.

C. More energy was created than destroyed.

D. More energy was destroyed than created.

B. Energy was transferred.
500
A scientist finds a rock that has the following characteristics: the minerals are scattered randomly, there are bubbles and holes in the rocks, and it came from close to where Mount St. Helens erupted. Which type of rock would this likely be?

A. sedimentary

B. metamorphic

C. polyclastic

D. igneous

D. igneous
500
The movement of the plates was first described by Alfred Wegener in his theory on Plate Tectonics. Since Wegener, lots of evidence has been found to support this theory. Which of these is not evidence for Plate Tectonics?

A. GPS trackers have mapped plate movement

B. Similar animal and plant fossils have been found in Africa, South America, Australia, and Antartica

C. Similar rock formations have been found on both the Eastern United States and Northwestern Africa

D. Migrations of birds have been tracked to watch the locations they fly to and from.

D. Migrations of birds have been tracked to watch the locations they fly to and from.