Adaptations
Fossils
The Earth
The Universe
Scientific Inquiry
100
If the climate of an area quickly becomes much hotter, what kind of animals are most likely to survive? A. animals that are very fast B. animals that sleep during the day C. animals whose fur grows thicker D. animals with a good sense of smell
What is B. animals that sleep during the day
100
What is a fossil? A. an old bone B. the remains of an organism C. rock D. amber
What is B. the remains of an organism
100
The islands of Hawaii are the upper part of mountains that rise from the ocean floor. How did the islands form? A. Lava from volcanoes on the ocean floor built up to form the islands over millions of years. B. Weather wore away a small continent over millions of years and only islands made of the toughest rocks remain. C. The islands were once part of North America but shifting crustal plates moved them into the ocean over millions of years. D. New coral reefs were built on top of older reefs to form the islands over millions of years.
What is A. Lava from volcanoes on the ocean floor built up to form the islands over millions of years.
100
The "Great Red Spot" is actually a large storm in this planet's atmosphere. The storm on this planet is twice the size of Earth. What is the name of this planet? A. Jupiter B. Mars C. Mercury D. Saturn
What is A. Jupiter
100
Kanesha wants to know how many different rabbits live in her backyard. She sees rabbits hopping around in the morning and in the afternoon. Which of these would help Kanesha answer her question? A. Make a large poster that describes the right kind of habitat for rabbits. B. Ask her teachers to find out how many rabbits can live in a backyard. C. Go to the library and find as many books as possible about rabbits. D. Observe the rabbits and look for differences in size, color, and markings.
What is D. Observe the rabbits and look for differences in size, color, and markings.
200
Small mammals, such as mice and voles, are food for larger carnivores. Why have these small mammal species continued to survive over time? A. Small mammals have more defenses than carnivores. B. Small mammals have warmer dens than carnivores. C. Small mammals reproduce more often then carnivores. D. Small mammals move much faster than carnivores.
What is D. small mammals move much faster than carnivores.
200
Dr. Smith is studying horses. He goes to a museum to look at fossils of horses. What can he learn from the fossils? A. the reason horses prosper in some places. B. the color of horses a long time ago. C. how horses became extinct D. how horses have changed over time
What is D. how horses have changed over time
200
Dr. Berry sailed away from the shore to look for ocean wildlife. At first the water was shallow and light blue, but soon it became darker and deeper. What feature was Dr. Berry sailing over when the water first became darker and deeper. A. continental shelf B. continental slope C. continental drift D. continental divide
What is B. continental slope.
200
Which planet's orbit is closest to Earth's orbit? A. Jupiter B. Saturn C. Neptune D. Venus
What is D. Venus
200
Darius wants to find out if the force needed to move an object depends on the mass of the object. Which investigation would help answer his question? A. Use a rope and pulley to life objects of different masses an equal distance, and compare the amount of force needed to lift each object. B. Place objects of different masses in a tub of water and compare the final position of each object in the water. C. Drop objects of different masses down a stairwell and compare the amount of time it takes each object to strike the floor. D. Use an oven to heat objects of different masses and compare the amount of time it takes each object to change state.
What is A. use a rope and pulley to lift objects of different masses an equal distance, and compare the amount of force needed to lift each object.
300
Which organisms would likely survive in a tropical environment? A. mosses B. armadillos C. badgers D. evergreens
What is A. mosses
300
What do scientists use to figure out which organisms lived during the Cretaceous period? A. icebergs B. crystals C. chemicals D. fossils
What is D. fossils
300
Which BEST describes why cities near oceans are often warmer in the winter than cities far from the ocean at the same latitude? A. Oceans cool more slowly than land. B. Ocean tides are highest in the winter. C. The moon heats the air over the ocean. D. Ocean waves move more quickly in the winter.
What is A. oceans cool more slowly than land
300
Katlin listed the planets in order form the most dense to the least dense. She included their densities in grams per cubic centimeter in the parentheses. Inner planets: Earth (5.5), Mercury (5.4), Venus (5.2), Mars (3.9) Outer planets: Neptune (1.6), Jupiter (1.3), Uranus (1.2), Saturn (0.7) Which planet is likely to be composed mostly of gases? A. Saturn B. Mars C. Mercury D. Earth
What is A. Saturn
300
Chelsea lives near the ocean and wants to now how close to saltwater sunflowers will grow. What would help Chelsea find out? A. Put sunflower seeds in a cup of fresh water and record what happens to the seeds. B. Plant sunflower seeds at different distances from the water and record how well each one grows. C. Plant sunflower seeds in large pots, move them to a new place each day, and record how well each one grows. D. Put sunflower seeds in a cup of beach sand and record what happens to the seeds.
What is B. Plant sunflower seeds at different distances from the water and record how well each one grows.
400
Which stage in the life cycle of an organism is essential to the survival of the species? A. death B. development C. birth D. reproduction
What is D. reproduction
400
If you found a fossil of an ancient shark tooth and compared it to a tooth of a modern day shark, you would find the ancient shark tooth to be 5 times larger. Based on the teeth, which is the BEST conclusion? A. Sharks that live today are longer than sharks that lived long ago. B. Sharks that live today are smaller than sharks that lived long ago. C. Modern sharks eat more food than sharks that lived long ago. D. Modern sharks live in different habitats than sharks that lived long ago.
What is B. Sharks that live today are smaller than sharks that lived long ago.
400
A diagram shows the water temperature of the ocean is 27 degrees Celsius. On the land, the temperature is 35 degrees Celsius. This situation is an example of the A. cause of sea breezes B. effect of erosion on the shoreline C. movement of crustal plates D. formation of a hurricane
What is A. cause of sea breezes
400
Here are some planet characteristics: Planet Distance from the sun Diameter Avg. Temp. Mercury 57 million km 4,876 141 C Venus 107 million km 12,107 449 C Earth 150 million km 12,755 7.2 C Mars 229 million km 6,794 -44 Jupiter 777 million km 142,983 -155 Which planet is CLOSEST in size to Earth? A. Mercury B. Venus C. Mars D. Jupiter
What is B. Venus
400
Why is the scientific process important? A. It enables scientists to gather information from experimentation that will explain the unknown. B. It helps us survive in our daily lives by outlining and organizing activities. C. The scientific process is the formula for all organisms genetic makeup. D. The scientific process is a listing of the eras in Earth's history and the characteristics of each era.
What is A. It enables scientists to gather information from experimentation that will explain the unknown.
500
Which of these is an example of one animal adapting to its environment by using mimicry of a similar looking animal? A. a leaf butterfly and a leaf B. a dark-colored pepper moth and a sooty tree C. a yellow jacket and a syrphid fly D. a snowshoe hare and its white fur in winter
What is C. a yellow jacket and a syrphid fly
500
A fossil was found to have two very large and sharp incisor teeth. What did this animal MOST LIKELY eat? A. grasses B. insects C. other animals D. dead material
What is C. other animals
500
Some mountain ranges affect the climate on both sides of the range. These ranges have forests on one side and deserts on the other side. What causes the difference in climate? A. As clouds rise over the mountains, they slow down and provide more shade to one side than the other. B. As clouds rise over the mountains, they speed up and provide more wind to one side than the other. C. As clouds rise over the mountains, they cool off and release more rain on one side than the other. D. As clouds rise over the mountains, they heat up and absorb more water from one side than the other.
What is C. As clouds rise over the mountains, they cool off and release more rain on one side than the other.
500
Ear thermometers are actually ________ thermometers that were originally used by NASA to read the temperature of stars. A. mercury B. infrared C. alcohol D. lead
What is B. infrared
500
A student is trying to determine if the composition of ice cubes affects the melting point. Which will be the BEST investigation to use? A. Freeze pure water in 3 identical ice cube trays, and then place each tray on a table in different rooms. B. Freeze pure water, sugar water, and salt water in 3 identical ice cube trays, and then place the trays side by side on the same table. C. Freeze pure water in 3 different-sized ice cube trays, and then place each tray on a different table in the same room. D. Freeze pure water, sugar water, and salt water in 3 different-sized ice cube trays, and then place the trays side by side on the same table.
What is B. Freeze pure water, sugar water, and salt water in 3 identical ice cube trays, and then place the trays side by side on the same table.