Biology
Earth and Space Science
Mathematics
ENERGY
Physical Science
100

To what genus do brown bears belong?  

ANSWER: URSUS

100

What is the ratio of iron to oxygen in the mineral hematite?  
W) 1 to 2
X) 1 to 3
Y) 2 to 3
Z) 3 to 2 

Y) 2 to 3

100

What is 23% of 4? 

  • ANSWER: 0.92 (ACCEPT: 23/25)
100

Researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab are attempting to understand fluid flow in the non-laminar regime. This regime of flow, in which fluid velocity and pressure change chaotically, is called what?  


  • ANSWER: TURBULENCE  
100

A cup of black coffee has a pH of 5, and a solution of ammonia has a pH of 11. How many times as acidic is the coffee compared to the ammonia? 


  • ANSWER: 1,000,000 
200

In the normal human eye, how many distinct types of cone cells are there? 

  • ANSWER: 3
200

Which of the following metamorphic rocks exhibits foliation?  
W) Schist
X) Marble
Y) Quartzite
 Z) Amphibolite [am-FIB-oh-lite] 

W) Schist

200

A pyramid with 36 edges has how many vertices? 

  • ANSWER: 19
200

Scientists at Idaho National Lab are developing uranium silicide fuel pellets for next-generation nuclear reactors to replace current uranium dioxide fuel pellets. What is the oxidation state of uranium metal in uranium dioxide?

  • ANSWER: +4 (ACCEPT: 4)
200

Solvated electrons appear a vibrant blue in solution. Which of the following colors of light is being absorbed?  
W) Violet
X) Orange
Y) Green
Z) Blue

X) Orange

300

What type of virus has an RNA genome that it converts into DNA once it enters the host cell?  

  • ANSWER: RETROVIRUS  
300

What planet has a mean density about 70 percent that of Earth, and surface acceleration due to gravity about 40 percent that of Earth? 

  • ANSWER: MARS
300

A ball is dropped from the top of a 45-meter-tall building. After each bounce, it reaches one-third of the height from which it previously fell. In meters, what is the total vertical distance the ball has traveled when it hits the ground for the 3rd time?

  • ANSWER: 85
300

Ames National Lab researchers are studying alane, or aluminum hydride. This substance is generally used in synthetic chemistry labs to perform what chemical role?  
W) Reducing agent
X) Oxidizing agent
Y) Combustion catalyst
Z) Heterogeneous [hetero-JEE-nee-us] catalyst  

W) Reducing agent

300

Suppose that a 50-kilogram cart and a 70-kilogram cart, both traveling at 5 meters per second in opposite directions, collide and stick together. In meters per second with one significant figure, what is the speed of the final composite object? 

  • ANSWER: 0.8
400

Which of the following statements is NOT true regarding chloroplasts?  
W) Chloroplasts possess inner and outer membranes
X) Thylakoids contain chlorophylls and carotenoids [cah-ROT-en-oids]
Y) Pigment molecules and proteins associate to form photosystems
Z) The stroma is characterized by surface area-increasing folds called cristae [KRIS-tee]  

Z) The stroma is characterized by surface area-increasing folds called cristae [KRIS-tee]  

400

What continent has the lowest amount of annual rainfall per unit area?  

  • ANSWER: ANTARCTICA
400

To the nearest whole number, 111 kilometers per hour is how many meters per second?

  • ANSWER: 31
400

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab at the IceCube experiment are studying high-energy neutrinos. Most high-energy neutrinos are produced by high-energy cosmic interactions, while low-energy neutrinos detected on Earth are primarily produced from nuclear reactors and what other major source?

  • ANSWER: SUN
400

Which of the following quantities is dimensionless?  
W) The volume of an internal combustion engine
X) The perimeter of the Earth
Y) The number of molecules in 1 gram of water
Z) The mass of one mole of sodium atoms 

Y) The number of molecules in 1 gram of water

500

Mollusks possess a flexible, tongue-shaped feeding structure called what?  
W) Radula [RAD-yoo-lah]
X) Mantle
Y) Siphon
Z) Viscera [VIH-sur-ah]

W) Radula [RAD-yoo-lah]

500

Rank the following three elements in increasing order in terms of their mass abundance in the ocean: 1) Chlorine, 2) Hydrogen; 3) Sodium. 


  • ANSWER: 3,1,2
500

To the nearest integer, what is the length of a space diagonal in a right rectangular prism with edges of length 4, 9, and 12?

  • ANSWER: 16
500

In order to indirectly measure the average kinetic energy of atoms in a given location, physicists at Oak Ridge National Lab have developed a device that will produce a nanometer-resolution map of what property of a crystal? 

  • ANSWER: TEMPERATURE  
500

How many milliliters of a 0.1 molar hydrochloric acid solution contain the same amount of acid as 2 milliliters of a 12-molar hydrochloric acid solution?  

  • ANSWER: 240