Science Quiz

Agustin visits Panama City, Florida, during the month of May. He feels a shore breeze blowing from the ocean onto the beach. What causes this shore breeze?

• The ocean is colder than the land.

• The land is colder than the ocean.

• The ocean is denser than the land.

• The land is denser than the ocean.

Keesha did an experiment to study the rate of photosynthesis in the water plant Elodea. She placed a piece of Elodea in a beaker of water and set the beaker 10 centimeters (cm) from a light source. Keesha counted the bubbles released from the plant every minute for five minutes (min). She repeated the process two more times. First, she moved the light to 20 cm from the beaker, and then she moved the light to 30 cm from the beaker. Keesha’s setup and data are shown below.

• the number of bubbles produced

• the type of plant placed in the beaker

• the distance of the light source from the plant

• the amount of time the bubbles were counted

A paleontologist is interested in the size and shape of a recently discovered bone. She thinks that it may have come from a previously unknown species of dinosaur. A microbiologist has isolated a type of bacterium that he thinks may be responsible for a new disease. What is the next best step that the scientists should take?

What property of water is most important for living organisms?

• It is odorless.

• It does not conduct electricity.

• It is tasteless.

• It is liquid at most temperatures on Earth.

Which of these statements is best illustrated by this diagram?

• Animals under water eat plants.

• Land animals exhale oxygen into water.

• Water-dwelling animals breathe carbon dioxide.

• Plants can take in carbon dioxide from air and water.

Thunderstorms and hurricanes are examples of severe weather. Which of these weather conditions is necessary for the formation of thunderstorms and hurricanes?

• a cold rain falling to the ground.

• air masses combining to create a high-pressure area.

• winds spiraling downward and away from the center of a storm.

• air moving toward the center of a storm and rising into the atmosphere.

Lori is learning about two parts of the rock cycle: weathering and erosion. She needs to explain how weathering and erosion are different. Which of the following correctly describes the difference between weathering and erosion?

• Weathering is the movement of rocks by wind; erosion is the movement of rocks by water.

• Weathering is the formation of rocks from lava; erosion is the weathered materials from an area.

• Weathering is the breaking down of rocks; erosion is the movement of weathered materials.

• Weathering is when rocks change from one type of rock to another; erosion is when rocks are broken down.

Dead Ocean animals fall to the bottom of the ocean. A scientist notes rock layers that have formed on the ocean bottom with fossils of some of these animals. What type of rock is this?

• Lava

• Igneous

• Sedimentary

• Metamorphic

Many places, like the Grand Canyon, are the result of a combination of processes that continue to shape Earth, like the water cycle and the rock cycle. How does the water cycle influence the rock cycle in an area like the Grand Canyon?

• Large amounts of flowing water increase the rate of weathering and erosion.

• Too much rain soaking into the ground slows the rate of new rock formation.

• Sudden evaporation of water removes moisture from rock layers in the canyon walls.

• Decreased rainfall makes the rocks hard and brittle, so that they crumble into pebbles.

Evidence suggests that Earth is about 4.6 billion years old, even though no Earth rocks have been found that can be dated at more than 4 billion years old. This discrepancy is most likely caused by Earth’s original crust being

• Difficult to date so precisely.

• Subject to extensive erosion.

• Blasted away during Earth’s formation.

• Destroyed by solar radiation.