Inside a freely-falling elevator your
A) acceleration is zero.
B) weight is zero.
C) gravitational interaction with Earth is zero.
D) all the above
E) none of the above
Answer:
Going from most significant to least significant, the atmospheric gases contributing to
the greenhouse effect include
A) carbon dioxide and water vapor.
B) carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxides, and CFCs.
C) water vapor and carbon dioxide.
D) water vapor, CFCs, carbon dioxide, and ozone.
Answer:
All minerals are
A) organic.
B) crystals.
C) crystalline solids.
D) synthetic.
Answer:
Wave speed and wave frequency are two terms that are
A) basically the same.
B) fundamentally different from each other.
C) opposites.
D) reciprocals.
Answer:
A ball rests in the middle of a cart. When you quickly jerk the cart forward, the ball
A) hits the front of the cart.
B) hits the back of the cart.
C) remains in the middle of the cart.
D) all, depending on how quickly the cart is pulled
Answer:
Radiometric dating assumes that, once a mineral has crystallized, any daughter product
results only from the decay of the original unstable parent. Some complications are
A) variations in temperature.
B) failure to take samples too close together.
C) “time clock resetting” due to metamorphism, and product leakage that yields false
age estimation.
D) a poorly maintained teleometer.
Answer:
When you step off a bus moving at 2 m/s, your horizontal speed when you meet the
ground is
A) zero.
B) less than 2 m/s but greater than zero.
C) about 2 m/s.
D) greater than 2 m/s.
Answer:
In the tropics, the trade winds drive equatorial ocean currents
A) eastward.
B) westward.
C) southward.
D) northward.
Answer:
An acoustical engineer designing a music hall is most concerned with
A) modulation.
B) forced vibrations.
C) resonance.
D) beats.
E) reverberations.
Answer:
Why do comet’s tails always point away from the Sun?
A) because of solar wind
B) because the inner planets cause the ice and other volatile materials to be pulled
towards their orbits
C) because of the comet’s interaction with dark matter
D) because when they move away from the Sun they begin to lose inertia
Answer:
Why might the following nuclear reaction not be very good for energy production in a
fission reactor?
U → Th + He + 3 neutrons
A) The material only produces a few neutrons so the chain reaction will not be very
efficient.
B) The reactants are too small to obtain much energy from the missing mass due to the
strong nuclear force.
C) The products are not the right size to obtain much energy from missing mass due to
strong nuclear force.
D) The mass of the byproducts is too high and therefore the energy released will not be
large enough.
E) Interatomic attraction between the products will impede the separation of the atoms
from the unstable nuclei.
Answer:
From first to last, name the eons on the Geologic Time Scale.
A) Phanerozoic, Proterozoic, Archean, Hadean.
B) Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, Phanerozoic.
C) Proterozoic, Phanerozoic, Hadean, Archean.
D) Precambrian, Phanerozoic, Proterozoic, Paleozoic.
Answer:
According to the theory of seafloor spreading, molten rock is rising up along
A) the mid-ocean ridges.
B) trenches that border continental margins.
C) islands surrounding the Pacific volcanic rim.
D) areas of sinking seafloor.
Answer:
A sample of iron weighs more after it rusts because
A) it has expanded into a greater volume.
B) rust contains twice as many iron atoms.
C) of the additional oxygen it contains.
D) Wrong. Iron actually weighs less after it rusts.
Answer:
The break-up of Pangaea had worldwide consequences with the exception of
A) the lowering of sea level.
B) a rise in sea level.
C) the divergence and evolution of new species.
D) climate change.
Answer:
When precipitation at the ocean surface exceeds evaporation, the salinity of seawater
A) increases.
B) decreases.
C) stays the same.
Answer:
Warmer temperatures can be expected
A) behind a stationary front.
B) behind an advancing warm front.
C) ahead of an advancing cold front.
D) behind an advancing cold front.
Answer:
Which is most responsible for the ocean tides?
A) the Moon
B) the Sun
C) Both contribute equally.
Answer:
What is oxidation?
A) the loss of electrons
B) the reaction with oxygen
C) the reduction of oxygen
D) the gaining of electrons
E) the addition of an electron to the valence shell
Answer:
The two measurements necessary for calculating average speed are
A) acceleration and time.
B) velocity and time.
C) distance and time.
D) distance and acceleration.
E) velocity and distance.
Answer:
As you jump up and down on a floor, the support force by the floor experiences
A) changes.
B) no changes.
C) none of the above.
Answer:
If you toss a ball straight upward at 40 m/s, with no air resistance it returns to you at a
speed of
A) zero.
B) 10 m/s.
C) 40 m/s.
D) more than 40 m/s.
Answer:
The lowest temperature on any given day occurs
A) around midnight.
B) around sunset.
C) around sunrise.
D) at about 4:00 pm.
Answer:
The inks used in printing the full-color photos in a common magazine are
A) red, green, and blue.
B) red, green, blue, and black.
C) magenta, cyan, and yellow.
D) magenta, cyan, yellow, and black.
E) none of the above
Answer:
A friend argues that if mass were really conserved he would never need to refill his gas
tank. What explanation do you offer your friend?
A) The atoms (mass) of gasoline are converted into energy by the engine according to
E=m .
B) The Law of Conservation of Mass does not apply to reactions involving combustion
or explosion of matter.
C) The atoms (mass) of gasoline are converted into exhaust fumes.
D) The oil companies make gasoline in a way that it gets used up so that we are always
required to replenish it.
Answer:
Conditions for the preservation of fossils are best achieved
A) in desert environments.
B) in glaciated environments.
C) in shallow river beds.
D) on the floors of shallow seas.
Answer:
When you toss a ball upward, after the ball leaves your hand
A) the force of your hand moves it up and gradually changes direction.
B) the upward force changes direction at the top of the path.
C) we see that force and velocity are essentially the same thing.
D) none of the above
Answer:
If you break a bar magnet in half you’ll
A) destroy its magnetic properties.
B) have two magnets.
C) have four magnets.
D) none of the above
Answer:
Polarization is a property of
A) transverse waves.
B) longitudinal waves.
C) both of these
D) none of the above
Answer:
A current of 4 A exist in the primary coil of a transformer powered with 110 V. What is
the power output of the secondary coil?
A) 27.5 W
B) 110 W
C) 440 W
D) 880 W
E) not enough information
Answer:
If gravity between the Sun and Earth suddenly vanished, Earth would move in
A) a curved path.
B) an outward spiral path.
C) an inward spiral path.
D) a straight-line path.
Answer:
The ultimate source of energy from fossil fuels is the
A) Sun.
B) radioactivity in Earth’s interior.
C) photosynthesis process.
D) natural processes in Earth’s interior.
Answer:
Most of the energy during the collapse of the iron core of a supergiant star is released in
the form of neutrinosnearly massless subatomic particles that rarely interact with
matter. So how is it they can blow away a stars outer shells?
A) Although they rarely interact with matter, the sheer number released during the
collapse is enough to move most of the star’s mass into surrounding space at incredibly
high rates of speed.
B) By creating a massive magnetic field that convulses in on itself, ripping away the
stars outer shells
C) When neutrinos exceed a certain speed, 22,300 km/s, they interact with matter quite
effectively.
D) By developing a temporary, but relatively strong positive charge
Answer: