What would the concentration of H3O+ be if the concentration of OH– was 1 10-11M?
[H3O+] [OH–] = Kw = 1 10-14
A) 1 10-3
B) 1 103
C) 1 1014
D) 1 1012
E) 1 10-6
Answer:
A piece of pizza is normally a net radiator of energy when its temperature is
A) higher than its surroundings.
B) lower than its surroundings.
C) neither of these
Answer:
As air temperature decreases, relative humidity
A) drops.
B) stays the same.
C) decreases.
D) increases.
Answer:
A composite volcano is formed by
A) successive flows of fluid basaltic lava.
B) a mixture of rock and lava.
C) alternating layers of lava, ash, and mud flow debris.
D) the accumulation of ash, cinders, and rock debris.
Answer:
The Richter magnitude scale is logarithmic, each 1-point increase on the scale
corresponds to a
A) 100-fold increase in the amplitude of ground shaking.
B) 30-fold increase in the amplitude of ground shaking.
C) 10-fold increase in the amplitude of ground shaking.
D) an increase of 30 times the energy for each magnitude.
Answer:
Why isn’t dirt listed in the periodic table?
A) The periodic table lists only elements made of one kind of material. Dirt is a mixture
of elements and compounds.
B) Elements like dirt and air are so common that there is no need to list them in the
periodic table.
C) Dirt IS listed in the periodic table but is not easily recognized because it is listed as
one of the rare earths with its old scientific name, dysprosium, symbol Dy.
D) None of the above is true.
Answer:
How many valence electrons does boron (B, atomic no. = 5) have?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5
Answer:
A supplier wants to make a profit by buying gold by weight at one altitude and selling it
at the same price per newton at another altitude. The supplier should
A) buy at a high altitude and sell at a low altitude.
B) buy at a low altitude and sell at a high altitude.
C) disregard altitude because it makes no difference.
Answer:
A turbogenerator produces
A) energy.
B) power.
C) neither, but transforms energy from one form to another.
D) none of the above
Answer:
If a pressure of 20 kPa is applied to one piston in a simple hydraulic device, the
pressure on a piston of larger area will be
A) less than 20 kPa.
B) the same 20 kPa.
C) more than 20 kPa.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Answer:
If you double the frequency of a vibrating object, its period
A) doubles.
B) is halved.
C) is one-quarter.
Answer:
Traveling from Earth to the Moon requires that a rocket have
A) less than escape speed from Earth.
B) more than escape speed from Earth.
C) any sustained speed if time isn’t a factor.
Answer:
When a bimetallic bar of copper and iron strips is heated, the bar bends toward the iron
strip because
A) iron gets hotter before copper.
B) copper gets hotter before iron.
C) copper expands more than iron.
D) iron expands more than copper.
E) none of the above
Answer:
Minerals that have strong bonds between flat crystal surfaces tend to
A) cleave more easily.
B) show poor cleavage.
C) show well developed cleavage.
D) have a well-developed streak.
Answer:
The temperature at the center of the Sun is about 107 degrees. Does it matter whether
this is stated as Celsius degrees or kelvins?
A) yes, the kelvin rating will be appreciably higher
B) yes, the kelvin rating will be appreciably lower
C) no, they are practically the same
Answer:
Elliptical galaxies
A) tend to be smaller than the other types of galaxies.
B) have little in the way of dust and gas.
C) are thought to be former starburst galaxies.
D) All of the above
Answer:
Which of the following nuclear equations correctly describes beta emission?
A) Th → Pa + e
B) Th → Ac + e
C) Th → Pa + e
D) Th → e
E) none of the above
Answer:
Eternal Inflation refers to
A) the possibility that our universe is only a patch of a greater universe and that the
process of universe spawning will continue forever.
B) the observation that cosmic inflation could eventually curve back in on itself,
causing its opposite: the compression of space.
C) cosmic inflation inflating itself such that its own inflation is self-generating.
D) the presence of a distinct beginning of time.
Answer:
In bombarding atomic nuclei with proton “bullets,” the protons must be accelerated to
high energies to make contact with the target nuclei
A) because the target nuclei are so small.
B) because the target nuclei are negatively charged.
C) in order to penetrate through the electrons that surround each target nucleus.
D) because the target nuclei are positively charged.
Answer:
Earth’s first atmosphere was rich in water vapor but poor in free oxygen. The
atmosphere became more oxygenated with the
A) development of the ozone layer.
B) emergence of stromatolites that developed a simple version of photosynthesis.
C) emergence of gases from volcanic eruptions.
D) both A and B.
Answer:
With no air resistance, a projectile fired at 60 has the same range as if it were fired at
A) 15.
B) 30.
C) 45.
D) 75.
Answer:
Evaporation from the oceans produces clouds that precipitate fresh water rather than
saltwater because
A) salt is too heavy to evaporate.
B) evaporation produces nearly pure water vapor.
C) dissolved salt prevents evaporation.
D) saltwater precipitates over oceans only.
Answer:
Our Earth has many resources, but they are not unlimited. In the case of abundant
metals, supply will most often meet demand. However, problems can occur when
A) there is a shortage of ores that can be mined at a reasonable cost.
B) high grade ores are depleted and low-grade ores need to be mined.
C) transport and processing costs override economic feasibility.
D) all of the above.
Answer:
Which of the following statements describes a neutral solution?
A) [H3O+] > [OH–]
B) [H3O+] < [OH–]
C) [H3O+] [OH–] ≠ 1 10-14
D) [H3O+]/[OH–] = 1 10-14
E) [H3O+]/[OH–] = 1
Answer:
An iron nail is attracted
A) more strongly to the north pole of a magnet.
B) more strongly to the south pole of a magnet.
C) equally to either pole of a magnet.
D) none of the above
Answer:
The power dissipated in a 4-ohm resistor carrying 3 A is
A) 7 W.
B) 18 W.
C) 36 W.
D) 48 W.
E) not enough information
Answer:
Alpha and beta rays are deflected in opposite directions in a magnetic field because
A) they have opposite charges.
B) they spin in opposite directions.
C) alpha particles contain nucleons and beta particles do not.
D) all of the above
Answer:
The age of the Sun is about
A) 7000 years.
B) 5.5 million years.
C) 5.5 billion years.
D) 5.5 trillion years.
E) more than 5.5 trillion years.
Answer:
For each of the following unbalanced equations, which is depicted: oxidation or
reduction?
a) Cr → b)Sn →
A) a) oxidation; b) reduction
B) a) reduction; b) oxidation
C) a) reduction; b) reduction
D) a) oxidation; b) oxidation
Answer:
Which is the earliest stage of a star?
A) Helium collects within the core.
B) Carbon collects within the core.
C) The surface of the star expands into a red giant.
D) The star contracts into a blue giant.
Answer:
Explain why white clothing keeps us cool, whereas black clothing warms us. Which is
the better reflector? Which is the better absorber?
Answer:
Land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley of California is not just a historical
occurrence, it is an ongoing problem. Other than water supply, what are some possible
consequences of land subsidence?
Answer:
What does the principle of superposition say about the ages of rocks?
Answer:
On sunny days, why do hot-air balloons suddenly rise when they drift over a wide road
or a black asphalt parking lot?
Answer:
Subduction is the process of one lithospheric plate descending beneath another. Why
does the oceanic portion of the lithosphere undergo subduction while the continental
portion does not?
Answer:
What event marks the birth of a star, and what event marks its death?
Answer:
What are the eight major plates according to the theory of plate tectonics?
Answer:
What are the three main atmospheric lifting mechanisms?
Answer:
If the Earth and all things on the Earth are continually radiating energy, why doesn’t
everything get progressively colder?
Answer:
Which is greater, the buoyant force that acts on an elephant, or on a helium-filled party
balloon? Explain why the balloon rises in air and the elephant doesn’t.
Answer:
Paleozoic sedimentary rocks derived from marine deposits are widely distributed in all
of the continents. What does this indicate about the height of the continents relative to
sea level during the Paleozoic?
Answer:
What is an echo, and why is it weaker than the original sound?
Answer:
What effect does the formation of sea ice in polar regions have on the density of
seawater?
Answer:
What is the major source of energy responsible for earthquakes in southern California?
Answer:
What is the principle of isostasy, and what evidence supports it?
Answer:
How are tensional and compressional forces related to faulting and folding?
Answer: