If the Sun were twice as massive,
A) its pull on the Earth would double.
B) Earth’s pull on the Sun would double.
C) both of these
D) none of the above
Answer:
The outer core
A) has a plastic-like flow.
B) flows fast enough to power Earth’s magnetic field.
C) is solid as a rock.
D) transmits S-waves.
Answer:
Two chemical structures are shown, one of a typical gasoline molecule and the other of
a typical motor oil molecule. Which is which?
Base your reasoning not on memorization but rather upon what you know about
molecular interactions and the various physical properties of gasoline and motor oil.
A) Structure A represents the gas molecule because there are more bonds to gain energy
from, giving it a higher energy content than oil.
B) Structure A represents motor oil, illustrating a molecule with greater induced
dipole-induced dipole molecular interactions thus, the molecules are strongly attracted
to one another.
C) Structure B represents the oil molecule. Because oil molecules are smaller, they can
compact closer together, giving the appearance of a thicker solution than gasoline.
D) Structure B represents crude oil which is processed to generate longer molecules of
gasoline to prevent toxic vapors from harming consumers.
Answer:
For a falling ball the action force is the pull of Earth on the ball. The reaction force is
the
A) air resistance acting against the ball.
B) acceleration of the ball.
C) pull of the ball on Earth.
D) nonexistent.
E) none of the above
Answer:
Ice tends to form at the
A) surface of bodies of water.
B) layer of water slightly below the surface.
C) bottom of bodies of water.
Answer:
The driving force of our planet’s hydrologic cycle comes from
A) the balance between precipitation and evaporation.
B) precipitation of water over the oceans.
C) solar energy.
D) wind.
Answer:
Which of these is a scientific hypothesis (that could be proved wrong)?
A) atoms in proper proportions make us feel good
B) atoms are in all the stars in the universe
C) an atom is the smallest bit of matter in a material
D) none of the above
Answer:
The neon atom tends not to lose any electrons because
A) of its relatively strong effective nuclear charge.
B) that would result in a negative ion.
C) its electrons are paired together within the same orbitals.
D) the ionization energy is so high.
Answer:
The density of air at room temperature is about 1.2 g/cm3. This is the same as
A) 12 kg/m3.
B) 120 kg/m3.
C) 1200 kg/m3.
Answer:
When ice floats in water, a small part of it extends above the surface. Interestingly, the
volume of ice that extends above the surface is equal to the volume of the
A) water the ice displaces.
B) vast number of open spaces in the hexagonal ice crystals.
C) both of these
D) none of the above
Answer:
A 10-kg block is pushed across a friction-free horizontal surface with a horizontal force
of 20 N. The acceleration of the block is
A) 1 m/s2.
B) 2 m/s2.
C) 5 m/s2.
D) 10 m/s2.
E) none of the above
Answer:
Refraction causes the bottom of a swimming pool to appear
A) deeper.
B) more shallow.
C) neither
Answer:
Because of refraction a fish in the water appears
A) nearer the surface.
B) deeper in the water.
C) at its actual depth.
Answer:
Which of the following is a negative ion?
A) Na+1
B) Na
C) O-2
D) O
E) all of the above
Answer:
Which of the following describes how a metal atoms behaves in a bulk metallic object?
A) The metal ion shares its outermost electrons freely with its neighbors.
B) The metal atoms have limited interaction with neighboring atoms.
C) The metal atom shares its electrons in a very directional manner.
D) The metal atom shares its electrons with only one other atom.
E) none of the above
Answer:
Clouds that develop about 1000 meters above the ground are generally
A) cirrus and cirrocumulus type clouds.
B) cumulus and stratus type clouds.
C) cumulus and cirrocumulus type clouds.
D) cirrocumulus and altocumulus type clouds.
Answer:
A topic that most underlies electrical studies and all of physics is
A) Newton’s laws of motion.
B) the conservation of momentum.
C) the conservation of energy.
Answer:
Poke a pinhole in a piece of card and hold it in sunlight and an image of the Sun is cast
on the floor. The Sun-image diameter depends on the height of the pinhole above the
floor. Measurements for all heights show the Sun-image diameter is about 1/100 the
distance between the pinhole and the floor. This means that
A) about 100 end-to-end Sun images would fit between the pinhole and the floor.
B) distance-wise, the Sun is about 100 Suns away from Earth.
C) both of these
D) none of the above
Answer:
The asthenosphere is part of the
A) crust.
B) lithosphere.
C) mantle.
D) outer core.
Answer:
Balance the following chemical equation.
________ N2 + ________ H2 → ________ NH3
A) 1, 3, 2
B) 1, 2, 3
C) 3, 2, 1
D) 2, 6, 4
E) 1/2, 3/2, 1
Answer:
Whether a truck comes to a stop by crashing into a haystack or a brick wall, the
stopping force is
A) greater with the haystack.
B) greater with the brick wall.
C) both the same
Answer:
Which of the following statements about fusion is the most accurate?
A) The mass of the products is less than the mass of the reactants.
B) The mass of the reactants is less than the mass of the products.
C) A nuclear fusion will always release energy.
D) Overcoming the strong nuclear force results in the release of a large amount of
energy.
E) Fission releases more energy than fusion.
Answer:
For each 8-km segment of a satellite in close Earth orbit, the “drop” toward Earth is
about
A) 5 m.
B) 10 m.
C) also 8 km.
Answer:
A rise in pressure is an indication
A) of an approaching cold front.
B) that a cold front has passed.
C) orographic lifting.
D) a stationary front.
Answer:
A jumbo jet of mass 100,000 kg during takeoff experience a thrust for each of its four
engines of 50,000 N, producing an acceleration of
A) 0.5 m/s2.
B) 1 m/s2.
C) 2 m/s2.
D) 4 m/s2.
E) none of the above
Answer:
The layered appearance of foliated metamorphic rocks is due to the
A) laying down of micaceous minerals, layer upon layer.
B) realignment of sheet-structured minerals so that they are perpendicular to
compressive forces.
C) recrystallization of minerals.
D) mechanical deformation of sheet-structured minerals.
Answer:
A flask half filled with water is on a weighing scale. If you float a piece of wood in it,
the scale reading will be
A) less.
B) the same.
C) greater.
Answer:
Suppose you sound a 1056-Hz tuning fork when you strike a note on the piano and hear
2 beats/second. You tighten the piano string very slightly and now hear 3 beats/second.
What is the frequency of the piano string?
A) 1053 Hz
B) 1054 Hz
C) 1056 Hz
D) 1058 Hz
E) 1059 Hz
Answer:
Which of the following bonds would be the least polar?
A) C-F
B) C-O
C) C-Cl
D) C-H
E) All are equally polar.
Answer:
Glass in a florist’s greenhouse blocks radiation of relatively
A) high frequencies.
B) low frequencies.
C) all frequencies.
Answer:
The block that displaces the greatest volume of water when submerged is a
A) 1-kg block of aluminum.
B) 1-kg block of iron.
C) 1-kg block of lead.
D) all the same
Answer:
The H-R Diagram, an important tool of astronomers, relates stellar temperature to
stellar
A) distance.
B) mass.
C) color.
D) density.
E) luminosity.
Answer:
Which of the following describes reverse osmosis?
A) High pressure saltwater is forced against a semipermeable membrane and fresh
water comes out.
B) Saltwater is chemically reacted with aluminum particles, which chemically binds to
the chloride ions.
C) The water is heated until it evaporates and condenses in a pure form.
D) High pressure saltwater is reacted with aluminum, which absorbs the sodium ions in
an oxidation reaction.
E) none of the above
Answer:
Which of the following reactions illustrates an amphoteric compound?
A) 2 HF H⇌2F+ + F–
B) NaOH + HBr NaBr + H⇌2O
C) 2 H2 + O2 2 H⇌2O
D) All are amphoteric.
E) none of the above
Answer: