Subduction occurs as a result of
A) slab pullgravity pulls older and denser lithosphere downward.
B) horizontal plate accommodation.
C) upwelling of hot mantle material along the trench.
D) lubrication from the generation of andesitic magma.
Answer:
The discharge of a stream is directly related to the
A) volume of water flowing past a given point in a channel in a given amount of time.
B) cross-sectional area of a channel and the average stream velocity.
C) average stream speed and frictional contact.
D) channel geometry and frictional contact.
Answer:
Blowing sand in a sand dune, settles
A) on the windward slope of the dune.
B) on the leeward slope of the dune.
C) on surrounding mounds of vegetation.
D) in the wind shadow of the leeward slope.
Answer:
According to special relativity, two events that occur simultaneously in one frame of
reference
A) are also simultaneous in all frames of reference.
B) can be non-simultaneous in another frame of reference.
C) is evidence for the constant speed of light.
D) are in reality non-simultaneous.
Answer:
With respect to the stars, the Moon
A) circles the Earth.
B) and the Earth circle each other.
C) remains stationary while the Earth circles about it.
D) does not rotate about its own axis as the Earth does.
Answer:
A soil composed of flattened soil particles will most likely have a
A) high porosity.
B) low porosity.
C) high permeability.
D) low hydraulic conductivity.
Answer:
Consider two vertical tubes of equal cross-section area, one containing water and the
other mercury. If the liquid pressures at the bottom of the tubes are equal, both liquids
would have equal
A) volumes.
B) densities.
C) weights.
D) number of molecules.
E) none of the above
Answer:
The currently accepted reasoning for why the cosmic background radiation is so
uniform in temperature is because
A) this temperature uniformity was achieved in the moments before cosmic inflation.
B) as the universe has had time to cool, the hotter parts transferred their heat to the
cooler regions.
C) microwaves can only function at a certain very limited range of temperature.
D) space is a vacuum and thus cannot retain heat very well.
Answer:
Dipole-induced dipole forces of attraction exist between water and gasoline, and yet
these two substances do not mix because water has such a strong attraction for itself.
Which of the following compounds might best help to make these two substances mix
into a single liquid phase?
A) the molecule on the far left because the O-H bond is polar and the carbon and
hydrogen bonds are nonpolar
B) the molecule in the middle because when the salts mix into the water, it will help
separate the water and decrease the attraction for itself
C) The molecule on the right will form attractions with the polar ends of the water,
allowing the gasoline a chance to mix with the water.
D) All of these molecules would be equally effective at increasing the mixing of
gasoline and water.
Answer:
Thermal energy is measured in
A) calories.
B) Calories.
C) joules.
D) any or all of the above for special cases
Answer:
According to the following reaction, which molecule is acting as an acid?
H2O + NH3 → OH– + NH4
+
A) H2O
B) NH3
C) OH–
D) NH4
+
E) none of the above
Answer:
Supernovae are one of the most extreme events in the known universe. They are caused
by
A) the implosion of a white dwarf, which has run out of all its fuel.
B) a supermassive supergiant star undergoing a massive nuclear chain reaction.
C) the collapse of a supermassive supergiant star.
D) Any of the above.
Answer:
The fundamental force underlying all chemical reactions is
A) gravitational.
B) nuclear.
C) centripetal.
D) electrical.
E) none of the above
Answer:
A transformer has an input of 6 V and an output of 42 V. If the input is changed to 12 V,
the output would be
A) 12 V.
B) 48 V.
C) 84 V.
D) more than 84 V.
E) none of the above
Answer:
The pair of protons in the nucleus of a helium atom
A) attracts a pair of orbiting electrons.
B) repels orbiting electrons.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Answer:
Which of these forms of energy is not renewable?
A) wind power
B) solar power
C) fossil fuel power
D) photovoltaic power
Answer:
Clocks on fast-moving spaceship shizzing past Earth appear to run slow when viewed
from
A) inside the spaceship.
B) Earth.
C) Both of these.
D) Neither of these.
Answer:
An occluded front can occur when
A) two different air masses are unable to overtake one another.
B) a warm front and a cold front merge.
C) warm air moves into a cold air mass.
D) a cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass.
Answer:
The elliptical orbit of Mercury measurably precesses because
A) Mercury moves in the gravitational field of the other planets.
B) Mercury travels faster than any other planet.
C) Mercury is closest to the Sun.
D) the Sun’s gravitational field varies along Mercury’s orbit.
E) none of these
Answer:
When thermal energy is added to boiling water, the water temperature
A) increases.
B) decreases.
C) remains the same.
Answer:
The amphoteric reaction between two water molecules is endothermic, which means
that this reaction requires the input of energy in order to proceed:
Energy + O + O → + O
The warmer the temperature of the water, the more thermal energy is available for this
reaction, and the more hydronium and hydroxide ions are formed. Based on this
information, should the value of be expected to increase, decrease, or stay the same
with increasing temperature?
A) The value of will stay the same, since it is a constant.
B) The value of will decrease, since there are more hydronium ions than hydroxide
ions.
C) The value of will increase since the rise in temperature allows for a higher
concentration of both ions.
D) The value of will decrease since there are more hydroxide ions than hydronium
ions.
Answer:
Which of the above illustrations shows a basic aqueous solution?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) All of the above are neutral solutions.
E) none of the above
Answer:
A scientific hypothesis can be disproved with
A) one reproducible experiment.
B) disapproval of other scientists.
C) many tests by many scientists.
D) philosophical reasoning.
Answer:
Ten seconds after starting from rest, a freely-falling baseball will have a speed of about
A) 10 m/s.
B) 50 m/s.
C) 100 m/s.
D) 500 m/s.
E) more than 500 m/s.
Answer:
Many people hear about atmospheric ozone depletion and wonder why we don’t simply
replace that which has been destroyed. Knowing about CFCs and how catalysts work,
explain how this would not be a lasting solution.
A) The amount of energy required to create and transport sufficient ozone to the
stratosphere would be cost prohibitive.
B) Governments would be too slow to respond as they argued about who should
shoulder the burden of undertaking such an endeavor.
C) Any ozone we placed into the stratosphere would be destroyed by the same catalytic
action that destroys naturally occurring stratospheric ozone.
D) all of the above
Answer:
Compressions and rarefactions of sound waves normally travel
A) at different speeds.
B) in opposite directions.
C) at reduced frequencies.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Answer:
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis force causes all free-moving objects in the air
to curve
A) to the left of their intended path.
B) to the right of their intended path.
C) counterclockwise to their intended path.
D) clockwise to their intended path.
Answer:
When a scientist is dishonest and reports false information, he or she
A) will usually be excused by the scientific community.
B) after an apology, will be excused by the scientific community.
C) gets no second chance in the scientific community.
D) will likely be burned at the stake.
Answer:
The upper mantle is the region known as the
A) asthenosphere.
B) lithosphere.
C) mohorovicic.
D) centrosphere.
Answer:
Compared to noise, musical sounds commonly have
A) periodic tones.
B) musical notes.
C) both of these
D) neither of these
Answer: