Helium, He, is a nonmetallic gas and the second element in the periodic table. Rather
than being placed adjacent to hydrogen, H, however, helium is placed on the far right of
the table because
A) hydrogen and helium repel one another.
B) the sizes of their atoms are vastly different.
C) they come from different sources.
D) helium is most similar to other group 18 elements.
Answer:
The formation of the supercontinent of Pangaea caused
A) a worldwide rise in sea level.
B) a worldwide drop in sea level.
C) no change in sea level.
D) none of these
Answer:
The determining factor in the stages a star will progress through from birth to death is
its
A) mass.
B) temperature.
C) composition.
D) relative density.
Answer:
As a water wave approaches a shoreline, wave speed
A) increases.
B) decreases.
C) is unchanged.
D) and wavelength increase.
Answer:
The New Horizons space probe passed through the Pluto system in
A) 2008.
B) 2012.
C) 2015.
D) 2016.
Answer:
A ball is thrown vertically into the air. Because of air resistance, its time coming down
compared with its time going up is
A) less.
B) the same.
C) more.
Answer:
Plate tectonics differs from continental drift because it
A) provides a credible driving force.
B) did not explain the fit between South America and Africa.
C) showed that ancient ice sheets did not exist.
D) showed that Pangaea broke up much later than predicted.
Answer:
How many vibrations per second are associated with a 101-MHz radio wave?
A) less than 101,000,000
B) 101,000,000
C) more than 101,000,00
D) none of the above
Answer:
What is a rem?
A) A rem is a unit for measuring radiation exposure.
B) A rem is the maximum exposure limit for occupational safety.
C) Rem stands for Rapid Electron Motion.
D) A rem is the number of radiation particles absorbed per second.
E) Rem is an ’80s rock group.
Answer:
The largest volcano on Earth is a
A) shield volcano.
B) cinder cone.
C) composite cone.
D) lava plateau.
Answer:
If you toss a ball straight upward at 40 m/s with no air resistance, one second after it
reaches the top of its path its speed is
A) zero.
B) 10 m/s.
C) 20 m/s.
D) 30 m/s
E) 40 m/s.
Answer:
In the winter Vermonters make a tasty treat called “sugar on snow” in which they pour
boiled-down maple syrup onto a scoop of clean fresh snow. As the syrup hits the snow
it forms a delicious taffy. Which of the following changes are involved in the making of
sugar on snow?
A) Boiling down the maple syrup involves the evaporation of water.
B) The syrup warms the snow causing it to melt while the syrup becomes more viscous.
C) As the maple syrup is boiled the sugar within the syrup begins to caramelize, which
is an example of a chemical change.
D) All of the above changes are involved in the making of sugar on snow.
Answer:
A sample of water that is 99.9999 percent pure contains 0.0001 percent impurities.
Consider from Chapter 1 that a glass of water contains on the order of a trillion trillion
(1× ) molecules. If 0.0001 percent of these molecules were the molecules of some
impurity, about how many impurity molecules would this be?
A) 1000 (one thousand: 1 × )
B) 1,000,000 (one million: 1 × )
C) 1,000,000,000 (one billion: 1 × )
D) 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (one million trillion: 1 × )
Answer:
Consider the appearance of an American flag submerged deep in water. The white stars
and red stripes appear
A) cyan and red.
B) cyan and blue.
C) red and black.
D) cyan and black.
Answer:
Uranium-235 releases an average of 2.5 neutrons per fission, while plutonium-239
releases an average of 2.7 neutrons per fission. Which of these elements might you
therefore expect to have the smaller critical mass?
A) plutonium-239
B) uranium-235
C) The number of neutrons per fission will not effect the size of critical mass.
D) The critical mass of these elements cannot be determined from only the number of
neutrons per fission.
Answer:
Both ends of a piece of rope are pulled by two people in a tug-of-war. If each pulls with
a 400-N force, the tension in the rope is
A) 0 N.
B) 400 N.
C) 600 N.
D) 800 N.
E) none of the above
Answer:
A car moving at 50 km/h skids 20 m with locked brakes. How far will it skid if its
initial speed is 150 km/h?
A) 20 m
B) 60 m
C) 90 m
D) 180 m
Answer:
Which law of thermodynamics addresses the direction of heat flow?
A) First law
B) Second law
C) Third law
D) all of the above
Answer:
If the specific heat capacity of water were lower, ponds in the cold winter would be
A) more likely to freeze.
B) less likely to freeze.
C) neither more nor less likely to freeze.
Answer:
Which of these does not describe a metal at room temperature?
A) gas
B) solid
C) liquid
D) shiny
E) bendable
Answer:
The amplitude of a sound wave is closely related to
A) loudness.
B) pitch.
C) quality.
D) timbre.
E) all of the above
Answer:
If you were caught in freezing weather with only a candle for warmth, you would be
warmer in
A) an igloo.
B) a tent.
C) a wooden house.
Answer:
Where did Saturn’s rings likely come from?
A) either a moon that never formed, or a moon destroyed by tidal forces
B) the decay of radioactive particles in the outer fringes of Saturn’s upper atmosphere
C) volcanic activity on its surface ejecting matter into space
D) the gravitational capture of micro-asteroids
Answer:
A nonfoliated metamorphic rock composed of carbonate minerals is
A) gneiss.
B) quartzite.
C) slate.
D) marble.
Answer:
A 10-N block and a 1-N block lie on a horizontal frictionless table. To push them with
equal acceleration, we would have to push with
A) equal forces on each block.
B) 10 times as much force on the heavier block.
C) 10 squared or 100 times as much force on the heavier block.
D) one-tenth as much force on the heavier block.
E) none of the above
Answer:
If Earth’s mass somehow doubles with no change in its size, and your mass remains the
same, your weight
A) also doubles.
B) is quadrupled.
C) remains the same.
Answer:
Which of the following elements will most likely form an ion with a +1 charge?
A) Na
B) Mg
C) Al
D) Si
E) Cl
Answer:
Compared to a bar of pure gold, the density of a pure gold ring is
A) less.
B) the same.
C) greater.
Answer:
Going from oldest to youngest, the three periods of the Mesozoic are
A) Triassic, Jurassic, and Permian.
B) Jurassic, Triassic, and Cretaceous.
C) Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous.
D) Cretaceous, Permian, and Jurassic.
Answer:
A pair of 1-ohm resistors connected in series is 2 ohms, and when connected in parallel
is
A) 1/2 ohm.
B) 1 ohm.
C) also 2 ohms.
D) none of the above
Answer:
A black hole is
A) a region of space that is collapsed in on itself.
B) the result of the collapse of supergiant star.
C) likely found at the center of each spiral galaxy.
D) All of the above
Answer:
Summer and winter constellations are different because
A) of the spin of the Earth about its polar axis.
B) the night sky faces in opposite directions in summer and winter.
C) of the tilt of the Earth’s polar axis.
D) the Earth is at the solar perigee in winter and apogee in summer.
E) the universe is symmetric.
Answer:
The equilibrium rule ΣF = 0 applies to
A) objects or systems at rest.
B) objects or systems in uniform motion in a straight line.
C) both of the above
D) neither of the above
Answer: