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TIMSS Sample
Science Test
1) The diagram below shows an example of interdependence among aquatic organisms.
During the day the organisms either use up or give off (a) or (b) as shown by the arrows.

Choose the right answer for (a) and (b) from the alternatives given.

A)(a) is oxygen and (b) is carbon dioxide.

B) (a) is oxygen and (b) is carbohydrate.
C) (a) nitrogen and (b) is carbon dioxide.
D)(a) is carbon dioxide and (b) is oxygen.
E)(a) is carbon dioxide and (b) is carbohydrate.

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2) What is the best reason for including fruits and leafy vegetables in a healthy diet?

A) They have a high water content.

B)They are the best source of protein.
C) They are rich in minerals and vitamins.
D) They are the best source of carbohydrates.

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3) On cold days, snakes usually lie very still and eat little or nothing, while birds usually
move around and eat a lot of food. Which statement best explains this?

A) Both animals are cold-blooded, but without feathers to keep warm snakes get too
cold to move..
 B) Unlike birds, snakes are warm-blooded; they must hibernate during cold weather.
C) Unlike snakes, birds are cold-blooded; they are less affected by the cold than snakes
D) Unlike snakes, birds are warm-blooded; they must eat food to maintain a constant
temperature.

4)

Which statement is consistent with the data in the table?

A) More oxygen production occurs near the surface because there is more light there.
B)More oxygen production occurs near the bottom because there are more plants
there.
C)The greater the water pressure, the more oxygen production occurs.
D)The rate of oxygen production is not related to depth.

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5) What features do all insects have?

A) 2 legs and 4 body parts

B) 4 legs and 2 body parts
C) 6 legs and 3 body parts
D) 8 legs and 3 body parts
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6) Which is an example of a chemical reaction?

A) The melting of ice.

B) The grinding of salt crystals to powder.
C) The burning of wood.
 D) The evaporation of water from a puddle.
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7) If a neutral atom loses an electron, what is formed?

A) A gas.
B) An ion.
C) An acid.
D) A molecule.

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8) Animals are made up of many atoms. What happens to the atoms after an animal has
died?

A) The atoms stop moving.

B) The atoms recycle back into the environment.
C) The atoms split into simpler parts and then combine to form other atoms.
D) The atoms no longer exist once the animal has decomposed.

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9)

Filtration using the equipment shown can be used to separate which materials?
A) A solution of copper sulfate and water.
B) A solution of sodium chloride and water.
C) A mixture of alcohol and water.
D)A mixture of mud and water
E) A mixture of sand and sawdust.
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10) Which gas could cause a glowing splint to burst into flame?
 A) Neon
B) Oxygen
C) Nitrogen
D)Carbon dioxide
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11) A uniform rod is pivoted at its center. It is acted on by two forces in the plane. Each
force has the same size, equal to 10N (newtons). In which case is there a turning effect?

A)

B)

C)

D)

E)

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12) A tight metal lid on a jar of pickles may loosen when it has been held in hot water.
This is because the hot water causes the
A) glass jar to contract.
B) metal lid to contract.
C) glass jar to expand more than the metal lid expands.
D)metal lid to expand more than the glass jar expands.
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13)A student put 100ml. of water in each of these open containers and let them stand for a
day. Which container probably lost most water due to evaporation?
 A)

B)

C)

D)

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14) 14) When white light shines on Peter's shirt, the shirt looks blue. Why does the shirt
look blue?

A) It absorbs all the white light and turns most of it into blue light.
B)It reflects the blue part of the light and absorbs most of the rest.
C) It absorbs only the blue part of the light.
D)It gives off its own blue light.
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15) The drawing shows an apple falling to the ground. In which of the three positions does
gravity act on the apple?
 A) 2 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1,2, and 3
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16) Which BEST describes the surface of the Earth over billions of Years?

A) A flat surface is gradually pushed up into higher and higher mountains until the
Earth is covered with mountains.
B) High mountains gradually wear down until most of the Earth is at sea level.
C) High mountains gradually wear down as new mountains are continuously being
formed, over and over again.
D) High mountains and flat plains stay side by side for billions of years with little
change.

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17) Fossil fuels were formed from?
A) Uranium
B) Sea water
C) Sand and gravel
D) Dead plants and animals
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18) Air is made up of many gases. Which gas is found in the greatest amount?
A) Nitrogen
B) Oxygen
C) Carbon Dioxide
D) Hydrogen
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19) Which statement explains why daylight and darkness occur on Earth?
A) The Earth rotates on its axis.
B) The Sun rotates on its axis.
C) The Earth's axis is tilted.
D) The Earth revolves around the Sun.
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20) How long does it take light from the nearest star other than the Sun to reach Earth?
A) Less than 1 second
B) About 1 hour
C) About 1 month
D) About 4 years
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21) The diagrams show different trials Abdul carried out with carts having different-sized
wheels. He started them from different heights and the blocks he put in them were of
equal mass.

He wants to test this idea: The heavier a cart is, the greater its speed at the bottom of a
ramp. Which three trials should he compare?

A) G, T, and X
B) O, T, and Z
C) R, U, and Z
D) S, T, and U
E) S,W, and X

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22) Maria collected the gas given off by a glowing piece of charcoal. The Gas was then
bubbled through a small amount of colorless limewater. Part of Maria's report stated,
"After the gas was put into the jar, the limewater gradually changed to a milky white
color." This statement is

A) An observation
B) A conclusion
C) A generalization
D) An assumption of the investigation
E) A hypothesis

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23) One of the principal causes of acid rain is
A) Waste acid from chemical factories being pumped into rivers.
B) Acid from chemical laboratories evaporating into the air.
C) Gases from burning coal and oil dissolving in water in the atmosphere
D) Gases from air conditioners and refrigerators escaping into the atmosphere.
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24) The diagram shows five different Celsius Thermometers. The body temperature of
sick people ranges from 36 degrees Celsius to 42 degrees Celsius. Which thermometer
would be most suited for accurately measuring body temperature?

A) thermometer A
B) thermometer B
C) thermometer C
D) thermometer D
E) thermometer E
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25) Whenever scientists carefully measure any quantity many times, they expect that
 A) All of the measurements will be exactly the same.
B) Only two of the measurements will be exactly the same.
C) All but one of the measurements will be exactly the same.
D) Most of the measurements will be close but not exactly the same.
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ANSWERS:

1) a
2) c
3) d
4) a
5) c
6) c
7) b
8) b
9) d
10) b
11) e
12) d
13) d
14) b
15) d
16) c
17) d
18) a
19) a
20) d
21) d
22) a
23) c
24) a
25) d

REASONING AND ANALYSIS

1) If the sun is approximately 93,000,000 miles away from the earth, and light travels at
186,000 miles/second, to the nearest tenth of a minute, how long does it take a ray of light
from the sun to reach the earth?

Your answer must be rounded off to the nearest tenth of a minute!

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2) A plane flies due north at 500 miles/hour. A wind blows from the west at 100 miles/hour. To the
nearest tenth of a mile/hour, what is the resultant speed of the plane? Your answer must be
rounded off to the nearest tenth !

mi/hr.

Need help?
Read about
Vectors

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3) A red blood cell has a size of .00000075 meters. How would this be expressed in
scientific notation

A) 75 x 10 -8 meters
B) 75 x 10 -7 meters
C) 7.5 x 10 -7 meters
D) .75 x 10 -6 meters

Need help?
Read about
Scientific
Notation

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The following graph shows the phase transition for water.

Phase Transition for Water

4) Where will liquid water be found during this transition?

A) only in b
B) only in c
C) c and d
D) b,c and d
E) only d

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5) What state of matter is water at letter e?

A) solid
B) liquid
C) gas
D) plasma

Need help?
Read about
States of
Matter

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6) - 10) A student designs an experiment to measure the time it takes for a ball to roll
down an inclined plane that is 100 cm. in length. The student records the data for
distance, d(cm.) and time, t (sec.) in a table and then plots the points on a graph as shown
below.

d(cm) t (sec.)

0 0

20 0.52

40 0.73

60 0.89

80 1.03

100 1.15

6) In this experiment, what is the independent variable?

 A) distance
B) time
C) velocity
D) acceleration

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7) What is the dependent variable?

A) distance
B) time
C) velocity
D) acceleration
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8) What would be a constant variable in this experiment ?

A) velocity of the moving ball

B) angle of inclined plane
C) time
D) distance

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9) What would be the best-fit for the points shown in the graph above?

A) a best-fit straight line

B) connecting the points with lines
C) a best-fit non-linear curve
D) none of the above

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10) Which of the following statements best explains the data from this experiment?

A) The velocity of the ball is independent of the height of the inclined plane.
B) The velocity of the ball increases over time as it moves down the inclined plane.
C) The ball rolls down the inclined plane at a constant velocity.
D) Their is a direct relationship between the velocity of the ball down the incline and
the height of the incline.

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11) An experiment was designed to study the effects of soil temperature on the growth of
tomato seedlings. Which step in the scientific method would the following statement
occur? "...After five days we observed three sprouts from five of the twenty seedlings that
were planted..."

A) results
B) conclusions
C) hypothesis
D) procedure

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12) Units of measure are a critical part of describing every measurement. There are seven
base units of measurements. Length, mass and time are three of them. Other units are
called derived quantities. Examples of derived units are: area (square-meters) and density
(kilograms/cubic meter).

Given that:

a (acceleration) = v (velocity) x t (time)

F (Force) = m (mass) x a (acceleration)

W(Work) = F(force) x d (distance)

Using the table of equations shown above, what are the derived units of measure of work?

A) kg -m2/sec2
B) kg-m//sec 2
 C) m/s2
D) m/ kg-s2

Need help?
Read about
Units

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13) In a certain species of plants the color red (R) is dominant to the color white (r). Using
the Punnett Square, find the probability of an offspring being red if one parent is (RR)
and the other is (Rr).

Parent (Rr)

R r

R RR Rr
Parent (RR)
R RR Rr

A) 50%
B) 25%
C) 75%
D) 100%

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14) What is the proper method to focus a microscope while viewing a slide?

A) Start with the lowest power objective and move the lens down until the image is in
focus.
B) Start with the highest power objective lens down as close to the slide without
touching the slide. Then focus up.
C) Bring lowest power objective lens down as close to the slide without touch the slide.
Then focus up away from the slide.
D) Start with the lowest objective lens 1 inch above the slide and then focus down till
the image is in focus.
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15) Below are microscope images of two different types of plant cells. The cell walls of both
types of cells are clearly visible. Chloroplasts are only visible in the algae not in onion skin.
What is the most plausible reason for this?

A) Plagiomnium affine (fish tank

B) Onion Skin with Iodine Stain
algae)

A) Chloroplasts in onion plant cells are too small to be seen with the microscope.
B) Since onion bulbs grow below ground they do not get the light necessary for
chloroplast development.
C) The chloroplasts are not visible in the onion skin because the iodine stain bleached
the green color.
D) The microscope is out of focus so we are not able to clearly see the chloroplasts in the
onion skin.

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_

16- 17) On earth, a spring scale reads 100g with an unknown mass shown in blue. The balance beam on the right
requires 100g. to balance the scale on earth.
16) What would happen on the moon if the same experiment was performed?

A) On the moon, the spring scale would read 100g. The balance scale would need 100 g. to balance the beam.
B) On the moon, 100 g would be needed to balance the beam but the spring scale would read 0 g.
C) On the moon, the spring scale would read around 16.6 g and the balance beam would need 0 g
D) On the moon, the spring scale would read around 16.6 g and the balance beam would need 100g.

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17) What is the spring scale on the left measuring?

A) weight
B) mass
C) density
D) the spring constant

Need help?
Read about Mass
vs. Weight

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18) A bar with a black box mass of 200 kg is shown on the left side of the balance scale pictured below. Use the information in
the diagram to answer questions 18-21

18) This is an example of what type of simple machine?

A) wedge
B) inclined plane
C) lever
D) screw

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19) What is point A is called?

A) effort
B) fulcrum
C) resistance
D) load

Need help?

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20) What is the unkown mass needed to balance the bar?

kg.

Need help?

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21) What is the mechanical advantage of this simple machine?

Need help?

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22-23) The graphs below show the annual mean carbon dioxide growth rates for Mauna Loa from 1960-2010 (left graph) and the
global-mean surface temperatures from 1880-2007 (right graph).

22) During which time span is the greatest change in temperature found?

A) 1880-1920
B) 1920-1940
C) 1940-1970
D) 1970-present

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23) Analyzing the two graphs above leads one to conclude that

A) increase in atmospheric CO2 is an ocean phenomena.

B) increase in atmospheric CO2 does not correlate well with increase in temperature.
C) global warming may be a result of increased CO2 in the atmosphere.
D) annual mean temperature should start to decline soon.
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24)

Formaldehyde, a common molecule found throughout the solar See

system, is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It's used
Formaldehyde in 3-
on Earth for preserving and embalming biological
specimens.There is recent evidence that it may be the molecule D
responsible for the origin of life on Earth.

Formaldehyde CH2O

Which is the correct Lewis dot diagram for formaldehyde?

A) B) C) D)

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25) If both diamond and graphite are made of only carbon atoms, then why is diamond
hard while graphite is soft? Use the molecule images shown below to help in your answer.

See
Graphite
and
Diamond
in 3-D
 Diamond Graphite

A) Diamond has a crystal structure similar to ice.

B) The carbon atoms found in diamond are different than the carbon atoms in graphite.
C) The carbon-carbon bonds in graphite are all single bonds.
D) Diamond has a rigid network of carbon atoms that cannot move.

Need help?
Read about
Graphite and
Diamond

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_ ANSWERS:

1) 8.3
2) 509.9
3) c
4) d
5) c
6) b
7) a
8) b
9) a
10) d
11) c
12) a
13) d
14) c
15) b
16) d
17) a
18) c
19) b
20) 50
21) 4
22) d
23) c
24) a
25) d

PART 1-- KNOWLEDGE AND CONCEPTS

1)The earth is composed of four layers.

Which layer is continuously moving because of convection currents?

A) inner core
B) outer core
C) mantle
D)crust

Need help?
Read : Layers
of the Earth

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2) Mushrooms that grow on the sides of trees in a forest ecosystem are best classified by
which of the following types of organisms?

A) consumers
B) decomposers
C) predators
D) producers

Need help?
Read What is
the Food Chain

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3) A student eats a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich for lunch. Which of the following
is NOT correct?

A) The enzyme ptyalin begins to digest starch in bread into smaller molecules (maltose).
B) Digestion of protein found in the bacon begins in the stomach.
C) Digestion of fat found in the bacon occurs mostly in the small intestine.
D) Cellulose in lettuce is digested in the large intestine to sugar.

Need help?
Read Where is
Food Digested

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4) To stay alive your body must maintain a constant state of internal conditions. Your
body temperature must not vary by more than a few degrees, the pH of your blood must
be kept between 7.35 and 7.45, and the glucose level in your blood must be maintained
within a small range.

These functions are all part of a mechanism that allows the body to maintain a balance between
itself and the environment. What is that mechanism called?

A) homeostasis
B) metabolism
C) osmosis
D) diffusion

Need help?
Read about
this
mechanism.

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You may use the periodic table for questions 5 and 6:

5) How many neutrons does an atom of beryllium have?

A) 4
B) 5
 C) 9
D) 13

Need help?
Click for
Periodic Table
of Elements

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6) Group 18 has which of the following properties?

1) all the elements are noble gases

2) all the elements have a "full" outer shell of electrons
3) all the elements easily form compounds with other elements
4) all the elements have 2 electrons in their first shell

A) 1,2 and 4
B) 2 and 4
C) 3 and 4
D) 2,3 and 4
E) 1,2,3 and 4

Need help?
Click for
Periodic Table
of Elements

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7) The number of stars in our own Milky Way Galaxy is in the

A) thousands
B) tens of thousands
C) millions
D) billions
Need help?
Read about
The Milky Way

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8)A gene is a length of DNA that contains the instructions to make a chemical in your body.
Most of your DNA is located in the nucleus of the cell. . The DNA in the human genome
provides approximately 23,000 codes for different proteins. What is the site in the cell that
manufactures these proteins?

image from Wikipedia

A) mitochondria
B) nucleus
C) lysosyme
D) ribosomes

Need help?
Read about the
Human
Genome

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9) Shown below are the wavelengths for blue red and green light. Which of the following
wave patterns is red light?

A)
B)
C)

Need help?
Read about the
Electromagnetic
Spectrum

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10) What is formed immediately after fertilization occurs?

A) sperm
B) egg
C) embryo
D) zygote

Need help?
Read about
Reproduction

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__
11) There are six classical simple machines. They are: lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane,
wedge, and screw. What two simple machines form a pair of scisssors?

A) screw and wedge

B) wedge and inclined plane
C) wedge and lever
D) screw and lever

Need help?
Read about
Simple
Machines

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12) Which statement correctly compares seismic P-waves and seismic S-waves?

A) P-waves are longitudinal waves and travel slower than S-waves.

B) P-waves are transverse waves and travel slower than S-waves.
C) P-waves are longitudinal waves and travel faster than S-waves.
D) P-waves are transverse waves and travel faster than S-waves.

Need help?
Read : Seismic
Waves

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13) Which is a chemical change?

A) melting an ice cube

B) dissolving sugar in boiling water
C) boiling an egg
D) crushing a can

Need help?
Read abut
Chemical and
Physical
Changes
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14) Which alternate form of energy is the most efficient, and cheapest?

A) solar
B) wind
C) nuclear
D) coal

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Read abut
Alternate
Sources of
Energy

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15) A swinging ball is released from point A. Which statement best applies.

A) The minimum potential and kinetic energy are both at point B.

B) The maximum potential energy is at point A, maximum kinetic energy is at point B.
C) The maximum potential energy is at point C, maximum kinetic energy is at point A.
D) The maximum kinetic energy is at point A, and maximum potential energy is at point B.

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Read abut
Kinetic and
Potential
Energy
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16) A strong cold air mass moves into an area of warm air as shown in the image. Which statement is
NOT correct about this system of weather.

Image from NASA

A) The cold air holds more moisture than warm air.

B) The heavier cold air pushes up the lighter warm air.
C) As cold air rises it will cause water vapor to be pulled out of warm air
D) Air masses with different densities do not easily mix.

Need help?
Read about
precipitation

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17) What factor distinguishes a suspension from a colloid?

A) Light reflects off the particles of a suspension but does not reflect off the particles of a colloid.
B) The particles of a suspension will sink out if left over time to rest. The particles of a colloid will
not sink out.
C) Suspensions are clear, colloids are cloudy.
D) Suspensions cannot be filtered., colloids can be filtered.
Need help?
Read about
Suspensions,
Colloids

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18) Because a tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short
growing seasons, it is most likely one would find
 A) deep-rooted plants.
B) deciduous trees.
C) conifers and small evergreen trees.
D) mosses, grasses, and small shrubs.

Need help?
Read what
about biomes.

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19) Living organisms are currently subdivided into 6 Kingdoms (US system), including Archaebacteria,
Eubacteria, Protists, Fungi, Plants, and Animals. What is true about Amoeba and Yeast.

A) They are both in the same kingdom and both use asexual reproduction.
B) They are in different kingdoms and both use asexual reproduction.
C) They are both in the same kingdom but the amoeba uses asexual reproduction and yeast uses
sexual reproduction.
D) They are in different kingdoms and both reproduce using sexual reproduction.
Need help?
Classification
of Living
Kingdoms

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20) On earth heat travels by conduction, convection and radiation. How does heat travel in space?

A) only convection
B) only radiation
C) conduction and convection
D) conduction and radiation

Need help?
Read abut
Conduction,
Convection and
Radiation

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21) The pH scale is used to describe how acidic a solution is. Substances with a pH lower than 7 are
considered acids. Substances with a pH above 7 are considered bases. What range pH would you find
for seawater?

A) 6.5 -7.0
B) 7.5 -8.4
C) exactly 7.0
D) 5.5 -6.5

Need help?
Read about pH

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22) What motions on earth are subject to Coriolis forces?

A) All Objects on Earth will always deflected to the right of their path of motion regardless of
hemisphere.
B) All objects are always deflected to the left of their path of motion regardless of hemisphere.
C) Only motions along the equator are subject to Coriolis deflection.
D) In the northern hemisphere the Coriolis effect causes deflection to the right and in the
southern hemisphere to the left.
E) In the northern hemisphere the Coriolis effect causes deflection to the left and in the southern
hemisphere to the right.

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Read about the
Coriolis Effect

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23) Which of the following statements are true about acceleration?

1) Acceleration is a change in velocity.

2) An applied force is required for acceleration to occur.
3) Acceleration can be either + or - in value.
4) A graph of x vs. t where x represents distance and t is time will be linear for a constant
accelerating object.

A) 1 and 2
B) 1,2 and 3
 C) 2 and 4
D) 1,2,3,4

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Read about
Acceleration

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24) Which characteristics does carbon possess that makes it so unique for life and organic chemistry?

1) Carbon can form single, double and even triple bonds with other atoms.
2) Carbon has both metal and non metal properties
(3) There appears to be almost no limit to the number of different structures that carbon can form
4) Carbon is one of the heaviest elements on earth.

A) 1,2, 3
B) 1, 3,4
C) 1,2
D) 1, 3

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Read about
Carbon

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25) A chemical equation has the form: 6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight ---> C6H12O6 +6O2

Which statements apply to the above chemical equation?

1) The substance C6H12O6 is a compound called glucose.

2) The substance C6H12O6 is a mixture consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
3) The chemical equation is the simplified formula for photosynthesis which occurs in the
mitochondria of plants.
4) The word equation for the chemical equation is: carbon dioxide + water + light energy ---> glucose
+ oxygen
5) The chemical equation is the simplified formula for photosynthesis which occurs in the chloroplast
of plants.

A) 2.3.4
B) 1,4,5
 C) 1,3,4,5
D) 2,4,5
E) all of the above are correct
Need help?
Read about
this question

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ANSWERS:

1) c
2) b
3) d
4) a
5) b
6) a
7) d
8) d
9) a
10) d
11) c
12) c
13) c
14) c
15) b
16) a
17) b
18) d
19) b
20) b
21) b
22) d
23) b
24) d
25) b