ROUND 1

TOSS-UP

1) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the most common term used in genetics to describe the
observable physical characteristics of an organism caused by the expression of a gene or set of
genes?

ANSWER: PHENOTYPE

BONUS

1) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the biological term most often used for the act of a cell
engulfing a particle by extending its pseudopodia (read as: SU-doe-POH-dee-ah) around the
particle?

ANSWER: PHAGOCYTOSIS

TOSS-UP

2) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice An aqueous solution in which the concentration of OH– ions is
greater than that of H+ ions is:

W) basic
X) acidic
Y) neutral
Z) in equilibrium

ANSWER: W) BASIC

BONUS

2) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Find the mass of 1 mole of cuprous oxide, or Cu2O. Assume the
atomic mass of copper is 64 and oxygen is 16.

ANSWER: 144

High School Round 1 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) PHYSICS Short Answer What property of a sound wave is most commonly associated with
loudness?

ANSWER: AMPLITUDE

BONUS

3) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the MOST common term for the behavior of light where it
appears to bend around small obstacles or the spreading out of waves as light passes through
pinholes or slits?

ANSWER: DIFFRACTION

TOSS-UP

4) MATH Short Answer What term BEST describes 2 angles with 90º as the sum of their
measurements?

ANSWER: COMPLEMENTARY

BONUS

4) MATH Short Answer Divide the following and give your answer in scientific notation:
8 × 107
1

(4 × 10 )
4 2

ANSWER: 4 × 105

High School Round 1 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice The overall charge at the top and bottom, respectively, of a
towering cumulonimbus cloud during a thunderstorm is:

W) positive, positive
X) positive, negative
Y) negative, positive
Z) negative, negative

ANSWER: X) POSITIVE, NEGATIVE

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice A lightning bolt is seen and its accompanying thunder is
heard 15 seconds later. This means the storm is most likely how many miles away:

W) 3
X) 6
Y) 9
Z) 15

ANSWER: W) 3

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer How many significant figures are in the number 0.00750?

ANSWER: 3

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Subtract the following 2 numbers and give your answer
with the proper significant figures: 25.101 – 0.9608

ANSWER: 24.140

High School Round 1 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the proper name of the star that is most commonly noted
to have coordinates closest to the north celestial pole?

ANSWER: NORTH STAR (ACCEPT: POLARIS or ALPHA URSA MINORIS)

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the most well-known asterism in Ursa Major?

ANSWER: BIG DIPPER

TOSS-UP

8) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Human epidermis is mostly composed of which of the following
basic animal tissues types:

W) epithelial
X) connective
Y) nervous
Z) muscle

ANSWER: W) EPITHELIAL

BONUS

8) BIOLOGY Short Answer What are the 2 basic categories of lymphocyte cells?

ANSWER: T AND B (ACCEPT: B AND T CELLS)

High School Round 1 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What general type of bonding is found in molecules in which
electrons are shared by nuclei?

ANSWER: COVALENT

BONUS

9) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 processes where latent heat is
absorbed: evaporation; condensation; water melts; water freezes

ANSWER: EVAPORATION; WATER MELTS

TOSS-UP

10) PHYSICS Short Answer Although not known as such at the time, what was the first form of
spectacular electric discharge seen by humans?

ANSWER: LIGHTNING

BONUS

10) PHYSICS Multiple Choice A constant force acting on a body experiencing no change in its
environment will give the body:

W) constant acceleration
X) constant speed
Y) constant velocity
Z) zero acceleration

ANSWER: W) CONSTANT ACCELERATION

High School Round 1 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

11) MATH Short Answer Simplify the following expression, where a is not equal to zero if b = 0
2
or if b = –1: (a b )(a b )

2
+b
ANSWER: a b

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer Giving your answer in inches and in simplest radical form, if the
hypotenuse of a 45-45-90º triangle is 10 inches, find the length of the other sides:

ANSWER: 5 2 (ACCEPT: BOTH 5 2 )

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is a sedimentary rock:

W) slate
X) marble
Y) basalt
Z) sandstone

ANSWER: Z) SANDSTONE

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate about
minerals:

W) calcite has a hardness of 3 on most of its surfaces but a hardness of 4 along the crystal face
perpendicular to its long axis
X) the Moh’s scale measures the absolute hardness of minerals
Y) a mineral’s chemical composition largely determines its crystal shape and cleavage pattern
Z) a mineral’s color is the same as its streak

ANSWER: Z) A MINERAL’S COLOR IS THE SAME AS ITS STREAK

High School Round 1 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is closest to the meaning of the
suffix ‘lith’:

W) outside
X) stone
Y) side
Z) surface

ANSWER: X) STONE

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Rounded to the nearest whole number, how many feet
does light travel in one-billionth of one second?

ANSWER: 1

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What star has the greatest apparent magnitude?

ANSWER: SUN

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What planet is known to be most like Earth in size and density?

ANSWER: VENUS

High School Round 1 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) BIOLOGY Short Answer How many embryonic seed leaves does a bean seedling have?

ANSWER: 2

BONUS

15) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 5 plants that are dicots:
wheat; geranium; garlic; bamboo; rose

ANSWER: GERANIUM; ROSE

TOSS-UP

16) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is a metallic element, composes about
5% of the Earth’s crust, oxidizes very easily, and when pure is a dark, silver-grey metal:

W) cobalt
X) nickel
Y) iron
Z) titanium

ANSWER: Y) IRON

BONUS

16) CHEMISTRY Short Answer In general, metals are relatively hard except for what group of
metals in the Periodic Table?

ANSWER: ONE (ACCEPT: GROUP 1A or ALKALI METALS)

High School Round 1 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Upon which of the following does the mass of a body MOST
directly depend:

W) its magnetic properties

X) how much volume it has
Y) the amount of matter it contains
Z) its location

ANSWER: Y) THE AMOUNT OF MATTER IT CONTAINS

BONUS

17) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Mary and Joe are on a merry-go-round. Mary is seated near the
center of rotation and Joe is on the outer edge. Which of the following BEST describes their motion:

W) Mary has a greater acceleration than Joe

X) Joe has a greater acceleration than Mary
Y) neither Mary nor Joe are accelerating
Z) both Mary and Joe have the same acceleration

ANSWER: X) JOE HAS A GREATER ACCELERATION THAN MARY

TOSS-UP

18) MATH Short Answer Giving your answer in terms of π and in inches, what is the arc-length of
a semi-circle whose diameter is 18 inches?

ANSWER: 9π

(Solution: C = πd; ½(18π) = 9π)

BONUS

18) MATH Short Answer What is the area, in square feet, of a triangle whose perpendicular height
is 20 feet with a base of 12 feet?

ANSWER: 120

(Solution: A = ½ bh = ½ (12)(20) = 120 ft2)

High School Round 1 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following terms best describes the albedo of
a planet:

W) electromagnetic energy
X) density
Y) reflectivity
Z) absorption

ANSWER: Y) REFLECTIVITY

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true of what occurs during
an equinox:

W) equal length of day and night except at the poles

X) the Earth is not tilted with respect to the ecliptic
Y) the Sun is directly overhead at the equator
Z) the Moon is directly overhead at the poles

ANSWER: Z) THE MOON IS DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AT THE POLES

TOSS-UP

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer What gas is most directly responsible for the bends or
decompression sickness that divers may experience?

ANSWER: NITROGEN (ACCEPT: N2)

BONUS

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer In degrees Celsius to the nearest whole number, what is
the normal core body temperature of a human being?

ANSWER: 37

High School Round 1 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the declination of the north celestial pole?

ANSWER: 90 (ACCEPT: +90)

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer The Sagittarius Arm is part of what galaxy?

ANSWER: THE MILKY WAY

TOSS-UP

22) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice If a plant had a taproot, it would also most likely have:

W) parallel leaf venation

X) two cotyledons in its seedling stage
Y) diffusely arranged vascular bundles in its stem
Z) no stomata on the upper surfaces of its leaves

ANSWER: X) TWO COTYLEDONS IN ITS SEEDLING STAGE

BONUS

22) BIOLOGY Short Answer Using the traditional system of classification, when organisms
belong to the same class, name all of the following 4 taxonomic categories to which they must also
belong: order; family; phylum; kingdom

ANSWER: PHYLUM; KINGDOM

High School Round 1 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer According to standard chemical nomenclature and indicating the
proper charge, what is the formula for hydrogen sulfide?

ANSWER: H2S

BONUS

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Of the following group of 4 cations, which are the LARGEST
and SMALLEST ions, respectively: K+; Na+; Rb+; Li+

ANSWER: LARGEST = Rb+; SMALLEST = Li+ (ACCEPT: RUBIDIUM AND LITHIUM)

TOSS-UP

24) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Martin is swinging a yo-yo in a large room with a circular motion
perpendicular to a level floor. If the yo-yo breaks away from its string at the top of the yo-yo’s
circular path, in what direction will the yo-yo initially move:

W) at an angle between horizontal and vertical

X) straight up, toward the ceiling
Y) straight down, to the floor
Z) horizontally, tangent to its original circular path

ANSWER: Z) HORIZONTALLY, TANGENT TO ITS ORIGINAL CIRCULAR PATH

BONUS

24) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the BEST term for the tendency of any mass at rest to remain
at rest?

ANSWER: INERTIA

High School Round 1 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the genus name of the most thoroughly studied bacterium?

ANSWER: Escherichia

BONUS

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 3 processes that do NOT occur in E. coli:
glycolysis; photosynthesis; glycogenolysis (read as: GLYKO-jen-oh-LY-sis)

ANSWER: PHOTOSYNTHESIS

High School Round 1 Page 13

 ROUND 2

TOSS-UP

1) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the scientific term for the ratio between the density of a
given substance to that of water when both are at the same temperature?

ANSWER: SPECIFIC GRAVITY (ACCEPT: RELATIVE DENSITY)

BONUS

1) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following pure substances has the highest melting
point at 1 atmosphere of pressure:

W) magnesium oxide
X) diamond
Y) sodium chloride
Z) cesium chloride

ANSWER: X) DIAMOND

(Solution: MgO = 2800ºC; diamond = 3550ºC; NaCl = 801ºC; Cs = 645ºC)

TOSS-UP

2) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the MOST common anatomical synonym for ventral, when
locating a part of the human body in relation to another part?

ANSWER: ANTERIOR

BONUS

2) BIOLOGY Short Answer What are the names for the pyrimidine bases found in DNA?

ANSWER: CYTOSINE; THYMINE

High School Round 2 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) PHYSICS Short Answer According to one of the most common color triangles, if blue and
green are primary colors, what is the third primary color?

ANSWER: RED

BONUS

3) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the most common name for the pattern of light and dark lines
produced when coherent light is passed through two horizontal slits in a thin opaque sheet, causing
superposition of waves projected on a wall?

ANSWER: INTERFERENCE PATTERN (ACCEPT: INTERFERENCE)

TOSS-UP

4) MATH Short Answer What is the smaller of two integers whose sum is 19 and whose product is
48?

ANSWER: 3

(Solution: 16 + 3 = 19; 16 × 3 = 48)

BONUS

4) MATH Multiple Choice Which of the following numbers is evenly divisible by both 11 and 3:

W) 7791
X) 7553
Y) 5181
Z) 8769

ANSWER: Y) 5181

High School Round 2 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is best classified as a plutonic
intrusive rock:

W) obsidian
X) granite
Y) basalt
Z) pumice

ANSWER: X) GRANITE

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice The principle constituent of most granites is:

W) feldspar
X) muscovite
Y) calcite
Z) dolomite

ANSWER: W) FELDSPAR

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice The related quantities charted on a line graph are most
often called:

W) results
X) lines
Y) sets
Z) variables

ANSWER: Z) VARIABLES

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer How many grams of sodium chloride is in 2,000 milliliters
of 0.9% NaCl solution?

ANSWER: 18

(Solution: 0.9g/100 mL × 2000 mL = 18.0 g)

High School Round 2 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What basic force of the universe is most responsible for holding
the planets of our solar system in their orbits?

ANSWER: GRAVITY

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What are the proper names of the 5 celestial bodies called
wanderers by Greek astronomers because they had unusual paths in the sky throughout the year?

ANSWER: MERCURY; VENUS; MARS; JUPITER; SATURN (in any order)

TOSS-UP

8) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Group 1 cations and group 7 anions combine to form:

W) metal alloys
X) alkali halides
Y) alkaloids
Z) organometallic compounds

ANSWER: X) ALKALI HALIDES

BONUS

8) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Give the chemical name for the compound formed when pure iron
and pure sulfur are mixed together and heated:

ANSWER: IRON SULFIDE (ACCEPT: IRON(II) SULFIDE or FERROUS SULFIDE)

High School Round 2 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) BIOLOGY Short Answer From what chamber of the human heart does blood carried by the left
pulmonary artery leave?

ANSWER: RIGHT VENTRICLE

BONUS

9) BIOLOGY Short Answer What human gland or organ produces tri-iodothyronine (read as:
TRY- I-OH-doh-THY-row-neen)?

ANSWER: THYROID

TOSS-UP

10) PHYSICS Short Answer A white-colored object illuminated by a green light will appear as
what color to the human eye?

ANSWER: GREEN

BONUS

10) PHYSICS Multiple Choice A child learns that mixing approximately equal amounts of the
paint colors orange and green produces brown. This is an example of:

W) additive color mixing

X) summative color generation
Y) subtractive color synthesis
Z) neutral coloration

ANSWER: Y) SUBTRACTIVE COLOR SYNTHESIS

High School Round 2 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

11) MATH Multiple Choice One-fifth of 0.04% is equal to:

W) 8 × 10–2
X) 8 × 10–3
Y) 8 × 10–4
Z) 8 × 10–5

ANSWER: Z) 8 × 10–5

(Solution: (0.2)(0.0004) = 0.00008)

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer Find the prime factorization of 240:

ANSWER: 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 5 (ACCEPT: 24 × 3 × 5)

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice When spreading centers reach above the ocean’s surface,
they typically form which of the following types of volcanoes:

W) shield
X) composite
Y) stratovolcano
Z) cinder cone

ANSWER: W) SHIELD

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Mount Vesuvius in Italy is a typical:

W) mud volcano
X) caldera
Y) cinder cone
Z) composite volcano

ANSWER: Z) COMPOSITE VOLCANO

High School Round 2 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer The fertilizer potash provides plants with what element
necessary for healthy growth and which is also the seventh most abundant element on Earth?

ANSWER: POTASSIUM (ACCEPT: K)

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer From what protein is gelatin, which is used as a food
additive, most commonly derived?

ANSWER: COLLAGEN

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer First proposed by Georges Lemaitre, what is the name, most
likely coined by Fred Hoyle, for the theory that the universe originated at a finite time many eons
ago from an extremely compressed hot state?

ANSWER: BIG BANG

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer In what constellation is the star Polaris found?

ANSWER: URSA MINOR (DO NOT ACCEPT: LITTLE DIPPER)

High School Round 2 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the pH of a solution with a pOH of 6.8 at 25ºC?

ANSWER: 7.2

BONUS

15) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following substances is water soluble:

W) ethanol
X) dichloro-methane
Y) chloroform
Z) benzene

ANSWER: W) ETHANOL

TOSS-UP

16) BIOLOGY Short Answer Yersinia, Drosophila and Homo are all what taxonomical category?

ANSWER: GENUS (ACCEPT: GENERA)

BONUS

16) BIOLOGY Short Answer From what monosaccharide is cellulose primarily composed?

ANSWER: GLUCOSE (ACCEPT: Β-D-GLUCOPYRANOSYL or D-GLUCOSE)

High School Round 2 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) PHYSICS Short Answer Although in many respects difficult to define, what term is MOST
often described as a push or a pull that can cause an object to accelerate?

ANSWER: FORCE

BONUS

17) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the MOST common term for the inwardly directed force
exerted on an object to keep the object moving in a circle?

ANSWER: CENTRIPETAL (ACCEPT: CENTRIPETAL FORCE)

TOSS-UP

18) MATH Short Answer Giving your answer in centimeters, what is the length of a side of a
square whose diagonal measures 12 2 centimeters?

ANSWER: 12

BONUS

18) MATH Short Answer Multiply the following 4 numbers and give your answer in scientific
notation: 30,000 × 3,000 × 30 × 0.1

ANSWER: 2.7 × 108

High School Round 2 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer What is the oldest Eon on the Geological Time Scale within
which the first organisms appeared between 550 million and 3.4 billion years ago?

ANSWER: PRECAMBRIAN

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer Homo sapiens evolved during which geological era of the
Geological Time Scale?

ANSWER: CENOZOIC

TOSS-UP

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Anthropogenic means:

W) generated by humans
X) created many years ago
Y) carried in primate genes
Z) harmful to elderly people

ANSWER: W) GENERATED BY HUMANS

BONUS

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer The primary anthropogenic cause of acid rain is the
emission of what 2 gases?

ANSWER: SULFUR OXIDES; NITROGEN OXIDES (in any order)

(ACCEPT: SULFUR DIOXIDE or SO2 AND NITROGEN DIOXIDE or NO2)
(DO NOT ACCEPT: SULFURIC ACID or NITRIC ACID)

High School Round 2 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the primary elemental product of stellar hydrogen
fusion?

ANSWER: HELIUM

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer In the equatorial celestial coordinate system, what terms are
synonymous with longitude and latitude, respectively?

ANSWER: LONGITUDE = RIGHT ASCENSION; LATITUDE = DECLINATION

TOSS-UP

22) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the atomic number for the ground state element with the
following electron configuration: 1s22s22p5 (read as: 1, s, 2; 2, s, 2; 2, p, 5)

ANSWER: 9

BONUS

22) CHEMISTRY Short Answer How many grams of KCl, with a molar mass of 75, are needed to
make 1 liter of a 3 molar solution?

ANSWER: 225

(Solution: 1 L × (3.0 mol/L)(75 g/mol) = 225 g)

High School Round 2 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) MATH Short Answer Giving your answer in standard form, what is the last term in the
binomial expansion of the following: (x + y)6

ANSWER: y6

BONUS

23) MATH Short Answer Simplify the following expression by combining like terms:
12.03A – 4.03B – 0.03(A – 40)

ANSWER: 12A – 4.03B + 1.2

TOSS-UP

24) PHYSICS Short Answer What specific law of motion most directly implies that every action
has an equal and opposite reaction?

ANSWER: NEWTON’S THIRD LAW (ACCEPT: THIRD LAW)

BONUS

24) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Jay walks to his car and drives to the store. The trip takes 20
minutes. Jay figures how far he traveled on foot and by car and divides the distance by how long the
trip took. Which of the following BEST describes what Jay has computed:

W) total velocity
X) average acceleration
Y) average speed
Z) instantaneous velocity

ANSWER: Y) AVERAGE SPEED

High School Round 2 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer The sinoatrial (read as: sine-oh-AYE-tree-al) node is located in what
human organ?

ANSWER: HEART

BONUS

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer In what chamber of the human heart is the sinoatrial (read as: sine-
oh-AYE-tree-al) node located?

ANSWER: RIGHT ATRIUM

High School Round 2 Page 13

 ROUND 3

TOSS-UP

1) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the MOST common term for the type of energy that is most
directly related to the energy of atoms, molecules and other small particles that are in random motion
within a system?

ANSWER: THERMAL

BONUS

1) PHYSICS Short Answer In electrochemical cells, what is the most common term for the electrode
that acts as the negative electrode?

ANSWER: CATHODE

TOSS-UP

2) CHEMISTRY Short Answer If the electronegativity difference in the bonding atoms is large, what
general type of bond is formed?

ANSWER: IONIC

BONUS

2) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following molecules has a double covalent bond:

W) hydrogen
X) oxygen
Y) nitrogen
Z) methane

ANSWER: X) OXYGEN

High School Round 3 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes the function of the golgi (read
as: GOAL-gee) complex:

W) metabolism of carbohydrates
X) production of peroxides
Y) modification and packaging of proteins for exocytosis
Z) storage of lipids

ANSWER: Y) MODIFICATION AND PACKAGING OF PROTEINS FOR EXOCYTOSIS

BONUS

3) BIOLOGY Short Answer Most corticosteroids are synthesized in what specific part of the human
body?

ANSWER: ADRENAL CORTEX (ACCEPT: ADRENAL GLANDS)

TOSS-UP

4) MATH Short Answer Simplify the following, giving your answer in proper scientific notation: (6.0
× 1012)(2.0 × 1010)2

ANSWER: 2.4 × 1033

BONUS

4) MATH Short Answer Factor the following expression completely: 81x2 + 180xy + 100y2

ANSWER: (9x + 10y)2

High School Round 3 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice In the oceans, waves and surf currents are generated by:

W) wind
X) El-Nino
Y) salinity and temperature gradients
Z) the Intertropical Convergence Zone

ANSWER: W) WIND

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer What is the name for the common ocean waves that are not driven
by the wind but sustained by the energy they obtained by the sea?

ANSWER: SWELL(S)

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer A hexadecimal number is a numeral system with a radix or a
base of what?

ANSWER: 16

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Convert a pressure of 1.2 atmospheres into millimeters
mercury:

ANSWER: 912

(Solution: 1.2 atm × 760 mmHg/1 atm = 912 mmHg)

High School Round 3 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice The temperature of a star can be estimated most directly from its:

W) distance
X) elemental makeup
Y) color
Z) density

ANSWER: Y) COLOR

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer The local group is generally referred to as a collection of what
celestial objects?

ANSWER: GALAXIES

TOSS-UP

8) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the SI unit of electric charge?

ANSWER: COULOMB

BONUS

8) PHYSICS Short Answer Giving your answer in kilometers per hour per second, what is the average
acceleration of a truck traveling on a straight road from 10 kilometers per hour to 50 kilometers per hour
in 1 minute and 20 seconds:

ANSWER: 0.5

(Solution: 40/80 = 0.5 km/hr/sec)

High School Round 3 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the name for the most malleable and ductile metal which can
be dissolved in aqua regia but is unaffected by air and most other reagents?

ANSWER: GOLD

BONUS

9) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the molecular formula for the conjugate acid of the following
Brønsted-Lowry base: SO42–

ANSWER: HSO4–

TOSS-UP

10) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the MOST common term for the division of a somatic cell into 2
nucleated cells following of mitosis?

ANSWER: CYTOKINESIS

BONUS

10) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the anticodon on a tRNA for AAA (read as: A, A, A)?

ANSWER: UUU

High School Round 3 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

125
11) MATH Short Answer Giving your answer as a proper fraction, what is the cube root of ?
343

5
ANSWER:
7

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer Find the following product, giving your answer in standard form:
(4x3 + x)(7x3 + 4x2)

ANSWER: 28x6 + 16x5 + 7x4 + 4x3 (ACCEPT: x3(28x3 + 16x2 + 7x + 4))

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following cloud types is classified as a low
cloud:

W) altostratus
X) cirrostratus
Y) cumulonimbus
Z) nimbostratus

ANSWER: Z) NIMBOSTRATUS

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Panning is a simple mining technique that is used for
extracting gold deposited in:

W) banded gold formations

X) evaporite deposits
Y) placer deposits
Z) lode deposits

ANSWER: Y) PLACER DEPOSITS

High School Round 3 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer The lush forest of the Pacific northwest is classified as what
type of rain forest?

ANSWER: TEMPERATE (ACCEPT: TEMPERATE RAIN FOREST)

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer The reaction of lead oxide in the presence of what acid is
fundamental to the operation of the lead-acid rechargeable battery found in most cars?

ANSWER: SULFURIC ACID (ACCEPT: SULFURIC or H2SO4)

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer The stars Merak and Dubhe in the bowl of the big dipper are most
commonly used to locate what star?

ANSWER: POLARIS (ACCEPT: POLE STAR; NORTH STAR; ALPHA URSA MINORIS)

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer The main asteroid belt is located immediately between what two
planets?

ANSWER: MARS AND JUPITER (in any order)

High School Round 3 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the most common term used to describe the velocity of an object
at any one discrete moment along its path?

ANSWER: INSTANTANEOUS VELOCITY

BONUS

15) PHYSICS Short Answer What lepton was the first to be discovered?

ANSWER: ELECTRON

TOSS-UP

16) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice A beaker of concentrated aqueous ammonia is placed next to a
beaker of concentrated aqueous hydrochloric acid at room temperature. After a short while, a white
cloud forms between the beakers. This is a demonstration of:

W) effusion
X) diffusion
Y) efflorescence
Z) effervescence

ANSWER: X) DIFFUSION

BONUS

16) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice In addition to the “sniff test”, which of the following is a standard
laboratory test for a sulfide, such as hydrogen sulfide gas:

W) the gas passed over a filter paper soaked in colorless lead nitrate turns the paper brown
X) when inserted into a flame, a glowing wooden splint bursts into flames
Y) a flame test gives off a deep purple color
Z) paper chromatography

ANSWER: W) THE GAS PASSED OVER A FILTER PAPER SOAKED IN COLORLESS LEAD
NITRATE TURNS THE PAPER BROWN

(Solution: H2S(g) + Pb(NO3)2(aq) ) 2HNO3 + PbS(s))

High School Round 3 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following would BEST describe the quaternary structure
of collagen:

W) fibrous
X) globular
Y) planar
Z) transport

ANSWER: W) FIBROUS

BONUS

17) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes what the term virulence
means:

W) the specificity of a virus to cause disease in a certain host

X) the ability of a microbe to cause cellular damage
Y) any transmissible disease caused by a microbe
Z) the degree to which a microbe causes disease or harm to its host

ANSWER: Z) THE DEGREE TO WHICH A MICROBE CAUSES DISEASE OR HARM TO ITS

HOST

TOSS-UP

18) MATH Multiple Choice If triangle ABD is congruent with triangle EFG, which of the following
MUST be true:

W) side AB is congruent to side EF

X) side AD is congruent to side FG
Y) measure of angle B = measure of angle G
Z) measure of angle A = measure of angle G

ANSWER: W) SIDE AB IS CONGRUENT TO SIDE EF

BONUS

18) MATH Short Answer Simplify the following rational expression by combining like terms,
( x 2 − 16)
assuming x is not equal to 4:
(4 x − x 2 )

x+4 x+4 − ( x + 4) −x−4

ANSWER: − (ACCEPT: or or )
x −x x x

High School Round 3 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following best describes the luster of quartz:

W) dull
X) silky
Y) metallic
Z) vitreous

ANSWER: Z) VITREOUS

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate regarding
earthquakes:

W) scientists agree that mega-quakes of magnitude 10 are very likely in the near future
X) the world’s greatest earthquake zone is the circum-Pacific seismic belt
Y) Alaska has the greatest number of earthquakes in the U.S.
Z) deep earthquakes are much less likely to be followed by aftershocks than shallow earthquakes

ANSWER: W) SCIENTISTS AGREE THAT MEGA-QUAKES OF MAGNITUDE 10 ARE LIKELY

IN THE NEAR FUTURE

TOSS-UP

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Identify the following 3 fabrics as derived from animals or
plants, respectively: jute; linen; wool

ANSWER: JUTE = PLANTS; LINEN = PLANTS; WOOL = ANIMALS

BONUS

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Rounded to the nearest whole degree, what is the obliquity of
the ecliptic?

ANSWER: 23 (ACCEPT: 24)

High School Round 3 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the proper name for the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky
Way?

ANSWER: ANDROMEDA

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the common name for the 88 sections into which the
International Astronomical Society has divided the sky?

ANSWER: CONSTELLATIONS

TOSS-UP

22) PHYSICS Short Answer In one cycle of alternating current, 180º is given to the point at what
fractional amount of the way through the cycle?

ANSWER: ½

BONUS

22) PHYSICS Short Answer If the speed of sound in a certain medium is 360 meters per second, what
is the wavelength, in meters, of a sound-wave that has a frequency of 60 hertz?

ANSWER: 6

(Solution: wavelength = speed/f; = 360/60 = 6 meters)

High School Round 3 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is a gas that is tested for by ignition in air
on contact with a lighted splint to produce a high-pitched “popping” sound:

W) oxygen
X) hydrogen
Y) helium
Z) nitrogen monoxide

ANSWER: X) HYDROGEN

BONUS

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer The Lewis dot structure for the N+2 ion would show how many dots?

ANSWER: 3

TOSS-UP

24) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the scientific term given to the shape of the E. coli bacterium?

ANSWER: BACILLUS (ACCEPT: ROD or BACILLI or BACILLIFORM)

BONUS

24) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 plants that produce seeds with a fleshy
covering that are eaten by animals and dispersed in their droppings: apple; orchid; cherry; sphagnum
moss

ANSWER: APPLE; CHERRY

High School Round 3 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT an endothermic process:

W) sublimation
X) melting
Y) vaporization
Z) condensation

ANSWER: Z) CONDENSATION

BONUS

25) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the molarity of a sodium hydroxide solution made by
dissolving 4 grams NaOH in 250 milliliters of water?

ANSWER: 0.4

(Solution: 4.0 g (1 mole / 40 g) = 0.1; 0.1 moles/0.250 L = 0.4 M or moles/L)

High School Round 3 Page 13

 ROUND 4

TOSS-UP

1) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following is TRUE:

W) chimpanzees are an ancestor of Homo sapiens

X) bipedal motion dominated hominoid ancestors by about 30 million years ago
Y) humans and modern apes have a common ancestor
Z) Neanderthals were ancestors to modern humans

ANSWER: Y) HUMANS AND MODERN APES HAVE A COMMON ANCESTOR

BONUS

1) BIOLOGY Short Answer Order the following 5 taxonomic group with the MOST members to
the one with the FEWEST members: genus; order; phylum; class; family

ANSWER: PHYLUM; CLASS; ORDER; FAMILY; GENUS

TOSS-UP

2) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is an element that is very important to
human life, is contained in vitamin B-12, belongs to a group of transition metals, and has magnetic
properties like iron:

W) selenium
X) cobalt
Y) zinc
Z) manganese

ANSWER: X) COBALT

BONUS

2) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the pH of a 1 molar NaOH solution at 25ºC?

ANSWER: 14

High School Round 4 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following is the most common instrument used for
measuring gas pressure:

W) manometer
X) anemometer
Y) tensitometer
Z) flow-meter

ANSWER: W) MANOMETER

BONUS

3) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following is TRUE of a sound wave traveling in dry
air at STP at a constant velocity:

W) if frequency increases, wavelength increases

X) if frequency increases, wavelength decreases
Y) if frequency decreases, wavelength decreases
Z) if frequency increases, wavelength stays the same

ANSWER: X) IF FREQUENCY INCREASES, WAVELENGTH DECREASES

TOSS-UP

4) MATH Short Answer If the shortest leg of a 30-60-90 right triangle is 6 inches, what is the
measure, in inches, of the other 2 sides?

ANSWER: 12 AND 6 3

BONUS

4) MATH Short Answer Consider triangle ABC, where the measure of angle A = 20º, B =117º, and
C = 43º. Arrange the 3 sides in order of increasing length:

ANSWER: BC; AB; AC

(Solution: the longer side is opposite the greater angle)

High School Round 4 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Ocean tides of diminished range are called:

W) spring tides
X) neap tides
Y) diurnal tides
Z) semi-diurnal tides

ANSWER: X) NEAP TIDES

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following was a time when glaciation was
minimal on Earth:

W) Cretaceous Period
X) Quaternary Period
Y) Holocene Epoch
Z) Pleistocene Epoch

ANSWER: W) CRETACEOUS PERIOD

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer 1 bar equals how many Pascals?

ANSWER: 100,000 (ACCEPT: 1 × 105 or 105)

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Meteorologists commonly use the hectopascal for air
pressure. 1,000 hectopascals equals how many millibars?

ANSWER: 1,000

(Solution: 1 Hpa = 1 mb)

High School Round 4 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What planet of our solar system has the most nitrogen-rich
atmosphere?

ANSWER: EARTH

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Most of the galaxies in the universe are classified as which of
the following:

W) spiral
X) elliptical
Y) irregular
Z) dwarf

ANSWER: Z) DWARF

TOSS-UP

8) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the common name for the product of human lachrymal (read
as: LACK-reh-mal) glands?

ANSWER: TEARS

BONUS

8) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 plants that have their seeds typically
dispersed by wind: dandelion; milkweed; maize; lupine

ANSWER: DANDELION; MILKWEED

High School Round 4 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is a weak electrolyte:

W) ammonia
X) dilute sulfuric acid
Y) 1 molar sodium chloride
Z) dilute perchloric acid

ANSWER: W) AMMONIA

BONUS

9) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice A molecular solid will most typically have which of the
following melting points:

W) very high
X) high to very high
Y) low
Z) variable

ANSWER: Y) LOW

TOSS-UP

10) PHYSICS Short Answer What particle of an atom is most directly responsible for the emission
of light when an atom is excited by electromagnetic radiation?

ANSWER: ELECTRON

BONUS

10) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the wavelength, in meters, of a wave moving at 500 meters
per second if its frequency is 20 Hertz?

ANSWER: 25

(Solution: λ = wave speed/f; 500/20 = 25 m)

High School Round 4 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

1 2
2 5
11) MATH Short Answer Simplify the following expression: x x

9
10
ANSWER: x 10
(ACCEPT: x9 )

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer What is the slope of a line perpendicular to the line given by the graph of
the equation, –5x = –6y + 4

6
ANSWER: –
5

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice When rain freezes into pellets while falling to the ground
during a winter storm, the most accurate forecast would have predicted:

W) hail
X) snow
Y) freezing rain
Z) sleet

ANSWER: Z) SLEET

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer Identify each of the following 3 rocks, respectively, as
igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary: marble; pumice; conglomerate

ANSWER: MARBLE = METAMORPHIC; PUMICE = IGNEOUS; CONGLOMERATE =

SEDIMENTARY

High School Round 4 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Bioluminescence is a phenomenon most common in

which of the following environments:

W) marine
X) fresh water
Y) land
Z) atmosphere

ANSWER: W) MARINE

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is a mixing incompatibility of
common household products that can produce toxic products:

W) vinegar and baking soda

X) vinegar and bleach
Y) vinegar and borax
Z) castile soap and salt

ANSWER: X) VINEGAR AND BLEACH

(Solution: small amounts of vinegar can be added to bleach to acidify the bleach, but it’s generally
not a good idea to mix these two solutions)

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the primary characteristic of the
Jovian planets:

W) high axial spin rates

X) low mean density
Y) retrograde orbits
Z) prominent layer of liquid-metallic hydrogen

ANSWER: X) LOW MEAN DENSITY

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Which one of the Gas Giant planets emits the LEAST amount of
energy?

ANSWER: URANUS

High School Round 4 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Eggs exit a chicken’s body through what specific structure:

W) rectal plexus
X) cloaca (read as: KLO-aye-ka)
Y) rostrum
Z) spiculum

ANSWER: X) CLOACA

BONUS

15) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice In which of the following areas of the human body is the
zygomatic (read as: ZYE-go-MAT-ick) arch found:

W) shoulder
X) pelvis
Y) head
Z) knee

ANSWER: Y) HEAD

TOSS-UP

16) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the bond order between the 2 carbon atoms in acetylene?

ANSWER: 3

BONUS

16) CHEMISTRY Short Answer According to standard chemical nomenclature and indicating the
proper charge, what is the formula for the sulfite ion?

ANSWER: SO32– (ACCEPT: SO3–2)

High School Round 4 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) PHYSICS Short Answer How many neutrons does the most common isotope of hydrogen
have?

ANSWER: ZERO

BONUS

17) PHYSICS Short Answer How many neutrons and how many protons are present in a single
oxygen-15 nucleus, respectively?

ANSWER: NEUTRONS = 7; PROTONS = 8

TOSS-UP

18) MATH Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT a Pythagorean triple:

W) 15, 20, 25
X) 10, 24, 26
Y) 16, 24, 30
Z) 33, 44, 55

ANSWER: Y) 16, 24, 30

BONUS

1
18) MATH Short Answer Evaluate the following expression when a = , b = 4, c = –1, and
3
d = –5: 2[3a – (b + c) – 4d]

ANSWER: 36

High School Round 4 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Cirrus clouds are typically found at elevations of:

W) 20,000 feet and above

X) 10,000 to 20,000 feet
Y) 5,000 to 10,000 feet
Z) 2,000 to 5,000 feet

ANSWER: W) 20,000 FEET AND ABOVE

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Andesitic magmas typically erupt above:

W) hot spots
X) divergent plate boundaries
Y) subduction zones
Z) fissure eruptions

ANSWER: Y) SUBDUCTION ZONES

TOSS-UP

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is the main reason why
Africanized honey bees are much more dangerous to humans and animals than European honey
bees:

W) they defend their nests more intensely

X) their venom is 10-times more potent
Y) they can sting multiple times
Z) they are larger and carry more venom

ANSWER: W) THEY DEFEND THEIR NESTS MORE INTENSELY

BONUS

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer In most cars, what acts as the circuit ground?

ANSWER: THE BODY (ACCEPT: FRAME or CHASSIS)

High School Round 4 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice From mid-northern latitudes, during which of the following
months would the constellation Orion be most prominent in the southern sky at about 10 PM:

W) April
X) July
Y) August
Z) December

ANSWER: Z) DECEMBER

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the most common term for the apparent dividing line
between night and day on the Moon?

ANSWER: TERMINATOR

TOSS-UP

22) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice From which of the following is the cell wall of plants mostly
composed:

W) protein
X) lipid monolayer
Y) lipid bilayer
Z) polysaccharide

ANSWER: Z) POLYSACCHARIDE

BONUS

22) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the common biological name for the product of human
sublingual glands?

ANSWER: SALIVA

High School Round 4 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the atomic sublevel with the next
highest energy after the 4p sublevel:

W) 4d
X) 4f
Y) 5s
Z) 5p

ANSWER: Y) 5s

BONUS

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Give the electronic configuration for sulfur, located in Period 3
and Group 16 of the Periodic Table:

ANSWER: 1s22s22p63s23p4 (ACCEPT: [Ne] 3s23p4)

TOSS-UP

24) PHYSICS Short Answer Jan is riding her bike northward on Main Street at 20 kilometers per
hour and applies her brakes. In what direction would a physicist MOST likely record her
acceleration?

ANSWER: SOUTH

BONUS

24) PHYSICS Short Answer If 200 coulombs pass through a wire in 0.5 seconds, what is the
average current, in amps, passing through the wire?

ANSWER: 400

High School Round 4 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the most common color for the calyx (read as: KAL-IX) of
angiosperms?

ANSWER: GREEN

BONUS

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 diseases that are caused by viruses:
measles; AIDS; tuberculosis; leprosy

ANSWER: MEASLES; AIDS

High School Round 4 Page 13

 ROUND 5

TOSS-UP

1) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice The conversion of solid CaSO4 into solid CaO and SO2 gas is an
example of what class of chemical reaction:

W) decomposition
X) hydrolysis
Y) combustion
Z) single replacement

ANSWER: W) DECOMPOSITION

BONUS

1) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the oxidation number of chromium in the chromate ion, or
CrO42–?

ANSWER: 6 (ACCEPT: +6) (DO NOT ACCEPT: –6)

TOSS-UP

2) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the most common term for the method Louis Pasteur used to
create the first rabies vaccine?

ANSWER: ATTENUATION

BONUS

2) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes how Pasteur attenuated the
rabies virus to create an effective vaccine:

W) by heat-treating the purified virus

X) by treating the live virus with a weak solution of formaldehyde
Y) by passing the rabies infection through a successive series of rabbits
Z) by purifying the protein from the viral capsids

ANSWER: Y) BY PASSING THE RABIES INFECTION THROUGH A SUCCESSIVE SERIES

OF RABBITS

High School Round 5 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) PHYSICS Short Answer The nucleus of what element is the same as an alpha particle?

ANSWER: HELIUM

BONUS

3) PHYSICS Short Answer Name all of the following 4 choices that would typically be considered
to supply electromotive force: transformers; generators; batteries; conductors

ANSWER: TRANSFORMERS; GENERATORS; BATTERIES

(ACCEPT: ALL BUT CONDUCTORS)

TOSS-UP

− 24 x 3 y 5
4) MATH Short Answer Simplify the following without the use of negative exponents:
10 y 6 z 2

12 x 3
ANSWER: –
5 yz 2

BONUS

4) MATH Short Answer It takes 20 minutes for Janis to prepare lunch. When Kristen helps, it only
takes 12 minutes. How many minutes would it take Kristen to prepare the same lunch if she worked
alone?

ANSWER: 30

(Solution: 12/20 + 12/x = 1, x = 30 min)

High School Round 5 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is commonly accepted as the
engine that most directly drives plate tectonic motion:

W) mantle convection
X) volcanic off-gassing
Y) a molten iron core
Z) gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun

ANSWER: W) MANTLE CONVECTION

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Although scientists are unable to obtain samples by
drilling, they believe the predominant mineral in the mantle is:

W) iron pyrite
X) potassium feldspar
Y) quartz
Z) olivine

ANSWER: Z) OLIVINE

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice What is the MOST accurate term for predicting values
of data that are located between known data points on a line graph:

W) extrapolation
X) extension
Y) interpolation
Z) cheating

ANSWER: Y) INTERPOLATION

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Convert 0.001 grams per cubic millimeter into kilograms
per cubic meter:

ANSWER: 1,000 (ACCEPT: 1 × 103)

High School Round 5 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice The luminosity of a star is most directly related to the star’s:

W) relative magnitude
X) magnitude
Y) distance from Earth
Z) intrinsic brightness

ANSWER: Z) INTRINSIC BRIGHTNESS

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice At which of the following locations would Betelgeuse most
likely be found by a stargazer at mid-northern latitudes during January at about midnight:

W) at the beginning of the handle of the big dipper

X) at the zenith near the star Vega
Y) about 10º north of Orion’s belt in the southern sky
Z) in the northern sky just above the star Capella

ANSWER: Y) ABOUT 10º NORTH OF ORION’S BELT IN THE SOUTHERN SKY

TOSS-UP

8) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Ca(OH)2, NaOH, and Ba(OH)2, are all:

W) weak bases
X) completely ionized in water
Y) alkali halides
Z) standard buffers

ANSWER: X) COMPLETELY IONIZED IN WATER

BONUS

8) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following compounds is most SOLUBLE in water
at 10ºC:

W) KNO3
X) CaSO4
Y) BaSO4
Z) AgBr

ANSWER: W) KNO3

High School Round 5 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following molecules do methanogens (read as: meth-
AN-oh-gens) most often use as their final electron acceptor in their generation of energy:

W) hydrogen
X) carbon dioxide
Y) methane
Z) oxygen

ANSWER: X) CARBON DIOXIDE

BONUS

9) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the general biological term for organisms that synthesize
organic molecules from inorganic molecules using light as an energy source?

ANSWER: PHOTOAUTOTROPHS (ACCEPT: PHOTOTROPHS)

TOSS-UP

10) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST explains why gravitational
acceleration on Earth varies from one place to another:

W) the Sun’s gravitational pull varies irregularly

X) the Earth is not a uniform sphere
Y) the Moon and the Sun exert a complex combination of gravitational pulls on the Earth
Z) the changing angular momentum of the Earth varies during its yearly orbit

ANSWER: X) THE EARTH IS NOT A UNIFORM SPHERE

BONUS

10) PHYSICS Short Answer If a wave has a frequency of 500 hertz, what is its period, in seconds?

ANSWER: 0.002 (ACCEPT: 2 × 10–3)

(Solution: period = 1/f )

High School Round 5 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

11) MATH Short Answer In a circle with diameter AB, if the radius is 6 centimeters, find the
length in centimeters, giving your answer in terms of π, of the arc AB:

ANSWER: 6π

(Solution: AB = ½(2πr) = 6π cm)

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer Find the area, in square centimeters, of a rhombus with a diagonal of 6
centimeters and a side of 5 centimeters:

ANSWER: 24

(Solution: A = ½ d1d2 = ½ (6)(8) = 24 cm2, (3:4:5 triangle))

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true:

W) Mount Everest is a volcanic mountain

X) shield volcanoes have surface slopes of only a few degrees
Y) the depression on the top of a typical composite volcano is known as a crater
Z) Mount Kilimanjaro is a stratovolcano

ANSWER: W) MOUNT EVEREST IS A VOLCANIC MOUNTAIN

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following are likely to form in the crater of a
stratovolcano following a catastrophic eruption, such as what happened several times in Mount Saint
Helens:

W) cinder cones
X) lava domes
Y) flood basalts
Z) spatter cones

ANSWER: X) LAVA DOMES

High School Round 5 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Biomagnification is MOST likely to result in the
concentration of toxic chemicals in:

W) chemoautotrophs
X) eutrophic lakes
Y) primary consumers
Z) primary producers

ANSWER: Y) PRIMARY CONSUMERS

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer HDPE is a tough plastic often used for the manufacture
of toys. What monomer is the primary repeating unit in this polymer?

ANSWER: ETHYLENE (ACCEPT: ETHENE)

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer The formation of what is referred to as “metallic hydrogen” on
some of the our solar system’s planets is driven by what basic force?

ANSWER: GRAVITY

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following would typically appear to be the
farthest away from the ecliptic:

W) the planet Mars

X) the constellation Leo
Y) the Sun
Z) the constellation Cassiopeia

ANSWER: Z) THE CONSTELLATION CASSIOPEIA

(Solution: planets, the Sun and zodiacal constellations are all near the ecliptic plane)

High School Round 5 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice The electronegativity of oxygen is 3.4 and the electronegativity
of calcium is 1.0. Which of the following best describes the formation of the calcium oxide:

W) 2 electrons are transferred from calcium to oxygen

X) 2 electrons are transferred from oxygen to calcium
Y) 2 electrons are shared between calcium and oxygen
Z) 1 electron is shared and another is transferred from calcium to oxygen

ANSWER: W) 2 ELECTRONS ARE TRANSFERRED FROM CALCIUM TO OXYGEN

BONUS

15) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the chemical formula for the conjugate base of HNO2?

ANSWER: NO2–

TOSS-UP

16) BIOLOGY Short Answer By words or numbers, name all of the following 3 functions that
meiosis accomplishes:
1) reducing the copies of alleles in the ovum and sperm
2) reducing the numbers of chromosomes in the ovum and sperm
3) increasing genetic diversity through chromosomal exchange events

ANSWER: ALL

BONUS

16) BIOLOGY Short Answer Which one of the basic 3 plant cell types has irregularly thickened
cell walls, retains its cytoplasm, and functions in structural support?

ANSWER: COLLENCHYMA

High School Round 5 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following is the part of an electric motor that
functions as an electromagnet:

W) ballast
X) relay
Y) armature
Z) brushes

ANSWER: Y) ARMATURE

BONUS

17) PHYSICS Short Answer Using g rounded to the first decimal place, how much does an
80-kilogram person weigh on Earth, giving your answer in proper SI units?

ANSWER: 784 NEWTONS (must give units)

TOSS-UP

18) MATH Short Answer A jar of 100 marbles contains only 2 colors of marbles, red and blue. If
there are 13 red marbles for every 12 blue marbles, how many blue marbles are in the jar?

ANSWER: 48

(Solution: 12/25 = B/100, B = 48)

BONUS

18) MATH Short Answer Solve the following inequality for x: |3 – 2x| ≤ 7 (read as: the absolute
value of, 3 minus 2x, close absolute value, is less than or equal to 7)

ANSWER: –2 ≤ x ≤ 5 (ACCEPT: 5 ≥ x ≥ –2)

High School Round 5 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is igneous and pyroclastic in
nature, and is of variable composition:

W) pumice
X) obsidian
Y) gabbro
Z) tuff

ANSWER: Z) TUFF

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following are clastic in origin:

W) chalk
X) coal
Y) gypsum
Z) sandstone

ANSWER: Z) SANDSTONE

TOSS-UP

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is an all but obsolete battery
technology stopped by government regulations in this country because of toxicity issues:

W) nickel-cadmium cells
X) mercury-oxide cells
Y) zinc-air cells
Z) aluminum-air cells

ANSWER: W) MERCURY-OXIDE CELLS

BONUS

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following best explains why carbon
monoxide is very harmful to animals:

W) it binds very strongly to hemoglobin

X) it is an irritant to the alveolar lining
Y) it is a highly potent neurotoxin
Z) it causes a severe allergic reaction

ANSWER: W) IT BINDS VERY STRONGLY TO HEMOGLOBIN

High School Round 5 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What terrestrial planet has the most elliptical orbit?

ANSWER: MERCURY

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Although you might expect this planet to be visible to the
unaided eye because of its maximum apparent magnitude value of about +5.8, what planet is
unlikely to be seen by most stargazers since it requires nearly ideal viewing conditions?

ANSWER: URANUS

TOSS-UP

22) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following ions does NOT have a noble gas
electron configuration in ionic compounds:

W) Ca2+
X) F–
Y) Al3+
Z) Na–

ANSWER: Z) Na–

BONUS

22) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Charles law is particularly useful in explaining which of the
following:

W) dry air is more dense than humid air

X) CO2 escapes from a bottle of soda when opened
Y) the change in enthalpy when nitrogen and oxygen react to form nitrogen dioxide
Z) a hot-air balloon rises when the air in the balloon is heated

ANSWER: Z) A HOT-AIR BALLOON RISES WHEN THE AIR IN THE BALLOON IS

HEATED

(Solution: W = Avogadro’s law; X = Henry’s law; Y = Hess’s law)

High School Round 5 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) BIOLOGY Short Answer What are the common names for the 2 functional groups that
combine to form a peptide bond?

ANSWER: AMINO; CARBOXYL (ACCEPT: AMINE AND CARBOXYLIC ACID)

BONUS

23) BIOLOGY Short Answer What 2 ions are most directly involved with the conduction of a
nerve cell message down an axon?

ANSWER: SODIUM AND POTASSIUM (ACCEPT: Na+ AND K+)

TOSS-UP

24) PHYSICS Multiple Choice A boat’s velocity has a northward velocity component of 15
kilometers per hour and an eastward component of 10 kilometers per hour. Which of the following
BEST represents the direction of the boat’s motion:

W) 35 kilometers per hour northeast

X) 35 kilometers per hour southwest
Y) 18 kilometers per hour northeast
Z) 12 kilometers per hour northeast

ANSWER: Y) 18 KILOMETERS PER HOUR NORTHEAST

BONUS

24) PHYSICS Short Answer What are the frequencies of the first and second overtones,
respectively, for a string vibrating at a fundamental frequency of 440 hertz?

ANSWER: FIRST = 880; SECOND = 1320

High School Round 5 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) MATH Short Answer Assuming that the natural log of 5 = 1.6, find, to the first decimal place,
1

the natural log of 5 3 :

ANSWER: 0.5

(Solution: (1/3)(ln 5) = 1.6/3 = 0.53)

BONUS

25) MATH Short Answer Factor the following expression completely: 100x2 – 25y2

ANSWER: 25(2x + y)(2x – y)

High School Round 5 Page 13

 ROUND 6

TOSS-UP

1) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following most commonly functions to limit current to
one direction:

W) capacitor
X) transformer
Y) resistor
Z) diode

ANSWER: Z) DIODE

BONUS

1) PHYSICS Short Answer Debbie pushes a 10-kilogram box of books with a horizontal force of
500 newtons. What is the acceleration of the box, giving your answer in standard SI units, if friction
is neglected?

ANSWER: 50 METERS PER SECOND SQUARED (ACCEPT: 50 METERS PER SECOND PER
SECOND)

(Solution: A = F/M; A = 500/10; A = 50m/sec2)

TOSS-UP

2) CHEMISTRY Short Answer If pure water is at its boiling point at standard pressure, how many
additional calories of heat are needed to convert 1 gram of water from the liquid to the vapor state?

ANSWER: 540

BONUS

2) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the name for the straight-chain alkane containing 5
carbons?

ANSWER: PENTANE

High School Round 6 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) BIOLOGY Short Answer In what part of photosynthesis, named after its discoverers, is NADPH
used to produce 3-carbon sugar phosphate molecules?

ANSWER: CALVIN CYCLE (ACCEPT: CALVIN-BENSON CYCLE or CALVIN-BENSON-

BASSHAM CYCLE)

BONUS

3) BIOLOGY Short Answer For every carbon dioxide molecule fixed in the Calvin-Benson cycle,
how many NADPH molecules are utilized?

ANSWER: 2

TOSS-UP

4) MATH Short Answer What is the specific name for a common tangent that intersects the
segment joining the centers of 2 circles?

ANSWER: INTERNAL COMMON TANGENT (ACCEPT: INTERNAL or INTERNAL

TANGENT)

BONUS

4) MATH Short Answer A flagpole casts a 100-foot long shadow. If a 6-foot tall person standing
at the base of the pole casts an 8-foot shadow, how many feet tall is the flagpole?

ANSWER: 75

(Solution: (100 × 6)/8 = 75 ft)

High School Round 6 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following happens to the shells of snails and
limpets as seawater becomes increasingly acidic:

W) they begin to dissolve

X) they become thicker
Y) they develop much later in the organism’s life
Z) they become darker

ANSWER: W) THEY BEGIN TO DISSOLVE

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Continental margins facing the edges of diverging tectonic
plates are called:

W) passive margins
X) Pacific-type margins
Y) transform fault margins
Z) active margins

ANSWER: W) PASSIVE MARGINS

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Giving your answer to the first decimal place, an increase
of 1ºC is equivalent to an increase of how many degrees Fahrenheit?

ANSWER: 1.8

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Convert 140ºF into degrees Celsius:

ANSWER: 60

(Solution: 5/9(140º – 32º) = 60º C)

High School Round 6 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following best explains from where most of the
dust that covers the surface of the Moon came:

W) weathering when the Moon was young and had an atmosphere

X) interstellar dust deposited over billions of years
Y) from rock pulverized from many impacts
Z) from its original makeup of a soft, silicate rock

ANSWER: Y) FROM ROCK PULVERIZED FROM MANY IMPACTS

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What physical property of stars is most directly responsible for
how long they will continue fusion?

ANSWER: MASS

TOSS-UP

8) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following is the device in a galvanic cell that
completes the electric circuit by connecting the two sides of the cell with an inert electrolyte:

W) electrolytic reservoir
X) cathode
Y) conducting wire
Z) salt bridge

ANSWER: Z) SALT BRIDGE

BONUS

8) PHYSICS Short Answer How many joules are in a single watt-hour?

ANSWER: 3,600

(Solution: (1 joule per second)(60 sec)(60 minutes) = 3600 J)

High School Round 6 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) CHEMISTRY Short Answer If the electronegativity difference in the bonding atoms is

intermediate in strength, what general type of bond is typically formed?

ANSWER: POLAR COVALENT (DO NOT ACCEPT: COVALENT)

BONUS

9) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is a molecule having a nonpolar

covalent bond:

W) bromine gas
X) hydrogen fluoride
Y) water
Z) hydrogen bromide

ANSWER: W) BROMINE GAS

TOSS-UP

10) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice In which of the following organ systems of the human body do
chief cells primarily function:

W) excretory
X) digestive
Y) nervous
Z) reproductive

ANSWER: X) DIGESTIVE

BONUS

10) BIOLOGY Short Answer What section of the small intestine is the first to receive gastric
contents?

ANSWER: DUODENUM

High School Round 6 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

11) MATH Short Answer Solve the following equation for x over the integers: x2 = 3x

ANSWER: 0; 3

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer Giving your answer as a fraction reduced to lowest terms, solve the
2 1 10 1
following equation for x: x− = x+
3 4 6 2

3
ANSWER: –
4

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is best used to date the age of the
Earth to about 4.5 billion years old:

W) uranium-235
X) uranium-238
Y) potassium-40
Z) carbon-14

ANSWER: X) URANIUM-238

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is a ubiquitous trace mineral
found in many igneous, metamorphic and clastic sedimentary rocks, and has been used to date
Earth’s oldest rocks at 4-plus billion years:

W) titanite
X) tremolite
Y) zircon
Z) beryl

ANSWER: Y) ZIRCON

High School Round 6 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true:

W) only a few harmful algal bloom species actually produce toxins that are poisonous to people
X) algal blooms occur in marine and freshwater environments
Y) algal blooms can occur in the open ocean far from any coastal inlets
Z) pollution is always to blame for harmful algal blooms along coastal waters

ANSWER: Z) POLLUTION IS ALWAYS TO BLAME FOR HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS

ALONG COASTAL WATERS

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice 500 metric gigatons is approximately equal to how
many pounds:

W) 1.1 trillion
X) 11 trillion
Y) 110 trillion
Z) 1,100 trillion

ANSWER: Z) 1,100 TRILLION

(Solution: ~2205 × 500 × 1000 = 1,102,000,000)

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice If a star is seen just above the eastern horizon at sunset, where
would it most likely be found just before the following sunrise:

W) just above the eastern horizon

X) half-way up in the eastern sky
Y) low in the western sky
Z) directly overhead

ANSWER: Y) LOW IN THE WESTERN SKY

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the MOST common organic molecule in the atmosphere
of the planet Uranus?

ANSWER: METHANE (ACCEPT: CH4)

High School Round 6 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) PHYSICS Short Answer Radon is primarily produced naturally on Earth most directly from the
decay of what element?

ANSWER: RADIUM

BONUS

15) PHYSICS Short Answer By words or numbers, name all of the following 4 choices that are
TRUE for an object moving at a constant speed:
1) it must have a constant velocity
2) it must be constantly moving in the same direction
3) it can be accelerating
4) it must have a constant weight

ANSWER: 3) IT CAN BE ACCELERATING

TOSS-UP

16) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following are elements in the Periodic Table
whose outer shell electrons are on two principal energy levels:

W) alkali metals
X) noble gases
Y) alkaline Earth metals
Z) transition elements

ANSWER: Z) TRANSITION ELEMENTS

BONUS

16) CHEMISTRY Short Answer According to standard chemical nomenclature and indicating the
proper charge, what is the formula for potassium perchlorate?

ANSWER: KClO4

High School Round 6 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) BIOLOGY Short Answer What specific type of microscopy passes a beam of electrons through
an ultra-thin specimen that is usually stained with an electron opaque substance, producing an image
which can be captured by a charged coupled device?

ANSWER: TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (ACCEPT: TEM)

(DO NOT ACCEPT: SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OR SEM)

BONUS

17) BIOLOGY Short Answer Order the following 4 objects found in the human body from the
SMALLEST to the LARGEST: mitochondrion; ribosome; erythrocyte; average monocyte

ANSWER: RIBOSOME; MITOCHONDRION; ERYTHROCYTE; AVERAGE MONOCYTE

TOSS-UP

18) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Pyrex glass contains many of the same components as
soda lime glass but in addition contains at least 5%:

W) boric acid
X) pure silica
Y) clay
Z) dyes

ANSWER: W) BORIC ACID

BONUS

18) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes the function
of boric acid in the manufacture of Pyrex or borosilicate glass:

W) makes the glass more scratch-resistant

X) makes the glass more brittle
Y) reduces the linear coefficient of expansion of the glass
Z) reduces the effect of detrimental ultraviolet light exposure

ANSWER: Y) REDUCES THE LINEAR COEFFICIENT OF EXPANSION OF THE GLASS

High School Round 6 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following are intrusive masses of igneous
rock that extend downward to unknown depths and do not show signs of a definite floor:

W) laccolith
X) batholith
Y) sill
Z) volcanic neck

ANSWER: X) BATHOLITH

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT a common mineral in
igneous rock but rather an accessory that typically occurs in small amounts:

W) quartz
X) muscovite
Y) plagioclase
Z) orthoclase

ANSWER: X) MUSCOVITE

TOSS-UP

5 y − 3x 2
20) MATH Short Answer Simplify the following rational expression:
9 y 2 + 5x

5 y − 3x 2
ANSWER: CANNOT BE FURTHER SIMPLIFIED (ACCEPT: or THE SAME)
9 y 2 + 5x

BONUS

20) MATH Short Answer Factor the following expression completely: 12x2 + 24x – 36

ANSWER: 12(x + 3)(x – 1) (ACCEPT: 12(x – 1)(x + 3))

High School Round 6 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer To the first decimal place, how many astronomical units is the
average radius of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun?

ANSWER: 1.0

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer How many degrees above the celestial equator is the north
celestial pole?

ANSWER: 90

TOSS-UP

22) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the electric charge and mass of the carrier particle for the
electromagnetic force?

ANSWER: BOTH ARE ZERO

BONUS

22) PHYSICS Short Answer If the intensity of a sound is 10,000 times as loud as another sound,
by how many decibels do the two sounds differ?

ANSWER: 40

High School Round 6 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true:

W) hydrogen gas found in nature exists as a monatomic molecule

X) when 2 oxygen atoms combine to form O2, energy is released
Y) when chlorine gains 1 electron, it becomes larger
Z) noble gases tend not to bond because of their stable valence configurations

ANSWER: W) HYDROGEN GAS FOUND IN NATURE EXISTS AS A MONATOMIC

MOLECULE

BONUS

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Knowing that the chemical name for gypsum is calcium sulfate
dihydrate, gypsum is what percent water by weight? Assume the atomic masses of calcium = 40;
sulfur = 32 and oxygen = 16.

ANSWER: 21

(Solution: CaSO4•2H2O)

TOSS-UP

24) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the term for the transfer of genes by
viruses from one prokaryote to another:

W) transduction
X) conjugation
Y) transformation
Z) relaxation

ANSWER: W) TRANSDUCTION

BONUS

24) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 3 transport systems that directly require
energy to operate: active transport; facilitated diffusion; sodium potassium pump

ANSWER: ACTIVE TRANSPORT; SODIUM POTASSIUM PUMP

(ACCEPT: ALL BUT FACILITATED DIFFUSION)

High School Round 6 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the general name for a hypothetical gas that obeys
Boyles’s law at all temperatures and pressures?

ANSWER: IDEAL GAS (ACCEPT: IDEAL)

BONUS

25) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true of ideal gases:

W) 2 or more gases form homogeneous mixtures in all proportions

X) collisions between gas particles are both elastic and inelastic
Y) they diffuse rapidly
Z) they assume the shapes of their containers

ANSWER: X) COLLISIONS BETWEEN GAS PARTICLES ARE BOTH ELASTIC AND

INELASTIC

High School Round 6 Page 13

 ROUND 7

TOSS-UP

1) BIOLOGY Short Answer If one end of a single polypeptide chain has an amino group exposed,
what functional group is typically exposed at the opposite end?

ANSWER: CARBOXYL

BONUS

1) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the most common name of the protein that synthesizes DNA?

ANSWER: DNA POLYMERASE (ACCEPT: POLYMERASE)

TOSS-UP

2) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following compounds is used as a fuel additive in
what is commonly known as “dry-gas” by solubilizing water to reduce its contamination in gasoline:

W) isooctane
X) glycerol
Y) MTBE
Z) isopropyl alcohol

ANSWER: Z) ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL

BONUS

2) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice The molar heat of vaporization for water at its boiling point and
in kilojoules per mole is:

W) 6.01
X) 40.7
Y) 540
Z) 2,260

ANSWER: X) 40.7

High School Round 7 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Consider an electric charge moving through a magnetic field. A
force acts on the charge perpendicular to the direction of the charge’s motion and direction of the
magnetic field. Which of the following is the MOST common name for this force:

W) B field
X) Lorentz force
Y) electrodynamic force
Z) Faraday force

ANSWER: X) LORENTZ FORCE

BONUS

3) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes the Lorentz Contraction:

W) reduction in the mass of a body as it approaches the speed of light

X) reduction in the length of a body along the direction of motion as it approaches the speed of light
Y) loss of kinetic energy when any object slows
Z) loss of potential energy when any body emits electromagnetic radiation

ANSWER: X) REDUCTION IN THE LENGTH OF A BODY ALONG THE DIRECTION OF

MOTION AS IT APPROACHES THE SPEED OF LIGHT

TOSS-UP

4) MATH Short Answer What is the determinant of a 2-by-2 square matrix whose rows are 4, 2
and –3, –4?

ANSWER: –10

(Solution: D = ad – bc = 4(-4) – (-3)(2) = -10)

BONUS

x
4) MATH Short Answer Solve the following equation for x: –2|3 + ( )| = –10 (read as: negative
2
2 times the absolute value of 3 plus, open parenthesis, x divided by 2, close parenthesis, close
absolute value, equals negative 10)

ANSWER: 4 AND –16

High School Round 7 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer What is the most common name for the temperature-slope or
depth interval over which temperature changes with depth in a lake?

ANSWER: THERMOCLINE

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Trilobites are index fossils that lived:

W) in warm, ocean waters

X) during the Achaean geological time
Y) in desert environments
Z) in lakes, rivers and streams

ANSWER: W) IN WARM, OCEAN WATERS

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has enlisted the help
of volunteers to raise oysters within cages tied to docks just below the water’s surface. Which of the
following is the BEST reason why these amateur conservationists will not be tempted to eat their
oysters:

W) they are genetically engineered and their impact on human heath has not been assessed
X) they were irradiated prior to seeding to ensure they were disease-free
Y) there is a water pollution advisory against eating oysters grown within most of the watershed
Z) some are equipped with a radio transmitter to allow biologists to easily measure population
changes

ANSWER: Y) THERE IS A WATER POLLUTION ADVISORY AGAINST EATING OYSTERS

GROWN WITHIN MOST OF THE WATERSHED

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer If one of Earth’s tectonic plates moves at a rate of about 10
centimeters per year, how many kilometers will it move in 100 million years?

ANSWER: 10,000

(Solution: 10 cm/yr = 1 × 10-4 Km/yr (100,000,000 yr) = 10,000 Km)

High School Round 7 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer From data primarily on the motions of what planet did Kepler
propose that planets follow elliptical orbits?

ANSWER: MARS

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What object in the night sky can reach a maximum apparent
magnitude of negative 12.6?

ANSWER: MOON (ACCEPT: FULL MOON)

TOSS-UP

8) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the main respiratory pigment of skeletal muscle cells?

ANSWER: MYOGLOBIN

BONUS

8) BIOLOGY Short Answer Choosing from primary through quaternary, what level of protein
structure is conferred by a beta pleated sheet?

ANSWER: SECONDARY

High School Round 7 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice An increase in which of the following conditions would NOT
lead to an increase in pressure of a gas in a piston:

W) increased temperature
X) increased number of gas molecules
Y) increased average kinetic energy of gas particles
Z) increased volume

ANSWER: Z) INCREASED VOLUME

BONUS

9) CHEMISTRY Short Answer To the nearest whole number, how many grams of Na2SO4, whose
formula weight is 142, are needed to prepare a 500 milliliter 0.100 molar solution?

ANSWER: 7

(Solution: (0.5L)(0.1 mol/L) = 0.05 mol (142 g/mol) = 7.1 g)

TOSS-UP

10) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following best describes the concept upon which
Kirchhoff’s current law or first law is based:

W) charges come in unit dimensions

X) all charges flow from the negative to the positive
Y) charge can neither be created nor destroyed
Z) what goes up must come down

ANSWER: Y) CHARGE CAN NEITHER BE CREATED NOR DESTROYED

BONUS

10) PHYSICS Short Answer Give by name or number all of the following 4 choices that would be
considered units of electrical power: 1) ampere volt; 2) joules per second; 3) watts; 4) coulombs

ANSWER: 1; 2; 3

High School Round 7 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

11) MATH Short Answer Giving your answer as up, down, left, or right, the graph of the equation
x = 5y – 8y2 – 1 opens in what direction?

ANSWER: LEFT

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer If $10,000 is placed in a savings account that pays 5% interest
compounded annually, what is the total amount of money in the account at the end of 2 years, to the
nearest dollar?

ANSWER: $11,025

(Solution: A = P[1 + (r/n)]nt; = $10,000[1 + (0.05/1)](1x2) = $11,025)

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following atmospheric gases is created
naturally by the action of sunlight on molecular oxygen:

W) ozone
X) carbon monoxide
Y) nitrous oxide
Z) methane

ANSWER: W) OZONE

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer On a weather map, what type of frontal boundary is
represented by alternating blue and red lines with blue triangles pointing toward the warmer air and
red semicircles pointing toward the colder air?

ANSWER: STATIONARY (ACCEPT: STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY or

STATIONARY FRONT)

High School Round 7 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Geothermal power plants use which of the following to
generate electricity:

W) coal
X) steam
Y) sunlight
Z) pressurized water

ANSWER: X) STEAM

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Diatoms are:

W) bacteria
X) twinned crystals
Y) seaweed
Z) algae

ANSWER: Z) ALGAE

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following statements is LEAST accurate:

W) solar eclipses are less common than lunar eclipses

X) stars that begin their lives with greater mass have longer life-spans
Y) stars in the same constellation are not necessarily at the same distance from Earth
Z) M-31 is a galaxy

ANSWER: X) STARS THAT BEGIN THEIR LIVES WITH GREATER MASS HAVE LONGER
LIFE-SPANS

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer In what constellation is the brightest-appearing star in the night
sky?

ANSWER: CANIS MAJOR

(Solution: Alpha Canis Majoris, also called Sirius, is in Canis Major and is the brightest star in the
sky)

High School Round 7 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) BIOLOGY Short Answer What specific biological process is believed to have produced most
of the diatomic oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere?

ANSWER: PHOTOSYNTHESIS

BONUS

15) BIOLOGY Short Answer In photosynthesis II (read as: two), what is light energy most notably
used to initially accomplish?

ANSWER: SPLITTING OF WATER

TOSS-UP

16) CHEMISTRY Short Answer According to VSEPR bonding theory, what type of geometry
does a molecule have when the central atom is surrounded by 4 bonded groups, such as in methane?

ANSWER: TETRAHEDRAL

BONUS

16) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is considered a weak acid:

W) HCO2H
X) HClO4
Y) HNO3
Z) HBr

ANSWER: W) HCO2H

High School Round 7 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the MOST common name for the electrical device often made
of two parallel conducting plates separated by a paper insulator all rolled into a cylinder to function
in storing electrical energy?

ANSWER: CAPACITOR

BONUS

17) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the SI unit of capacitance equal to one coulomb per volt?

ANSWER: FARAD

TOSS-UP

18) MATH Short Answer In what quadrant does θ (read as: theta) terminate if sine θ is positive and
secant θ is negative?

ANSWER: 2nd (ACCEPT: 2)

BONUS

18) MATH Short Answer Solve the following equation for all real values of x:
1 2 1
x − x −1 = 0
8 4

ANSWER: 4 OR –2

High School Round 7 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following rocks is MOST porous:

W) marble
X) granite
Y) limestone
Z) slate

ANSWER: Y) LIMESTONE

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice If the intent is to neutralize soil acidity, the mixing of
which of the following materials in the soil would be the LEAST effective:

W) ground limestone
X) ground oyster shells
Y) pure CaCO3
Z) gypsum

ANSWER: Z) GYPSUM
(Solution: gypsum is CaCO4)

TOSS-UP

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is used as a white pigment in
paint, paper, and plastics:

W) Teflon
X) zeolites
Y) titanium dioxide
Z) diatomaceous earth

ANSWER: Y) TITANIUM DIOXIDE

BONUS

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Cats have a special layer of tissue behind their retina
called the tapetum lucidum that does which of the following:

W) reflects back to the retina stray photons of light

X) allows for color vision
Y) allows only for black, white and grey vision
Z) serves as a second eyelid to protect the eye

ANSWER: W) REFLECTS BACK TO THE RETINA STRAY PHOTONS OF LIGHT

High School Round 7 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What basic force is responsible for forming the liquid-metallic
hydrogen layer on the planet Jupiter?

ANSWER: GRAVITY

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer During what month is the average surface temperature of the
Earth typically the highest?

ANSWER: JULY

TOSS-UP

22) BIOLOGY Short Answer In what specific part of the testes does spermatogenesis occur in
mammals?

ANSWER: SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES

BONUS

22) BIOLOGY Short Answer What human gland, which is mostly lymphoid tissue, is critical to the
normal development of cell mediated immunity and, if removed after young adulthood, seems to
have no ill effects on the immune system?

ANSWER: THYMUS

High School Round 7 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer When a strip of sodium reacts with dilute HCl, what gas is
produced?

ANSWER: HYDROGEN

BONUS

23) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice The release of hydrogen gas in the above experiment is called:

W) combustion
X) effervescence
Y) diffusion
Z) ebullition

ANSWER: X) EFFERVESCENCE

TOSS-UP

24) PHYSICS Short Answer What was the electrolyte used in the first voltaic piles built by Volta?

ANSWER: BRINE (ACCEPT: SALT WATER)

BONUS

24) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the resistance, giving your answer in standard SI units, of an
electric device operating on a 9-volt battery that requires 0.05 amps to run?

ANSWER: 180 OHMS

(Solution: R = V/I = 9/0.05 = 180 ohms)

High School Round 7 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the most common name for the micro-gametophyte in
flowering plants?

ANSWER: POLLEN (ACCEPT: POLLEN GRAINS)

BONUS

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer Sieve cells and sieve tube members are types of what specific
conductive plant cell type?

ANSWER: PHLOEM

High School Round 7 Page 13

 ROUND 8

TOSS-UP

1) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice The reaction Fe3O4 + 4H2  3Fe + 4H2O, is an example of what
class of chemical reaction:

W) decomposition
X) single replacement
Y) combustion
Z) combination

ANSWER: X) SINGLE REPLACEMENT

BONUS

1) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Find the mass percent composition, rounded to the nearest whole
number, for each atom in KClO3. Assume the atomic masses of potassium = 39, chlorine = 35, and
oxygen = 16

ANSWER: K = 32%; Cl = 29%; O = 39%

(Solution: K = 39g/122g × 100% = 32%; Cl = 35/122 × 100% = 29%; O = 48/122 × 100% = 39%)

TOSS-UP

2) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the highest level of structural
organization in myoglobin:

W) primary
X) secondary
Y) tertiary
Z) quaternary

ANSWER: Y) TERTIARY

BONUS

2) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 choices that are characteristic of
E. coli: gram negative; an enteric organism; non-motile; bacillus

ANSWER: GRAM NEGATIVE; AN ENTERIC ORGANISM; BACILLUS

(ACCEPT: ALL BUT NON-MOTILE)

High School Round 8 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following colors of light has the greatest angle of
refraction in normal glass:

W) yellow
X) green
Y) orange
Z) blue

ANSWER: Z) BLUE

BONUS

3) PHYSICS Multiple Choice If a beam of white light passes through a prism, which of the
following colors color will emerge on the other side at the lowest angle with respect to the incident
beam:

W) orange
X) indigo
Y) green
Z) blue

ANSWER: W) ORANGE

TOSS-UP

4) MATH Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true:

W) all central angles in a regular polygon are equal

X) irregular polygons are not considered to have centers and have no central angles
Y) the circumcircle of a regular polygon is the circle that passes through at least one vertex
Z) all regular polygons are convex

ANSWER: Y) THE CIRCUMCIRCLE OF A REGULAR POLYGON IS THE CIRCLE THAT

PASSES THROUGH AT LEAST ONE VERTEX

BONUS

4) MATH Short Answer Find the sum of all interior angles, in degrees, in a regular polygon having
100 sides:

ANSWER: 17,640

(Solution: (100 – 2)(180) = 17,640º)

High School Round 8 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Because of Earth’s rotation and shape, ocean currents are
intensified along which of the following borders of all oceans:

W) northern
X) southern
Y) eastern
Z) western

ANSWER: Z) WESTERN

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT generally characteristic of a
passive continental margin:

W) relatively wide continental shelf

X) oceanic trench
Y) terrigenous sediment
Z) continental rise

ANSWER: X) OCEANIC TRENCH

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice The sea nettle is the Bering Sea’s most common:

W) jellyfish
X) crab
Y) sea urchin
Z) walleye pollock

ANSWER: W) JELLYFISH

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice 1 cubic foot per second equals approximately how many
gallons per minutes:

W) 256
X) 449
Y) 646
Z) 724

ANSWER: X) 449

High School Round 8 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Which of the terrestrial planets has the lowest albedo?

ANSWER: MERCURY

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Most of the hydrogen that makes up the planet Jupiter is in what
phase?

ANSWER: LIQUID

TOSS-UP

8) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the theoretical end of a titration:

W) end point
X) indicator point
Y) equivalence point
Z) standardization point

ANSWER: Y) EQUIVALENCE POINT

(Solution: end point is the observed end of a titration)

BONUS

8) CHEMISTRY Short Answer In a strong acid-base titration, what is the pH of the solution when
the equivalence point is reached?

ANSWER: 7

High School Round 8 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) BIOLOGY Short Answer What specific class of antibodies is most commonly responsible for
degranulation of basophils or mast cells?

ANSWER: IgE (ACCEPT: IMMUNOLGLOBULIN E)

BONUS

9) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following is a group of about 20 proteins that aid in
the attraction and phagocytosis of microorganisms by macrophages:

W) alpha interferons
X) complement system
Y) TNF
Z) hemopoietins

ANSWER: X) COMPLEMENT SYSTEM

TOSS-UP

10) PHYSICS Short Answer What property of a wave is generally said to increase during
constructive interference?

ANSWER: AMPLITUDE

BONUS

10) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the most common name for the Law or principal dictating
that the amount of a substance that is released or deposited from an electrode is directly proportional
to the amount of electric current passing through the circuit?

ANSWER: FARADAY’S FIRST LAW OF ELECTROLYSIS

(ACCEPT: FARADAY’S FIRST LAW or FARADAY’S LAW OF ELECTROLYSIS)

High School Round 8 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

11) MATH Short Answer Find 2 mean proportionals between the numbers 3 and 24:

ANSWER: 6 AND 12

(Solution: 3r3 = 24, r = 2)

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer Find the numerical value of the geometric mean of the following 4
values: 21; 23; 28; 28

ANSWER: 32 (DO NOT ACCEPT: 25)

(Solution: 1 + 3 + 8 + 8 = 20/4 = 5; 25 = 32)

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Many of the driest locales on Earth are situated between
which of the following latitudes:

W) 0º to 15º
X) 15º to 30º
Y) 30º to 45º
Z) 45º to 60º

ANSWER: X) 15º to 30º

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true of breccia rock:

W) it is sedimentary
X) its color is variable
Y) its texture consists of rounded pebbles, cobbles and boulders
Z) fragments may be any type of igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary rocks

ANSWER: Y) ITS TEXTURE CONSISTS OF ROUNDED PEBBLES, COBBLES AND

BOULDERS

(Solution: constituent clasts are angular)

High School Round 8 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice In the northern hemisphere, which of the following
degrees latitude would experience a length of day of 6 months:

W) 0
X) 30
Y) 60
Z) 90

ANSWER: Z) 90

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is a substance that is generally
considered friable:

W) concrete
X) topaz
Y) quartz
Z) perlite

ANSWER: Z) PERLITE

(Solution: it is easily reduced to smaller pieces with little effort)

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer From what specific celestial body do meteor showers originate?

ANSWER: COMET(S)

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Of which of the following is the Hubble Law most directly a
consequence:

W) Doppler shift
X) Kirchoff’s second law
Y) Kepler’s second law
Z) Drake’s equation

ANSWER: W) DOPPLER SHIFT

High School Round 8 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice A sample of gas is heated from 300K to 500K. If the container
is sealed and of fixed volume, which of the following will remain constant:

W) the average kinetic energy of the gas molecules

X) the average speed of the gas molecules
Y) the density of the gas
Z) the pressure of the gas

ANSWER: Y) THE DENSITY OF THE GAS

BONUS

15) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following does NOT have the electron
configuration of argon:

W) O2–
X) Cl–
Y) S2–
Z) K+

ANSWER: W) O2–

(Solution: O2– has configuration of neon)

TOSS-UP

16) BIOLOGY Short Answer In angiosperm seed development, what fuses with the second sperm
nucleus to form the endosperm?

ANSWER: 2 POLAR NUCLEI (ACCEPT: 2 OR BOTH POLAR NUCLEI or POLAR NUCLEI)

(DO NOT ACCEPT: POLAR NUCLEUS)

BONUS

16) BIOLOGY Short Answer In what specific part of a eukaryotic cell will pyruvate be converted
into acetyl Co-enzyme A?

ANSWER: MITOCHONDRION (ACCEPT: MITOCHONDRIA)

High School Round 8 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following are the most important calibration
references that Celsius used to devise his temperature scale:

W) melting point and boiling point of water

X) ice-point and freeze-thaw point of water
Y) specific gravity of water
Z) boiling point and steam point of water

ANSWER: W) MELTING POINT AND BOILING POINT OF WATER

BONUS

17) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following is the MOST reliable measure of the
remaining percentage of stored energy in a lead acid battery:

W) pH of the electrolyte
X) voltage remaining in the battery as measured on a voltmeter
Y) amount of oxygen gas released
Z) specific gravity of the electrolyte

ANSWER: Z) SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE ELECTROLYTE

TOSS-UP

18) MATH Short Answer There are 10 people on a bus who, when ranked from youngest to oldest,
all differ from those on the bus closest in age to them by the same number of years. If the youngest
is 6 and the oldest is 51, what is the common difference in their age?

ANSWER: 5

(Solution: 6-11-16-21-26-31-36-41-46-51)

BONUS

18) MATH Short Answer Solve the following equation for all real values of x: (x + 3)2 = 16

ANSWER: 1 AND –7

High School Round 8 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice When geologists find pillow basalts in ancient rock
sequences, which of the following BEST explains their presence:

W) the area was once underwater

X) volcanic bombs and lapilli landed on snow or ice and quickly cooled
Y) they hardened in mid-air, sometimes forming a tear-drop shape
Z) nearby volcanoes erupted enormous quantities of ash

ANSWER: W) THE AREA WAS ONCE UNDERWATER

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer What is the general name for the myriad of suspended
particles or aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere that allow rain droplets to undergo coalescence?

ANSWER: CONDENSATION NUCLEI

TOSS-UP

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is closest to the meaning of the
suffix ‘tropic’ (read as: troh-PIK):

W) hot
X) wet
Y) changing
Z) under

ANSWER: Y) CHANGING

BONUS

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice In which of the following locations has water at its
highest temperature ever been recorded in nature:

W) within gullies on Venus

X) in very deep ocean hydrothermal vents along the mid-Atlantic ridge
Y) at the bottom of Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park
Z) within volcanic vents high atop Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano

ANSWER: X) IN VERY DEEP OCEAN HYDROTHERMAL VENTS ALONG THE MID-

ATLANTIC RIDGE

High School Round 8 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What is the most accurate term astronomers use for the time it
takes for a planet to orbit the Sun relative to the stars?

ANSWER: SIDEREAL PERIOD

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What terrestrial planet has the longest sidereal period?

ANSWER: MARS

TOSS-UP

22) CHEMISTRY Short Answer In the electrolysis of a copper chloride solution, what forms at the
cathode and anode, respectively?

ANSWER: CATHODE = COPPER (ACCEPT: Cu); ANODE = CHLORINE (ACCEPT:

CHLORINE GAS or Cl2)

BONUS

22) CHEMISTRY Short Answer According to standard chemical nomenclature, what is the
formula for ammonium sulfate?

ANSWER: (NH4)2SO4

High School Round 8 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) BIOLOGY Short Answer How many human ova are produced by a full round of meiosis from
a single primary oocyte?

ANSWER: 1

(Solution: mammals produce 1 ovum and 3 polar bodies per primary oocyte)

BONUS

23) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 animals for which L-ascorbate is an
essential nutrient: humans; dogs; cats; horses

ANSWER: HUMANS

TOSS-UP

24) PHYSICS Short Answer In triboelectric charging, when one object loses electrons, the object
that accepts the charges acquires the same number of charges that the other object has lost. What
law most directly governs this equal exchange?

ANSWER: CONSERVATION OF CHARGE

BONUS

24) PHYSICS Short Answer Consider an organ pipe open at both ends. For a standing wave in the
pipe, what is the wavelength of the fundamental tone, in terms of the pipe’s length?

ANSWER: 2 (ACCEPT: 2 PIPE LENGTHS)

High School Round 8 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) MATH Short Answer Giving your answer in standard form, give the equation of the circle with
center at (0, 0) and diameter of 6:

ANSWER: x2 + y2 = 9

BONUS

25) MATH Short Answer What is the degree measure of the angle formed by 2 secants intersecting
outside a circle if the measures of the intercepted arcs are 80º and 34º?

ANSWER: 23

(Solution: ½(80º – 34º) = 23º)

High School Round 8 Page 13

 ROUND 9

TOSS-UP

1) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following is the magnitude of the focal length of a
spherically curved convex mirror in air, where R stands for the radius of curvature:

W) R divided by 1.22
X) R divided by 2
Y) R divided by 1.5
Z) R times 4

ANSWER: X) R DIVIDED BY 2

BONUS

1) PHYSICS Short Answer An emergency floodlight draws 1 ampere from its battery pack. How
many coulombs will flow through the light in 4 hours?

ANSWER: 14,400

TOSS-UP

2) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice About how many calories per gram will it take to sublimate
water at standard pressure:

W) 180
X) 360
Y) 540
Z) 720

ANSWER: Z) 720

(Solution: sublimation is solid  vapor; 80 cal + 100 cal + 540 cal = 720 cal)

BONUS

2) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice A Buchner (read as: BYOU-kh-ner) funnel is a piece of

laboratory glassware often used in chemistry labs for which of the following procedures:

W) combustion
X) filtration
Y) centrifugation
Z) distillation

ANSWER: X) FILTRATION

High School Round 9 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following tissues is most directly responsible for the
growth in height of a tree:

W) apical meristem
X) shoot terminus
Y) terminal cambial
Z) cambium terminus

ANSWER: W) APICAL MERISTEM

BONUS

3) BIOLOGY Short Answer What specific cells and how many of them border each stomal pore?

ANSWER: GUARD CELLS; 2

TOSS-UP

4) MATH Multiple Choice If e 5 = 30, which of the following is the value of x, assuming that the
natural log of 2 = 0.7, and the natural log of 15 = 2.7:

W) 15
X) 16
Y) 17
Z) 18

ANSWER: Y) 17

(Solution: x/5 = ln 15 + ln 2 = 3.4; x/5 = 3.4; x = 17)

BONUS

4) MATH Short Answer If the area of a regular pentagon is 280 square centimeters, what is the
length, in centimeters, of each side if the apothem is 16 centimeters?

ANSWER: 7

(Solution: A = ½ ap; 280 = ½ (16)(p); p = 35/5 = 7 cm)

High School Round 9 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Tree growth is often very stunted and gnarly at the tree line
of high mountains in North America. Known as Krummholz formations, this is primarily caused by:

W) winds
X) subsidence
Y) lowered atmospheric pressure
Z) low sunlight levels

ANSWER: W) WINDS

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is generally NOT true of the alpine
versus arctic tundra biomes:

W) alpine tundra does not contain permafrost whereas arctic tundra does contain permafrost
X) alpine tundra is warmer and has a longer growing season than arctic tundra
Y) alpine tundra has a lower species diversity than arctic tundra
Z) alpine tundra has less severe winters than arctic tundra

ANSWER: Y) ALPINE TUNDRA HAS A LOWER SPECIES DIVERSITY THAN ARCTIC

TUNDRA

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Name 2 of the following 4 choices that are the 2 main
logical reasoning methods used in science: inductive; synthetic; observational; deductive

ANSWER: INDUCTIVE; DEDUCTIVE

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer To the nearest whole number, convert 50ºF into kelvin:

ANSWER: 283

(Solution: 5/9(50º – 32º) = 10º C + 273 = 283 K)

High School Round 9 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true:

W) the star Sirius at its brightest has an apparent magnitude of about negative 1.5
X) metal-rich stars sometimes have planets
Y) typical binoculars allow observation of stars with apparent magnitudes of about 9.0
Z) the Sun has an apparent magnitude of about negative 12

ANSWER: Z) THE SUN HAS AN APPARENT MAGNITUDE OF ABOUT NEGATIVE 12

(Solution: the Sun’s apparent magnitude is –26.73)

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Astronomers will often refer to certain stars as low metal
content stars. In this sense astronomers consider metals as any element:

W) heavier than helium

X) heavier than carbon
Y) heavier than copper
Z) heavier than iron

ANSWER: W) HEAVIER THAN HELIUM

TOSS-UP

8) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following MOST directly determines the permittivity
of a material:

W) ability of the material to magnetize

X) electrical susceptibility
Y) electrical insulation capacity
Z) electrical conductivity

ANSWER: X) ELECTRICAL SUSCEPTIBILITY

BONUS

8) PHYSICS Short Answer What are the SI units for permittivity?

ANSWER: FARADS PER METER

High School Round 9 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is one of the main reasons why
oxygenates are used as gasoline additives:

W) allow for more complete combustion

X) decrease sulfur buildup in engine pistons
Y) prevent water condensation in stored fuels
Z) corrosion inhibition

ANSWER: W) ALLOW FOR MORE COMPLETE COMBUSTION

BONUS

9) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Consider the following equilibrium reaction,

PCl5(gas) ↔ PCl3(gas) + Cl2(gas). If a 2 mole sample of PCl5 dissociates to give 0.2 moles of Cl2
at equilibrium, find the molar amounts, to the 1st decimal place, of PCl5 at equilibrium:

ANSWER: 1.8

(Solution: 2 – 0.2 = 1.8)

TOSS-UP

10) BIOLOGY Short Answer During what phase of meiosis-one do homologous chromosomes
exchange genetic information?

ANSWER: PROPHASE-ONE (ACCEPT: PROPHASE)

BONUS

10) BIOLOGY Short Answer Order the following 3 choices from the EARLIEST stage to the
LATEST stage of ovarian follicle development, and identify which of the structures is typically the
LARGEST: secondary follicle; corpus luteum; corpus albicans

ANSWER: SECONDARY FOLLICLE; CORPUS LUTEUM; CORPUS ALBICANS;

LARGEST = CORPUS LUTEUM

High School Round 9 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

11) MATH Short Answer A circle has a diameter of 32 meters. Find the degree measure of the
central angle of a sector of the circle if its arc length measures 8π meters:

ANSWER: 90

(Solution: arc/circumference = nº/360º; n = 90º or (8π/2π16)(360º) = 90º)

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer Find the sum of the first 10 terms of the arithmetic sequence whose first
three terms are 7, 11, and 15:

ANSWER: 250

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is the most common type of ocean
tide throughout the world and is the type found along the U.S. Pacific coast:

W) diurnal
X) semidiurnal
Y) mixed
Z) zonal

ANSWER: Y) MIXED

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice In which of the following regions of the world’s oceans
are you most likely to find the greatest uniformity in density changes with increasing depth:

W) equator
X) tropics
Y) high latitudes
Z) desert latitudes

ANSWER: Y) HIGH LATITUDES

(Solution: at high polar latitudes, change is nearly constant)

High School Round 9 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is a jaw-less fish:

W) lungfish
X) catfish
Y) lamprey
Z) sturgeon

ANSWER: Y) LAMPREY

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer In the northern hemisphere, name all of the following 4
northern degree latitudes that will experience a 12-hour length of day during the vernal equinox:
0º; 10º; 15º; 20º

ANSWER: ALL

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer As a comet approaches the Sun, most of its icy substances are
released during what phase change process?

ANSWER: SUBLIMATION

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice During which of the following orbital arrangements can a
transit occur for the planet Venus:

W) opposition
X) greatest eastern elongation
Y) superior conjunction
Z) inferior conjunction

ANSWER: Z) INFERIOR CONJUNCTION

High School Round 9 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the general term for the process of making different types of
semiconductors by adding slight amounts of impurities into the silicon matrix?

ANSWER: DOPING

BONUS

15) PHYSICS Short Answer What specific type of semiconductor is produced by doping silicon
with arsenic?

ANSWER: N-TYPE

TOSS-UP

16) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice The reaction CuCl2 + Na2S  CuS + 2NaCl2, is an example of
what class of chemical reaction:

W) synthesis
X) single replacement
Y) double replacement
Z) decomposition

ANSWER: Y) DOUBLE REPLACEMENT

BONUS

16) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 species that contain an odd number
of electrons: O21–; O22–; SO2; CO

ANSWER: O21–

High School Round 9 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following is the most common term for an area of
primitive cells in plants where active cell division occurs:

W) meristem
X) ground tissue
Y) primary cells
Z) germinal tissue

ANSWER: W) MERISTEM

BONUS

17) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the layer typically found between 2 plant cell walls of
adjoining plant cells which is composed of pectin?

ANSWER: MIDDLE LAMELLA

TOSS-UP

18) MATH Short Answer What is the name for the test that can be used to visually determine
whether or not a relation defined by a graph represents a function?

ANSWER: VERTICAL LINE TEST (ACCEPT: VERTICAL LINE)

BONUS

18) MATH Short Answer Find the x and y intercepts of the line passing through the point (4, 8)
that is perpendicular to the line 3x – 6y – 12 = 0:

ANSWER: X-INTERCEPT = (8, 0) (ACCEPT: 8); Y-INTERCEPT = (0, 16) (ACCEPT: 16)

High School Round 9 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is a medium or coarse-grained
rock that consists primarily of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene and is essentially the plutonic
equivalent of basalt:

W) diorite
X) rhyolite
Y) andesite
Z) gabbro

ANSWER: Z) GABBRO

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Scoria is most typically described as having which of the
following textures:

W) phaneritic
X) fragmental
Y) porphyritic
Z) vesicular

ANSWER: Z) VESICULAR

TOSS-UP

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Blepharitis (read as: bleff-ah-rye-tis) in humans is an
inflammation of the:

W) urinary bladder
X) eyelid
Y) fingernail
Z) tongue

ANSWER: X) EYELID
BONUS

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is a principal component of a
siderite meteorite:

W) neptunium
X) carbon
Y) iron
Z) erbium

ANSWER: Y) IRON

High School Round 9 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Which 2 of the following 4 factors most directly determine the
apparent visual magnitude of a star: distance from Earth; intrinsic brightness; color; age

ANSWER: DISTANCE FROM EARTH; INTRINSIC BRIGHTNESS

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What 2 characteristics of Uranus are most commonly noted as
the reasons why Uranus was not discovered until the late 1700’s?

ANSWER: APPARENT MAGNITUDE; ORBITAL PERIOD ( ACCEPT: BRIGHTNESS or

MAGNITUDE)

TOSS-UP

22) PHYSICS Short Answer In the electrolysis of water, if the production of each molecule of
oxygen requires 4 units of electricity, each hydrogen molecule will require how many units of
electricity?

ANSWER: 2

BONUS

22) PHYSICS Short Answer What is the maximum number of 100-watt light bulbs that can run on
a 110-volt residential circuit protected by a 15-amp fuse without blowing the fuse?

ANSWER: 16

(Solution: 100W/110 = 0.9 amps; 15 amp fuse/0.9 amp = 16.7 or 16 bulbs)

High School Round 9 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What are the 2 alkenes (read as: al-KEENS) with the shortest
carbon chains and lowest molecular weights?

ANSWER: ETHYLENE; PROPYLENE (ACCEPT: ETHENE; PROPENE)

BONUS

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Arrange the following 4 metals in order of increasing reactivity in
dilute HCl: zinc; aluminum; gold; calcium

ANSWER: GOLD; ZINC; ALUMINUM; CALCIUM

TOSS-UP

24) BIOLOGY Short Answer Which one of basic plant cell types has a primary and secondary cell
wall that is dead when mature?

ANSWER: SCLERENCHYMA

BONUS

24) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 plants that produce seeds:
cycads; ferns; mosses; conifers

ANSWER: CYCADS; CONIFERS

High School Round 9 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the general name for a substance that facilitates a
chemical reaction by providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy while
remaining unaltered?

ANSWER: CATALYST

BONUS

25) CHEMISTRY Short Answer You need to prepare 500 milliliters of a 0.100 molar NaOH
solution from a 0.250 molar solution. What volume, in milliliters, of the 0.250 molar solution must
be diluted to 500 milliliters?

ANSWER: 200

(Solution: M1V1 = M2V2; (0.250M)(x) = (0.100M)(500ml), x = 200 ml)

High School Round 9 Page 13

 ROUND 10

TOSS-UP

1) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice With which of the following does human interstitial fluid differ in
concentration the most when compared with plasma:

W) sodium ions
X) potassium ions
Y) magnesium ions
Z) proteins

ANSWER: Z) PROTEINS

BONUS

1) BIOLOGY Short Answer What human organ produces the majority of immune complement
proteins?

ANSWER: LIVER

TOSS-UP

2) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is a diprotic acid:

W) H2C2O4
X) H3PO4
Y) HCl
Z) HNO2

ANSWER: W) H2C2O4

(Solution: oxalic acid with 2 acidic H atoms)

BONUS

2) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following statements is NOT true:

W) an ideal gas cannot undergo condensation

X) the less mass a particle has, the faster it will effuse
Y) when a gas is compressed, its temperature always increases
Z) a gas is easier to compress than a liquid

ANSWER: Y) WHEN A GAS IS COMPRESSED, ITS TEMPERATURE ALWAYS INCREASES

High School Round 10 Page 1

 TOSS-UP

3) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes the most common functions
for which most transistors are used:

W) to switch on and off or amplify electronic signals

X) to allow electric current to pass in only one direction while increasing or decreasing the voltage
Y) to store electrical energy
Z) to regulate the frequency of electrical sine waves

ANSWER: W) TO SWITCH ON AND OFF OR AMPLIFY ELECTRONIC SIGNALS

BONUS

3) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following is the abbreviated name of the most common
field effect transistor in modern electronic circuitry:

W) DET
X) MOSFET
Y) BJT
Z) BFET

ANSWER: X) MOSFET

TOSS-UP

4) MATH Short Answer Find the cotangent and cosecant, respectively, of a 90º angle:

ANSWER: COTAN = 0; COSECANT = 1

BONUS

4) MATH Multiple Choice Which of the following points is closest to the point (1, –2):

W) (3, –5)
X) (0, 3)
Y) (3, 0)
Z) (–5, –5)

ANSWER: Y) (3, 0)

(Solution: d = ( x 2 − x1 ) 2 + ( y 2 − y1 ) 2 ; (3 − 1) 2 + (0 − (−2)) 2 = 8)

High School Round 10 Page 2

 TOSS-UP

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice In which of the following lakes in North America would
you typically find a thriving community of halophiles and alkaliphiles:

W) Lake Michigan
X) Mono Lake, California
Y) Great Slave Lake, Canada
Z) Lake Powell, Utah/Arizona

ANSWER: X) MONO LAKE, CALIFORNIA

BONUS

5) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST explains why Mono Lake in
California is hypersaline:

W) it has no outlet and a high evaporation rate

X) it is subject to extreme saltwater intrusion emanating from a vast system of underground aquifers
Y) it is underlain by massive salt domes formed 250 million years ago
Z) it has been subjected to periodic eruptions of volcanic ash

ANSWER: W) IT HAS NO OUTLET AND A HIGH EVAPORATION RATE

TOSS-UP

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Most VOC’s, or volatile organic compounds, are:

W) hydrocarbons
X) oxides
Y) nitrogenous wastes
Z) particulates

ANSWER: W) HYDROCARBONS

BONUS

6) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer A 25-microliter blood serum sample contains 50

micrograms of an enzyme. What is the enzyme concentration in parts per million?

ANSWER: 2,000 (ACCEPT: 2 × 103)

(Solution: 50 ug/0.025 ml = 2000 ug/ml = 2000 ppm)

High School Round 10 Page 3

 TOSS-UP

7) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What specific class of stars was discovered by Henrietta Leavitt
to have special properties that allowed it to be used in measuring long astronomical distances?

ANSWER: CEPHEID VARIABLES

BONUS

7) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following most directly addresses that a gas of
low density, when excited, will emit light of a certain wavelength:

W) Kirchhoff’s second law

X) Bode’s second law
Y) Wien’s law
Z) Balmer’s law

ANSWER: W) KIRCHHOFF’S SECOND LAW

TOSS-UP

8) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following molecules would have the most peptide
bonds:

W) glycogen
X) hemoglobin
Y) lecithin
Z) DNA

ANSWER: X) HEMOGLOBIN

BONUS

8) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 substances that would typically be
considered exocrine products: insulin; pepsin; hemoglobin; epinephrine

ANSWER: PEPSIN

High School Round 10 Page 4

 TOSS-UP

9) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following would be LEAST applicable for
determining the end point in a titration experiment:

W) pH meter
X) phenolphthalein (read as: fee-knoll-THAY-lean) solution
Y) potentiometer
Z) mass spectrometry

ANSWER: Z) MASS SPECTROMETRY

BONUS

9) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following gases will have the LOWEST freezing
point:

W) hydrogen
X) water
Y) helium
Z) carbon dioxide

ANSWER: Y) HELIUM

TOSS-UP

10) PHYSICS Short Answer By what factor will the gravitational attraction between two masses
be multiplied, if the distance between their centers of mass remains the same, but the mass of one
doubles?

ANSWER: 2 TIMES (ACCEPT: 2 or DOUBLES)

BONUS

10) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following occurs when a glass tube is rubbed with a
silk cloth:

W) protons are transferred from the silk to the glass tube

X) protons are transferred from the glass tube to the silk
Y) electrons are transferred from the silk to the glass tube
Z) electrons are transferred from the glass tube to the silk

ANSWER: Z) ELECTRONS ARE TRANSFERRED FROM THE GLASS TUBE TO THE SILK

High School Round 10 Page 5

 TOSS-UP

11) MATH Short Answer What are the leading coefficient and degree, respectively, of the
following polynomial: 3x2 – 6x5 + 7

ANSWER: LEADING COEFFICIENT = –6; DEGREE = 5

BONUS

11) MATH Short Answer The terminal side of angle θ (read as: theta) in standard position passes
through the point (–5, 12). Find the sine, cosine and tangent, in fractional form:

12 −5 − 12
ANSWER: SIN = ; COS = ; TAN =
13 13 5

TOSS-UP

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is both fluorescent and
radioactive:

W) calcite
X) halite
Y) talc
Z) zircon

ANSWER: Z) ZIRCON

BONUS

12) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following both have very similar chemical
compositions but exhibit different colors:

W) ruby and sapphire

X) opal and pearl
Y) diamond and quartz
Z) amber and citrine

ANSWER: W) RUBY AND SAPPHIRE

High School Round 10 Page 6

 TOSS-UP

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following has the largest seasonal
hypoxic zone in coastal waters of the western hemisphere:

W) the Chesapeake Bay

X) the Gulf of Maine
Y) the Gulf of Mexico
Z) Hudson Bay

ANSWER: Y) THE GULF OF MEXICO

BONUS

13) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice The hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico, and many
other areas in the world, is largely caused by the influx of which of the following into waterways:

W) phosphorous
X) nitrogen
Y) potassium
Z) sulfur

ANSWER: X) NITROGEN

TOSS-UP

14) ASTRONOMY Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true of coronal mass
ejections:

W) they can lead to a loss in radio communications

X) they can indirectly cause damage to electrical transformers
Y) they typically will not damage space-based satellites
Z) the next peak of ejections will likely be during the years 2010 to 2012

ANSWER: Y) THEY TYPICALLY WILL NOT DAMAGE SPACE-BASED SATELLITES

BONUS

14) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Choosing from upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower
right, where on the HR diagram would a blue Supergiant be found?

ANSWER: UPPER LEFT

High School Round 10 Page 7

 TOSS-UP

15) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the common name for the units in DNA to which phosphates
are covalently linked?

ANSWER: RIBOSE SUGARS (ACCEPT: PENTOSE SUGARS or SUGARS or DEOXYRIBOSE

SUGARS)

BONUS

15) BIOLOGY Multiple Choice Which of the following is LEAST accurate regarding human
genetics:

W) genes from gametes are typically unchanged during their passage to the zygote
X) the zygote gets 1 allele from each parental gene pair
Y) all genes independently segregate
Z) the number of copies of a particular gene can vary among individuals

ANSWER: Y) ALL GENES INDEPENDENTLY SEGREGATE

(Solution: genes on the same chromosome do not independently segregate)

TOSS-UP

16) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following is a substance that is very reactive with
the oxygen in air and must be stored under water or some other substance to keep it from becoming
incendiary:

W) fullerene
X) white phosphorous
Y) calcium fluoride
Z) calcium oxide

ANSWER: X) WHITE PHOSPHOROUS

BONUS

16) CHEMISTRY Multiple Choice Which of the following best describes the catalyst in the
destruction of ozone by chlorofluorocarbons:

W) homogeneous
X) heterogeneous
Y) enzymatic
Z) autocatalytic

ANSWER: W) HOMOGENEOUS
(Solution: all in the same phase, namely gases)

High School Round 10 Page 8

 TOSS-UP

17) PHYSICS Multiple Choice Which of the following BEST describes how and why electrical
resistance is related to temperature:

W) as temperature increases, resistance decreases because electrons move faster

X) as temperature increases, resistance decreases because electrons are lost from the conductor
Y) as temperature increases, resistance increases because protons move faster
Z) as temperature increases, resistance increases because atoms vibrate more, increasing electron
scattering

ANSWER: Z) AS TEMPERATURE INCREASES, RESISTANCE INCREASES BECAUSE

ATOMS VIBRATE MORE, INCREASING ELECTRON SCATTERING

BONUS

17) PHYSICS Short Answer A 10-kilogram hay bale is raised to 5 meters above a barn floor and is
then lowered to 4 meters below the floor. Relative to its starting position on the floor, what is the
final gravitational potential energy of the bale, in joules, if g is rounded to the first decimal place?

ANSWER: –392 (must give negative value) (ACCEPT: 392 JOULES LESS)

(Solution: E = mgΔh = 10kg × 9.8 × (–4) = –392 joules)

TOSS-UP

18) MATH Short Answer Identify the type of conic section represented by the equation,
x2 – 16y2 = 64:

ANSWER: HYPERBOLA

BONUS

18) MATH Short Answer Giving your answer in millimeters squared, find the lateral surface area
of a right pentagonal prism whose altitude is 12 millimeters and base has sides of length 8, 10, 12,
14, and 16 millimeters, respectively:

ANSWER: 720

(Solution: LA = (P)(h) = (8+10+12+14+16)(12) = 720 mm2)

High School Round 10 Page 9

 TOSS-UP

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Aeolian sandstones are produced primarily by sand grain
motion as a result of:

W) river currents
X) ocean currents
Y) glacial transports
Z) winds

ANSWER: W) WINDS

BONUS

19) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice According to the Continental Drift Theory, Australia
remained attached to Antarctica until the 2 entities drifted apart about how many million years ago:

W) 80
X) 120
Y) 250
Z) 350

ANSWER: W) 80

TOSS-UP

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice From which of the following sources is the food
additive carrageenan (read as: carr-ah-GEE-nan) derived:

W) petroleum
X) seaweed
Y) corn husks
Z) yarrow root

ANSWER: X) SEAWEED

BONUS

20) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer When emissions of nitrogen oxides and VOC’s react in
the presence of sunlight, what ground-level pollutant is formed?

ANSWER: OZONE (ACCEPT: O3)

High School Round 10 Page 10

 TOSS-UP

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer What 2 planets of our solar system are most alike in elemental
makeup to the solar nebula?

ANSWER: JUPITER; SATURN

BONUS

21) ASTRONOMY Short Answer Order the following 4 stars from the HOTTEST to the
COOLEST: K-3; K-2; B-7; M-10

ANSWER: B-7; K-2; K-3; M-10

TOSS-UP

22) BIOLOGY Short Answer What is the specific type of protein from which spindle fibers are
composed?

ANSWER: TUBULIN (ACCEPT: ALPHA AND/OR BETA TUBULIN)

BONUS

22) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 diseases that are caused by protists:
botulism; rabies; typhoid fever; toxoplasmosis

ANSWER: TOXOPLASMOSIS

High School Round 10 Page 11

 TOSS-UP

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer What is the most common term for the direct addition of water to
an alkene (read as: al-KEEN) to make an alcohol?

ANSWER: HYDRATION

BONUS

23) CHEMISTRY Short Answer Under constant temperatures, a sample of gas at a pressure of 120
kilopascals is allowed to expand from 2 liters to 8 liters. Calculate the new pressure, in kilopascals:

ANSWER: 30

(Solution: P1V1 = P2V2; (120 kPa)(2L) = (P2)(8L); = 30 kPa)

TOSS-UP

24) PHYSICS Short Answer Which of the 4 basic forces of the universe is most directly related to
the ability of various metals to be hammered and formed into various shapes?

ANSWER: ELECTROMAGNETIC (FORCE)

BONUS

24) PHYSICS Short Answer Given that the speed of sound at 0ºC at sea level in dry air is 331
meters per second, what is the speed of sound through dry air at sea level, giving your answer in
proper SI units rounded to the nearest whole number, if the temperature of the air is 12°C?

ANSWER: 338 METERS PER SECOND (must give units)

(Solution: 0.6 × 12 + 331 = 338.2 m/s)

High School Round 10 Page 12

 TOSS-UP

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer What class of immunoglobulins is most directly responsible for
hay fever and common allergies in humans?

ANSWER: IGE (ACCEPT: E or IMMUNOGLOBULIN E)

BONUS

25) BIOLOGY Short Answer Name all of the following 4 cells that typically possess
mitochondria: erythrocytes; plasma cells; lymphocytes; neurons

ANSWER: PLASMA CELLS; LYMPHOCYTES; NEURONS

(ACCEPT: ALL BUT ERYTHROCYTES)

High School Round 10 Page 13