Here are some science questions to help you test your general science knowledge. They will also show you which of the Florida, Utah, and NGSS science standards each question is testing.
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time.
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Rainbows are produced by:
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Refraction
Partly correct. Light entering the raindrop is reflected off of the back surface. -
Reflection
Partly correct. As the light passes from air to water, and from water to air, the light is bent or refracted. Different colors are refracted different amounts, separating the colors. -
Both reflection and refraction
Correct! When you see a rainbow, the sun will always be behind you. (There are other, similar looking phenomena which you see when facing the sun, but they are not rainbows.) The sunlight enters each raindrop, is refracted (bent). Different colors are refracted different amounts. When the light hits the far side of the raindrop, part of it goes on through, and part of it is reflected back towards the sun (and towards you.) As it passes leaves the drop, the difference in density from water to air refracts (bends) the light even more, separating the colors into bands for the rainbow. -
Neither reflection no refraction
No. One or both take part in producing the rainbow.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.3.P.10.3 Demonstrate that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels from one medium to another.
| Growing Crystals Under the Microscope | video, free, learnalong, checked |
| Changing the Speed of Light | video |
| Why is Foam White? | video, checked |
| Microscopes: Growing Crystals | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Polarized Light | video, free, Updated |
| Mirage | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Pinhole Eyeglasses | video, checked |
| Why Wet Things Turn Dark | video, checked |
| A Long Lens | text page |
| Review Light-2 | practice |
| Review Light-3 | practice |
| Review Light-4 | practice |
| Review Light-5 | practice |
| Review Light-1 | practice |
SC.3.P.10.4 Demonstrate that light can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed.
| Why Wet Things Turn Dark | video, checked |
| Growing Crystals Under the Microscope | video, free, learnalong, checked |
| Changing the Speed of Light | video |
| Why is Foam White? | video, checked |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| Microscopes: Growing Crystals | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Polarized Light | video, free, Updated |
| Mirage | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Pinhole Eyeglasses | video, checked |
| Looking for Rainbows | video |
| Sunlight, Energy, and Crayons | text page, free |
| A Long Lens | text page |
| Review Light-2 | practice |
| Review Light-3 | practice |
| Review Light-4 | practice |
| Review Light-5 | practice |
| Review Light-1 | practice |
SC.7.P.10.2 Observe and explain that light can be reflected, refracted, and/or absorbed.
| Why Wet Things Turn Dark | video, checked |
| Growing Crystals Under the Microscope | video, free, learnalong, checked |
| Finding Fat in Foods | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Changing the Speed of Light | video |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| Why is Foam White? | video, checked |
| Microscopes: Growing Crystals | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Polarized Light | video, free, Updated |
| Mirage | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Pinhole Eyeglasses | video, checked |
| A Long Lens | text page |
| Sunlight, Energy, and Crayons | text page, free |
| Review Light-1 | practice |
| Review Light-2 | practice |
| Review Light-3 | practice |
| Review Light-4 | practice |
| Review Light-5 | practice |
SC.8.E.5.11 Identify and compare characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum such as wavelength, frequency, use, and hazards and recognize its application to an understanding of planetary images and satellite photographs.
| Sunprints | video |
| Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Polarized Light | video, free, Updated |
| A Color You Can't See | video, free, checked |
| CD Spectrum | text page |
| Review Light-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.8.IV.1.e Demonstrate how white light can be separated into the visible color spectrum.
| White Balance | video, checked |
| Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Polarized Light | video, free, Updated |
| A Color You Can't See | video, free, checked |
| Sunlight, Energy, and Crayons | text page, free |
| Review Light-3 | practice |
NGSS
1-PS4-3 Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light.
| Why Wet Things Turn Dark | video, checked |
| Growing Crystals Under the Microscope | video, free, learnalong, checked |
| Sunprints | video |
| Changing the Speed of Light | video |
| Why is Foam White? | video, checked |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| Microscopes: Growing Crystals | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Polarized Light | video, free, Updated |
| Mirage | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| A Color You Can't See | video, free, checked |
| Pinhole Eyeglasses | video, checked |
| A Long Lens | text page |
| Review Light-1 | practice |
| Review Light-2 | practice |
| Review Light-3 | practice |
| Review Light-4 | practice |
| Review Light-5 | practice |
None of these layers have been turned upside down. Based on the Law of Superposition, which layer is the oldest?
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A
No. Layer A is on top of layer B, so it is younger than layer B. That means that it is not the oldest. -
B
No. If you look at layer B, it is on top of layer C, which means that it is younger than layer C. B is not the oldest. -
C
No. Look closely at the top part of layer C. The top part of layer C is on top of part of layer D. That tells us that layer C is younger than layer D. -
D
Yes! This one is a bit tricky, because of the way the rocks were formed. Layer D formed first, as a flat, horizontal layer. Erosion weathered the left part of D away, forming a sloping hillside. Image the photo with layers A, B, and C erased, and it looks like a sloping hillside.Next, a nearby volcano erupted, spewing out lots of volcanic ash. The ash covered the hillside, forming layer C.
Next, lava from the volcano flowed down over the ash, forming layer B.
Later, the volcano erupted again, depositing another layer of volcanic ash to form layer A. After that, layer A was covered by another layer of lava, and then another layer of volcanic ash.
So A is the youngest, followed by B, then C, and D is the oldest.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.7.E.6.3 Identify current methods for measuring the age of Earth and its parts, including the law of superposition and radioactive dating.
| Imagining Geologic Time | video |
| Reading the Rocks: Law of Superposition | video |
| Reading the Rocks: Law of Crosscutting | video |
| Reading the Rocks | text page |
| Review Geologic Time-1 | practice |
| Review Geologic Time-2 | practice |
| Review Geologic Time-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.8.III.3.c Explain why some sedimentary rock layers may not always appear with youngest rock on top and older rocks below (i.e., folding, faulting).
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| Review Geologic Time-1 | practice |
| Review Geologic Time-2 | practice |
| Review Geologic Time-3 | practice |
NGSS
4-ESS1-1 Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
| Evaporites | video, learnalong, checked |
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| Reading the Rocks: Law of Superposition | video |
| Reading the Rocks: Law of Crosscutting | video |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
| Reading the Rocks: The Present is the Key to the Past | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Paleo Cookies | video |
| Homemade Fossil Dig | text page |
| Review Rocks-5 | practice |
| Review Rocks-6 | practice |
| Review Rocks-8 | practice |
| Review Rocks-9 | practice |
| Review Rocks-7 | practice |
| Review Rocks-10 | practice |
| Review Geologic Time-3 | practice |
| Review Rocks-1 | practice |
| Review Geologic Time-1 | practice |
| Review Rocks-4 | practice |
| Review Geologic Time-2 | practice |
The wood in this pile will be reduced to this much ash when it is burned. What happens to the rest of the mass from the wood?
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It was converted into energy.
No. Burning does not convert matter into energy. -
It evaporated.
No. While any moisture in the wood may have evaporated, wood itself does not evaporate. -
It was converted into water and carbon dioxide.
Yes! Burning converts the cellulose in wood into water vapor and carbon dioxide. The white ash that is left behind is made up of the minerals and nutrients which were taken in by the plant's roots. -
The matter is still there. It just got smaller.
No. If all of the matter was still there, the mass and weight would still be the same. The ash is much lighter than the wood, because the water vapor and carbon dioxide are now part of the air of the room. Still, if we could weigh all of the ash, water vapor, and carbon dioxide, the total mass would still be the same.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.4.P.8.3 Explore the Law of Conservation of Mass by demonstrating that the mass of a whole object is always the same as the sum of the masses of its parts.
| The Difference Between Weight and Mass | video, checked |
| Review Matter-2 | practice |
| Review Matter-6 | practice |
SC.8.P.9.1 Explore the Law of Conservation of Mass by demonstrating and concluding that mass is conserved when substances undergo physical and chemical changes.
| Making Butter | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Review Matter-2 | practice |
| Review Matter-6 | practice |
Utah
UT.5.I.1.a Compare the total weight of an object to the weight of its individual parts after being
disassembled.
| Review Matter-6 | practice |
UT.5.I.1.d Investigate chemical reactions in which the total weight of the materials before and after reaction is the same (e.g., cream and vinegar before and after mixing, borax and glue mixed to make a new substance).
| Changing Colors, part 1 | video |
| Changing Colors, part 2 | video |
| The Chemistry of Milk | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Polymers and Slime | video, free, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Review Matter-6 | practice |
UT.5.I.3.d Compare a physical change to a chemical change.
| Changing Colors, part 1 | video |
| Changing Colors, part 2 | video |
| The Chemistry of Milk | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Making Butter | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Chemical and Physical Changes | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Paper Petals | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Changing How We Look at Changing | text page, free |
| Review Matter-4 | practice |
UT.8.I.4.c Demonstrate that mass is conserved in a chemical reaction (e.g., mix two solutions that result in a color change or formation of a precipitate and weigh the solutions before and after mixing).
| Microscopes: Growing Crystals | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Growing Crystals Under the Microscope | video, free, learnalong, checked |
| Review Matter-6 | practice |
NGSS
5-PS1-2 Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved.
| Making Butter | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| The Difference Between Weight and Mass | video, checked |
| Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
| Chemical and Physical Changes | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Air has Weight | text page |
| Review Matter-2 | practice |
| Review Matter-6 | practice |
MS-PS1-5 Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.
| Scientific Thinking and Creative Thought, part 3 | video, checked |
| Scientific Thinking and Creative Thought, part 2 | video, checked |
| Scientific Thinking and Creative Thought, part 1 | video, checked |
| Catalysts | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Review Matter-6 | practice |
These cells have a cell wall. What does that tell us?
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These are young cells.
No. Even new cells can have a cell wall. -
These are plant cells.
Yes! Plant cells are surrounded by a cell wall, which provides structure and protection. -
These are animal cells.
No. Animal cells do not have a cell wall. -
These are dead cells.
No. Being alive or dead does not change whether a cell has a cell wall or not.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.6.L.14.4 Compare and contrast the structure and function of major organelles of plant and animal cells, including cell wall, cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and vacuoles.
| Osmosis | video, checked |
| Review Cells-1 | practice |
| Review Cells-2 | practice |
| Review Cells-3 | practice |
| Review Cells-4 | practice |
Utah
UT.7.III.1.c Differentiate between plant and animal cells based on cell wall and cell membrane.
| Review Cells-1 | practice |
| Review Cells-2 | practice |
NGSS
MS-LS1-2 Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function.
| Osmosis | video, checked |
| Review Cells-1 | practice |
| Review Cells-2 | practice |
| Review Cells-3 | practice |
| Review Cells-4 | practice |
I let mold grow on this stale loaf of bread. What part of the food web does the mold belong to?
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Producer.
No. A producer captures energy from sunlight, and stores it as food. To do that, the organism needs to contain chlorophyll. This mold is green, but does not have chlorophyll. -
Primary Consumer.
No. Primary consumers eat producers. This mold does not eat living plants. -
Secondary Consumer
No. Secondary consumers eat other consumers. This mold does not eat animals. -
Decomposer
Yes! Decomposers break down dead and decaying organisms. The mold is a fungus that is breaking down and decomposing the bread to get energy from it..
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.4.L.17.3 Trace the flow of energy from the Sun as it is transferred along the food chain through the producers to the consumers.
| Scavengers and Decomposers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
| Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| Food Web Tag | text page |
| What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
| Review Food Web-1 | practice |
| Review Food Web-3 | practice |
| Review Food Web-4 | practice |
| Review Food Web-5 | practice |
| Review Food Web-6 | practice |
| Review Food Web-7 | practice |
| Review Food Web-8 | practice |
| Review Food Web-9 | practice |
| Review Food Web-10 | practice |
| Review Food Web-2 | practice |
SC.7.L.17.1 Explain and illustrate the roles of and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web.
| Measuring Calories | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Scavengers and Decomposers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
| Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| Food Web Tag | text page |
| What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
| Review Food Web-1 | practice |
| Review Food Web-3 | practice |
| Review Food Web-4 | practice |
| Review Food Web-5 | practice |
| Review Food Web-6 | practice |
| Review Food Web-7 | practice |
| Review Food Web-8 | practice |
| Review Food Web-9 | practice |
| Review Food Web-10 | practice |
| Review Food Web-2 | practice |
Utah
UT.8.II.2.a Categorize the relationships between organisms (i.e., producer/consumer/decomposer, predator/prey, mutualism/parasitism) and provide examples of each.
| Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
| Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
| Review Food Web-7 | practice |
| Review Food Web-8 | practice |
| Review Food Web-9 | practice |
| Review Food Web-10 | practice |
| Review Food Web-11 | practice |
| Review Food Web-12 | practice |
| Review Food Web-2 | practice |
| Review Food Web-1 | practice |
| Review Food Web-3 | practice |
| Review Food Web-4 | practice |
| Review Food Web-5 | practice |
| Review Food Web-6 | practice |
NGSS
5-PS3-1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
| Measuring Calories | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Scavengers and Decomposers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
| Measuring Photosynthesis | video, checked |
| Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
| Calories: Measuring the Energy | text page, free |
| Review Food Web-1 | practice |
| Review Food Web-3 | practice |
| Review Food Web-4 | practice |
| Review Food Web-5 | practice |
| Review Food Web-6 | practice |
| Review Food Web-7 | practice |
| Review Food Web-8 | practice |
| Review Food Web-9 | practice |
| Review Food Web-10 | practice |
| Review Food Web-2 | practice |
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
| Scavengers and Decomposers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
| Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
| What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
| Review Food Web-3 | practice |
| Review Food Web-4 | practice |
| Review Food Web-5 | practice |
| Review Food Web-6 | practice |
| Review Food Web-7 | practice |
| Review Food Web-8 | practice |
| Review Food Web-9 | practice |
| Review Food Web-10 | practice |
| Review Food Web-2 | practice |
| Review Food Web-1 | practice |
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time.