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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I found this caterpillar in my garden. Based on its bright colors, I decided not to pick it up. Why would it be so brightly colored?
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To help it hide in flowers.
No. Its pattern of colors would not blend in with a flower. -
To warn away predators.
Yes! Many brightly colored animals are toxic or dangerous. They use their bright colors to warn potential predators that they taste bad, sting, or have some other characteristic that a predator would want to avoid.This is the caterpillar of a Hooded Owlet Moth. They eat the wild asters in our area, which gives them a very bitter taste that birds don't like.
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To attract a mate.
No. Caterpillars do not mate. They must go through metamorphosis into a butterfly or moth before they can mate. -
To help it find food.
No. Most caterpillars eat plants, and bright colors would not help with that..
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.5.L.17.1 Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycles variations, animal behaviors and physical characteristics.
| A Walk in the Park | video |
| Nature Watching | video |
| Calling a Woodpecker | video |
| Selective Smelling | video |
| Seed Search | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-2 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-3 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-4 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-5 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-6 | practice |
Utah
UT.6.V.1.b Compare characteristics common in observed organisms (e.g., color, movement, appendages, shape) and infer their function (e.g., green color found in organisms that are producers, appendages help movement).
| A Walk in the Park | video |
| Selective Smelling | video |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| Review Adaptation-3 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-4 | practice |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-6 | practice |
NGSS
3-LS4-2 Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Who Evolved on First? | text page, free |
| Review Adaptation-1 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-3 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-4 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-5 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-6 | practice |
MS-LS1-4 Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
| A Walk in the Park | video |
| Nature Watching | video |
| Calling a Woodpecker | video |
| Selective Smelling | video |
| Pumpkin Guts | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Seed Search | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Bacteria and Antibiotics | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| How Does a Butterfly Fly? | text page, free |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| Review Adaptation-3 | practice |
| Review Plants-2 | practice |
| Review Plants-4 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-4 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-5 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-8 | practice |
A lightning bolt has a huge amount of energy. Which of these kinds of energy is NOT a major component of lightning?
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Heat
No. A lightning bolt can heat the air to over 30,000 °C (54,000 °F) -
Electrical
No. A lightning bolt has a tremendous amount of electrical energy, often several hundred million volts, and several hundred thousand amperes. -
Sound
No. Thunder, the sound energy produced by a lightning bolt, is so loud that it can often be heard up to ten miles away. -
Chemical
Yes. While a lightning bolt can cause chemical changes, very little of the bolt's energy is converted to chemical energy.
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.10.1 Observe and describe some basic forms of energy, including light, heat, sound, electrical, and the energy of motion.
| Electrostatic Charges | video |
| Noisy String | video |
| Spoon Bells | video |
| Making a Screamer | video |
| The Singing Glass | video |
| Whistle Stick | video, text page, blog |
| Review Energy-5 | quest |
| Review Energy-2 | practice |
SC.4.P.10.1 Observe and describe some basic forms of energy, including light, heat, sound, electrical, and the energy of motion.
| Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video |
| Electrostatic Charges | video |
| Why Things Go Bang | video, free |
| Noisy String | video |
| Spoon Bells | video |
| The Singing Glass | video |
| Radioactive | video |
| Electricity | video |
| Measuring Calories | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Bean Power | text page |
| Calories: Measuring the Energy | text page, free |
| Review Energy-5 | quest |
| Review Energy-2 | practice |
SC.5.P.10.1 Investigate and describe some basic forms of energy, including light, heat, sound, electrical, chemical, and mechanical.
| Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video |
| Solar Power | video |
| Why Things Go Bang | video, free |
| Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video |
| Noisy String | video |
| Spoon Bells | video |
| Making a Screamer | video |
| The Singing Glass | video |
| Radioactive | video |
| Electricity | video |
| The Science of Pizza | video |
| Measuring Calories | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Calories: Measuring the Energy | text page, free |
| Review Energy-5 | quest |
| Review Energy-2 | practice |
Utah
UT.8.IV.4.b Trace the conversion of energy from one form of energy to another (e.g., light to chemical to mechanical).
| Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video |
| The Rollback Can | video |
| High Bounce | video |
NGSS
4-PS3-2 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
| Simple Circuits | video |
| Doppler Effect | video |
| How Heat Moves | video |
| Solar Power | video |
| Bottle Tones, part 1 | video |
| Bottle Tones, part 2 | video |
| Why Things Go Bang | video, free |
| Noisy String | video |
| Spoon Bells | video |
| Making a Screamer | video |
| The Singing Glass | video |
| Electricity | video |
| The Science of Pizza | video |
| Heating a Balloon | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Comparing How Sound Moves Through Liquids and Gases | text page |
| A Real Tuning Fork | text page |
| Review Energy-2 | practice |
It takes the Earth 24 hours to:
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Rotate
Yes. The Earth turns on its axis to make one full rotation every 24 hours. -
Revolve
No. It takes a year for the Earth to revolve around the Sun. -
Orbit
No. It takes a year for the Earth to orbit around the Sun. -
Reverse
No. The motion of the Earth does not reverse.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.4.E.5.3 Recognize that Earth revolves around the Sun in a year and rotates on its axis in a 24-hour day.
| Making a Scale Model of the Solar System | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Global Science | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Finding Your Way | video |
| Review Space-11 | practice |
SC.8.E.5.7 Compare and contrast the properties of objects in the Solar System including the Sun, planets, and moons to those of Earth, such as gravitational force, distance from the Sun, speed, movement, temperature, and atmospheric conditions.
| Making a Scale Model of the Solar System | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Global Science | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Planets and Pennies | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Space-4 | practice |
| Review Space-11 | practice |
Utah
UT.3.I.2.a Describe the motions of Earth (i.e., the rotation [spinning] of Earth on its axis, the revolution [orbit] of Earth around the sun).
| Global Science | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Space-11 | practice |
UT.6.I.2.a Identify the difference between the motion of an object rotating on its axis and an object revolving in orbit.
| Review Space-11 | practice |
NGSS
After I rubbed this ballon against my hair, it stuck to the side of my head. Why?
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The balloon stuck because I don't have enough hair.
No. While much of my hair is gone, I still have enough to do this experiment. -
The balloon stuck because the balloon had the same charge as my hair.
No. Two things with the same electrostatic charge will repel, pushing apart. -
The balloon stuck because the balloon had a different charge from my hair.
Yes. When I rubbed the balloon against my hair, electrons moved from my hair to the balloon. The extra electrons gave the balloon a negative charge, and the missing electrons left my hair with a positive charge. Opposite charges attract, so the balloon stuck to my hair. -
The balloon stuck because my hair was magnetized.
No. Rubbing a balloon against something does not magnetize it. Even if it was magnetized, a magnet would not attract the rubber balloon.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.5.P.10.3 Investigate and explain that an electrically-charged object can attract an uncharged object and can either attract or repel another charged object without any contact between the objects.
>>> Teacher Page: Electrostatic Charges
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 1 | video |
| Electrostatic Charges | video |
| The Leyden Jar | video, free |
| Versorium | video |
| Electrostatics and Water | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 2 | video |
| Sorting Salt and Pepper | video |
| Electricity | video |
| Making Water Wiggle | video |
| Review Energy-6 | quest |
| Review Energy-7 | quest |
| Review Energy-8 | quest |
SC.6.P.13.1 Investigate and describe types of forces including contact forces and forces acting at a distance, such as electrical, magnetic, and gravitational.
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 1 | video |
| Making a Compass | video |
| Torque | video |
| Versorium | video |
| Water in a Glass, part 2 | video |
| Water in a Glass, part 3 | video |
| Water in a Glass, part 1 | video |
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 2 | video |
| Light a Bulb with a Balloon | video |
| Crushed Can | video |
| Electricity | video |
| The Compass and Magnetic Fields | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Energy-6 | quest |
| Review Energy-7 | quest |
| Review Energy-8 | quest |
Utah
UT.5.IV.1.c Describe the behavior of objects charged with static electricity in attracting or repelling without touching.
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 1 | video |
| Electrostatic Charges | video |
| The Leyden Jar | video, free |
| Versorium | video |
| Electrostatics and Water | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 2 | video |
| Sorting Salt and Pepper | video |
| Making Water Wiggle | video |
| Review Energy-6 | quest |
| Review Energy-7 | quest |
NGSS
MS-PS3-2 Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.
| Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video |
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 1 | video |
| The Leyden Jar | video, free |
| Versorium | video |
| Water in a Glass, part 2 | video |
| Water in a Glass, part 3 | video |
| Water in a Glass, part 1 | video |
| Electrostatics and Water | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 2 | video |
| Sorting Salt and Pepper | video |
| Making Water Wiggle | video |
| Review Energy-6 | quest |
| Review Energy-7 | quest |
| Review Energy-8 | quest |
I poured some water on this rock. Later that day, the water was all gone. What happened to it?
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It evaporated.
Yes. When liquid water turns into water vapor, the process is called evaporation. That is what happened to the water on the rock. -
It sublimated.
No. Sublimation is when a solid turns directly into a gas. Dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) is an example of sublimation. The solid changes directly into carbon dioxide gas, without becoming a liquid. -
It condensed.
No. Condensation is when a gas turns into a liquid. The drops of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice is the result of condensation. -
It precipitated.
No. In weather, precipitation is when solid or liquid water falls from the clouds. Rain, snow, and sleet are examples of precipitation.
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.9.1 Describe the changes water undergoes when it changes state through heating and cooling by using familiar scientific terms such as melting, freezing, boiling, evaporation, and condensation.
| Cloud Formation, part 2 | video |
| Making a Solar Still | video |
| Wonderful Water | video |
| A Watched Pot | video |
| Why We Sweat | video |
| Photographing Snowflakes | video |
| Ice Cream Science | video |
| Cloud Formation, part 1 | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| The Water Cycle | video |
| A Model of the Water Cycle | video, ClosedCaptions |
| What Really Happens With Evaporation? | text page, free |
| Review Weather-1 | practice |
| Review Weather-2 | practice |
| Review Weather-10 | practice |
SC.5.E.7.1 Create a model to explain the parts of the water cycle. Water can be a gas, a liquid, or a solid and can go back and forth from one state to another.
>>> Teacher Page: Water Cycle
| Cloud Formation, part 2 | video |
| Cloud Types | video |
| Making a Solar Still | video |
| A Watched Pot | video |
| Photographing Snowflakes | video |
| The Water Cycle | video |
| A Model of the Water Cycle | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Weather-1 | practice |
| Review Weather-2 | practice |
| Review Weather-8 | practice |
| Review Weather-10 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.I.2.a Locate examples of evaporation and condensation in the water cycle (e.g., water evaporates when heated and clouds or dew forms when vapor is cooled).
| Cloud Types | video |
| Making a Solar Still | video |
| A Watched Pot | video |
| Cloud Formation, part 1 | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| The Water Cycle | video |
| A Model of the Water Cycle | video, ClosedCaptions |
| A Cool Experiment | text page |
| Review Weather-1 | practice |
| Review Weather-2 | practice |
NGSS
MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
| Cloud Types | video |
| Nephoscope | video |
| Cloud Formation, part 1 | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
| Review Weather-1 | practice |
| Review Weather-2 | practice |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-4 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time.