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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You have probably seen patterns of light like this in a pool of water. What causes it?
-
Absorption
No. If the light was being absorbed, the pattern would be dark instead of bright. -
Diffusion
No. Diffusion is the scattering of light as it is reflected in many different directions. Diffusion would make the entire area brighter, not a specific pattern. -
Reflection
No. While the light has to reflect back to your eye for you to see it, reflection does not cause this pattern. -
Refraction
Yes! Refraction bends light. Waves and ripples on the surface of the water act just like the curved surface of a lens. This bends the light into patterns that have shapes similar to the ripples on the water's surface.
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.
| 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 |
| Why Wet Things Turn Dark | video, checked |
| 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-2 | practice |
| Review Light-3 | practice |
| Review Light-4 | practice |
| Review Light-5 | practice |
| Review Light-1 | practice |
Utah
UT.8.IV.1.b Compare the transfer of energy (i.e., sound, light, earthquake waves, heat) through various mediums.
| The Singing Glass | video, checked |
| Why Wet Things Turn Dark | video, checked |
| The Science of Pizza | video, checked |
| Heating a Balloon | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Changing the Speed of Light | video |
| Doppler Effect | video, checked |
| Solar Power | video, checked |
| Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Polarized Light | video, free, Updated |
| Noisy String | video, checked |
| Mirage | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| About Microwaves | video, checked |
| Microwave Chocolate | video, checked |
| Spoon Bells | video, checked |
| Comparing How Sound Moves Through Liquids and Gases | text page |
| Review Light-1 | practice |
| Review Light-2 | practice |
| Review Light-4 | practice |
| Review Light-5 | 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 |
MS-PS4-2 Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
| Why Wet Things Turn Dark | video, checked |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| Sunprints | video |
| Finding Fat in Foods | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Changing the Speed of Light | video |
| Why is Foam White? | video, checked |
| Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
| Sunglass Science: Polarized Light | video, free, Updated |
| Mirage | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| About Microwaves | video, checked |
| Microwave Chocolate | video, checked |
| Sunlight, Energy, and Crayons | text page, free |
| A Long Lens | text page |
| Review Light-2 | practice |
| Review Light-4 | practice |
| Review Light-5 | practice |
| Review Light-1 | practice |
Why does this grasshopper have such small wings?
-
Because this species does not fly.
No. This species of grasshopper does fly. -
Because it has a mutation.
No. This is a normal grasshopper, not a mutant. -
Because it is a cricket, not a grasshopper.
No. This is a grasshopper. -
Because it is not an adult.
Yes! Grasshoppers have incomplete metamorphosis. The immature grasshoppers look similar to adults, but have some differences. The immature stages of the grasshopper has small wings, but the adult stage has large, functional wings.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.2.L.16.1 Observe and describe major stages in the life cycles of plants and animals, including beans and butterflies.
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Review Life Cycle-1 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-2 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-3 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-4 | practice |
SC.4.L.16.4 Compare and contrast the major stages in the life cycles of Florida plants and animals, such as those that undergo incomplete and complete metamorphosis, and flowering and nonflowering seedbearing
plants.
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Creating a Sprout Guide | text page, photography, free |
| Review Life Cycle-1 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-2 | practice |
| Review Plants-4 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-3 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-4 | practice |
Utah
UT.5.V.1.c Compare various examples of offspring that do not initially resemble the parent organism but mature to become similar to the parent organism (e.g., mealworms and darkling beetles, tadpoles and frogs, seedlings and vegetables, caterpillars and butterflies).
| Review Life Cycle-1 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-2 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-3 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-4 | practice |
NGSS
1-LS3-1 Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.
| Review Life Cycle-1 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-2 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-3 | practice |
3-LS1-1 Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
| Review Life Cycle-1 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-2 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-3 | practice |
This is the Navajo Sandstone, a huge layer of rock that forms the cliff in our back yard. The strange patterns in the sandstone tell us that at the time they were formed, this area was a desert, and the sand formed sand dunes. What kind of rock is sandstone?
-
Igneous
No. Igneous rocks are formed from molten lava or magma, not from sand. -
Sedimentary
Yes! Sedimentary rocks are made up of bits of other rocks that have been deposited by wind, water, ice, or gravity. This sand was deposited by the wind, making this a sedimentary rock. -
Metamorphic
No. Metamorphic rocks have been changed by heat and/or pressure. If this sandstone was exposed to tremendous heat and pressure, it could change into a metamorphic rock called quartzite. -
Sandstone is not a rock.
No. Sandstone is a naturally occurring solid that forms large layers in the Earth. It is a rock.
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.6.1 Identify the three categories of rocks: igneous, (formed from molten rock); sedimentary (pieces of other rocks and fossilized organisms); and metamorphic (formed from heat and pressure).
| Evaporites | video, learnalong, checked |
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
| Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals | video |
| Homemade Fossil Dig | text page |
| Foliated and Unfoliated Rocks | text page, learnalong |
| Identifying Igneous Rocks | text page, learnalong |
| Intrusive and Extrusive Igneous Rocks | text page, learnalong |
| Light and Dark Minerals | text page, learnalong |
| Review Rocks-2 | practice |
| Review Rocks-3 | practice |
| Review Rocks-4 | practice |
| 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 Rocks-10 | practice |
| Review Rocks-10 | practice |
| Review Rocks-1 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.III.1.d Classify common rocks found in Utah as sedimentary (i.e., sandstone, conglomerate, shale), igneous (i.e., basalt, granite, obsidian, pumice) and metamorphic (i.e., marble, gneiss, schist).
| Evaporites | video, learnalong, checked |
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
| Light and Dark Minerals | text page, learnalong |
| Review Rocks-2 | practice |
| Review Rocks-3 | practice |
| Review Rocks-10 | practice |
| Review Rocks-10 | practice |
UT.8.III.1.c Categorize rock samples as sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous.
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
| Light and Dark Minerals | text page, learnalong |
| Review Rocks-2 | practice |
| Review Rocks-3 | practice |
| Review Rocks-10 | practice |
| Review Rocks-10 | practice |
NGSS
MS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
| Evaporites | video, learnalong, checked |
| Definition of a Mineral | video, checked |
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| What is a Mineral? | video, checked |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
| The Rock Cycle | video, learnalong |
| Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals | video |
| Light and Dark Minerals | text page, learnalong |
| Review Rocks-3 | practice |
| Review Rocks-4 | practice |
| 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 Rocks-10 | practice |
| Review Rocks-10 | practice |
| Review Rocks-1 | practice |
| Review Rocks-2 | practice |
When this traffic jam starts moving, the cars will be able to speed up faster than the big trucks. Why?
-
The cars have more powerful engines.
No. The trucks have more powerful engines than the cars do. -
The cars have tires with more friction.
No. The truck tires are larger, which means they have more contact with the ground, and more friction. -
The cars weigh less.
Yes! The heavier an object is (the more mass it has), the more force it takes to move it. The trucks weigh a lot more than the cars, so it takes much more energy to get them moving. -
The cars are more streamlined
No. A streamlined shape helps when the cars are moving quickly, but does not do much as they are starting up.
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.13.3 Investigate and describe that the more mass an object has, the less effect a given force will have on the object's motion.
| The Difference Between Weight and Mass | video, checked |
| Water in a Glass, part 2 | video, checked |
| Water in a Glass, part 3 | video, checked |
| Water in a Glass, part 1 | video, checked |
| Obedient Coin | video, checked |
| Wrong Way Balloon | video, checked |
| High Bounce | video, checked |
| Review Force and Motion-1 | practice |
| Review Force and Motion-2 | practice |
Utah
UT.3.III.2.b Compare and chart the relative effects of a force of the same strength on objects of different weight (e.g., the breeze from a fan will move a piece of paper but may not move a piece of cardboard).
| Floating Cups | video, checked |
| Water in a Glass, part 2 | video, checked |
| Water in a Glass, part 3 | video, checked |
| Water in a Glass, part 1 | video, checked |
| High Bounce | video, checked |
| Review Force and Motion-1 | practice |
| Review Force and Motion-2 | practice |
NGSS
MS-PS2-2 Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.
| Science Friction | video, checked |
| Raw Egg or Boiled? | video, checked |
| More Science of Balance | video, checked |
| Science of Balance | video, checked |
| The Old Tablecloth Trick | video |
| Bernoulli Effect | video |
| Smoke Rings | video |
| Floating Cups | video, checked |
| The Difference Between Weight and Mass | video, checked |
| Torque | video |
| Water in a Glass, part 2 | video, checked |
| Water in a Glass, part 3 | video, checked |
| Water in a Glass, part 1 | video, checked |
| Newton's First Law of Motion | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Obedient Coin | video, checked |
| Wrong Way Balloon | video, checked |
| Strange Flame, part 2 | video, checked |
| Strange Flame, part 1 | video, checked |
| Balancing a Meter Stick | text page |
| Review Force and Motion-1 | practice |
| Review Force and Motion-2 | practice |
| Review Force and Motion-4 | practice |
The dark spot in each of these cells contains genetic material called DNA. This part of the cell is called the:
-
Vacuole
No. A vacuole is used for storing water or nutrients, not DNA. -
Nucleus
Yes! The nucleus of the cell contains DNA. -
Chloroplast
No. Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll, which is used in photosynthesis. -
Ribosome
No. Ribosomes are parts of the cell that assemble proteins.
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 |
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time.