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 wanted to test a new fertilizer, to find the best concentration for my garden. I divided my garden into four sections and put a different amount of fertilizer in each section.
My test results showed that using 10 grams of fertilizer per gallon made the plants grow faster and bigger. To follow proper scientific guidelines, what should I do next?
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Apply 10 grams of fertilizer per gallon to all the plants in my garden.
No. While that might make my garden grow well, it would not provide more evidence that this was the best mixture of fertilizer -
Do the same experiment over again.
Yes! Repetition is an important part of the scientific process. If my hypothesis is correct, I should get the same results every time I repeat the experiment. -
Do the same experiment, but use a different fertilizer.
No. Using a different fertilizer would be testing a different variable. I wanted to find the best concentration of the original fertilizer, so testing a different fertilizer would not help with that. -
Publish my results, so that other scientists could replicate my experiment.
No. Replication is an important step, but I should repeat my experiment several times to be sure that I get consistent results before I ask other scientists to try replicating it.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.2.N.1.4 Explain how particular scientific investigations should yield similar conclusions when repeated.
| What is Science? | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Scientific Process-6 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-5 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-7 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-10 | practice |
SC.5.N.1.3: Recognize and explain the need for repeated experimental trials.
>>> Teacher Page: Nature of Science and Dissolving
| What is Science? | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| What is Science?: Repeat and Replicate | video |
| Review Scientific Process-7 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-10 | practice |
SC.8.N.1.2 Design and conduct a study using repeated trials and replication.
| What is Science?: Repeat and Replicate | video |
| Review Scientific Process-6 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-5 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-7 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-10 | practice |
Utah
NGSS
3-5-ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
| What is Science? | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Scientific Process-1 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-2 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-7 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-9 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-10 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-11 | practice |
This is the density column from the Making a Density Column video. Notice that the olives are floating at the boundary between the water and the corn syrup. What does that tell us?
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The olives are less dense than the water, and more dense than the corn syrup.
No. If the olives were less dense than the water, they would float on top of the water layer. -
The water is denser than the olives.
No. If the water was denser than the olives, then the olives would float on top of the water layer. -
The corn syrup is less dense than the olives.
No. If the corn syrup was less dense than the olives, the olives would sink all the way to the bottom. -
Olives are denser than water, and less dense than corn syrup.
Yes! Because the olives are denser than water, they sink to the bottom of the water layer. Because they are less dense than corn syrup, the olives float on top of the corn syrup layer.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.8.P.8.4 Classify and compare substances on the basis of characteristic physical properties that can be demonstrated or measured; for example, density, thermal or electrical conductivity, solubility, magnetic properties, melting and boiling points, and know that these properties are independent of the amount of the sample.
| Stale Bread | video |
| Floating Bubbles | video |
| Candles in a Jar, part 2 | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Candles in a Jar, part 1 | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Microscopes: Growing Crystals | video, learnalong |
| Density: Ice, Oil, and Water | video |
| Wax and Wood, part 1 | video |
| Wax and Wood, part 2 | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Making Turmeric Paper | video |
| Testing for Tannic Acid | video |
| Cartesian Diver | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Matter-5 | practice |
| Growing Crystals Under the Microscope | learnalong |
Utah
UT.7.I.2.b Use observations to predict the relative density of various solids and liquids.
| Density: Ice, Oil, and Water | video |
| Fish in a Bucket | text page |
| Review Matter-5 | practice |
UT.7.I.2.d Describe the relationship between mass and volume as it relates to density.
| Floating Bubbles | video |
| Candles in a Jar, part 2 | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Candles in a Jar, part 1 | video, ClosedCaptions |
| The Difference Between Weight and Mass | video |
| Density: Ice, Oil, and Water | video |
| Cartesian Diver | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Fish in a Bucket | text page |
| A Cup of Cold | text page |
| Air has Weight | text page |
| Review Matter-5 | practice |
NGSS
This is called Obsidian. It is formed from molten lava that cools so quickly that it forms a natural glass instead of crystals. What kind of rock is it?.
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Igneous
Yes! Igneous rocks formed from magma or lava. This is an igneous rock. -
Sedimentary
No. Sedimentary rocks are deposited by wind, water, ice, or gravity, and they often contain fossils. This is not a sedimentary rock. -
Metamorphic
No. Metamorphic rocks have been changed by heat and pressure from a different kind of rock. Instead of being changed, this got hot enough to completely melt, so it is not metamorphic. -
Obsidian is not a rock.
No. Obsidian is a naturally occurring solid that forms large layers in the Earth. Obsidian 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 |
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, learnalong |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| 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-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 |
SC.7.E.6.2 Identify the patterns within the rock cycle and relate them to surface events (weathering and erosion) and sub-surface events (plate tectonics and mountain building).
| Evaporites | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| The Rock Cycle | video, learnalong |
| Change: Fast and Slow | video |
| Erosion | video |
| Continuous Change | video |
| Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals | video |
| Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong |
| 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-1 | practice |
| Review Erosion-1 | practice |
| Review Erosion-2 | practice |
| Review Erosion-3 | practice |
| Review Erosion-4 | practice |
| Review Erosion-5 | practice |
| Review Rocks-4 | practice |
| Review Rocks-5 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.III.1.a Describe the differences between minerals and rocks.
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals | video |
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| Review Rocks-1 | 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 |
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 |
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, learnalong |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| Reading the Rocks: Law of Superposition | video |
| Reading the Rocks: Law of Crosscutting | video |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| Reading the Rocks: The Present is the Key to the Past | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Paleo Cookies | video |
| Homemade Fossil Dig | text page |
| 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 |
| Review Rocks-5 | practice |
| Review Rocks-6 | practice |
MS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| Evaporites | video, learnalong |
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, learnalong |
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| The Rock Cycle | video, learnalong |
| Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals | video |
| Light and Dark Minerals | text page, learnalong |
| 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 |
| Review Rocks-3 | practice |
| Review Rocks-4 | practice |
I placed this plant near the window. After two hours, I examined it. What would you expect to happen to the leaves during that time?
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The leaves will turn towards the light.
Yes. The leaves will move and turn so that their surface gets as much light as possible. The following is a time lapse video, showing what happened with the plant. -
The leaves will turn away from the light.
No. The leaves need light, so they turn to catch as much light as possible. -
The leaves will turn a darker green.
No. While more light could eventually cause the leaves to grow and darken, the process would not happen in a couple of hours. -
The leaves will not change.
No. Plants are adapted to turn their leaves towards a light source.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.3.L.14.2 Investigate and describe how plants respond to stimuli (heat, light, gravity), such as the way plant stems grow toward light and their roots grow downward in response to gravity.
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
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, 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.8.IV.4.d Investigate and report the response of various organisms to changes in energy (e.g., plant response to light, human response to motion, sound, light, insects’ response to changes in light intensity).
| Making a Screamer | video, free |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
UT.3.II.2.b Predict the effects of changes in the environment (e.g., temperature, light, moisture) on a living organism.
| Color Changing Flowers | video |
| Weather and Climate | video |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
UT.3.V.1.b Observe and report how sunlight affects plant growth.
| Measuring Photosynthesis | video |
| Testing a Leaf for Starch | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
NGSS
2-LS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.
| Measuring Photosynthesis | video |
| Testing a Leaf for Starch | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
3-LS3-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.
| Who Evolved on First? | text page, free |
| Review Cells-4 | practice |
K-ESS2-2 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
| Bird Bones | video, free |
| Feathers | video |
| Heartless Plants | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Nature Watching | video |
| Calling a Woodpecker | video |
| Pumpkin Guts | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| How Does a Butterfly Fly? | text page, free |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| Eye Shine | text page |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
| Review Plants-8 | practice |
| Review Plants-3 | practice |
MS-LS1-5 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.
| Yeast and Sugar, part 2 | video |
| Yeast and Sugar, part 1 | video |
| Measuring Photosynthesis | video |
| Color Changing Flowers | video |
| Who Evolved on First? | text page, free |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
In August of 2004, Hurricane Charley removed over six feet of sand from the beach at St. Augustine. Was that an example of erosion, weathering, both, or neither?
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Erosion
Yes! This is an example of erosion. The sand was moved by wind and water.The term "weathering" causes confusion because it sounds like it has something to do with weather. In Earth Science, weathering means "breaking apart." Weathering breaks rocks apart. Erosion carries the pieces of rock to a different location.
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Weathering
No. While this was caused by weather, it is not an example of weathering. Keep in mind that weathering means breaking down rocks into smaller pieces. The sand was not broken into smaller pieces. It was just moved from one place to another (erosion). -
Both erosion and weathering
No. This was erosion, but not weathering. -
Neither erosion nor weathering
No. Since the sand was moved, it was erosion.
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 |
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, learnalong |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| 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-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 |
SC.7.E.6.2 Identify the patterns within the rock cycle and relate them to surface events (weathering and erosion) and sub-surface events (plate tectonics and mountain building).
| Evaporites | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| The Rock Cycle | video, learnalong |
| Change: Fast and Slow | video |
| Erosion | video |
| Continuous Change | video |
| Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals | video |
| Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong |
| 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-1 | practice |
| Review Erosion-1 | practice |
| Review Erosion-2 | practice |
| Review Erosion-3 | practice |
| Review Erosion-4 | practice |
| Review Erosion-5 | practice |
| Review Rocks-4 | practice |
| Review Rocks-5 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.III.2.b Distinguish between weathering (i.e., wearing down and breaking of rock surfaces) and erosion (i.e., the movement of materials).
| Change: Fast and Slow | video |
| Erosion | video |
| Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong |
| Review Erosion-1 | practice |
| Review Erosion-2 | practice |
| Review Erosion-3 | practice |
| Review Erosion-4 | practice |
| Review Erosion-5 | practice |
UT.5.II.1.a Identify the objects, processes, or forces that weather and erode Earth’s surface (e.g., ice, plants, animals, abrasion, gravity, water, wind)
| Change: Fast and Slow | video |
| Erosion | video |
| Continuous Change | video |
| Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong |
| Review Erosion-1 | practice |
| Review Erosion-2 | practice |
| Review Erosion-3 | practice |
| Review Erosion-4 | practice |
| Review Erosion-5 | practice |
UT.8.III.2.b Describe the role of energy in the processes that change rock materials over time.
| Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, learnalong |
| Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
| Change: Fast and Slow | video |
| Erosion | video |
| Continuous Change | video |
| Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong |
NGSS
4-ESS2-1 Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
| Change: Fast and Slow | video |
| Erosion | video |
| Continuous Change | video |
| Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong |
| Review Erosion-1 | practice |
| Review Erosion-2 | practice |
| Review Erosion-3 | practice |
| Review Erosion-4 | practice |
| Review Erosion-5 | practice |
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time.
