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?
-
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, 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?: Repeat and Replicate | video |
| What is Science? | video, ClosedCaptions |
| 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, 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 common, table salt. Is it:
-
a rock?
Partly correct. Table salt, also known as halite, is both a rock and a mineral. -
a mineral?
Partly correct. Table salt, also known as halite, is both a rock and a mineral. -
Neither a rock nor a mineral?
No. Table salt, also known as halite, is both a rock and a mineral.
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.6.2 Identify the physical properties of common earth-forming minerals, including hardness, color, luster, cleavage, and streak color, and recognize the role of minerals in the formation of rocks.
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Definition of a Mineral | video, checked |
| What is a Mineral? | video, checked |
| Minerals Around You | text page, learnalong, checked |
| Review Minerals-1 | practice |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.III.1.b Observe rocks using a magnifying glass and draw shapes and colors of the minerals.
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
| Definition of a Mineral | video, checked |
| What is a Mineral? | video, checked |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
UT.8.III.1.b Observe and describe the minerals found in rocks (e.g., shape, color, luster, texture, hardness).
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
| Definition of a Mineral | video, checked |
| What is a Mineral? | video, checked |
| Review Minerals-1 | practice |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
NGSS
5-PS1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
| Definition of a Mineral | video, checked |
| Floating Bubbles | video, checked |
| Finding Fat in Foods | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Fireworks Colors | video |
| Iron Cereal | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Density: Ice, Oil, and Water | video, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 1 | video, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 2 | video, checked |
| What is a Mineral? | video, checked |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Raw Egg or Boiled? | video, checked |
| Making Turmeric Paper | video, checked |
| Testing for Tannic Acid | video |
| Acid Hunt | text page |
| A Cool Change | text page |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
When water freezes into ice, its volume increases. What happens to its mass?
-
It increases.
No. When water freezes, it takes up more space, but the mass stays the same. -
It stays the same.
Yes. When water freezes, it expands to take up more space, but its mass stays the same. Mass is the measure of how much "stuff" is there. Freezing water does not create new water or add more "stuff". It just makes the water take up more space. -
It decreases.
No. The mass stays the same, even when the water freezes. -
Water does not have mass.
No. Everything that is made out of matter has mass.
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.5.P.8.1 Compare and contrast the basic properties of solids, liquids, and gases, such as mass, volume, color, texture, and temperature.
>>> Teacher Page: States of Matter
| Egg States | video, checked |
| Experimenting with Dry Ice | video, free, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 1 | video, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 2 | video, checked |
| Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
| Raw Egg or Boiled? | video, checked |
| Air Space | video |
| A Bouncing Water Balloon | video |
| Air has Weight | text page |
| Teach It Right the First Time. | text page, free |
| Review Matter-2 | practice |
| Review Matter-1 | practice |
| Review Matter-3 | practice |
| Review Weather-10 | 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.b Compare the weight of a specified quantity of matter before and after it undergoes melting or freezing.
| Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
| Review Matter-2 | practice |
UT.7.I.2.a Use appropriate instruments to determine mass and volume of solids and liquids and record data.
| Review Matter-2 | 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.
| The Difference Between Weight and Mass | video, checked |
| Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
| Chemical and Physical Changes | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Making Butter | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Air has Weight | text page |
| Review Matter-2 | practice |
| Review Matter-6 | practice |
Which part of your body comes closest to serving the same function as a plant's roots?
-
Mouth
Yes! The main functions for most plant roots is to anchor it in place and to take in water and nutrients from the soil. We do not need anything to anchor us in one place, but we use our mouth to take in water and nutrients. -
Feet
No. A plants roots anchor into in place, keeping it from moving. Your feet do not do that. -
Lungs
No. A plant takes in air through its leaves, not through its roots. -
Skeleton
No. Your skeleton supports your body and protects your organs. In plants, this is done by the cell walls. The cell wall around each cell of a plant make it stiff, supporting stems, leaves, flowers, and other parts of the plant.
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.14.1 Describe structures in plants and their roles in food production, support, water and nutrient transport, and reproduction.
| Heartless Plants | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Pumpkin Guts | video, free, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Measuring Photosynthesis | video, checked |
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Testing a Leaf for Starch | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Smell the Flowers | text page |
| Review Plants-3 | practice |
| Review Plants-2 | practice |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
| Review Plants-8 | practice |
SC.4.L.16.1 Identify processes of sexual reproduction in flowering plants, including pollination, fertilization (seed production), seed dispersal, and germination.
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Pumpkin Guts | video, free, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Review Plants-3 | practice |
| Review Plants-2 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
| Review Plants-8 | practice |
SC.5.L.14.2 Compare and contrast the function of organs and other physical structures of plants and animals, including humans, for example: some animals have skeletons for support — some with internal skeletons others with exoskeletons — while some plants have stems for support.
| Reading a Skeleton | video, free, checked |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Bird Bones | video, free |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | 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).
| Selective Smelling | video, checked |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| A Walk in the Park | video, checked |
| 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 |
UT.7.IV.2.d Relate the structure of organs to an organism’s ability to survive in a specific environment (e.g., hollow bird bones allow them to fly in air, hollow structure of hair insulates animals from hot or cold, dense root structure allows plants to grow in compact soil, fish fins aid fish in moving in water).
| Bendable Bones | video, checked |
| Calling a Woodpecker | video, checked |
| Selective Smelling | video, checked |
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| Hunting with an Umbrella | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
NGSS
MS-LS1-1 Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.
| Microscopes: Making a Hay Infusion | video, free, learnalong, checked |
| Microscopes: Making a Wet Mount | video, learnalong, checked |
| Microscopes: Making a Dry Mount | video, learnalong, checked |
| 901 | photo challenge, free |
When you mix cornstarch and water, you get something that many science sites call Oobleck. Under pressure, it feels like a solid, but when the pressure is removed, it flows like a liquid. What state of matter is it?
Answer:
This is a mixture, made up of particles of solid matter surrounded by a liquid. The mixture is not a single state of matter.
This is an important concept to understand, and it is seen in many things we use every day. A good example is the Egg States video, showing how a mixture of liquid and gas can seem to be a solid.
Before you try to decide if something is solid, liquid, gas, plasma, or some other state of matter, first make sure that it is a pure substance, and not a mixture of different states.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.2.P.8.2 Identify objects and materials as solid, liquid, or gas.
| Experimenting with Dry Ice | video, free, checked |
| Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
| Raw Egg or Boiled? | video, checked |
| Air Space | video |
| Egg States | video, checked |
| Teach It Right the First Time. | text page, free |
| Review Matter-3 | practice |
SC.5.P.8.1 Compare and contrast the basic properties of solids, liquids, and gases, such as mass, volume, color, texture, and temperature.
>>> Teacher Page: States of Matter
| Egg States | video, checked |
| Experimenting with Dry Ice | video, free, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 1 | video, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 2 | video, checked |
| Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
| Raw Egg or Boiled? | video, checked |
| Air Space | video |
| A Bouncing Water Balloon | video |
| Air has Weight | text page |
| Teach It Right the First Time. | text page, free |
| Review Matter-2 | practice |
| Review Matter-1 | practice |
| Review Matter-3 | practice |
| Review Weather-10 | practice |
SC.8.P.8.1 Explore the scientific theory of atoms (also known as atomic theory) by using models to explain the motion of particles in solids, liquids, and gases.
| Egg States | video, checked |
| Experimenting with Dry Ice | video, free, checked |
| Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
| Expansion of Solids | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| A Bouncing Water Balloon | video |
| Review Matter-1 | practice |
| Review Matter-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.5.I.2.a Identify the physical properties of matter (e.g., hard, soft, solid, liquid, gas).
| Egg States | video, checked |
| Experimenting with Dry Ice | video, free, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 1 | video, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 2 | video, checked |
| Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
| Raw Egg or Boiled? | video, checked |
| Crushed Can | video, checked |
| A Bouncing Water Balloon | video |
| Review Matter-1 | practice |
| Review Matter-3 | practice |
NGSS
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time.