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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Which of the following is a vertebrate?
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A: crab
No. Crabs have an exoskeleton. They are arthropods, which are invertebrates. -
B: starfish
No. Starfish do not have a vertebral column or a notochord. They are echinoderms, which are invertebrates. -
C: fly
No. Flies have an exoskeleton. They are insects, which are invertebrates. -
D: tadpole
Yes! Tadpoles are amphibians. They have an internal skeleton, which includes a vertebral column. They are vertebrates.
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.15.1 Classify animals into major groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods, vertebrates and invertebrates, those having live births and those which lay eggs) according to their physical characteristics and behaviors.
| Feathers | video, checked |
| A Walk in the Park | video, checked |
| Scientific Names | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Classify-2 | practice |
| Review Classify-1 | practice |
| Review Classify-3 | practice |
SC.6.L.15.1 Analyze and describe how and why organisms are classified according to shared characteristics with emphasis on the Linnaean system combined with the concept of Domains.
| Scientific Names | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Classify-2 | practice |
| Review Classify-1 | practice |
| Review Classify-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.V.3.b Use a simple classification system to classify unfamiliar Utah plants or animals (e.g., fish/amphibians/reptile/bird/mammal, invertebrate/vertebrate, tree/shrub/grass, deciduous/conifers).
| A Walk in the Park | video, checked |
| Scientific Names | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Classify-2 | practice |
| Review Classify-1 | practice |
| Review Classify-3 | practice |
UT.7.V.2.c Generalize rules for classification.
| Scientific Names | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Classify-2 | practice |
| Review Classify-1 | practice |
| Review Classify-3 | practice |
NGSS
We enjoy the hummingbirds that visit our feeders. I am trying to find the mixture of sugar and water that they like the best.
Each day, I put out four feeders with different amounts of water and sugar. At the end of each day, I measure to see how much of each the hummingbirds drank. Which of the following is NOT an important part of this experiment?
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One of the feeders should only contain water, with no sugar.
No. This IS an important part of the experiment. The feeder without any sugar is the control. If the hummingbirds drink just as much pure water, it would indicate that the sugar is not important. -
The feeders should be placed randomly every day.
No. This IS an important part of the experiment. If you always put the same mixture in the same location, the results may be because the birds like that location instead of because they like the amount of sugar. -
I should repeat this experiment every day for several weeks.
No. This IS an important part of the experiment. The more times you repeat the same test, the more likely you are to get accurate results. -
The different mixtures should be colored different colors with nontoxic food coloring.
Yes. This is NOT an important part of the experiment. It would add a second variable to the experiment, which is a bad thing. You want everything to be the same for each sample, with the only difference being the amount of sugar. If you used different colors and different amounts of sugar, you would not know whether the results were due to the color or the sugar.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.5.N.1.4 Identify a control group and explain its importance in an experiment.
| Bacteria and Antibiotics | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Testing a Leaf for Starch | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Scientific Process-1 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-2 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-9 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-11 | practice |
SC.7.N.1.4 Identify test variables (independent variables) and outcome variables (dependent variables) in an experiment.
| Floating Cups | video, checked |
| Testing for Tannic Acid | video |
| Review Scientific Process-1 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-2 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-9 | practice |
| Review Scientific Process-11 | 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 |
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.
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| A Walk in the Park | video, checked |
| Nature Watching | video, checked |
| Calling a Woodpecker | video, checked |
| Selective Smelling | video, checked |
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Review Adaptation-3 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-4 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-5 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-2 | 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, Updated |
| 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, checked |
| Weather and Climate | video |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
UT.3.V.1.b Observe and report how sunlight affects plant growth.
| Measuring Photosynthesis | video, checked |
| 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, checked |
| 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, checked |
| 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, checked |
| 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.
| Pumpkin Guts | video, free, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Bird Bones | video, free |
| Feathers | video, checked |
| Heartless Plants | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Nature Watching | video, checked |
| Calling a Woodpecker | video, checked |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| Eye Shine | text page |
| How Does a Butterfly Fly? | text page, free |
| Review Plants-3 | practice |
| Review Plants-1 | practice |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
| Review Plants-8 | 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, checked |
| Yeast and Sugar, part 1 | video, checked |
| Measuring Photosynthesis | video, checked |
| Color Changing Flowers | video, checked |
| Who Evolved on First? | text page, free, checked |
| Review Plants-1 | 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.
| Density: Ice, Oil, and Water | video, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 1 | video, checked |
| Wax and Wood, part 2 | video, checked |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Making Turmeric Paper | video, checked |
| Testing for Tannic Acid | video |
| Cartesian Diver | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Growing Crystals Under the Microscope | video, free, learnalong, checked |
| Stale Bread | video |
| Floating Bubbles | video, checked |
| Candles in a Jar, part 2 | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Candles in a Jar, part 1 | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Microscopes: Growing Crystals | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
| Review Matter-5 | practice |
Utah
UT.7.I.2.b Use observations to predict the relative density of various solids and liquids.
| Density: Ice, Oil, and Water | video, checked |
| 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.
| Cartesian Diver | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Floating Bubbles | video, checked |
| Candles in a Jar, part 2 | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| Candles in a Jar, part 1 | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| The Difference Between Weight and Mass | video, checked |
| Density: Ice, Oil, and Water | video, checked |
| A Cup of Cold | text page |
| Air has Weight | text page |
| Fish in a Bucket | text page |
| Review Matter-5 | practice |
NGSS
One test for identifying minerals involves rubbing the mineral on a rough tile, and looking at the color of the mark it leaves. This test is called:
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Cleavage
No. Cleavage is when a mineral breaks along planes of weakness to form flat surfaces. -
Hardness
No. Hardness is the resistance of a mineral to being scratched by other substances. -
Fracture
No. Fracture is when a mineral breaks but does not show cleavage. -
Streak
Yes. The streak test examines the color of the mineral when it is powdered by rubbing it on a rough tile or streak plate. While the actual color of a mineral can vary, it will always produce the same color streak.
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.
| What is a Mineral? | video, checked |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Definition of 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.8.III.1.b Observe and describe the minerals found in rocks (e.g., shape, color, luster, texture, hardness).
| Definition of a Mineral | video, checked |
| What is a Mineral? | video, checked |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
| Review Minerals-1 | practice |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
NGSS
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time.