MS Sample Set 12, Round 6 from NSB
The term “dirty snowball,” coined by astronomer Fred Whipple in 1950, refers to what category of space objects?
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On a summer night you notice that the zenith is in the constellation Cygnus. Which of the following constellations would be highest above the horizon? W) Orion X) Sagittarius Y) Lyra Z) Ursa Major
W: W) Orion
X: X) Sagittarius
Y: Y) Lyra
Z: Z) Ursa Major
Answer: Y) Y) Lyra
What is the coefficient of the \(ac\) term in the trinomial expansion of \((3a - 4b - 5c)^2\)?
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What are the mean and median, respectively, of the following list of six numbers: 9, 7, 4, 7, 5, 1?
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Feet per minute is a unit for which of the following quantities? W) Speed X) Acceleration Y) Position Z) Energy
W: W) Speed
X: X) Acceleration
Y: Y) Position
Z: Z) Energy
Answer: W) W) Speed
Identify all of the following three mixtures that are heterogeneous to the naked eye: 1) A watermelon 2) Mayonnaise 3) Vinegar
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A flood that arises within minutes due to heavy rains is referred to by meteorologists as what?
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Place the following three types of clouds in order of increasing altitude: 1) Altocumulus 2) Stratus 3) Cirrus
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What type of vehicle fuel consists of long‐chain alkyl esters produced from biomass?
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Researchers at Jefferson Lab are investigating nucleon structure. The rest mass energy of a nucleon is derived primarily from the mass of quarks plus the energy of what exchange bosons?
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What polymer is the primary component of the cell wall in maize?
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In the ABO blood system, if a child has parents that are type A and type B, they can have type AB blood. This is an example of what type of genetic interaction?
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Rank the following three solutions in terms of increasing acidity: 1) pH 7 solution 2) pH 13 solution 3) pH 2 solution
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The complete combustion of methane results in the formation of water and what other molecule?
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What is the equation of the horizontal line that passes through the point with coordinates \((3,4)\)?
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Two triangles are similar with scale factor \(\tfrac{3}{4}\). If the area of the larger triangle is 96, what is the area of the smaller triangle?
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The skull of a new mammalian species is found and all of the teeth are sharp and angled. Based on this data, which of the following is the most reasonable conclusion? W) It was a carnivore X) It was an herbivore Y) It was an omnivore Z) It was a parasite
W: W) It was a carnivore
X: X) It was an herbivore
Y: Y) It was an omnivore
Z: Z) It was a parasite
Answer: W) W) It was a carnivore
Most bacteria move around by using what rotor-like structures?
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Steam reforming is a process used to produce hydrogen gas. What molecule is used as a fuel for steam reforming?
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Researchers replaced iron with iridium in an oxygen‐binding human muscle protein to exhibit catalytic ability. What protein did they use?
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Which geologic eon starts at the formation of the Earth? W) Paleozoic X) Cenozoic Y) Hadean Z) Proterozoic
W: W) Paleozoic
X: X) Cenozoic
Y: Y) Hadean
Z: Z) Proterozoic
Answer: Y) Y) Hadean
Identify all of the following three structures that are surface features of the Moon: 1) Mare Tranquillitatis 2) Oceanus Procellarum 3) Olympus Mons
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A rectangle has an area of 200 m². It can be divided into two congruent squares with one segment. In meters, what is the perimeter of the rectangle?
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There are 50 attendees at a basketball camp. If 40% are male and 30% are left‐handed, what is the largest possible number of campers who are right‐handed and female?
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Arecibo Observatory contains a 300 m‐wide dish made of aluminum panels that are open to the air. What region of the electromagnetic spectrum is observed there?
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Identify all of the following three forms of heat transfer that significantly contribute to the movement of heat within the Sun: 1) Conduction 2) Convection 3) Radiation
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What is the adjective for the class of reactions that release thermal energy into their surroundings?
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Identify all of the following three physical processes that involve particles absorbing energy: 1) Freezing 2) Boiling 3) Sublimation
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Scientists at Fermilab have found evidence that a certain type of particle may not oscillate randomly among its three flavors, resulting in different fractional amounts of these states. What is this type of particle?
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The top quark was first discovered at what particle accelerator located at Fermilab?
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During which of the following activities would you expect there to be the highest concentration of lactic acid in the leg muscles of a human? W) Sprinting a long distance X) Walking a short distance Y) Drinking water Z) Sleeping
W: W) Sprinting a long distance
X: X) Walking a short distance
Y: Y) Drinking water
Z: Z) Sleeping
Answer: W) W) Sprinting a long distance
What drug, found in the 1960s to cause birth defects, was prescribed for morning sickness but was later discovered to contain an isomer that acted as a teratogen?
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Which of the following purification techniques is most appropriate for separating a mixture of sand and water? W) Distillation X) Filtration Y) Extraction Z) Recrystallization
W: W) Distillation
X: X) Filtration
Y: Y) Extraction
Z: Z) Recrystallization
Answer: X) X) Filtration
Rank the following four molecules in increasing order of molecular weight: 1) Carbon dioxide 2) Carbon monoxide 3) Water 4) Hydrogen peroxide
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Simplify the fraction with numerator \(36 - 54\) and denominator 3.
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For the function \(f(x) = x^2 - 10\), evaluate \(f(2a) - 2f(a)\) when \(a = 6\).
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The San Andreas Fault in California is what type of fault? W) Compression X) Normal Y) Reverse Z) Strike‐slip
W: W) Compression
X: X) Normal
Y: Y) Reverse
Z: Z) Strike‐slip
Answer: Z) Z) Strike‐slip
What number denotes the most damaging tornado strength on the Enhanced Fujita scale?
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What portion of the endoplasmic reticulum does not have ribosomes on the surface?
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Identify all of the following three organelles that both plants and animals possess: 1) Mitochondrion 2) Chloroplast 3) Nucleus
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A wolf travels 6 miles in 7 hours. If it continues at that rate, which of the following is closest to the distance, in miles, it would travel in 100 hours? W) 80 X) 85 Y) 90 Z) 95
W: W) 80
X: X) 85
Y: Y) 90
Z: Z) 95
Answer: X) X) 85
A bag contains 50 identically‐sized marbles. Exactly 10% are purple, 20% are blue, 30% are orange, and the rest are red. What is the probability of randomly selecting first a blue marble, replacing it, and then selecting a red one?
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What general term describes glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream?
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Cells contain a network of structural fibers that enable them to maintain their shape and to move. What is this network called?
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James Chadwick proposed that the nucleus contains not only protons, but what other subatomic particles?
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Identify all of the following three statements that are true of forces: 1) An object in orbit around the Earth is no longer experiencing Earth’s gravity 2) If an object is at rest, there are no forces acting upon it 3) Forces can only be applied via contact
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