MS Sample Set 14, Round 9 from NSB
A persistent drop in sea surface temperatures across the Eastern equatorial Pacific is indicative of what oscillatory global phenomenon?
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Minerals belonging to which of the following mineral groups have two distinct cleavage planes that meet at approximately 60 and 120 degrees? W) Feldspar X) Amphibole Y) Mica Z) Pyroxene
W: W) Feldspar
X: X) Amphibole
Y: Y) Mica
Z: Z) Pyroxene
Answer: X) X) Amphibole
What layer of the eye is responsible for absorbing light and sending that information to the optic nerve?
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What retroviral enzyme catalyzes the formation of DNA from a viral RNA template?
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Researchers at Idaho National Lab are working to improve nuclear reactor safety by preventing lanthanides from causing damage. What atomic orbital generally contains the highest energy electrons for neutral lanthanide atoms? W) P X) S Y) F Z) G
W: W) P
X: X) S
Y: Y) F
Z: Z) G
Answer: Y) Y) F
Oak Ridge National Lab researchers are studying the behavior of lanthanum cobaltite, which is a material made of lanthanum, cobalt, and what other element?
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What type of simple machine is a knife?
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A torque applied by the brakes on a bicycle wheel that was initially spinning at 6 radians per second causes it to spin to a halt in a half of a second. To the nearest revolution per second squared, what was the magnitude of the angular acceleration of the wheel in this time?
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If 4x + 3y equals 12 and y equals 4, what is x?
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There are 60 attendees at a basketball camp. If 55% are male and 25% are left-handed, what is the largest possible number of campers who are right-handed and female?
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The position of Neptune was predicted by J.C. Adams and U.J. Leverrier using Newtonian mechanics to explain observed anomalies in the orbit of what other planet?
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What is the primary source of high-energy, charged particles that make up the Van Allen belts?
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While most complexes in the cell are made of proteins, ribosomes are mostly composed of protein and what other macromolecule?
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Amylase catalyzes the digestion of starch into sugars. The presence of high amounts of amylase in the blood is likely to be associated with dysfunction of which of the following organs? W) Pancreas X) Kidney Y) Brain Z) Heart
W: W) Pancreas
X: X) Kidney
Y: Y) Brain
Z: Z) Heart
Answer: W) W) Pancreas
Mary has a scale, which she decides to calibrate using a one-kilogram mass. Which of the following sets of measurements in kilograms reflect the most precise calibration? W) 2.1, 2.1, 2.0 X) 0.6, 1.0, 1.4 Y) 1.0, 0.8, 0.6 Z) 0.7, 1.3, 1.0
W: W) 2.1, 2.1, 2.0
X: X) 0.6, 1.0, 1.4
Y: Y) 1.0, 0.8, 0.6
Z: Z) 0.7, 1.3, 1.0
Answer: W) W) 2.1, 2.1, 2.0
Alison has two vertical pistons with areas of 10 m² and 300 m², respectively, connected via a liquid-filled tube. If she wants to exert an upward force of 4,500 N on the larger piston, how much force should she exert downward on the smaller piston?
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Which of the following best describes the lines represented by the equations 4x – 7y = 28 and 8x + 14y = 56? W) They are parallel X) They are skew Y) They intersect at exactly one point Z) They are the same line
W: W) They are parallel
X: X) They are skew
Y: Y) They intersect at exactly one point
Z: Z) They are the same line
Answer: Y) Y) They intersect at exactly one point
If a 30-degree sector of a circle has area 29 π, then, to the nearest whole number, what is the radius of the circle?
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Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Lab are exploring how to 3D print mechanical logic gates. Identify all of the following four logical computations which result in a one: 1) Not zero; 2) One and zero; 3) One or zero; 4) One exclusive or zero.
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Researchers at Sandia National Lab are working to build a quantum computer that will be available to many scientists to use. What is the term for the basic unit of information storage in a quantum computer?
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In which of the following geologic periods did dinosaurs and mammals live simultaneously? W) Cambrian X) Carboniferous Y) Paleogene Z) Jurassic
W: W) Cambrian
X: X) Carboniferous
Y: Y) Paleogene
Z: Z) Jurassic
Answer: Z) Z) Jurassic
A large crater-like depression that remains after the roof collapses on an empty magma chamber is which of the following? W) Volcanic dome X) Parasitic cone Y) Caldera Z) Shield
W: W) Volcanic dome
X: X) Parasitic cone
Y: Y) Caldera
Z: Z) Shield
Answer: Y) Y) Caldera
Electrical utility poles often have large cylindrical devices attached that convert high-voltage currents into lower voltages suitable for residential use. What is the term for these devices?
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Identify all of the following three waves that are purely transverse waves: 1) Water waves; 2) Light waves; 3) Pressure waves.
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A fair 20-sided die has faces numbered with the integers from 1 through 20. If it is rolled once, what is the probability that the result is a multiple of 3?
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A circle has an area of 64. What is its circumference?
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Which layer of the Sun emits most of the light that is received by Earth? W) Corona X) Chromosphere Y) Photosphere Z) Flare
W: W) Corona
X: X) Chromosphere
Y: Y) Photosphere
Z: Z) Flare
Answer: Y) Y) Photosphere
Which of the following describes stars that are plotted on the bottom left of the HR diagram? W) Low temperature, low luminosity X) Low temperature, high luminosity Y) High temperature, low luminosity Z) High temperature, high luminosity
W: W) Low temperature, low luminosity
X: X) Low temperature, high luminosity
Y: Y) High temperature, low luminosity
Z: Z) High temperature, high luminosity
Answer: Y) Y) High temperature, low luminosity
What state function has a low value for crystalline solids and a high value for gases, and quantifies the number of different ways a system can be arranged at a given energy?
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In Thomson’s experiments with cathode ray tubes, he noted that the presence of a magnet caused the cathode rays to bend. What did he conclude from this observation? W) Cathode rays are made of charged particles X) Cathode rays are made of electrons Y) Cathode rays are massless Z) Cathode rays are less massive than the hydrogen atom
W: W) Cathode rays are made of charged particles
X: X) Cathode rays are made of electrons
Y: Y) Cathode rays are massless
Z: Z) Cathode rays are less massive than the hydrogen atom
Answer: W) W) Cathode rays are made of charged particles
Which of the following best portrays an example of evolution by natural selection that has been directly observed in modern times? W) Seedlessness in watermelons X) Speciation of great apes Y) Domestication of cattle Z) Antibiotic resistance in bacteria
W: W) Seedlessness in watermelons
X: X) Speciation of great apes
Y: Y) Domestication of cattle
Z: Z) Antibiotic resistance in bacteria
Answer: Z) Z) Antibiotic resistance in bacteria
The discovery of iron-containing fragments in the skulls of birds suggests that they use what phenomenon to navigate during migrations?
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Scientists at Oak Ridge National Lab are using the Summit supercomputer, which has 200 petaflops of computational power. Which of the following correctly represents the number of floating-point operations per second of which this computer is capable? W) 2 times 10 to the 9 X) 2 times 10 to the 11 Y) 2 times 10 to the 14 Z) 2 times 10 to the 17
W: W) 2 times 10 to the 9
X: X) 2 times 10 to the 11
Y: Y) 2 times 10 to the 14
Z: Z) 2 times 10 to the 17
Answer: Z) Z) 2 times 10 to the 17
Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Lab are using microscopy to improve the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. What kind of microscope do they use to image structures smaller than a micron in lithium-ion batteries?
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If a triangle has two sides with respective lengths of 20 and 30, what is the maximum possible integer length of the third side?
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What is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the line with slope –5/6 that contains the point (–4, 7)?
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Which of the following best defines a geologic unconformity? W) A time gap in the rock record X) A contact between an igneous and a sedimentary rock Y) The zone of deformation around an active fault Z) A rock layer of unknown origin
W: W) A time gap in the rock record
X: X) A contact between an igneous and a sedimentary rock
Y: Y) The zone of deformation around an active fault
Z: Z) A rock layer of unknown origin
Answer: W) W) A time gap in the rock record
Kate is performing field work in an area that is suspected to have coal deposits. She finds that the coal has a particularly high carbon content of about 92%, and the layered deposits are highly deformed and folded. What type of coal did Kate most likely find?
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Most nerves in mammals are covered with a sheath of myelin. Which of the following is the main function of this layer? W) Sending larger impulses X) Increasing structural stability Y) Speeding up transmission Z) Protection from pathogens
W: W) Sending larger impulses
X: X) Increasing structural stability
Y: Y) Speeding up transmission
Z: Z) Protection from pathogens
Answer: Y) Y) Speeding up transmission
Most bacteria undergo a form of asexual reproduction in which the cells divide into two. What is the term for this type of reproduction?
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Identify all of the following three properties of a substance that are size-independent: 1) State of matter; 2) Volume; 3) Density.
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A 500-cubic centimeter object is lowered into water and it displaces 2.94 newtons of water before it stops sinking. To the nearest tenth, what is the specific gravity of this object?
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What is the product of the two fractions 2 2/5 and 2 1/2?
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Simplify √1680.
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What part of a neuron carries a nerve impulse from the cell body to other neurons or muscles?
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During what phase of meiosis does crossing over occur?
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