HS Sample Set 7, Round 10 from NSB

Questions in Packet

TOSS-UP chem phrase

What is the most reduced symmetry operation symbol for a molecule that has a rotation angle of 240°?

Acceptable Answers:

  • C3

BONUS chem phrase

How many translational, rotational, and vibrational modes, respectively, are there for the molecule beryllium fluoride?

Acceptable Answers:

  • TRANSLATIONAL = 3; ROTATIONAL = 2; VIBRATIONAL = 4

TOSS-UP math phrase

Find the sum of the two solutions for the quadratic equation $$2x^2 - 4x + 8 = 0.$$

Acceptable Answers:

  • 2

BONUS math phrase

Find the following limit: $$\lim_{x \to 2} \frac{x^5 - 32}{x^4 - 16}.$$

Acceptable Answers:

  • $\tfrac{5}{2}$
  • $2\frac12$, 2.5

TOSS-UP ess multiple_choice

Which of the following is nearest the percentage of the Earth's surface that is covered by glaciers? W) 1% X) 5% Y) 10% Z) 20%

W: W) 1%

X: X) 5%

Y: Y) 10%

Z: Z) 20%

Answer: Y) Y) 10%

BONUS ess multiple_choice

Which of the following organisms was NOT present in the Jurassic? W) Triceratops X) Ichthyosaurs Y) Dinoflagellates Z) Ginkgoes

W: W) Triceratops

X: X) Ichthyosaurs

Y: Y) Dinoflagellates

Z: Z) Ginkgoes

Answer: W) W) Triceratops

TOSS-UP phys phrase

If it takes 60 pounds-force to loosen a lug nut with a 5 inch wrench, how much force in pounds-force would it take if you used a 12 inch wrench instead?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 25

BONUS phys multiple_choice

On a sunny clear day, the sky seems to be bluer directly overhead than it does toward the horizon. Which of the following is the reason? W) Light from the Sun undergoes more scattering with distance X) The atmosphere has higher density at the zenith versus closer to the Earth's surface Y) There is more oxygen in the air closer to the Earth's surface than high in the atmosphere Z) The upper atmosphere is colder than the Earth's surface

W: W) Light from the Sun undergoes more scattering with distance

X: X) The atmosphere has higher density at the zenith versus closer to the Earth's surface

Y: Y) There is more oxygen in the air closer to the Earth's surface than high in the atmosphere

Z: Z) The upper atmosphere is colder than the Earth's surface

Answer: W) W) Light from the Sun undergoes more scattering with distance

TOSS-UP energy multiple_choice

By what process is gasoline separated from crude oil? W) Distillation X) Digestion Y) Fracking Z) Filtering

W: W) Distillation

X: X) Digestion

Y: Y) Fracking

Z: Z) Filtering

Answer: W) W) Distillation

BONUS energy phrase

What property of water allows it to have surface tension, and what is the intermolecular force responsible?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Cohesion and hydrogen bonding

TOSS-UP bio phrase

What is the process by which bacterial genes can be transferred from one bacterium to another via bacteriophages?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Transduction

BONUS bio phrase

In Labrador retrievers, coat color is determined by two sets of genes on different loci. At one locus, the uppercase B allele codes for black coat color, and the lowercase b allele codes for brown coat pigment. At the second locus, the uppercase E allele codes for the presence of a transporter to carry pigment to the hair shaft and the lowercase e allele codes for the absence of the transporter. In the presence of transporter, the dog is black or brown; in the absence of transporter, the dog is yellow. What is the genotype of a yellow dog that is heterozygous for the brown allele?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Bbee
  • bBee

TOSS-UP chem multiple_choice

Which of the following statements about visible energy transitions in electronic spectroscopy is NOT true? W) They are low energy transitions X) They occur between d-orbitals of transition metals Y) They occur between metal and ligand orbitals Z) They occur between ligand orbitals

W: W) They are low energy transitions

X: X) They occur between d-orbitals of transition metals

Y: Y) They occur between metal and ligand orbitals

Z: Z) They occur between ligand orbitals

Answer: Z) Z) They occur between ligand orbitals

BONUS chem multiple_choice

Propranolol hydrochloride is a stable solid that belongs to a class of molecules known as beta blockers, and is prescribed as a racemic mixture. Which of the following is NOT true with respect to propranolol hydrochloride? W) It will not rotate plane-polarized light X) It is optically pure Y) It is achiral Z) It includes equal amounts of each enantiomer

W: W) It will not rotate plane-polarized light

X: X) It is optically pure

Y: Y) It is achiral

Z: Z) It includes equal amounts of each enantiomer

Answer: X) X) It is optically pure

TOSS-UP math phrase

Starting with point (4, 2) in the coordinate plane, reflect it across the x-axis, then rotate it 180° around the origin, and finally, translate it vertically up by 2 units. What are the coordinates of the point’s final location?

Acceptable Answers:

  • (-4, 4)

BONUS math phrase

If $z_1 = 4 + 3i$ and $z_2 = i^3$, find the product of $z_1$, $z_2$, and the conjugate of $z_1$.

Acceptable Answers:

  • -25i

TOSS-UP ess multiple_choice

The San Andreas Fault and collision of India with Asia occurred in what geologic period? W) Cambrian X) Permian Y) Cretaceous Z) Oligocene

W: W) Cambrian

X: X) Permian

Y: Y) Cretaceous

Z: Z) Oligocene

Answer: Z) Z) Oligocene

BONUS ess phrase

What is the name of the largest aquifer in the United States that underlies most of the Midwest?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Ogallala Aquifer

TOSS-UP phys multiple_choice

The messenger particles of the weak interaction are which of the following? W) Z bosons only X) W⁺ and W⁻ bosons only Y) Z, W⁺, and W⁻ bosons Z) Virtual photons

W: W) Z bosons only

X: X) W⁺ and W⁻ bosons only

Y: Y) Z, W⁺, and W⁻ bosons

Z: Z) Virtual photons

Answer: Y) Y) Z, W⁺, and W⁻ bosons

BONUS phys multiple_choice

A transformer has a primary coil with 10 loops and a secondary coil with 100 loops. If the primary coil is supplied with a household voltage of 100 volts and current of 10 amperes, what is the maximum voltage, in volts, across an open circuit produced in the secondary circuit? W) 10 X) 100 Y) 1000 Z) 10,000

W: W) 10

X: X) 100

Y: Y) 1000

Z: Z) 10,000

Answer: Y) Y) 1000

TOSS-UP bio phrase

The following four terms would apply to what group of organisms: primaries, axillars, coverts, scapulars?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Birds

BONUS bio multiple_choice

When a gene is duplicated within an organism to generate a second copy of that gene, what term in genomics would describe the relationship between the genes? W) Paralogous X) Orthologous Y) Syntologous Z) Heterologous

W: W) Paralogous

X: X) Orthologous

Y: Y) Syntologous

Z: Z) Heterologous

Answer: W) W) Paralogous

TOSS-UP chem phrase

Providing your answer as a whole number, what is the overall order of the reaction governed by the rate law $$R = k[\mathrm{NO}_2]^2[\mathrm{Br}_2]?$$

Acceptable Answers:

  • 3
  • third, third order

BONUS chem phrase

Hydrogen and chlorine are reacted in a 500 milliliter flask to form hydrogen chloride. It takes 0.08 seconds for the amount of chlorine to change by –0.005 moles. Providing your answers as decimals, determine the rate of conversion, in moles per second, and the rate of reaction, in molarity per second.

Acceptable Answers:

  • Rate of conversion = 0.0625; Rate of reaction = 0.125

TOSS-UP phys multiple_choice

If object A and object B are in thermal equilibrium, and object B and object C are in thermal equilibrium, then object A and object C are also in thermal equilibrium. This situation is an example of what law of thermodynamics? W) Zeroth X) First Y) Second Z) Third

W: W) Zeroth

X: X) First

Y: Y) Second

Z: Z) Third

Answer: W) W) Zeroth

BONUS phys multiple_choice

Which of the following is nearest escape velocity on the surface of the Earth, in miles per hour? W) 1000 X) 25,000 Y) 66,000 Z) 670 million

W: W) 1000

X: X) 25,000

Y: Y) 66,000

Z: Z) 670 million

Answer: X) X) 25,000

TOSS-UP math phrase

What is the area of the region bounded by the curve $$y = \sin x$$ and the x-axis from $$x = 0$$ to $$x = \pi$$?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 2

BONUS math phrase

What is the largest possible real domain for the function $$f(x) = \frac{4x^2}{\sqrt{4 - x^2}}\,$$?

Acceptable Answers:

  • (-2, 2)

TOSS-UP ess multiple_choice

The Volcanic Explosivity Index rated the Toba eruption as an 8, the highest rating. Which of the following environments was the most likely tectonic setting for this eruption? W) Hot spot X) Subduction zone Y) Triple junction Z) Mid-ocean ridge

W: W) Hot spot

X: X) Subduction zone

Y: Y) Triple junction

Z: Z) Mid-ocean ridge

Answer: X) X) Subduction zone

BONUS ess multiple_choice

Which of the following minerals is NOT a polymorph of $\mathrm{Al}_2\mathrm{SiO}_5$? W) Andalusite X) Aragonite Y) Sillimanite Z) Kyanite

W: W) Andalusite

X: X) Aragonite

Y: Y) Sillimanite

Z: Z) Kyanite

Answer: X) X) Aragonite

TOSS-UP energy multiple_choice

Which of the following processes is currently used commercially to enrich uranium in the United States? W) Gaseous diffusion X) Gaseous centrifugation Y) Metal plating Z) Electrolysis

W: W) Gaseous diffusion

X: X) Gaseous centrifugation

Y: Y) Metal plating

Z: Z) Electrolysis

Answer: W) W) Gaseous diffusion

BONUS energy multiple_choice

Solvent-based techniques best capture carbon dioxide under which of the following relative conditions? W) High temperature, high pressure X) High temperature, low pressure Y) Low temperature, high pressure Z) Low temperature, low pressure

W: W) High temperature, high pressure

X: X) High temperature, low pressure

Y: Y) Low temperature, high pressure

Z: Z) Low temperature, low pressure

Answer: Y) Y) Low temperature, high pressure

TOSS-UP phys multiple_choice

Fluid pressure is caused by which of the following? W) Gravitational interactions among atoms and molecules of the fluid X) Collisions of fast moving atoms and molecules of the fluid Y) Strong nuclear force among nucleons Z) Weak forces among particles

W: W) Gravitational interactions among atoms and molecules of the fluid

X: X) Collisions of fast moving atoms and molecules of the fluid

Y: Y) Strong nuclear force among nucleons

Z: Z) Weak forces among particles

Answer: X) X) Collisions of fast moving atoms and molecules of the fluid

BONUS phys phrase

A projectile is launched with a speed of 10 meters per second from the top of a 30 meter tall cliff at an angle of 30° above the horizontal. Assuming that $g = 10\;\mathrm{m/s^2}$, how many seconds after launch will it take this particle to strike the ground at the bottom of the cliff?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 3

TOSS-UP bio phrase

In what taxonomic phylum can you find an indeterminate species in the genus Marchantia?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Hepatophyta

BONUS bio phrase

For a DNA template that reads 3' TAC AAA ATC 5', give the sequence of the RNA transcribed from it with appropriate polarity.

Acceptable Answers:

  • 5' AUG UUU UAG 3'

TOSS-UP chem multiple_choice

Which of the following gases would deviate most from ideal gas behavior? W) Helium X) Hydrogen Y) Oxygen Z) Neon

W: W) Helium

X: X) Hydrogen

Y: Y) Oxygen

Z: Z) Neon

Answer: Y) Y) Oxygen

BONUS chem phrase

How many different structural isomers are there for heptane?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 9

TOSS-UP math multiple_choice

What is $$\frac{d}{dx}\int_{4}^{x} t^2 \, dt\,$$? W) $x^2$ X) $\tfrac{1}{3}x^3$ Y) $\tfrac{64}{3}x$ Z) $16x^2$

W: W) $x^2$

X: X) $\tfrac{1}{3}x^3$

Y: Y) $\tfrac{64}{3}x$

Z: Z) $16x^2$

Answer: W) W) $x^2$

BONUS math phrase

What are the vertical and horizontal asymptotes, respectively, of $$f(x) = \frac{x^2 - \sqrt{3}}{x^2 - 2x - 15}\,$$?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Vertical: x = –3, x = 5; Horizontal: y = 1

TOSS-UP bio multiple_choice

Which of the following anatomical adjectives is NOT correctly described? W) Celiac – abdominal X) Anterior – front end Y) Rostral – near the tail Z) Pedal – relating to the foot

W: W) Celiac – abdominal

X: X) Anterior – front end

Y: Y) Rostral – near the tail

Z: Z) Pedal – relating to the foot

Answer: Y) Y) Rostral – near the tail

BONUS bio phrase

During the early stages of the Human Genome Project, fragments of human DNA were placed into vectors called yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs). What replication enzyme would be needed in the test tube to connect the two DNA fragments together, creating recombinant DNA?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Ligase

TOSS-UP ess multiple_choice

Which of the following desert landforms is NOT formed through the process of abrasion? W) Yardang X) Wind bridge Y) Desert pavement Z) Inselberg

W: W) Yardang

X: X) Wind bridge

Y: Y) Desert pavement

Z: Z) Inselberg

Answer: Y) Y) Desert pavement

BONUS ess multiple_choice

Which of the following types of terrace is carved into bedrock? W) Fill X) Strath Y) Alluvium Z) Accretion

W: W) Fill

X: X) Strath

Y: Y) Alluvium

Z: Z) Accretion

Answer: X) X) Strath

TOSS-UP phys multiple_choice

A proton initially at rest is accelerated through a potential difference of 1 megavolt. What is its final kinetic energy in electronvolts? W) $10^3$ X) $1.6\times10^6$ Y) $10^6$ Z) $1.6\times10^6$

W: W) $10^3$

X: X) $1.6\times10^6$

Y: Y) $10^6$

Z: Z) $1.6\times10^6$

Answer: Y) Y) $10^6$

BONUS phys phrase

A 2 kilogram ball experiences a force according to the relation $F = 6t^2$, where $F$ is the force in newtons and $t$ is the time in seconds. Assuming that the ball started from rest, how fast in meters per second is the ball moving after experiencing this force for 5 seconds?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 125

TOSS-UP energy multiple_choice

What is the major potential benefit of electric propulsion systems for the NASA space program? W) They are lighter than traditional fuels X) They are less toxic than traditional fuels Y) They contribute to an artificial gravity environment Z) They require less research and development

W: W) They are lighter than traditional fuels

X: X) They are less toxic than traditional fuels

Y: Y) They contribute to an artificial gravity environment

Z: Z) They require less research and development

Answer: W) W) They are lighter than traditional fuels

BONUS energy multiple_choice

Which of the following advantages is offered by mid- and deep-ocean sequestration that is not possible at shallower depths? W) Faster mineralization of carbon dioxide X) Easier injection of carbon dioxide Y) Buoyant carbon dioxide hydrates Z) Longer residence time

W: W) Faster mineralization of carbon dioxide

X: X) Easier injection of carbon dioxide

Y: Y) Buoyant carbon dioxide hydrates

Z: Z) Longer residence time

Answer: Z) Z) Longer residence time

TOSS-UP bio multiple_choice

Which of the following pairs includes a toothed whale and a baleen whale? W) Bowhead whale and blue whale X) Grey whale and beluga whale Y) Sperm whale and narwhal Z) Northern right whale and minke whale

W: W) Bowhead whale and blue whale

X: X) Grey whale and beluga whale

Y: Y) Sperm whale and narwhal

Z: Z) Northern right whale and minke whale

Answer: X) X) Grey whale and beluga whale

BONUS bio multiple_choice

At a 4th of July picnic, Uncle Vernon was munching down on his ear of yellow corn when he exclaimed, “Why do some of these corn kernels have purple spots? Is the corn toxic?” You quickly explain that the corn is not toxic and that the spots were caused by what? W) Transcription start variation X) Transposition of a jumping gene Y) Random X-inactivation Z) Genetic modifications

W: W) Transcription start variation

X: X) Transposition of a jumping gene

Y: Y) Random X-inactivation

Z: Z) Genetic modifications

Answer: X) X) Transposition of a jumping gene