MS Sample Set 10, Round 16 from NSB

Questions in Packet

TOSS-UP energy multiple_choice

Currently, almost all used nuclear fuel from power plants in the U.S. is stored at which of the following? W) The power plant site X) A high-level waste repository Y) A low-level waste storage facility Z) A monitored retrieval storage facility

W: W) The power plant site

X: X) A high-level waste repository

Y: Y) A low-level waste storage facility

Z: Z) A monitored retrieval storage facility

Answer: W) W) The power plant site

BONUS energy order

Rank the following heat sources in order of increasing efficiency: 1) Geothermal heat pump; 2) Electric space heater; 3) Combustion furnace.

Choices:

  • Geothermal heat pump
  • Electric space heater
  • Combustion furnace

Correct Order:

  • 2
  • 3
  • 1

TOSS-UP phys phrase

How many oxygen atoms are there in a peroxide ion?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 2

BONUS phys multiple_choice

A ball is thrown into the air with a velocity of 3 meters per second to the east and 4 meters per second away from the Earth. At the top of its arc, what is the velocity of the ball in meters per second? W) 5, up and east X) 5, east Y) 3, up and east Z) 3, east

W: W) 5, up and east

X: X) 5, east

Y: Y) 3, up and east

Z: Z) 3, east

Answer: Z) Z) 3, east

TOSS-UP general phrase

Bacteria or fungi are commonly grown in a lab on what semi-solid substance?

Acceptable Answers:

  • AGAR
  • AGAR PLATES
  • NUTRIENT AGAR

BONUS general phrase

What unit is most frequently used to measure the thickness of the ozone layer?

Acceptable Answers:

  • DOBSON UNITS

TOSS-UP math phrase

To the nearest whole number, how many days will it take to travel 4800 miles traveling at a constant speed of 60 miles per hour?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 3

BONUS math phrase

Given the arithmetic sequence with first three terms –12, –10, –8, what is the 60th term?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 106

TOSS-UP ess phrase

Fulgurites are tubes of fused silica produced during what type of natural event?

Acceptable Answers:

  • LIGHTNING
  • A LARGE ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE

BONUS ess multiple_choice

Which of the following sectors of American society uses the greatest amount of freshwater? W) Agriculture X) Mining Y) Industry Z) Public use

W: W) Agriculture

X: X) Mining

Y: Y) Industry

Z: Z) Public use

Answer: W) W) Agriculture

TOSS-UP bio phrase

In fishes, what structures, located in fluid-filled sacs in the inner ear, stimulate sensory cells lining the sacs that convert mechanical to electrical energy?

Acceptable Answers:

  • OTOLITHS
  • EARSTONES

BONUS bio multiple_choice

Although not scientifically verified, which of the following plant communities has been hypothesized to utilize allelopathy? W) Chaparral X) Grassland Y) Kelp forest Z) Tundra

W: W) Chaparral

X: X) Grassland

Y: Y) Kelp forest

Z: Z) Tundra

Answer: W) W) Chaparral

TOSS-UP energy multiple_choice

Which of the following processes is NOT used to produce hydrogen gas fuel? W) Gasification X) Electrolysis Y) Dry milling Z) Fermentation

W: W) Gasification

X: X) Electrolysis

Y: Y) Dry milling

Z: Z) Fermentation

Answer: Y) Y) Dry milling

BONUS energy multiple_choice

Which of the following chemical processes combines methane with water to produce hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide? W) Gas synthesis X) Incomplete combustion Y) Decomposition Z) Steam reforming

W: W) Gas synthesis

X: X) Incomplete combustion

Y: Y) Decomposition

Z: Z) Steam reforming

Answer: Z) Z) Steam reforming

TOSS-UP phys phrase

An engine does 10 joules of work while exhausting 40 joules of waste heat. What is the percent efficiency of the engine?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 20

BONUS phys phrase

Two identical metallic spheres, the first with 5 coulombs of charge and the second with –3 coulombs of charge, are touched together for an instant. What is the charge on the first sphere, in coulombs, after the two spheres touch?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 1

TOSS-UP math multiple_choice

Which of the following fractions is largest? W) 8/3 X) 9/4 Y) 12/5 Z) 16/7

W: W) 8/3

X: X) 9/4

Y: Y) 12/5

Z: Z) 16/7

Answer: W) W) 8/3

BONUS math phrase

What is the remainder when the polynomial $$x^6 - x^4 + x + 3$$ is divided by $$x + 2$$?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 49

TOSS-UP ess multiple_choice

If you were looking at isobars on a weather map showing high latitudes and high altitudes, which of the following would indicate the fastest wind speed? W) 4-millibar lines over a 100-kilometer spacing X) 4-millibar lines over a 50-kilometer spacing Y) 2-millibar lines over a 100-kilometer spacing Z) 2-millibar lines over a 50-kilometer spacing

W: W) 4-millibar lines over a 100-kilometer spacing

X: X) 4-millibar lines over a 50-kilometer spacing

Y: Y) 2-millibar lines over a 100-kilometer spacing

Z: Z) 2-millibar lines over a 50-kilometer spacing

Answer: X) X) 4-millibar lines over a 50-kilometer spacing

BONUS ess phrase

Categorize the following three plate pairs by whether they meet at divergent, convergent, or transform boundaries: 1) North American and Eurasian plates; 2) Indian and Eurasian plates; 3) Australian and Pacific plates.

Acceptable Answers:

  • 1-DIVERGENT; 2-CONVERGENT; 3-CONVERGENT

TOSS-UP bio multiple_choice

What portion of the human digestive system is responsible for nearly all nutrient absorption? W) Cecum X) Stomach Y) Small intestine Z) Large intestine

W: W) Cecum

X: X) Stomach

Y: Y) Small intestine

Z: Z) Large intestine

Answer: Y) Y) Small intestine

BONUS bio multiple_choice

Your neighbor just cut down a tree that he claims germinated the year he was born. What do you need to count to determine the plausibility of your neighbor's story? W) Sapwood rings X) Heartwood rings Y) Phloem rings Z) Xylem rings

W: W) Sapwood rings

X: X) Heartwood rings

Y: Y) Phloem rings

Z: Z) Xylem rings

Answer: Z) Z) Xylem rings

TOSS-UP general multiple_choice

Randomized block design differs from complete randomization by: W) Blocking or eliminating ineligible experimental subjects prior to treatment X) Blocking or eliminating results from a randomized treatment that are too far outside the acceptable results Y) Sorting experimental subjects into homogenous groups prior to treatment Z) Sorting experimental subjects into homogenous groups based on results

W: W) Blocking or eliminating ineligible experimental subjects prior to treatment

X: X) Blocking or eliminating results from a randomized treatment that are too far outside the acceptable results

Y: Y) Sorting experimental subjects into homogenous groups prior to treatment

Z: Z) Sorting experimental subjects into homogenous groups based on results

Answer: Y) Y) Sorting experimental subjects into homogenous groups prior to treatment

BONUS general phrase

What is a crescograph used to measure?

Acceptable Answers:

  • PLANT GROWTH RATE

TOSS-UP ess multiple_choice

Which of the following best explains why the Mediterranean Sea is presently saltier than most marine bodies of water? W) Anthropogenic pollution X) Higher evaporation than precipitation Y) High surface run-off Z) No freshwater inputs

W: W) Anthropogenic pollution

X: X) Higher evaporation than precipitation

Y: Y) High surface run-off

Z: Z) No freshwater inputs

Answer: X) X) Higher evaporation than precipitation

BONUS ess multiple_choice

Which of the following is NOT true of the Kuiper belt? W) It is smaller in size and mass than the asteroid belt X) It exists in a region of the solar system beyond the eight planets Y) The second Kuiper belt object was discovered in 1992 Z) Pluto is its largest known member

W: W) It is smaller in size and mass than the asteroid belt

X: X) It exists in a region of the solar system beyond the eight planets

Y: Y) The second Kuiper belt object was discovered in 1992

Z: Z) Pluto is its largest known member

Answer: W) W) It is smaller in size and mass than the asteroid belt

TOSS-UP phys phrase

What group of elementary particles has electric charges of either positive 2/3 or negative 1/3?

Acceptable Answers:

  • QUARKS

BONUS phys phrase

By what phenomenon can materials produce an electric current in response to strain?

Acceptable Answers:

  • PIEZOELECTRICITY

TOSS-UP energy phrase

What country has almost all of its municipal heating needs served by geothermal energy?

Acceptable Answers:

  • ICELAND

BONUS energy phrase

What is the largest capacity hydropower station in the world?

Acceptable Answers:

  • THREE GORGES DAM

TOSS-UP general multiple_choice

Which of the following tests would best help determine the tensile strength of a material? W) Hammering X) Heating Y) Pulling Z) Twisting

W: W) Hammering

X: X) Heating

Y: Y) Pulling

Z: Z) Twisting

Answer: Y) Y) Pulling

BONUS general multiple_choice

In a titration procedure, which of the following groups of liquids are needed? W) Solution, reactor, reagent X) Titrant, reactor, reagent Y) Reactor, reagent, indicator Z) Solution, titrant, indicator

W: W) Solution, reactor, reagent

X: X) Titrant, reactor, reagent

Y: Y) Reactor, reagent, indicator

Z: Z) Solution, titrant, indicator

Answer: Z) Z) Solution, titrant, indicator

TOSS-UP math phrase

What is the measure of each interior angle of a regular nonagon?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 140°

BONUS math phrase

The bases of a right trapezoid have lengths 6 and 10. The non-perpendicular side connecting them has length 12. What is the height of the trapezoid?

Acceptable Answers:

  • $$8\sqrt{2}$$

TOSS-UP bio multiple_choice

Which of the following membrane transport methods is most important for release of neurotransmitters like acetylcholine during synaptic signaling? W) Exocytosis X) Ion channels Y) Active transport Z) Facilitated diffusion

W: W) Exocytosis

X: X) Ion channels

Y: Y) Active transport

Z: Z) Facilitated diffusion

Answer: W) W) Exocytosis

BONUS bio multiple_choice

What is the smallest bone in the human body? W) Patella X) Metatarsals Y) Stapes Z) Axial vertebra

W: W) Patella

X: X) Metatarsals

Y: Y) Stapes

Z: Z) Axial vertebra

Answer: Y) Y) Stapes

TOSS-UP phys phrase

What is the term for the change in direction that a wave experiences when it goes from one medium to another?

Acceptable Answers:

  • REFRACTION

DO NOT ACCEPT:

  • REFLECTION
  • DIFFRACTION

BONUS phys phrase

What acid is produced when carbon dioxide reacts with water during carbon sequestration?

Acceptable Answers:

  • CARBONIC ACID

TOSS-UP bio multiple_choice

Plastids surrounded by a double membrane are evidence for what? W) Secondary endosymbiosis X) Evolution from mitochondria Y) Plastid fusion Z) Archaean origins

W: W) Secondary endosymbiosis

X: X) Evolution from mitochondria

Y: Y) Plastid fusion

Z: Z) Archaean origins

Answer: W) W) Secondary endosymbiosis

BONUS bio multiple_choice

A pair of gene homologs are from a mouse and a human, respectively. Which of the following gene regions is likely to be most well-conserved? W) Exons X) Introns Y) 5-prime upstream region Z) 3-prime downstream region

W: W) Exons

X: X) Introns

Y: Y) 5-prime upstream region

Z: Z) 3-prime downstream region

Answer: W) W) Exons

TOSS-UP math phrase

If a cube has edges of length 6, what is the length of its space diagonal?

Acceptable Answers:

  • $$6\sqrt{3}$$

BONUS math phrase

A certain medication has an 80% success rate of curing people who have a specific illness. If three people with the illness are selected at random and take the medicine, what is the probability that exactly two of the three people will be cured?

Acceptable Answers:

  • $$\frac{48}{125}$$
  • 0.384
  • 38.4%

TOSS-UP ess phrase

Of what specific rock type are the lunar maria composed?

Acceptable Answers:

  • BASALT

BONUS ess order

Order the following three organisms from oldest to newest by their occurrence in the geologic record: 1) Tyrannosaurus rex; 2) Trilobite; 3) Australopithecus.

Choices:

  • Tyrannosaurus rex
  • Trilobite
  • Australopithecus

Correct Order:

  • 2
  • 1
  • 3

TOSS-UP math phrase

What is the slope of a line perpendicular to the line with equation $$7x - 3y = -21$$?

Acceptable Answers:

  • $$-\frac{3}{7}$$

BONUS math phrase

A pyramid with 18 edges has how many faces?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 10