HS Sample Set 12, Round 2 from NSB
A student is holding two balloons, one containing one mole of hydrogen gas and the other containing one mole of helium gas. What is the ratio of the volume of the helium balloon to that of the hydrogen balloon? W) 1/2 X) 1 Y) 2 Z) 4
W: W) 1/2
X: X) 1
Y: Y) 2
Z: Z) 4
Answer: X) X) 1
Rank the following three elements in increasing order of atomic radius: 1) Calcium; 2) Chlorine; 3) Magnesium.
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The radioactive decay of magnesium-23 to sodium-23 is mediated by which fundamental force?
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A block rests on an inclined plane angled at 30 degrees from the horizontal. What is the ratio of the normal force to the force down the surface of the plane?
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Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab are studying a tunable, hypersensitive form of MRI that could present a breakthrough in cancer diagnostics. Typically, MRI machines use radio frequency pulses to measure the distribution of what element?
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Identify all of the following three fuels that could be used in a fuel cell: 1) Methane; 2) Hydrogen; 3) Carbon monoxide.
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Glucagon is primarily manufactured in the alpha cells of what human organ?
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A molecular biologist wishes to move a section of DNA from one plasmid to another. After cutting the first plasmid with restriction enzymes and isolating the band of DNA of interest, she mixes together the second, already-cleaved plasmid and the DNA of interest. What enzyme must she add to finish incorporating the gene into the plasmid?
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In the expansion of $\displaystyle (a + 2b)^3$, what is the coefficient of the $ab^2$ term?
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Solve the following system of equations: $$\begin{cases}2x + y = 5\\ x - y = 1\end{cases}$$
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What technique is employed by astronomers to study the ways in which matter interacts with or emits electromagnetic radiation?
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What prominent meteor shower is active from mid-July to late-August, and is associated with Comet Swift-Tuttle?
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How many ligands does a molecule with octahedral geometry possess?
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Rank the following three elements in increasing order of first ionization energy: 1) Magnesium; 2) Phosphorus; 3) Chlorine.
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A car is uniformly accelerating in a straight line, traveling 120 meters in 12 seconds. If its velocity as it reaches the end of the 120 meters is 13 meters per second, then, in meters per second, what was its initial velocity?
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What is the equivalent resistance, in ohms, of a circuit composed of a 2-ohm, a 10-ohm, and a 40-ohm resistor connected in parallel?
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The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment is an effort at Fermilab to send neutrinos between two points separated by a large distance to give them time to undergo what unique behavior of neutrinos?
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Which of the following is the most important difference between fast nuclear reactors and thermal nuclear reactors? W) They use different fuel configurations X) Unlike thermal reactors, fast reactors do not use a moderator Y) Thermal reactors have a higher neutron flux than fast reactors Z) Thermal reactors run at higher temperatures than fast reactors
W: W) They use different fuel configurations
X: X) Unlike thermal reactors, fast reactors do not use a moderator
Y: Y) Thermal reactors have a higher neutron flux than fast reactors
Z: Z) Thermal reactors run at higher temperatures than fast reactors
Answer: X) X) Unlike thermal reactors, fast reactors do not use a moderator
What is the arc length of a sector of a circle with radius 2 and central angle $\pi/3$?
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A student has a paper cup in the shape of a right circular cone, with a height of 5 inches and an opening diameter of 3 inches. How many of these paper cups of water will it take the student to fill a cylindrical container of diameter 3 inches and height 10 inches?
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What is the term for the point of origin within the Earth of seismic waves in an earthquake?
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What name is given to the boundary between the Earth’s crust and mantle where P-wave velocity jumps from approximately 6 km/s to approximately 8 km/s?
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Beadle and Tatum’s one gene–one enzyme hypothesis was formed from the results of their investigation of which of the following biological processes? W) Operon inhibition X) Amino acid biosynthesis Y) DNA replication Z) Limited proteolysis
W: W) Operon inhibition
X: X) Amino acid biosynthesis
Y: Y) DNA replication
Z: Z) Limited proteolysis
Answer: X) X) Amino acid biosynthesis
Identify all of the following three plant nutrients that are required for the light reactions of photosynthesis to occur: 1) Iron; 2) Nickel; 3) Molybdenum.
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If $f(x)=5x^2-6x+2$, what is $f(3)$?
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What is the limit as $x$ approaches 0 of $\frac{x+\sin x}{e^x-1}$?
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What physical quantity is defined as the rate of change of a particle’s energy with respect to time?
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A linear spring is hung from the ceiling. When a 1-kg block is hung from the spring, the spring’s length increases by 2 m. If another 1-kg block is hung from 8 similar springs connected in parallel, what will be the change in length of each spring, in meters?
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The first useful nuclear-generated electricity was produced in Idaho in 1951. The nuclear reactor was designed and built by what DOE national laboratory?
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The electrodes in hydrogen fuel cells are generally composed of what catalytically-active element?
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Which of the following minerals would be found in least abundance in a typical gabbro? W) Muscovite X) Plagioclase Y) Augite Z) Hornblende
W: W) Muscovite
X: X) Plagioclase
Y: Y) Augite
Z: Z) Hornblende
Answer: W) W) Muscovite
Identify all of the following three features that are associated with karst landscapes: 1) Disappearing streams; 2) Stalagmites; 3) Sinkholes.
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What is the hybridization of the carbon atoms in polyethylene?
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Rank the following three elements in increasing order of boiling point: 1) Tellurium; 2) Sulfur; 3) Selenium.
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Sand dollars belong to what phylum?
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Identify all of the following three statements that are true regarding polysaccharides: 1) Cellulose microfibrils are unbranched; 2) Glycogen granules are unbranched; 3) Amylopectin granules are unbranched.
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What is the slope of the line that passes through the points $(6,2)$ and $(2,1)$?
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What is the units digit of $3^{33}$?
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Which of the following length scales best describes the spatial distortion resolution of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory? W) Length of the interferometer arm X) Wavelength of the helium-neon laser Y) Radius of a silver atom Z) Thousandth of a proton diameter
W: W) Length of the interferometer arm
X: X) Wavelength of the helium-neon laser
Y: Y) Radius of a silver atom
Z: Z) Thousandth of a proton diameter
Answer: Z) Z) Thousandth of a proton diameter
The spin quantum number is so named because spin can be expressed in which of the following units? W) Kilogram-meters-squared per second X) Pascal-meters cubed Y) Coulomb-volt Z) Watt-second
W: W) Kilogram-meters-squared per second
X: X) Pascal-meters cubed
Y: Y) Coulomb-volt
Z: Z) Watt-second
Answer: W) W) Kilogram-meters-squared per second
What is the brightest star in the constellation Orion?
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What is the term for objects that revolve around the Sun between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune and are thought to be scattered Kuiper Belt objects?
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In order for tropomyosin to be removed from the myosin-binding sites on actin, troponin must bind to what second messenger?
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Cerebrospinal fluid is produced by ependymal cells that line what brain cavities?
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According to VSEPR theory, what is the electron-pair geometry of the central atom in the compound iodine trichloride?
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Identify all of the following three properties of a liquid that decrease with increasing temperature: 1) Vapor pressure; 2) Viscosity; 3) Surface tension.
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