MS Sample Set 14, Round 3 from NSB

Questions in Packet

TOSS-UP math phrase

Evaluate the following expression: 8 plus 3 times 4

Acceptable Answers:

  • 20

BONUS math phrase

What are the mean and median, respectively, of the following list of six numbers: 9, 8, 2, 8, 5, 4?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 6 and 6.5
  • 13/2

TOSS-UP ess multiple_choice

Which of the following organic sedimentary rocks is the most chemically similar to the detrital plant matter from which it forms? W) Anthracite X) Lignite Y) Bituminous Z) Peat

W: W) Anthracite

X: X) Lignite

Y: Y) Bituminous

Z: Z) Peat

Answer: Z) Z) Peat

BONUS ess phrase

A wind that reverses direction based on the season, a scenario most notable for determining rainfall in South Asia, is characteristic of what type of weather system?

Acceptable Answers:

  • MONSOON

TOSS-UP phys phrase

What is the general term for a reaction that releases heat?

Acceptable Answers:

  • EXOTHERMIC

BONUS phys phrase

If you are driving along a straight road at 20 meters per second, and then accelerate at 5 meters per second squared for 8 seconds, your final speed will be how many times your original speed?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 3

TOSS-UP bio phrase

What is the largest artery in the human body?

Acceptable Answers:

  • AORTA

BONUS bio multiselect

Identify all of the following three actions that occur during mitosis in the process of replicating a cell:

Choices:

  • DNA is copied
  • Nuclear envelope disappears
  • Daughter chromosomes are pulled apart

Correct Answers:

  • 2
  • 3

TOSS-UP energy phrase

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Lab are studying the spin of electrons in chromium iodide. What is the value of the spin quantum number of the electron?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 1/2

BONUS energy phrase

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab are studying the thermal emissions of certain materials. What law of quantum physics describes the spectral density of thermal emissions of black body materials?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Planck’s law
  • Planck’s

TOSS-UP ess phrase

Elliptical, irregular, and spiral are classifications that astronomers use to describe what?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Galaxies

BONUS ess phrase

Many early measurements of the Hubble constant were done using what type of variable star as a standard candle?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Cepheid

TOSS-UP phys phrase

What is the term for the force that is necessary for keeping an object in uniform circular motion?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Centripetal

DO NOT ACCEPT:

  • Centrifugal

BONUS phys multiselect

Identify all of the following three gas laws that make the assumption that the pressure of a system is kept constant:

Choices:

  • Boyle’s law
  • Charles’s law
  • Gay-Lussac’s law

Correct Answers:

  • 2

TOSS-UP math phrase

If the odds in favor of an event are 4 to 3, what is the probability of the event occurring?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 4/7

BONUS math phrase

A bacteria population is estimated to be modeled by 3^t, where t represents time measured in days. What is the smallest integer value of t for which the bacteria population is over 10,000?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 9

TOSS-UP bio phrase

What human organ system produces hormones to control various functions in the body?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Endocrine

BONUS bio multiselect

During the summer, identify all of the following three plant structures that will typically act as net sugar sources:

Choices:

  • Leaves
  • Fruits
  • Roots

Correct Answers:

  • 1

TOSS-UP energy phrase

Department of Energy researchers are studying microalgae as a source of biofuels. Of what domain of life are microalgae part?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Eukaryota
  • Eukaryotes
  • Eukarya

BONUS energy phrase

Scientists at Ames Lab are studying the properties of superconductors at temperatures of around 50 milli-kelvins. To the nearest degree, what temperature in Celsius does this equal?

Acceptable Answers:

  • –273

TOSS-UP math phrase

What is the degree measure of an angle that is complementary to a 13-degree angle?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 77

BONUS math phrase

Giving your answer in slope-intercept form, what is the equation of the line that contains the points (–2, –23) and (5, –2)?

Acceptable Answers:

  • y = 3x – 17

TOSS-UP bio phrase

Edward Jenner found that inoculating patients with cowpox virus would cause a mild illness but would grant immunity to a much more deadly disease. What was this disease, which is now eradicated?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Smallpox
  • Variola

BONUS bio phrase

Trilobites are thought to have emerged during what geologic period?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Cambrian

TOSS-UP ess phrase

A location that has sea breezes during the day may undergo what complementary process during nighttime?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Land breeze
  • Offshore breeze

BONUS ess multiple_choice

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding Moh’s scale of mineral hardness? W) Absolute hardness increases linearly with increasing Moh’s hardness X) Fluorite has a higher Moh’s hardness number than calcite Y) Topaz is harder than corundum Z) Gypsum is the softest known mineral

W: W) Absolute hardness increases linearly with increasing Moh’s hardness

X: X) Fluorite has a higher Moh’s hardness number than calcite

Y: Y) Topaz is harder than corundum

Z: Z) Gypsum is the softest known mineral

Answer: X) X) Fluorite has a higher Moh’s hardness number than calcite

TOSS-UP energy multiple_choice

DOE researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory used the Advanced Light Source to perform X-ray diffraction on a mineral grain that was 10 microns in diameter, to determine its chemical makeup. This mineral grain’s size is closest to which of the following? W) 10 thousand picometers X) 10 million picometers Y) 10 billion picometers Z) 10 trillion picometers

W: W) 10 thousand picometers

X: X) 10 million picometers

Y: Y) 10 billion picometers

Z: Z) 10 trillion picometers

Answer: X) X) 10 million picometers

BONUS energy phrase

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab have developed the PhyloChip, which is able to detect pathogenic microbial contamination in drinking water. The PhyloChip functions by detecting a particular class of bacterial macromolecules which hybridize with fluorescent probe molecules on the chip’s microarray. What are these macromolecules?

Acceptable Answers:

  • DNA
  • Nucleic acids

TOSS-UP phys phrase

Lead’s atomic number is 82. How many electrons does lead (II) have in total?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 80

BONUS phys phrase

You throw a pencil directly upwards and measure that it reached a height of 2.5 meters above the point of release. In meters per second, what was the initial speed of the pencil?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 7

TOSS-UP ess phrase

What planet in our solar system has the lowest density?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Saturn

BONUS ess multiple_choice

Which of the following statements of Earth’s tides is true? W) A spring tide occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun form a 90-degree angle X) A first quarter moon occurs at neap tide Y) The sun and the moon have equal tidal influence over Earth Z) The tidal influence of the moon is speeding up the Earth’s rotation

W: W) A spring tide occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun form a 90-degree angle

X: X) A first quarter moon occurs at neap tide

Y: Y) The sun and the moon have equal tidal influence over Earth

Z: Z) The tidal influence of the moon is speeding up the Earth’s rotation

Answer: X) X) A first quarter moon occurs at neap tide

TOSS-UP bio phrase

The binomial name for an organism refers to what two levels of taxonomy?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Genus and species

BONUS bio phrase

Golden rice plants have been genetically modified to supply what vitamin, the deficiency of which can result in blindness?

Acceptable Answers:

  • A
  • Retinal
  • Retinaldehyde
  • Retinol

TOSS-UP math phrase

In which quadrant does the point (–3, –7) lie?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Third
  • 3

BONUS math phrase

A horse on the outer edge of a circular carousel is 35 feet from the center of rotation. A horse on the inner edge is 10 feet from the center. During a ride of 6.5 rotations, to the nearest hundred feet, how much further in linear distance will the outer horse travel than the inner horse?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 1000

TOSS-UP phys multiple_choice

Which of the following is a unit of pressure? W) Ampere X) Becquerel Y) Pascal Z) Ohm

W: W) Ampere

X: X) Becquerel

Y: Y) Pascal

Z: Z) Ohm

Answer: Y) Y) Pascal

BONUS phys phrase

A bird takes 4 seconds to fly 8 meters horizontally and 6 meters vertically. In meters per second, what is the magnitude of the bird’s average velocity?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 2.5

TOSS-UP ess phrase

What outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere is relatively dim, and can therefore only be seen during a total solar eclipse?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Corona

BONUS ess multiselect

Identify all of the following three descriptions that characterize Earth:

Choices:

  • Differentiated
  • Jovian
  • Highly eccentric orbit

Correct Answers:

  • 1

TOSS-UP bio phrase

In mammals, what cells are responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body?

Acceptable Answers:

  • Red blood cells
  • Erythrocytes

BONUS bio multiple_choice

Which of the following structures would likely be the most resistant to heat denaturation? W) Bovine serum albumin X) Jellyfish-derived GFP Y) Bacterial endospore Z) Hepatitis B DNA

W: W) Bovine serum albumin

X: X) Jellyfish-derived GFP

Y: Y) Bacterial endospore

Z: Z) Hepatitis B DNA

Answer: Y) Y) Bacterial endospore

TOSS-UP math phrase

To the nearest whole number, what is 51.27 plus 83.65?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 135

BONUS math phrase

Solve the following equation for x over the negative real numbers: $$x^4 - 4x^2 - 21 = 0$$

Acceptable Answers:

  • $$-\sqrt{7}$$

TOSS-UP phys phrase

You are running on a flat road at a constant speed of 2 meters per second while holding onto a water bottle with mass 700 grams. In joules, how much work do you exert on the water bottle in the course of 1 minute?

Acceptable Answers:

  • 0

BONUS phys phrase

What is the empirical formula for hydrogen peroxide?

Acceptable Answers:

  • HO
  • OH