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About This Quiz
How much of your science lessons do you remember? Take this general science quiz to test your knowledge.
We're not sure why science wasn't everyone's favorite subject in school. We think it was awesome. Still, for some people, general scientific knowledge just does not come easy. Even though it's primarily about the world around us, people and animals, and the skies above us, science can get pretty technical. But, we're assuming that you really liked science, or at least did well in the subject, or you wouldn't be interested in this quiz.
Science encompasses disciplines such as chemistry, biology, earth science, and astronomy. The good news is that the term "general science" means that nothing gets too particular - just a general overview of these topics. After all, if you were interested in specifics, you probably would have become a chemist, biologist, geologist, or astronaut. Assuming you did not enter one of these technical professions, we'll keep the questions pretty basic in this quiz.
So, if you know which of the world's oceans is the largest, what planet is closest to the sun, and the word for an animal that eats both plants and animals, you'll do well on this quiz. (BTW, if you answered Pacific, Mercury, and omnivore, you're right).
Let's see if you can ace this quiz.
What is the name of the largest ocean?
Atlantic
Arctic
Indian
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest followed by the Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic.
Which element has the Sn?
Sodium
Strontium
Tin
Tin, which has atomic number 50 gets its abbreviations for the Latin translation, stannum.
Selenium
Which of these carries a positive charge?
Protons
Protons carry a positive charge while electrons carry a negative charge and neutrons have no net charge.
Neutrons
Electrions
Anions
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What is the process where plants use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into food?
Germination
Photosynthesis
This process is known as photosynthesis where the plant uses energy from the sun to create food.
Phosphorylation
Transcription
Which planet is closest to the Sun?
Venus
Uranus
Mercury
In the popular mnemonic for the planets in order from closest to furthest away from the Sun, the first M stands for Mercury.
Mars
How many planets are there (as of 2016)?
9
8
Although most of us grew up with Pluto being one of the planets, in 2006 it was 'demoted' to a dwarf-planet.
7
10
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What is the first element on the periodic table?
Oxygen
Helium
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the first element on the periodic table with the abbreviation "H."
Carbon
Which scientist is known for the theory behind natural selection?
Einstein
Darwin
Charles Darwin, who is heavily recognized for his work on evolution, was known for the idea of natural selection - the idea that animals that could adapt to their environment had better chances at survival.
Pasteur
Mendel
Cirrus, stratus, and cumulus are types of what?
Plants
Insects
Clouds
Clouds are broken up by levels. The highest includes cirrus and the lowest level clouds are stratus, cumulus, and stratocumulus.
Rocks
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What is electric power typically measured in?
Amps
Volts
Ohms
Watts
Watts are used to measure power while amps, volts, and ohms measure current, voltage, and resistance, respectively.
What is the pH level of water?
1
7
The pH level of water is around 7, which gives it a neutral level rather than being very acidic (pH ~1) or very basic/alkaline (pH ~14).
14
10
What is the largest dessert in the world?
Sahara
Antarctica
The largest deserts are the polar deserts, Antarctica being the largest and the Arctic Desert coming in second. The Sahara desert is the largest non-polar desert.
The Arctic Desert
Arabian Desert
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What is the 8th element on the periodic table?
Carbon
Helium
Potassium
Oxygen
Oxygen, which has an atomic number of 8, is the 8th element on the periodic table.
Nucleon is the name for which two particles?
Neutron & Electron
Neutron & Proton
Nucleons help make up the atomic nucleus and the two known kinds are protons and neutrons.
Electron & Proton
Electron & Neutron
What is the study of plant life known as?
Biology
Zoology
Botany
Botany is the study of plant life while biology is the study of life and living organisms, zoology is the study of animal life, and ecology is the study of organisms and their relationship with their environment.
Ecology
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What is the hottest planet in the solar system?
Mercury
Venus
Although Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, Venus is actually the hottest planet, maintaining a temperature of 462 degrees Celsius.
Mars
Jupiter
What is the largest planet in the Solar System?
Saturn
Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System followed by Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and then Earth.
Uranus
Neptune
What is the main gas found in the air we breathe?
Nitrogen
Although most are made to believe it's oxygen, science class taught us that 78% of the air we breathe is made of up nitrogen gas while only 20% is oxygen.
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Helium
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What are animals that eat both animals and plants known as?
Carnivores
Herbivores
Omnivores
With the prefix 'omni-' meaning all, omnivores are animals that eat 'all' things referring to both plants and animals.
Multivores
What temperature does water boil at?
100 degrees Fahrenheit
100 degrees Celsius
Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius which is 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
0 degrees Celsius
300 degrees Fahrenheit
What is the largest organ of the body?
The liver
The brain
The skin
The largest organ of the body is the skin followed by the liver, brain, lungs, and heart.
The lungs
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Arachnophobia is the fear of what?
Snakes
Spiders
Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders which comes from the Greek word, arachne, which means spider.
Squirrels
Animals
What is the name of a scientist who studies rocks?
Geologist
Not to be confused with paleontologists, geologists study the Earth and the rocks that made it while paleontologists study the history of life through fossils.
Paleontologist
Pedologist
Meteorologist
How many elements are on the periodic table?
100
200
118
There are 118 elements on the periodic table - the first being Hydrogen (H) and the last Ununoctium (Uuo).
160
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What was the name of the scientist who believed the Earth was at the center of the universe?
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy argued the theory that the Earth was at the center of the universe, but his theory was eventually proven false.
Pasteur
Galileo
Ehrlich
What was the name of the scientist who stated that the Sun was at the center of the universe?
Newton
Curie
Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus refuted Ptolemy's ideas and stated that the universe was heliocentric and revolved around the Sun. He also was the first to state that the Earth spun on its axis once a day and completely revolved around the Sun annually.
Faraday
Have many moons does Earth have?
1
While Mercury and Venus have no moons and Jupiter and Saturn have 60+, Earth only has one moon, which is ironically named, "Moon."
2
3
4
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What is the symbol for gold on the periodic table?
Au
On the periodic table, the symbol for gold is Au which is derived from the Latin world for gold which is 'aurum.'
Ag
Fe
Fi
Have many chromosomes do humans have?
12
23
46
Although you might be tempted to choose 23, humans have 23 PAIRS of chromosomes meaning in total we have 46.
1
At what temperature does water freeze?
32 degrees Fahrenheit
Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit which is equivalent to 0 degrees Celsius.
0 degrees Fahrenheit
32 degrees Celsius
None of the above
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How many bones are in the average adult human body?
270
150
300
206
Although babies are born with 270 bones, this number decreases as some of the bones fuse together as the child ages ending with 206 bones.
What are sharks classified as?
Fish
While some might believe that sharks are mammals like dolphins, sharks breathe through gills while dolphins use their lungs.
Mammals
Amphibians
Reptiles
What gives the skin and hair its pigment?
Keratin
Melanin
Melanin is what gives the hair and skin it's pigment. The more melanin you have, the deeper the skin tone or shade.
Elastin
Collagen
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Who proposed the theory of relativity?
Galileo
Einstein
In 1905, Einstein proposed the theory of relativity for all non-accelerating objects.
Edison
Newton
You Got:
/35
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