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About This Quiz
Hey, science addicts! Let’s see if you really know what you’re breathing! Do you know what it’s made out of? You have heard of air pressure, but do you really know what it is? What keeps air from floating into space?
If you can answer these questions or if you want to learn the answers to these questions, this is the quiz for you!
Air in its purest form is colorless and odorless. In fact, smells that are traveling through the air can warn us when something is dangerous just as easily as they can get our bodies and stomachs ready to eat dinner.
Unlike water, light passes easily through air, allowing us to see better than we would if we lived in a watery environment. Air also has a very small refraction index and doesn’t bend the light the way water does. Even rainbows, which split light apart, are caused by water droplets found in the air and not the air itself.
There is a lot more to air than just “breathe in … breathe out …†This “How Much Do You Know About the Air We Breathe?†quiz is here to find out what you know about this important substance. Show us you know what part of air plants need to make food and then challenge your friends to beat your score!
At standard room temperature and pressure, air is considered to be in which state of matter?
Plasma
Solid
Liquid
Gas
“The use of sea and air is common to all; neither can a title to the ocean belong to any people or private persons, forasmuch as neither nature nor public use and custom permit any possession thereof.†–Queen Elizabeth I, Letters
Which two of the following elements make up most of the air we breathe?
Oxygen and hydrogen
Oxygen and helium
Oxygen and nitrogen
Only 1% of the air we breathe contains other molecules such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen and neon.
Oxygen and carbon dioxide
What percentage of air is nitrogen?
About 25%
About 53%
About 62%
About 78%
“‘I don’t like this,’ his brother told him as they walked down the stairs. ‘You don’t like anything. I’ve heard you complain about the air.’ ‘It irritates me when it whistles.’†–G. A. Aiken, A Tale of Two Dragons
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Which percentage of air is oxygen?
About 21%
Although oxygen gas (O_2) is colorless and odorless, oxygen is light blue when it is a liquid or solid. By mass, oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe.
About 16%
About 11%
About 6%
Air holds tiny particles called what?
Putrefaction
Aerosols
“I love the feeling of the fresh air on my face and the wind blowing though my hair.†–Evel Knievel
Turpitude
Bulk
Sometimes air contains pollen that can cause which aliment?
Diabetes
Allergies
The forget-me-not has the smallest pollen grain at 0.006 mm. Wind-distributed pollen grains can be up to 0.1 mm in diameter.
Heart disease
Cancer
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What is smog?
A flying dragon in The Hobbit
Polluted fog or haze
“A man is not expected to love his country… Yet, our country, seen through the mists of smog, is curiously lovable in somewhat the way an individual who has got himself into an unconscionable scrape seems lovable—or at least deserving of support.†–E. B. White
The sound you make when you snore
Ripples you see in the air when it is hot
Respiration in animals is what?
When they take in nitrogen and release carbon monoxide
When they take in carbon monoxide and release nitrogen
When they take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide
Respiration is basically an exchange of gases that involves energy production. In animals, oxygen is the required gas and carbon dioxide is the waste gas.
When they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen
Respiration in plants is what?
When they take in nitrogen and release carbon monoxide
When they take in carbon monoxide and release nitrogen
When they take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide
When they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen
“Oh, thou are fairer than the evening air clad in the beauty of a thousand stars.†–Christopher Marlowe
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What is humidity?
The percentage of water the air is holding
As relative humidity approaches 100%, clouds form. Eventually, the air can hold no more water and rain occurs.
The measure of air temperature after the wind has been factored in
The measure of the speed of wind
The measure of how heavy the air is
What is another name for the air surrounding the earth?
Vortex
Temporal depression
Atmosphere
“The atmosphere, the earth, the water, and the water cycle—those are good things. The ecosystems, the exosphere—those are good gifts. We have to regard them as gifts because we couldn’t make them. We have to regard them as good gifts because we couldn’t live without them.†–Wendell Berry
Hydrocloud
The density of air changes based on which of the following
Altitude
Temperature
Humidity
All of the above
Density is the mass of an object divided by its volume. Since volume changes with altitude and temperature and mass changes with humidity levels, the density of air is highly variable.
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In order to make food and perform photosynthesis, plants need sunlight, water and which of the following gases found in air?
Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
“…Equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like the air: We all have it, or none of us has it. That is the truth of it.†–Maya Angelou
Nitrogen
Helium
What is the air pressure at sea level?
0 atm
1 atm
Atmospheres (atm) are only one unit used to express air pressure. Inches (or millimeters) of mercury, millibars, pounds per square inch, dynes per square centimeter and kilopascals are also used.
10 atm
100 atm
What is the relative humidity right before it rains?
25%
50%
75%
100%
“The choking humidity makes amphibians of us all in Bombay, breathing water in air; you learn to live with it, and you learn to like it, or you leave.†–Gregory David Roberts
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The air around the earth protects the earth from which space objects?
The moon’s radiation
Aliens
Meteoroids
According to NASA, meteoroids smaller than around 82 feet across pummel the earth each day but burn up quickly as soon as the hit the part of the earth’s atmosphere called the mesosphere. In order to reach the earth (and do minor damage) a meteoroid must be between 82 feet and ½ mile wide, but this only happens about once every 2000 years. Anything over ½ mile would be catastrophic.
Stars
What molecule with formula O3 protects us from ultraviolet rays?
Morphine
Methane
Ozone
“I think we learn slowly as a group, but we learn. The ozone layer is still there.†–Eden Robinson
Dimethyl sulfoxide
What does hot air do?
Rise
In 1783, a fabric bag filled with hot air was released, and it was discovered that hot air rises. This led to the invention of the hot air balloon.
Fall
Move south
Move north
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Why doesn’t the air around the earth float off into outer space?
Electrical charges (ionic bonds) hold it in place
Gravity is holding it in place
“My dream is to have a house on the beach, even just a little shack somewhere so I can wake up, have coffee, look at dolphins, be quiet, and breathe air.†–Christina Applegate
The ozone layer holds it in place
Centrifugal force
How fast was the fastest recorded gust of wind on Earth?
576 miles per hour
253 miles per hour
For comparison, Hurricane Katrina (2005) reached speeds of 175 mph, and Hurricane Allen (1980), the strongest recorded hurricane, was 190 mph. The fastest tornado recorded was an F5 in 1999 that reached 318 mph.
124 miles per hour
89 miles per hour
What does air pressure mean?
The force exerted on an object by a gust of wind
The density or thickness of the air
The force exerted on the surface of the earth by the weight of the air above it
“The scientist states that pressure is exerted outwards in all directions equally, whereas natural pressure (e. g. air pressure) is exerted inwards from all directions equally." –Viktor Schauberger
The amount of anxiety people have about breathing polluted air
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Microbial organisms found floating in the air are called what?
Putrefaction
Verve
Bioaerosols
Microbial organisms that float in the air do not fly. They do travel long distances using wind and rain. The bacteria released when a person sneezes would be considered bioaerosols.
Recondite
What does AQI stand for?
Air quality index
“It’s kind of a shock to your skin—changing climates. It’s new water and new air quality.†–Shay Mitchell
Abstract quitters idea
Analyze quart image
Act quirky illness
Which of the following is another term for atmospheric pressure?
Differential pressure
Barometric pressure
In space, the barometric pressure is zero. Rising and falling barometric pressure is a good indicator for storms.
Absolute pressure
Gauge pressure
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As altitude increases, air pressure?
Decreases
“All flight is based upon producing air pressure. All flight energy consists in overcoming air pressure.†–Otto Lilienthal
Remains the same
Increases
Depends on sunlight
Which of the following would you use to measure humidity?
A thermometer
A hygrometer
You can make a hygrometer using two thermometers. One should be open to the air and the other should have the bulb covered by a wet cloth. To determine the humidity, you make a comparison between the two temperatures.
A barometer
A rain gauge
What is the minimum speed the winds in a hurricane must travel?
45 mph
74 mph
“…Persons who have never witnessed a hurricane… Can scarcely form and idea of their terrific grandeur. One would think that not content with laying waste all on land, it must needs sweep the shallows quite dry to quench its thirst.†–John James Audubon
153 mph
251 mph
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Which of the following is caused by overbreathing and can make you pass out from low carbon dioxide levels?
Hyperventilating
Medical conditions such as stress and anxiety, heart problems, pneumonia and pregnancy can cause people to breathe more rapidly and hyperventilate. Breathing into a bag or holding your breath can help your body regain the carbon dioxide it needs to keep it in balance.
Pneumonia
Emphysema
Cystic fibrosis
About how thick is the atmosphere surrounding the earth (from the Earth’s crust to the outer edge of the exosphere)?
1,200 miles
3,200 miles
6,200 miles
“…One of my first memories is of sharing my worry with [my dad] about the space shuttle poking holes in the atmosphere and letting out all the Earth’s air.†–Brent Weeks
10,200 miles
The layer of atmosphere closest to the earth is called what?
Ionosphere
Exosphere
Stratosphere
Troposphere
The troposphere extends up from the surface of the earth for about 5-9 miles. This layer contains the densest air.
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If the AQI is over 100, what does it mean?
You should wear a respirator.
You should avoid going outside.
“Air pollution is my biggest concern right now. Maybe because I live in Beijing, and in this city, we have such severe challenges due to bad air quality. It has affected our daily lives and health. I do not go outdoors because of it.’†–Li Bingbing
Today will be a great day for outside activities.
No airplanes will be flying today.
What is the name of a device you could use to measure wind speed?
A thermometer
An anemometer
The anemometer was first developed in the middle of the 1400s. In cold conditions, anemometers must be internally heated to prevent icing and ensure accuracy.
A barometer
A rain gauge
What is the air temperature below which water droplets begin to condense called?
Temperate zone
Event horizon
Dew point
“Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; behind the clouds the sun is shining; thy fate is the common fate of all, into each life some rain must fall...†–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from An April Day
Negative control
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What is it called when light is refracted through the air and causes you to see a pool of water down the road in front of you?
A delusion
An illusion
A mirage
The mirage effect occurs because the surface (like the desert sand or a road) is much hotter than the air above it. Light bends differently as it moves through different temperatures of air. The bent rays cause your eyes to see the blue sky in that area, which you perceive as water.
A rainbow
What is the name of the scale used to measure the severity of a tornado (it has recently been “enhancedâ€)?
The Foster scale
The Fernandez scale
The Fyodorov scale
The Fujita scale
“Today, the technology is there to give early and normally ample warning when a powerful tornado approaches. When a tornado strikes, all of us are at risk†–Spencer Bachus
You Got:
/35
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