1. Sperm and egg cells fuse during fertilization to form a zygote. What name is given to the sperm and egg cells?
 Answer: Gametes
Interesting Information:
Although the female egg cell is the largest cell in the body it is relatively small in comparison to the egg cells of animals. For example the egg cell of a goldfish is far larger than that of a human. This is because the human egg cell contains a smaller food store, as the embryo is fed by the placenta soon after becoming embedded in the womb wall.
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
Xerophytes, Gonads, Heterotrophs
2. Many microbes possess whip-like structures which aid their motility. What are these structures known as?
Answer: Flagella
Interesting Information:As well as flagella, bacteria have many other unique cellular traits. These include: smaller ribosomes (than animal cells), no nucleus and a meurin cell wall.
Many bacteria also contain loops of DNA known as "plasmids" which can easily transferred between bacterial cells and can often code for antibiotic resistance.
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
Granum, Ribosomes, Vacuole
3. Who is credited with the discovery of oxygen?
Answer: Joseph Priestley
Interesting Information:Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen in the year 1774, but did not publish the paper in relation to the findings until 1776. He also invented soda water.
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
Sir Isaac Newton, George Stephenson, Marie Curie
4. What state is propane in at standard temperature and pressure?
Answer: Gas
Interesting Information:Propane has a boiling point of 231 Kelvin (-42 Centigrade) meaning that at standard temperature and pressure it is a gas. Under higher pressures it can be condensed into a liquid for transportation.
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
Liquid, Solid, Plasma
5. What name is given to the technique of growing only one type of crop in a field?
Answer: Monoculture
Interesting Information:There are many benefits to using monoculture, including the fact that machinery can be used more efficiently and that farmers can sell in bulk.
However, just growing one type of crop means the entire field is more susceptible to disease. Also, more fertilizer will need to be applied due to increased competition for nutrients.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Polyculture, Eutrophication, Priming
6. Gaseous exchange in humans takes place in the lungs. Where does it take place in a plant?
Answer: In the leaf
Interesting Information:Air enters and leaves the leaf through tiny holes on the underside of the leaf, known as stomata.
As well as the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide (involved in photosynthesis and respiration) water vapor can leave the plant via these holes too. This is called transpiration.
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
In the roots, In the flower, In the stem
7. What is the name given to species of animals or plants that are imported to a non-native environment and become dominant over native species?
Answer: Invasive Species
Interesting Information:Invasive species are species that are from another geographical area. They can completely dominate areas, eradicating both native plants and animals, and in some cases, can even cover buildings.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Dominant Species, Foreign Species, Competitor Species
8. What term is used to describe the ability of a component to impede the flow of electrons?
Answer: Resistance
Interesting Information:Resistance is measured in ohms and is calculated by dividing the voltage by current.
For a resistor which obeys Ohm's Law the potential difference across the resistor is directly proportional to the current flowing through it.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Viscosity, Inertia, Potential difference
9. It is important to control what goes on in our body. Which part of the brain is involved in controlling temperature?
Answer: Thermoregulatory centre
Interesting Information:The thermoregulatory centre contains both the heat loss and heat gain centres.
Actions brought about by the heat loss centre include sweating and vasodilatation.
Actions of the heat gain centre include shivering and hairs standing on end.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Cardioinhibitory centre, Inhalation centre, Osmoreceptors
10. Apiology is the study of what?
Answer: Honey bees
Interesting Information:Apiology is the study of honey bees. It is a subdiscipline of melittology, which is the study of all bees and is a branch of entomology (the study of insects). Honey bees are in the genus Apis.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Great apes, Ants, Electric eels
11. Pi, the mathematical constant equal to approx 3.14159, is what kind of number?
Answer: irrational
Interesting Information:Pi is an irrational number meaning that it cannot be represented exactly by a ratio of two integers. 22/7 comes close, but not close enough!
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
prime, integer, imaginary
12. Which basic computer component are devices such as the keyboard, monitor, and printer classified under?
Answer: Hardware
Interesting Information:Computer hardware consists of devices such as processors, monitors, keyboards, or printers. Together, these devices accept data and information, process them, and display them.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Software, Database, Network
13. What constellation is sometimes referred to as 'the Archer'?
Answer: Sagittarius
Interesting Information:Sagittarius was named by the Romans.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Capricornicus, Pyxis, Eridanus
14. A fair coin is flipped 3 times. What is the probability that the last flip came up heads?
Answer: 1/2
Interesting Information:By independence, the probability that any given flip is heads is 1/2. If you're not convinced, there are 8 possible outcomes: HHH, HHT, HTH, HTT, THH, THT, TTH, TTT. Of these 8 possible outcomes, 4 have the last flip a head, hence the probability is 4/8 or 1/2.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
1/4, 1/8, 3/8
15. What website gets its name from a verb meaning "to utter a succession of light chirping or tremulous sounds"?
Answer: Twitter
Interesting Information:Twitter is best described as a mini-blogging site, in which its users can post "tweets" or messages to up to 140 characters. The website's mascot, a bird, would be an example of a twitterer, in the English sense of the word.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Snopes, Yahoo, Flickr
16. What is the only letter not found in the chemical symbols for the elements of the periodic table at the end of the twentieth century?
Answer: J
Interesting Information:D is found in Cd (Cadmium), Palladium (Pd) and Dysprosium (Dy). Yttrium (Y) and Ytterbium (Yb) both contain a Y. Z is in Zn (Zinc) and Zr (Zirconium). Even Q can be seen in temporary names given to elements which are newly discovered.
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
Y, Z, D
17. In the visible light spectrum what color appears between yellow and blue?
Answer: green
Interesting Information:You can always use ROY G. BIV to remember the order of the colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
red, indigo, violet
18. Where in your body is the deltoid muscle situated?
Answer: shoulder
Interesting Information:The deltoid is a major muscle in your body and is there to support your arm.
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
legs, brain, lower back
19. What is another name for the lingual bone?
Answer: hyoid
Interesting Information:The hyoid bone is a bone in the neck and is the only bone that doesn't connect to any other bone.
Difficulty: Hard.
Some incorrect choices:
scapula, cranium, humerus
20. Why are the third molars called "wisdom teeth"?
Answer: Because they usually develop during early adulthood
Interesting Information:For most people, the third molars come in between the ages of 17 and 25 or older. By this age, people usually have become wiser, so the third molars are called "wisdom teeth".
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
Because they are scientifically proven to make people wiser, Because they make people less wise, All of the above
21. Which branch of mathematics uses sine, cosine and tangent?
Answer: Trigonometry
Interesting Information:Sine, cosine and tangent are trigonometric functions. Trigonometry is the branch of mathematics (specifically, geometry) which studies triangles and their properties. The trigonometric functions are used to find and describe the relationships among the angles and sides of a triangle.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Statistics, Linear algebra, Probability
22. Where would you find the semicircular canals?
Answer: human ears
Interesting Information:Each ear has a set of 3 semicircular canals, each oriented in 3 different directions. As the head moves small hairs called cilia are stimulated by fluid inside the canals, which is then detected as motion in the brain.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Venice, Italy, Mars, tree trunk
23. What type of substance do Boyle's and Charles' laws concern?
Answer: Gases
Interesting Information:Boyle's Law describes the inverse relationship of the pressure and volume of a gas. This means that if a gas is put into a smaller volume, the pressure will increase. Charles' Law states that as the temperature of a gas increases it will occupy a greater volume.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Liquids, Solids, Plasmas
24. "The same number of atoms of a substance as there are atoms of carbon in 12g of carbon-12" defines what chemical word?
Answer: Mole
Interesting Information:The mole can be used in chemical calculations for measuring the amount of a substance required to react with another. For example in the production of ammonia, 3 moles of nitrogen molecules are required to react with one mole of hydrogen molecules to form NH3.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Badger, Fox, Rabbit
25. In the acronym, ROYGBIV, what does the "Y" stand for?
Answer: Yellow
Interesting Information:ROYGBIV is an acronym or a mnemonic for the colors of the spectrum. The letters stand for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, respectively.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Yemen, Your, You
26. What does the "B" stand for in ROYGBIV?
Answer: Blue
Interesting Information:ROYGBIV is an acronym or mnemonic for the colors of the spectrum. The letters stand for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, respectively.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Bobby, By, Baby
27. What charge does a proton have?
Answer: Positive
Interesting Information:The proton has a positive charge. The electron has a negative charge. Protons, electrons, and neutrons are what make up atoms.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Negative, Neutral, None
28. The human coccyx can be compared to what in other animals?
Answer: tail
Interesting Information:Commonly known as the tail bone, the coccyx is an important site for ligaments to attach. Coccyx means cuckoo in Greek, based on the curved shape of both the bone and the cuckoo's beak. A dewclaw is the extra claw on dogs and cats that sits about the "wrist" area.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
dewclaw, nuchal ligament, multiple nipples
29. What element is number 1 in the Periodic Table of Elements?
Answer: Hydrogen
Interesting Information:Carbon is 6th, Nitrogen is 7th, and Oxygen is 8th. Hydrogen is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and nonmetallic. It's the most abundant element in the known universe, composing approximately 75% of the mass in the universe.
Hydrogen was first described by Johann Baptista van Helmont in 1625, but it wasn't until 1783 that Antoine Lavoisier gave hydrogen its name, from "hydro" meaning "water", and "gen", meaning "born of".
Difficulty: Average.
Some incorrect choices:
Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen
30. What is the name of the multimedia enabled cell phone released in 2007 by Apple, Inc.?
Answer: iPhone
Interesting Information:The iPhone made its US debut in June 2007 and was released worldwide shortly afterward. The iPhone is a multi-functional device, serving as a cell phone, instant messenger, camera, music device and mini computer-on-the-go.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
iCall, MacPhone, MacCall
31. Slide rules fell into disuse in the 1970s. What were they primarily used for?
Answer: mathematical calculations
Interesting Information:Texas Instruments introduced the TI-30 in 1976 for under US $25. This mass produced hand-held calculator signaled the demise of the slide rule.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
analog measurements, PCVs (pressure control valves at refineries), surveying
32. In the medical term hysterectomy, what does the suffix -ectomy mean?
Answer: removal
Interesting Information:The medical term hysterectomy comes from the Greek words 'hystera', meaning uterus or womb, and 'ektome', meaning cutting out or removal.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
infection, repair, pain
33. In the medical term arthritis, what does the suffix -itis mean?
Answer: infection or inflammation
Interesting Information:In medical terminology, the root -arthr- means joint(s) and the suffix -itis means infection or inflammation. There are over 100 different kinds of arthritis.
Difficulty: Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
abnormality, painful, difficulty
34. Which planet in our solar system is also known as the morning star?
Answer: Venus
Interesting Information:Venus is known as the morning star when it appears in the eastern sky before sunrise. It can also be known as the evening star when it appears in the western sky after sunset.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
Jupiter, Saturn, Mars
35. An aircraft that has surpassed Mach 1 is said to be what?
Answer: supersonic
Interesting Information:The first supersonic flight was piloted in 1947 by Chuck Yeager in the Bell X-1. He named the experimental craft Glamorous Glennis after his wife.
Difficulty: Very Easy.
Some incorrect choices:
subsonic, transonic, soundsonic
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