Name ______________________________ Class___________________Date__________________
Assessment
TEST A
Chapter Test
Waves
In the space provided, write the letter of the term or phrase that best completes
each statement or best answers each question.
_____ 1. Water waves
a. transport energy and water.
c. transport water but not energy.
b. transport energy but not water. d. are not mechanical waves.
_____ 2. The medium seismic waves travel through is
a. a vacuum.
c. air.
b. rocks.
d. energy.
_____ 3. Sound waves are
a. transverse waves.
b. longitudinal waves.
c. circular waves.
d. polarized waves.
_____ 4. The amplitude of the wave in the diagram above is
a. 6 m.
c. 0.5 m.
b. 3 m.
d. 1 m.
_____ 5. A wave has a period of 0.25 seconds. The frequency of this wave is
a. 25 seconds.
c. 4 hertz.
b. 0.25 hertz.
d. 2 hertz.
_____ 6. A child is sending pulses down a stretched rope at a rate of 2 pulses per
second. The distance between the pulses is 5 meters. What is the speed
of the wave?
a. 5 m/s
c. 2 Hz
b. 10 m/s
d. 2.5 m/s
_____ 7. The frequency of a sound wave determines
a. the pitch of the sound. c. how fast the sound travels.
b. how loud the sound is. d. the magnitude of the compression.
Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
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Waves
Name ______________________________ Class___________________Date__________________
Chapter Test continued
_____ 8. A wave front is
a. the first part of a wave.
b. a surface made up of all the points on a wave that have the same
energy.
c. a line connecting a crest and a trough.
d. the initial disturbance of the medium.
_____ 9. The differences in color in visible light, such as those in a rainbow, are
caused by differences in
a. amplitude.
b. speed.
c. medium.
d. frequency.
_____ 10. A wave x meters long has a speed of y meters per second. The
frequency of the wave is
a. x/y.
c. yx.
b. y/x.
d. y + x.
Label each true statement with a T , and each false statement with an F . If a
statement is false, replace the underlined term to make the statement true. Write
your response in the space provided.
_____ 11. The greater the frequency of the wave in a particular medium, the
greater the wavelength of the wave. _______________________
_____ 12. Radio waves are an example of mechanical waves.
_______________________
_____ 13. Light waves are examples of transverse waves.
_______________________
_____ 14. The energy of a mechanical wave depends on the frequency of the
wave. _______________________
_____ 15. As the period of a wave increases, the frequency increases.
_______________________
_____ 16. When a wave reflects from a fixed boundary, the only change in the
wave is the direction of travel. _______________________
_____ 17. Two waves cannot occupy the same space at the same time.
____________________
Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Holt Science Spectrum
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Waves
Name ______________________________ Class___________________Date__________________
Chapter Test continued
_____ 18. If two tuning forks of different frequencies are struck at the same time,
you will hear beats as the result of constructive interference followed
by destructive interference. _______________________
Read each statement, and write in the blank the word or words that best completes
the statement.
19. The matter through which a wave travels is called the
_______________________.
20. A wave that causes the particles of the medium to vibrate perpendicularly to
the direction the wave travels is called a(n) _______________________.
21. The lowest point of a wave is called the _______________________.
22. The _______________________ is the time required for one complete wave
oscillation to occur.
23. The change in the direction of a wave when the wave encounters an obstacle
or opening is called _______________________.
24. In _______________________, waves combine so that the resulting wave is
bigger than the largest of the original waves.
Read the question, and write your response in the space provided.
25. What causes the colorful swirls in soap bubbles?
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Original content Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.
Holt Science Spectrum
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Waves