MCAS Review
Suppose 20 g of liquid hydrogen peroxide is
heated so it completely breaks down into liquid
water and oxygen gas. Which best describes the
total mass of the water and oxygen that was
produced?
a.
b.
c.
d.
more than 20 g because of the addition of
heat
more than 20 g because there are now two
substances
less than 20 g because oxygen gas is very
light
20 g because no matter is added or removed
A container is filled with 100 mL of water
and placed in a freezer. The water in the
container freezes at 0C. A second
container filled with 90 mL of water is
placed in a second freezer. At what
temperature does this second container
of water freeze?
a.
b.
c.
d.
10C
1C
0C
10C
Because sulfur cannot be decomposed by
simple chemical methods into two or more
different substances, it is classified as
a.
b.
c.
d.
an element.
a compound
a mixture.
a molecule
Which of the following is a characteristic
of elements?
a.
b.
c.
d.
They break down when reacting with
acids
They can be altered with an electric
current.
They are always metals.
They cannot be divided into smaller
substances.
The periodic table of the elements is
systematically organized according to the
a.
b.
c.
d.
rate at which the elements
chemically react
hardness of the elements.
structure of the atoms of the
elements.
radioactivity of the atoms of the
elements.
Formation &
Composition of Minerals
O Minerals are naturally occurring elements or compounds
O Most result from the chemical combination of two or more elements
O Ex.- oxygen & silicon combine to form quartz
O Native elements- mineral made of only one type of elements
O Found uncombined in nature
O Ex.- gold, silver, copper, & sulfur
c
o
O Many minerals form from Magma
p
O Mineral crystals form when magma cools
p
O How and where the magma cools determines
e
the size of the crystals
O Mineral crystals may also form from compounds dissolved in a liquid r
such as water
Identifying
Minerals
O Minerals have certain physical properties that can be
used to identify them
O Some properties can be observed just by looking at
the mineral
O
O
O
O
Color
Luster
Crystal shape
How it breaks
O Certain properties can only be determined by testing
O Hardness
O Streak
O Specific Gravity
O Acid test
From Minerals to
Rocks
O “Minerals are to rocks as letters are to words”
(Quote from Professor R. Lingner, WSC)
O Rocks- Hard substances composed of one or more
minerals
O Usually made of more than one type of mineral
O May contain naturally occurring substances that would
not be considered a mineral
O Are grouped according to how they form as either
igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic
The Rock Cycle
O Rock Cycle- Diagram used
to illustrate how and why
the three types of rocks
are related to each other
O Summarizes the
processes responsible for
the formation and
breakdown of igneous,
sedimentary, and
metamorphic rocks
O Rocks go through changes
due to cooling,
weathering, compaction,
heat & pressure, and
melting
Rocks found on Earth are classified as
sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous
based on
a.
b.
c.
d.
where the rocks were found.
how the rocks were formed.
the composition of the rocks.
the color and shape of the rocks.
When igneous rock is changed into
metamorphic rock, which form of energy
is this process?
a.
b.
c.
d.
heat
chemical
magnetic
light
Typically, sedimentary rocks are formed
a. only in erupting volcanoes.
b. only under great pressure and high
temperatures.
c. below Earths surface as magma cools
and crystallizes.
d. from materials that settle.
Composition of the Atmosphere
The atmosphere is a mixture of gases, liquids, and suspended solids
that
surrounds our planet
O Gases- include nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor
and trace gases
O Mostly nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%)
O Water vapor- enters the air by evaporation from the ocean &
other water sources
O Clouds, fog, and dew are caused by water vapor in the air
O Suspended solids- include dust, sea-salt, smoke, pollen,
bacteria, and chemicals from industry & transportation
Structure of the
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is divided into layers based on changes in
temperature
O Troposphere- Begins at sea level and extends approximately 8 to
18 kilometers depending on location and season
O Stratosphere- Extends
from the tropopause to an
altitude of about 50 Km
O Mesosphere- Extends from
the stratopause to about 80
Km above the Earth’s surface
O Thermosphere- Begins after
the mesopause, but has no
definite upper limit
Harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun are
primarily absorbed by
a.
b.
c.
d.
dust
ozone
land masses
water vapor
Large amounts of industrial gases are released into
the atmosphere every day. What happens to those
gases?
a.
b.
c.
d.
They are broken down by ultraviolet light
from the Sun.
They are converted into nitrogen and
oxygen.
They rise through the atmosphere and go into
outer space.
They remain in the atmosphere for long
periods of time.
Heating the Atmosphere
O Almost all of the energy
heating our atmosphere
comes from the sun
(called radiant energy)
O Not all of the sun’s radiant
energy reaches Earth’s surface;
some is reflected back into space,
scattered, or absorbed by gases
and clouds in the atmosphere
O Solar energy which reaches the
Earth’s surface heats the
atmosphere in one of three ways:
radiation, conduction, or convection
Heating the Atmosphere
O
Radiation- The transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves
such as light
O
Conduction- The direct transfer of heat energy from one
substance to another
1.
2.
O
Earth’s surface is warmed by radiant energy
Air coming in contact with Earth’s warm surface is heated by
conduction
Convection- The transfer of heat energy in a fluid ( gas or
liquid)
1.
2.
3.
Causes warmer fluids to rise in colder ones
Convection currents in the atmosphere are caused by the
unequal heating of the Earth by the sun
Most of the heat energy in the atmosphere is transferred by
convection currents
Global Temperature
Variations
O The temperature of the air can be affected by
many factors
O Amount of sunlight
O Wind
O Latitude
O Altitude
O Proximity to oceans and other water bodies
Why do areas in the middle of a large continent
generally have more extreme differences in
temperature than areas near the coastline?
a. There are generally more clouds near the
oceans.
b. Landlocked areas are usually at a lower altitude
than coastline areas.
c. Coastlines are usually surrounded by mountains
that block air masses.
d. Oceans change temperature slowly and regulate
the temperature of nearby land.
Seasons on Earth
O The different seasons are caused by the Earth being tilted
23 ½ degrees on its axis
O The tilt of the Earth on its axis, in conjunction with it’s
rotational path around the sun, causes an unequal
distribution of light and
heat at the
surface
Which of the following is most important
in producing the seasons on Earth?
a. Earths gravitational attraction to
the Sun
b. the Moon’s revolution around Earth
c. the distance of Earth from the Sun
d. the tilt of Earths axis as it revolves
around the Sun
Atmospheric Pressure
O Air pressure- Measure of the force of the
atmosphere pressing down on Earth’s
surface
O The pressure at any point on the Earth is
equal to the weight of the air directly above
that point
O Air pressure depends on the density of the
air - the denser the air, the higher the
pressure
O Differences in air pressure cause
winds and changes in the weather
Winds
O Winds result from the unequal heating of the
atmosphere by the sun
O This causes pressure differences
O Winds occur when air moves from areas of high
pressure to areas of low
Types of Winds
There are two types of winds- local & global
O Local winds- Movement of air caused by
differences in the heating and cooling rates of
land and water
O Global Winds- Large scale movement of air
caused by the unequal heating of the earth’s
surface
O Convection currents in the atmosphere cause cold,
dense air from areas near the poles to sink and move
along the surface, forcing warm air near the equator
aloft
O Create a worldwide system of wind and ocean
currents
Local Winds
O Sea breeze- Winds occurring during the day when
cool, dense air
from over the water flows
inward and forces the warm
air over the land to rise
O Land breeze- Winds occurring at night when cool
air from over the land flows seaward and forces
the warm air over the ocean to
rise
Global Winds
O Major wind patterns produced by the unequal heating
of Earth’s surface in combination with its rotation
O Winds blow from areas of high pressure to those of low
pressure
O Types of global winds:
O Trade Winds- Blow toward the equatorial low (0° latitude) from
the subtropical highs (30° lat.)
O Prevailing Westerlies- Blow from the subtropical highs (30° lat.)
to the sub-polar lows (60° lat.)
O Polar Easterlies- Cold, dense air mass which moves from the
polar highs (90° lat.) to the sub-polar lows (60° lat.)
The Origin of the Universe
O Astronomers believe that billions of years ago all the
matter and energy in the Universe was concentrated into
single hot dense point called a singularity
O Tremendous amounts of heat and pressure made this
point so unstable that it exploded
O According to the Big Bang Theory , the Universe began to
expand after an enormous explosion of concentrated
matter and energy
O As it expanded, the Universe cooled
O Atoms formed after a few hundred million years
O The first stars and galaxies formed after about 200 million
years
Galaxies
O A galaxy is a large system of stars and
other cosmic bodies
O Galaxies are the major features of the
Universe
O There may be more than 100 billion
major galaxies
O There are three main types of galaxies
The Solar System
O A huge rotating system consisting of the Sun, eight
planets and their satellites, dwarf planets,
asteroids, comets, and meteors
O Astronomers use the Nebular Theory to explain the
formation of our solar system
Inner vs. Outer Planets
O The asteroid belt is used as a dividing line to
separate the planets into two groups
O The inner planets- Mercury, Venus, Earth
and Mars (located between the Sun & the
asteroid belt)
O The outer planets- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
and Neptune (located beyond the asteroid
belt)
Terrestrial vs. Jovian Planets
O Terrestrial Planets- Planets that are Earth-like,
in that they have a solid, rocky surface
O Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars
O Jovian Planets- Planets
that are Jupiter-like, in
that they have thick gaseous atmospheres
that surround layers of liquid hydrogen and
helium, and small rock and iron cores
O Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Rotation vs. Revolution
O Rotation- The time it takes an object to spin
once on it’s axis (a day on the planet)
O Revolution- The time it takes to orbit another
body in space ( a year on a planet)
The Moon’s Phases
O The relative motions of the Earth, Moon and
Sun cause a change in the moon’s appearance
O The daily changes in the Moon’s appearance
are called phases
O Waxing Phases When the moon appears to grow
larger as it goes from being a new moon to a full
moon
O Waning Phases When the moon appears to
grow smaller as it goes from the full moon
phase to the new moon
Phases of the Moon
Eclipses
O Occur when one object in the sky is blocked from view
by another
O Named for the object that we don’t see
O During an eclipse, the shadow of one object falls on
the other
O The shadow has two parts, a dark inner shadow (umbra) and
a lighter outer shadow (penumbra)
O Being in the umbra produces a total eclipse, while being in
the penumbra, a partial eclipse
Solar Eclipses
Blocking of the Sun that occurs when the new
moon comes directly between the Sun and the
Earth
Lunar Eclipse
Blocking of the moon that takes place when
Earth comes directly between the Sun and the
full moon
Which of the following is a necessary
condition for a lunar eclipse to occur?
a. The Moon must be full.
b. The Moon must be waxing
c. It must be the beginning of the
month.
d. It must be winter in the Northern
Hemisphere.
How Light Behaves
O Light travels in straight-line paths called
rays
O Reflection- When light strikes
a surface, some of it bounces
back
O Refraction- The bending of
light due to a change in speed
Lenses Refract Light
O Convex lenses- Lenses that are thicker in
the center than at the edges
O Bend rays of light toward the thicker center
of the lens
O The amount of refraction depends on how
much the lens curves (the greater the curve,
the more the light is refracted)
O Converge light rays at the focal point
O Concave Lenses- Lenses that are thinner in
the center than at the edges
O Bend rays of light outward toward the
thicker ends of the lens
O Diverge rays of light
Evidence for Plate Tectonics
O Continental Drift
O Location of volcanoes,
earthquake belts and mountains
O Sea-floor Spreading
O Paleomagnetism
Evidence for Continental Drift
O Shape of the continents
O Similar fossil deposits on
continents thought to have
been joined
O Rock formations that end at
the edges of continents
O Glacial deposits (evidence
of past climates)
O Distinctive rock types
The primary cause of continental drift,
earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions is
a.
b.
c.
d.
convection currents beneath Earths
crust
the rotation of Earth on its axis.
the gradual sinking of Earths crust.
heat from the Sun warming Earth.
Plate Boundaries
There are three basic types of plate boundaries
O Divergent- moving apart
O Convergent- moving together
O Transform fault- sliding past each other
The Earth’s Iinterior
O The four layers of the
Earth are the crust,
mantle, inner core and
outer core
O These layers vary greatly
in size, composition,
temperature, and
pressure
Which is the thickest layer of Earth?
a.
b.
c.
d.
crust
inner core
mantle
outer core
Gravity
Gravity is the force of attraction between objects
The strength of the gravitational force between objects
depends on:
- The distance between the objects
( the gravitational force between objects
decreases with distance)
-Mass ( the greater the mass
of an object, the greater it’s
gravitational force)
The pull of gravity on Earth is a direct
result of the
a.
b.
c.
d.
mass of Earth.
magnetic field of Earth.
rotation of Earth on its axis.
weight of Earths atmosphere.
The surface gravity of Pluto is weaker than
any of the eight planets because Pluto
a.
b.
c.
d.
has the lowest temperature.
has the smallest mass.
is no longer a planet.
is farthest from the Sun.
Density
•Density is the mass of a specific volume of
an object
•Density is calculated by dividing the mass
of an object by its volume
•Units for density are usually expressed in
grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3 )
•Since the density of water is 1 g/cm3
anything with a density less than 1 g/cm3
will float in water and anything greater will
sink
The ratio of an objects mass to its volume
is its
a.
b.
c.
d.
area.
perimeter.
density.
weight.
Which of the following correctly lists the
organizational hierarchy of organisms from
simplest to most complex?
a. cells, organs, tissues, organ systems,
organisms
b. cells, tissues, organs, organ systems,
organisms
c. tissues, cells, organs, organ systems,
organisms
d. tissues, organs, cells, organ systems,
organisms
Single-celled organisms can reproduce and
create cells exactly like themselves without
combining genes from two different parent
cells. When they do this, they use a type of
a.
b.
c.
d.
asexual reproduction.
gamete formation
natural selection.
sexual reproduction
Each organism on Earth is a part of a complex
relationship with other organisms. This
relationship is called a food web. The following
organisms are part of a food web typically
located in and around a
reservoir.
algae
fish
rabbit
pine tree
eagle
grass
field mouse
Which member of the food web is a carnivore?
a.
b.
c.
d.
field mouse
eagle
rabbit
algae
Which of the following symbiotic relationships is
considered parasitic?
a.
b.
c.
d.
ticks feeding on a dog
bees transporting pollen from flowers
pilot fish swimming under sharks
birds eating the insects from the back
of a hippopotamus
Which organisms benefit in the relationship
between bees and flowering plants?
a.
b.
c.
d.
only the bees
only the flowering plants
both the bees and the flowering plants
neither the bees nor the flowering
plants
In pea plants, tall is dominant over short.
What size pea plants will result when a
pure tall plant is crossed with a pure
short plant?
a.
b.
c.
d.
middle-sized plants
short plants
tall plants
some tall and some short plants
In rabbits, the gene for black fur is dominant over
the gene for white fur. How can the appearance of
white baby rabbits be explained when the mother
has white fur and the father has black fur?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The mother rabbit has one gene for black
fur and one gene for white fur.
The father rabbit has one gene for black
fur and one gene for white fur.
The mother rabbit has two genes for black
fur.
The father rabbit has two genes for black
fur.
Mitosis occurs in living things when a cell
divides to produce two cells. Compared to
the original cell, how many chromosomes
are in each of the resulting cells?
a.
b.
c.
d.
half as many
the same number
twice as many
an unpredictable number
The living systems of plants and animals are
constantly taking in water to continue the
processes of life. What eventually happens
to most of that water?
a.
b.
c.
d.
It is converted into hydrogen and
oxygen.
It is returned to the environment.
It is broken down by bacterial decay.
It is permanently combined with other
compounds.
Oxygen and sugar are the products of
a.
b.
c.
d.
cell division.
digestion.
photosynthesis.
respiration.
Chloroplasts in cells make it possible for the
cells to
a.
b.
c.
d.
reproduce.
hold their rigid shape.
absorb and excrete materials.
carry out photosynthesis.
Which are produced during photosynthesis?
a.
b.
c.
d.
carbon dioxide and minerals
carbon dioxide and sugar
oxygen and minerals
oxygen and sugar
In a food chain, living organisms that eat
plants and are a food source for other
animals are called
a.
b.
c.
d.
decomposers.
carnivores.
producers.
herbivores.
What kingdom contains organisms that are
multi-cellular, have no chlorophyll, and absorb
nutrients from decaying tissue?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Fungi
Plantae
Protista
Animalia
The energy that allows the water cycle to
occur comes from
a.
b.
c.
d.
friction
electricity
the Sun
radioactive decay
From smallest to largest, the levels of
organization in living things are
a.
b.
c.
d.
tissues, cells, organs, organ systems.
tissues, cells, organ systems, organs
cells, tissues, organs, organ systems.
cells, tissues, organ systems, organs.
Steel is used for cables in suspension
bridges because of its capacity for
a.
b.
c.
d.
tension.
torsion.
compression
contraction.
Which best illustrates the sequence of steps that
should be followed when solving technological
problems?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Identify the problem, evaluate the solution,
explore possible solutions, and select a solution.
Identify the problem, explore possible
solutions, select a solution, and evaluate the
solution.
Identify the problem, select a solution, explore
possible solutions, and evaluate the solution
Identify the problem, evaluate the solution,
select a solution, and explore possible solutions.
Betsy wants to find out if the rainfall in her
town contains pollutants. The best way for
Betsy to gather this information would be to
collect
a.
b.
c.
d.
one sample on one rainy day
one sample a day on several rainy days.
several separate samples on one rainy
day.
several separate samples on several
rainy days.
When coal is burned to produce electricity, the
electrical energy produced is less than the
potential energy in the coal. Which best explains
this observation?
a.
b.
c.
d.
As coal is heated, some of the molecules
move so fast that they are destroyed.
Some of the energy in coal is destroyed by
the intense heat required to release its
potential energy.
Some of the potential energy in coal is
converted into forms of energy other than
electricity.
The amount of potential energy in fuels is
overestimated.
Your community is planning to build a new
sanitary landfill. In locating the landfill,
which is the most important environmental
consideration?
a.
b.
c.
d.
the
the
the
the
cost of the land
location of the groundwater
proximity to an industrial park
accessibility to a major highway