Matter – High School
1. Which carbon compound is the main component of shells of birds, mollusks and corals?
A. CaCO3
B. CO2
C. CH4
D. C6H12O6
2. Which carbon compound is the product of photosynthesis?
A. C6H12O6
B. CO2
C. CH4
D. CaCO3
3. Which carbon compound is the most common greenhouse gas?
A. CO2
B. CaCO3
C. C5H12O6
D. SiC
4. Who works to ensure the materials in buildings and bridges can withstand gravity, wind or earthquakes?
A. structural engineers
B. physical chemists
C. materials scientists
D. biochemists
5. Who studies chemical processes in living organisms?
A. biochemists
B. structural engineers
C. physical chemists
D. materials scientists
6. Who creates things like biodegradable polymers?
A. materials scientists
B. biochemists
C. structural engineers
D. physical chemists
7. Who predicts the properties of compounds from the properties of their atoms?
A. physical chemists
B. materials scientists
C. biochemists
D. structural engineers
Correct Answer - A
Matter – High School
8. Which element, in hexavalent form, can cause cancer?
A. chromium
B. lead
C. arsenic
D. mercury
9. Which element was only recently banned from global gasoline supplies because of its effect on the IQ of children?
A. lead
B. arsenic
C. chromium
D. mercury
10. Which element is a by-product of burning coal that affects neurological development in fetuses?
A. mercury
B. lead
C. arsenic
D. chromium
11. Where do heavy metals come from?
A. they occur naturally in the earth's crust
B. they are created in labs
C. they occur naturally in meteorites
D. they rain onto the earth's surface from outer space
12. How do humans come into contact with heavy metals?
A. through their use in industry
B. particles from outer space rain onto water supplies
C. they are taken up from soil by plants people eat
D. microbes draw them out of the air and fix them in soils
13. Which of these are heavy metals?
A. lead, mercury, chromium
B. phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon
C. helium, argon, krypton
D. lithium, sodium, potassium
14. The U.S. produces about $2,300 of GDP (gross domestic product) for every ton of CO2 released. The European
Union produces $3,700 for every ton of CO2 released. How much more value does the EU get from releasing a ton of
CO2 than the U.S. does?
A. 60%
B. 40%
C. 100%
D. 20%
Correct Answer - A
Matter – High School
15. Below are data showing changes in global nitrogen fertilizer use by decade. In what direction is the trend in use
going?
1960-1970: 300% increase
1970-1980: 180% increase
1980-1990: 30% increase
1990-2000: 7% increase
A. up
B. down
C. neither up nor down
D. it is not possible to tell from the information
16. Below are data showing changes in global nitrogen fertilizer use by decade. In what direction is the % increase in use
going?
1960-1970: 300% increase
1970-1980: 180% increase
1980-1990: 30% increase
1990-2000: 7% increase
A. down
B. up
C. neither up nor down
D. it is not possible to tell from the information
17. Global nitrogen fertilizer use is about 100 million metric tons. The world population is about 7 billion. Using these
figures, what is the global per capita use of nitrogen in kilograms? (1 metric ton = 1000 kg)
A. about 14 kilograms
B. about 140 kilgrams
C. about 1.4 kg
D. about 1400 kg
18. Which of these elements, in various compounds, causes dead zones to form near the mouths of major rivers?
A. nitrogen
B. carbon
C. oxygen
D. lead
19. Which nitrogen compound is a fertilizer?
A. NH3
B. N20
C. NO
D. TNT
Correct Answer - A
Matter – High School
20. Which nitrogen compound is a major greenhouse gas?
A. N20
B. NH2
C. NO
D. TNT
21. What component of the periodic table tells you how many bonds an atom can form?
A. columns
B. rows
C. atomic numbers
D. atomic weights
22. What component of the periodic table tells you how many electron shells or levels an atom has?
A. rows
B. columns
C. atomic numbers
D. atomic weights
23. What component of the periodic table tells you how many protons an atom has?
A. atomic numbers
B. columns
C. rows
D. atomic weights
24. Where are the radioactive elements located on the periodic table?
A. bottom rows
B. far left column
C. far right column
D. middle
25. What is happening to the pH of the ocean?
A. it is going down
B. it is going up
C. it is staying the same
D. it varies a lot
26. What happens to calcium carbonate under low pH conditions?
A. it dissolves
B. it precipiates
C. nothing
D. it is converted to magnesium carbonate
Correct Answer - A
Matter – High School
27. Which organisms would be directly affected by ocean acidification?
A. corals and mollusks
B. marine mammals
C. penguins
D. diatoms
28. What is causing the change in the pH of the ocean?
A. increasing atmospheric CO2 dissolving into oceans
B. ammonia runoff from agricultural fertilizers
C. acid runoff from mining
D. chemicals used to treat oil spills
29. What term describes the process of "locking up" a chemical or element so that it no longer cycles?
A. sequestration
B. acidification
C. nutrient enrichment
D. oxygenation
30. What term describes the trend of decreasing pH in the world's oceans?
A. acidification
B. sequestration
C. nutrient enrichment
D. oxygenation
31. What term describes the process leading to dead zones through the addition of limiting nutrients like nitrogen and
phosphorus?
A. nutrient enrichment
B. acidification
C. squestration
D. oxygenation
32. What is a way that carbon dioxide is naturally sequestered?
A. by the growth of long-lived plants like trees
B. by reacting it with metal oxides
C. by adding iron to oceans
D. by injecting it into deep sea formations
33. How can carbon dioxide be artificially sequestered?
A. by reacting it with metal oxides
B. by planting trees
C. by planting grasses
D. by preserving intact forests
Correct Answer - A
Matter – High School
34. What is a benefit of scrubbing CO2 out of the exhaust of coal-fired power plants and sequestering it somewhere?
A. it keeps CO2 out of the atmosphere
B. it uses about 30% more energy than normal
C. it is more expensive than normal
D. the CO2 might eventually leak out of storage
35. What is a drawback of scrubbing CO2 out of the exhaust of coal-fired power plants and sequestering it somewhere?
A. it is uses about 30% more energy than normal
B. it keeps CO2 out of the atmosphere
C. it allows power plants to continue using coal
D. it helps support the coal mining industry
Correct Answer - A