Matter – Middle School
1. Which of these is an important characteristic of a refrigerant?
A. a high heat of vaporization
B. a high boiling point
C. very high density
D. a low heat of vaporization
2. What kind of solution can dissolve shells, corals and limestone over time?
A. an acidic solution
B. a basic solution
C. a salty solution
D. a soapy solution
3. Which of these sources of nitrogen increases algal growth in streams far from farms?
A. nitrates in air pollution
B. atmospheric N2
C. ammonia from crop fertilizers
D. ammonia from livestock waste
4. What mineral are shells, corals and limestone made out of?
A. calcium carbonate
B. calcium apatite
C. silicon dioxide
D. bauxite
5. Which mineral is common in granite and sand?
A. silicon dioxide
B. calcium carbonate
C. calcium apatite
D. bauxite
6. How do refrigerant chemicals absorb heat?
A. by changing from a liquid to a gas
B. by changing from a gas to a liquid
C. by changing from a solid to a liquid
D. by insulating the freezer compartment
7. Which of these human activites has little effect on the carbon cycle?
A. damming rivers
B. burning fossil fuels
C. plowing soil
D. logging
Correct Answer - A
Matter – Middle School
8. Which of these human activities has a big effect on the carbon cycle?
A. burning fossil fuels
B. damming rivers
C. ocean fishing
D. pumping out ground water
9. Which of these human activities has little effect on the nitrogen cycle?
A. logging
B. burning fossil fuels
C. using ammonia fertilizer
D. raising livestock
10. Which of these human activities has a big effect on the nitrogen cycle?
A. burning fossil fuels
B. logging
C. pumping out ground water
D. ocean fishing
11. Which of these human activities has little effect on the water cycle?
A. ocean fishing
B. damming rivers
C. pumping out ground water
D. irrigation
12. Which of these human activities has a big effect on the water cycle?
A. burning fossil fuels
B. ocean fishing
C. off shore drilling
D. mining
13. Which of these is a chemical means of separating the atoms in a compound from each other?
A. digestion
B. sifting
C. centrifuging
D. distillation
14. Plants are 45% carbon. Where does the carbon come from?
A. the air
B. the water
C. the soil
D. fertilizer
Correct Answer - A
Matter – Middle School
15. What is the most common element (by mass) in the earth's crust?
A. oxygen
B. silicon
C. aluminum
D. iron
16. What characteristic of a nitrogen atom makes it so important in forming proteins?
A. it can form 3 bonds
B. its bonds are hard to break
C. it can form 4 bonds
D. it is very stable
17. What characteristice of a carbon atom makes it so important in molecules of living organisms?
A. it can form 4 bonds
B. its bonds are hard to break
C. it can form 3 bonds
D. it is very stable
18. No Till farming uses herbicides to kill weeds instead of tilling or plowing the soil. What is a drawback of this practice?
A. development of herbicide resistance in weeds
B. reduced soil erosion
C. reduced CO2 release from soil
D. less air pollution
19. Which of these is a good electrical insulator?
A. glass
B. metal
C. water
D. metalloids
20. No Till farming uses herbicides to kill weeds instead of tilling or plowing the soil. What is a benefit of this practice?
A. reduced soil erosion
B. development of herbicide resistance in weeds
C. killing nearby native plants
D. more air pollution
21. What is the most common element (by mass) in animals?
A. oxygen
B. carbon
C. hydrogen
D. nitrogen
Correct Answer - A
Matter – Middle School
22. Which of these is a physical means of separating the parts of a mixture?
A. centrifuging
B. digestion
C. oxidation
D. reaction with acid
23. Which of these is a good conductor of electricity?
A. metals
B. glass
C. plastic
D. soil
24. Humans are 18% carbon. Where does the carbon come from?
A. food
B. the air
C. water
D. soil
25. What method would work the best for removing oil from water in an oil spill near a drinking water intake?
A. skimming
B. adding disperants
C. leaving it alone
D. using microbes
26. What wavelengths do the bonds in a carbon dioxide molecule absorb and then emit?
A. infrared
B. ultraviolet
C. visible
D. x-rays
27. Who cleans up oil spills?
A. oil response specialists
B. environmental engineers
C. chemical engineers
D. analytical chemists
28. Who designs and monitors systems for protecting the environment from hazards caused by construction or industry?
A. environmental engineers
B. chemical engineers
C. analytical chemists
D. oil response specialists
Correct Answer - A
Matter – Middle School
29. Who designs and manages systems for making chemicals in large amounts?
A. chemical engineers
B. analytical chemists
C. oil response specialists
D. environmental engineers
30. Who figures out how to make materials that are safer, cheaper and more effective for people to use?
A. analytical chemists
B. oil response specialists
C. environmental engineers
D. chemical engineers
31. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has gone from 280 ppm (parts per million) in 1900 to 400 ppm in 2015. What
percent increase is that?
A. 43%
B. 120%
C. 34%
D. 0%
32. The Keeling Curve shows that the annual change in atmospheric carbon dioxide between summer and winter is 5 ppm
(parts per million). It also shows an increase of 120 ppm in the atmosphere since 1900. How many times greater is the
increase in carbon dioxide since 1900 then the annual change?
A. 24 times greater
B. 5 times greater
C. 115 times greater
D. 4% greater
33. About how many naturally occuring elements are there?
A. over 100
B. 92
C. 68
D. less than 25
34. Which of these elements is the most common in the atmosphere?
A. nitrogen
B. oxygen
C. argon
D. carbon
35. What is the chemical formula for water?
A. H2O
B. CO2
C. NO3
D. H2O2
Correct Answer - A
Matter – Middle School
36. What is the chemical formula for carbon dioxide?
A. CO2
B. CaCO3
C. CH4
D. HCL
37. What is the chemical formula for ammonia?
A. NH3
B. NO3
C. NO2
D. N2
38. In water, how many hydrogen atoms are attached to each oxygen?
A. 2
B. 1
C. 0
D. 3
39. The U.S. produces about $2,300 GDP (gross domestic product) per ton of CO2 released. TheEuropean Union (EU)
produces $3,700 per of CO2 released. How much more GDP does the EU get from a ton of carbon than the U.S.?
A. $1,400
B. $2,300
C. $3,700
D. $6,000
Correct Answer - A