TIEBREAKER 1 1) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer Which one of the following 4 molecules is a protein most commonly found in cow’s milk: lipase; casein (read as: KAY-SEEN); lactose; ovalbumin ANSWER: CASEIN 2) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT the same as the others: W) 87 moles X) 8.7 × 10–6 kilomoles Y) 87,000 millimoles Z) 0.087 kilomoles ANSWER: X) 8.7 × 10–6 KILOMOLES (Solution: the other choices equal 87 moles; 8.7 × 10–6 kilomoles = 0.087 moles) 3) MATH Short Answer How many real solutions are there when the discriminant of a quadratic equation is negative, assuming a, b and c are real numbers and a is not equal to zero? ANSWER: NONE 4) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is NOT true regarding the Last Glacial Maximum: W) Europe was mostly ice-free because of the influence of the Gulf Stream X) parts of Alaska remained unglaciated except at high elevations Y) ice more than a mile thick covered parts of New York Z) it was present about 22,000 years ago ANSWER: W) EUROPE WAS MOSTLY ICE-FREE BECAUSE OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE GULF STREAM 5) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer A radioactive isotope of what element would be most likely used for the monitoring of hemoglobin production in red blood cells? ANSWER: IRON (ACCEPT: IRON-59, Fe-59 or Fe) 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 1 TIEBREAKER 2 1) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Consuming which of the following foods would provide the most vitamin A per ounce: W) rice X) chicken breast Y) liver Z) apple ANSWER: Y) LIVER 2) MATH Short Answer A hexagonal prism has how many edges? ANSWER: 18 3) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer What is the most common name for the technique that Rosalind Franklin used in her research on the structure of DNA that provided Watson and Crick critical information that enabled them to discover the structure of DNA? ANSWER: X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY 4) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is the primary type of tectonic activity occurring along the Peru-Chile trench: W) divergence X) convergence Y) transform fault movement Z) movement over the longest hot spot chain in the world ANSWER: X) CONVERGENCE 5) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer What is the SI basic unit for luminosity? ANSWER: CANDELA 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 2 TIEBREAKER 3 1) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer Name all of the following 3 choices that INCREASE as depth within the Earth’s interior increases: temperature; density; pressure ANSWER: ALL 2) LIFE SCIENCE Multiple Choice Cells of which of the following tissues will typically have the HIGHEST mitotic rate: W) central nervous system X) inner lining of the intestine Y) cardiac muscle Z) skeletal muscle ANSWER: X) INNER LINING OF THE INTESTINE 3) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following types of glass is most commonly used in scientific laboratories because of its durability and resistance to cracking when heated and cooled: W) lead crystal X) plate Y) flint Z) borosilicate ANSWER: Z) BOROSILICATE 4) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer What colorless, odorless and poisonous gas is a product of incomplete combustion? ANSWER: CARBON MONOXIDE (ACCEPT: CO) 5) MATH Short Answer Solve the following equation for x: x – 2 = 7 (read as: the absolute value of x minus 2, close absolute value, equals 7) ANSWER: 9 OR –5 (must give both answers) 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 3 TIEBREAKER 4 1) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following most accurately describes when tidal slack water typically occurs: W) between spring and neap tides X) near high and low tides Y) only in locations that experience semi-diurnal tides Z) only in locations that experience diurnal tides ANSWER: X) NEAR HIGH AND LOW TIDES 2) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer By words or number, name all of the following 3 choices that are characteristics of light-emitting diodes when used for household lighting: 1) they are more efficient than fluorescent lights 2) true white LED’s are the easiest to manufacture 3) they produce very small amounts of heat verses incandescent lights ANSWER: 1; 3 3) MATH Short Answer Consider a triangle ABC on the coordinate plane with the following vertices: A(–4, 4); B(–5, 1); and C(–2, 0). Giving your answer in order of A, B, and C, what are the new coordinates after a reflection across the x-axis? ANSWER: A = (–4, –4); B = (–5, –1); C = (–2, 0) 4) LIFE SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following cells would most commonly present antigens to T-cells: W) eosinophil (read as: EE-OH-sin-oh-fill) X) erythrocyte Y) null cell Z) macrophage ANSWER: Z) MACROPHAGE 5) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer What color of light is produced when equal intensities of yellow and blue light are combined? ANSWER: WHITE (Solution: yellow and blue are complementary colors) 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 4 TIEBREAKER 5 1) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer What human organ will show the largest INCREASE in size during a malarial infection? ANSWER: SPLEEN 2) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following processes primarily contributes to acidified lakes and streams in the New England states: W) precipitation X) transpiration Y) evaporation Z) surface runoff ANSWER: W) PRECIPITATION 3) MATH Short Answer If after 1 year you paid a total of $1,000.00 in simple interest on a loan with a 10% annual rate, what was the original principal? ANSWER: $10,000.00 (Solution: I = Prt; $1000 = (P)(0.10)(1); P = $10,000.00) 4) GENERAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following foods has the LEAST cholesterol: W) palm oil X) lobster Y) beef liver Z) chicken ANSWER: W) PALM OIL 5) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer Name all of the following 3 substances that are common diatomic molecules: carbon dioxide; oxygen; hydrogen ANSWER: OXYGEN; HYDROGEN 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 5 TIEBREAKER 6 1) MATH Short Answer What is the slope of the graph of the following equation: –6x – y – 5 = 0 ANSWER: –6 2) LIFE SCIENCE Multiple Choice In what stage is an egg when released from the ovary when a woman ovulates: W) mature ovum X) graffian follicle Y) primary oocyte Z) secondary oocyte ANSWER: Z) SECONDARY OOCYTE 3) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer What phase change is primarily involved with freeze-drying? ANSWER: SUBLIMATION 4) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice The greatest temperature ranges occur in which of the following climatic regions: W) polar X) humid middle-latitude Y) tropical Z) subarctic ANSWER: Z) SUBARCTIC 5) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer A deficiency of what vitamin is most commonly associated with night blindness in humans? ANSWER: A 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 6 TIEBREAKER 7 1) MATH Multiple Choice Although made from a wide variety of materials and various designs, which of the following is generally believed to be the oldest mathematical computing device: W) dioptera X) slide rule Y) abacus Z) Napier’s rods ANSWER: Y) ABACUS 2) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer By words or number, name all of the following 3 substances that will readily dissolve in distilled water at room temperature: 1) 10 grams of glucose; 2) 10 milliliters of corn oil; 3) 10 milliliters of ethanol ANSWER: 1; 3 3) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer What is the most common scientific term for the stage of the cardiac rhythm when the ventricles fill with most of their blood? ANSWER: DIASTOLE (ACCEPT: VENTRICULAR DIASTOLE) 4) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer Giving your answer as s, p, d, or f, in what block of the Periodic Table do transition elements belong? ANSWER: D 5) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer By words or number, name all of the following 3 choices that are characteristic of a chaparral: 1) hot dry summer; 2) warm dry winter; 3) scrubland ANSWER: 1; 3 (Solution: chaparrals have wet winters) 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 7 TIEBREAKER 8 1) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Multiple Choice If a substance is a good conductor of heat, it usually is a: W) transitional element X) halogen Y) good conductor of electricity Z) liquid at room temperature ANSWER: Y) GOOD CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY 2) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer What gland, if removed early in childhood, will prevent the production and development of T-cells and severely limit the proper function of the human immune system? ANSWER: THYMUS 3) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice Which of the following is a type of lake that would be most likely to have high levels of phosphates and nitrates: W) cold X) oligotrophic (read as: oh-LEE-goh-TROH-fik) Y) eutrophic (read as: YOO-troh-fik) Z) benthic ANSWER: Y) EUTROPHIC 4) MATH Short Answer Arrange the following 3 choices in INCREASING order: 3 63 ; 4! (read as: 4 factorial); 10 – ANSWER: 11 ; 3 63 ; 10 – ; 4! 5) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Order the following 4 planets from the LARGEST to the SMALLEST: Mercury; Saturn; Jupiter; Mars ANSWER: JUPITER; SATURN; MARS; MERCURY 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 8 TIEBREAKER 9 1) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer To the 3rd decimal place, how many moles are there in 1.00 gram of calcium, whose atomic mass is 40? ANSWER: 0.025 2) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer Name all of the following 4 organisms that are amphibians: salamanders; toads; snakes; frogs ANSWER: SALAMANDERS; TOADS; FROGS (ACCEPT: ALL BUT SNAKES) 3) EARTH SCIENCE Short Answer Match each of the following 3 states: Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming, respectively, with one of the following 3 geological features which they are most noted for: mangrove forests; fjords; geysers ANSWER: ALASKA = FJORDS; FLORIDA = MANGROVE FORESTS; WYOMING = GEYSERS 4) MATH Short Answer Solve the following proportion for x: 6 8 x 12 ANSWER: 9 5) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer What molecular substance makes up the most of the Martian atmosphere? ANSWER: CARBON DIOXIDE (ACCEPT: CO2) 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 9 TIEBREAKER 10 1) PHYSICAL SCIENCE Short Answer Vinegar is a solution of acetic acid in what solvent? ANSWER: WATER 2) GENERAL SCIENCE Short Answer Sodium bicarbonate is the sole ingredient in what substance often used in baking? ANSWER: BAKING SODA (DO NOT ACCEPT: BAKING POWDER) 3) EARTH SCIENCE Multiple Choice The fossil record indicates that which of the following is TRUE for most plants and animals on Earth: W) most lived on land X) humans first appeared during the Permian Period Y) trilobites and dinosaurs existed at the same time Z) most have become extinct ANSWER: Z) MOST HAVE BECOME EXTINCT 4) LIFE SCIENCE Short Answer Of the 46 chromosomes in a human zygote, how many are derived from the father? ANSWER: 23 5) MATH Short Answer If 1 box of kumquats costs $3.40, how many boxes can $20.40 buy? ANSWER: 6 (Solution: 1/3.40 = x/20.4, x = 6) 2010 Middle School Regional Tiebreaker Page 10