SCIENCE QUIZ BEE ANSWER KEY

Preliminary Round
1. In the digestive system, proteins are broken down into? (Biology)
A. Simple sugars
B. Fatty Acids
C. Amino Acids
D. Glycerol
Answer: C. Amino Acids
2. A vector A is added to a vector B. Under what conditions does the resultant vector A +
B have greatest magnitude? (Physics)
A. When A and B are parallel and in the same direction.
B. When A and B are parallel and in the opposite direction.
C. When A and B are perpendicular.
D. The magnitude of A + B does not depend on directions of A and B.
Answer: A. When A and B are parallel and in the same direction.
3. Red blood cells are formed in the _____________. (Biology)
A. Liver
B. Bone marrow
C. Kidneys
D. Heart
Answer: B. Bone marrow
4. Metamorphic rock can form from: (Earth Science)
A. Sedimentary rock only
B. Igneous rock only
C. Magma
D. Igneous or sedimentary rock
Answer: D. Igneous or sedimentary rock
5. It is the process of reacting acids and bases to form salt. (Chemistry)
A. Buffer
B. Neutralization
C. Decomposition Reaction
D. Double Replacement Reaction
Answer: B. Neutralization
6. A woman lifts 20 bricks, each of which weighs 6N. What other information is needed
to calculate the useful work done in the lifting of the bricks? (Physics)
A. The distance she lifts the bricks.
B. The time taken to lift the bricks.
C. The volume of the bricks.
D. The mass of the bricks.
Answer: A. The distance she lifts the bricks. (W = F/d, where F is 6N)
7. Noble gases are elements with very stable electron in the outer shell. Which of the
following does not belong to Noble gases? (Chemistry)
A. Argon
B. Helium
 C. Chlorine
D. Radon
Answer: C. Chlorine. (Halogens)
8. Certain substances are classified as water pollutants, others as air pollutants and still
others as land pollutants. Which of the following pollutes all three parts of our
environment? (Earth Science)
A. Fluorocarbons
B. Smog
C. Acid Rain
D. Ozone
Answer: C. Acid Rain.
9. Hematite is a primary ore of which of the following metals? (Earth Science)
A. Zinc
B. Tungsten
C. Iron
D. Silver
Answer: C. Iron.
10. In a flame test, the presence of copper in a solution is evident by what color flame?
(Chemistry)
A. Red
B. Orange
C. Indigo
D. Blue-green
Answer: D. Blue-green
Preliminary Round Clincher Questions
1. Crude oil is separated into its components by: (Chemistry)
A. Evaporation
B. Simple distillation
C. Fractional distillation
D. Settling
Answer: C. Fractional distillation
2. The work done by a friction force is: (Physics)
A. Always positive
B. Always negative
C. Always zero
D. either positive or negative depending upon the situation.
Answer: B. Always negative
3. Which one of the following seas has the lowest salinity? (Earth Science)
A. Baltic Sea
B. Dead Sea
C. Mediterranean Sea
D. Red Sea
Answer: A. Baltic Sea
4. Each of the following is a cell organelle except one. Which one of these is NOT a cell
organelle? (Biology)
A. Mitochondrion
B. Lysosome
C. Endoplasmic Reticulum
D. Cytoplasm
Answer: D. Cytoplasm
5. As defined in physics, work is: (Physics)
A. A scalar quantity
B. Always a positive quantity
C. A vector quantity
D. Always zero
Answer: A. A scalar quantity.
6. The process by which an amino acid loses its amino group is called: (Biology)
A. Hydration
B. Deamination
C. Oxidoamination
D. Dehydration
Answer: B. Deamination
7. The Michelson interferometer was designed to study the nature of? (Physics)
A. Water waves
B. Sound waves
C. An “ether”
D. Sunlight
Answer: C. An “ether”
8. In the periodic table, which of the following identifies a horizontal row? (Chemistry)
A. Period
B. Group
C. Family
D. Series
Answer: A. Period
9. Name the element discovered upon its extraction from pitchblende. (Chemistry)
A. Platinum
B. Uranium
C. Iridium
D. Plutonium
Answer: B. Uranium
10. In the sun, helium is produced from hydrogen by: (Physics)
A. Radioactive decay
B. Disintegration
C. Fission
D. Fusion
Answer: D. Fusion
Semi-final Round
1. What is the name given to the excessive growth of algae and other primary producers
in streams and lakes as a result of an input of soil nutrients? (Earth Science)

Answer: EUTROPHICATION

2. Glycerine and what other substance are made by heating animal fats or vegetable oils
with sodium hydroxide? (Chemistry)

Answer: SOAP

3. The rate at which electrical energy is used is measured in? (Physics)

Answer: WATTS

4. Water molecules enter plant epidermal cells by: (Biology)

Answer: OSMOSIS

5. What gas makes up the majority of our atmosphere? (Earth Science)

Answer: NITROGEN

6. What yellow metal is an alloy of copper and zinc? (Chemistry)

Answer: BRASS

7. Which color of light has the highest frequency? (Physics)

Answer: VIOLET
Semi-final Round Clincher Questions
1. Proteins that cause reactions to proceed more rapidly and lower the energy of
activation are called. (Biology)

Answer: ENZYME

2. The tanning rays of the sun are called: (Earth Science)

Answer: ULTRAVIOLET RAYS

3. The substance whose chemical formula is CH3OH is known as ________. (Chemistry)

Answer: METHANOL

4. Dr. Leon Lederman and two other physicists won the Nobel prize for discovering an
elementary particle. That particle is the: (Physics)

Answer: NEUTRINO

5. What is sometimes called animal starch? (Biology)

Answer: GLYCOGEN

6. The ozone layer is located in which region of the atmosphere? (Earth Science)

Answer: STRATOSPHERE

7. What mechanical and electronic device has a name derived from a Czechoslovakian
word meaning "work; compulsory service"? (Physics)

Answer: ROBOT

8. It describes the changes in frequency of any kind of sound or light wave produced by
a moving source with respect to an observer. (Physics)

Answer: DOPPLER EFFECT

9. The highest volcano in our solar system is located in which planet? (Earth Science)
Answer: MARS
10. What class of organic compounds is characterized by an -OH group bonded to an alkyl
group?

Answer: ALCOHOL
Final Round
1. When considering electron orbitals, which orbital is generally considered spherical?
(Chemistry)

Answer: S ORBITAL

2. A girl throws a 2-kilogram rock vertically upward. It reaches a maximum height of 5

meters. What is the kinetic energy of the rock the instant it leaves the girl's hand?
(Physics)

Answer: 100 JOULES (ACCEPT 98 JOULES)

3. On a dry day, water diffuses out of the intercellular spaces of the leaf through what
part of the leaf? (Biology)

Answer: STOMATA

4. What is the name given to the process, discovered by Goodyear, of adding sulfur to
heated rubber? (Chemistry)

Answer: VULCANIZATION

5. What is another name for the 180th meridian? (Earth Science)

Answer: INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE

Final Round Clincher Questions
1. What is the term used to measure the intensity of solar radiation and is equal to one
gram calorie per square centimeter per minute? (Earth Science)

Answer: LANGLEY

2. Name the thermodynamic state function that is a measure of randomness. (Chemistry)

Answer: ENTROPY

3. What term is used to describe silver which contains 7.5% copper? (Chemistry)

Answer: STERLING

4. In Einstein's universe, what is the fourth dimension? (Physics)

Answer: TIME

5. What is the highly insoluble (polysaccharide) carbohydrate which is a major supporting

material in plants? (Biology)

Answer: CELLULOSE

6. What is the generic name for a biocide effective against certain plants? (Biology)

Answer: HERBICIDE

7. What is the name given to a region where one plate of the earth's crust is sliding under
another? (Earth Science)

Answer: SUBDUCTION ZONE

8. What type of star is our sun? (Earth Science)

Answer: MAIN SEQUENCE STAR

9. In optics, when the vibrations of light are limited to a single two-dimensional plane, it
is said that light has been what? (Physics)

Answer: POLARIZED

10. The major organ in mammals for detoxifying chemicals is: (Biology)

Answer: LIVER