Big Science Competition

2015

Sample questions
Junior
MASCOT FACES EXTINCTION
The three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes tricinctus) was the mascot of the 2014 Football World
Cup in Brazil. However, the species is under threat of extinction. This is due to a rapidly growing
plant from Madagascar called the ‘rubber vine weed’. This plant is covering large areas of the
armadillo’s habitat.
The rubber vine weed has blue flowers and produces huge numbers of small seeds. The plant also
produces a toxic sap (fluid).

The three-banded armadillo

In which genus is the three-banded armadillo classified?

A Tolypeutes
B tricinctus
C Tolypeutes tricinctus
D Armadillos

Would these aspects of rubber vine weed cause it to become a problem plant in Brazil?
Select the column that provides a correct response for each aspect.

Would this aspect cause the plant to become a

A B C D
problem in Brazil?

production of large numbers of seeds yes yes no no

rapid growth yes yes yes no

lack of natural diseases for the plant in Brazil no yes yes no

2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309
Junior & Intermediate
PLASTICS CLEAN UP
A new company, the Ocean Cleanup, was founded by 17-year-old Boyan Slat in 2012. He was
concerned about the number of plastic objects in the ocean.
Discarded plastics, including water bottles and bags, can gradually form giant ocean swirling garbage
patches called ‘gyres’. These objects slowly break down into smaller pieces.
Boyan’s plan to clean up the garbage patches was to design a chain of floating booms (barriers)
attached to a platform.

Booms in place around a platform

The booms trap the plastic.

Which characteristic of plastic objects allows them to be captured by the booms?
A their size
B their density
C they are reusable
D they break down over time

The plastics are collected using a passive design. The passive design uses energy already
existing in the system.
What is the source of this existing energy?
A The energy of the ocean currents.
B The energy used to create the plastics.
C The energy released when the plastics break down.
D The energy created by the movement of the booms.
2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309
 Junior
A BIG MICRO-SIZED PROBLEM
‘Micro-beads’ are tiny plastic beads that are put into some cosmetic products. The beads act like
sandpaper to ‘exfoliate’ or remove the top layer of skin cells.
The micro-beads can damage ecosystems. The beads enter the environment by passing through filters
at waste-water treatment plants.
Scientists have found large amounts of micro-beads in lakes. In one instance they dragged a very fine
net across the surface of part of a lake and found 81% of the plastic waste trapped was micro-beads.

An electron microscope image of a cosmetic product with micro-beads

Why are micro-beads able to pass through the waste-treatment plant?

A The water treatment filters are designed for particles smaller than micro-beads.
B The micro-beads are dissolved and pass through the filters.
C The micro-beads can fit through holes in the filters.
D Micro-beads are not filtered because they float

2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309
 Intermediate
LIFE ON MARS
The next mission to Mars will study whether the planet can support life. Part of the mission will be
growing plants from seed in a mini greenhouse.
The transparent greenhouse will be sealed before it leaves the Earth. It will contain everything the
seeds need to grow. Once on Mars the seeds will be heated, watered, and allowed to germinate. An
identical box will remain on Earth as a control.
Mars is smaller than Earth and it has a thin, cold atmosphere that is 96% CO2.
Earth has a large magnetic field that stops dangerous radiation from reaching the surface.

The new mission will use a rover similar to the one currently
on Mars (image courtesy of NASA)

Why have the scientists chosen to grow the seeds in Earth soil, not Martian soil?
A The elements present on Mars are different to those on Earth.
B If the plants do not grow in Martian soil they could not be certain of the cause.
C The seeds will only germinate in Earth soil.
D They are not interested in seeing if plants can grow in Martian soil.

2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309
 Intermediate
HEALING BONES
About 10% of broken bones take much longer to heal than is normal.

X-ray of a broken arm

Bones that do not heal normally can be treated with ultrasound to help stimulate bone growth.
A study on the effectiveness of ultrasound in the treatment of poorly healing bones is described as
follows:
“One group of patients received ultrasound treatment and another, the control group, did not”.

In the context of this study, how would the control group be best described?
A A group of healthy patients without broken bones.
B A group of patients with broken bones that are healing normally.
C A group of patients who have had ultrasound examinations in the past.
D A group of patients with broken bones that are not healing normally.

What would be the most likely measure of the effectiveness of ultrasound treatment?
A The number of ultrasound treatments needed to improve bone growth.
B A reduction in the time taken to heal the broken bone.
C The length of time before the healed bone breaks again.
D The strength of the bone after healing has occurred.

2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309
 Intermediate
HEALING BONES PART 2
The casts used to immobilise broken bones are normally made from plaster or fibreglass.
Recently, a new type of cast has been developed that is printed with a 3D (three dimensional) printer.

Traditional plaster cast Fibreglass cast Printed cast

The printed cast is made from a lightweight plastic. This cast is printed as a flat web-like sheet and then
wrapped around the patient’s arm. The cast is held in place by strong clips. Each printed cast is based
on a three dimensional computer scan of the patient’s arm. Once the bone has healed the cast is cut
from the arm.

What advantages is the printed cast likely to have over the other two types of cast?
Select the column that provides a correct response for each advantage.

Is this an advantage of the printed cast? A B C D

lighter weight than the other casts yes yes no yes

able to be more easily worn under clothes yes yes yes no

able to be worn in the shower no yes yes no

broken bones are immobilised more rapidly no no yes yes

What is likely to be a disadvantage of replacing traditional casts with printed ones?

A An individual cast will take longer to produce.
B The technology needed to print the casts is not readily available.
C The time taken for the bones to heal in a printed cast will be longer than in traditional
casts.
D The ease of production of the cast will increase their use on patients who do not need
them.
2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309
 Intermediate
FAECAL MATTER TRANSPLANT

Many types of bacteria are found in human intestines. Taking antibiotics can change the
amounts of the species of bacteria that live there.
Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that normally occurs in small numbers in the intestines.
Taking antibiotics may cause the number of Clostridium difficile in the intestines to become very high.
This is known as a ‘Clostridium difficile infection’. If this infection occurs, the person may suffer from
diarrhoea, vomiting and pain.
Patients with these infections can be treated with a ‘faecal transplant’. A mixture of water and faeces is
taken from a healthy person. It is then injected into the intestines of the patient.

Clostridium difficile bacteria

How would an antibiotic cause a Clostridium difficile infection?

A The antibiotic used was ineffective against bacteria.
B The antibiotic contained Clostridium difficile bacteria.
C The antibiotic was contaminated with different species of bacteria.
D The Clostridium difficile were not killed by the antibiotic, but other bacteria were.

2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309
How would a faecal transplant cure a Clostridium difficile infection?
A The faecal transplant does not contain Clostridium difficile.
B The faecal transplant is toxic to the Clostridium difficile bacteria.
C The bacteria in the transplant compete with the Clostridium difficile for resources.
D The faecal transplant will wash the Clostridium difficile bacteria out of the intestines.

A recent study compared faecal transplants with the use of a new antibiotic in the treatment of
Clostridium difficile infection.
Of the patients administered a faecal transplant, 94% were cured compared to 31% cured when
treated with the antibiotic.
Once this result became clear, the study was stopped.
On what ethical grounds would this decision have been made?
A The faecal treatment was shown to be successful, so no other research was needed.
B It would have been unnecessary to spend any more money on a study where the results
were so clear.
C Continuing the study would have meant some patients were not given the most effective
treatment.
D There was no need to continue an unpleasant treatment for patients who had been cured.

The human intestine and the bacteria inside it form an ecosystem.

Where do these bacteria get most of the energy they need to survive?
A by consuming material moving through the intestine
B by breaking down the intestinal wall
C by eating other bacteria
D by photosynthesis

2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309
Senior
EARLY EARTH IN A JAR

In a famous experiment in the 1950s, scientists put simple chemicals that were on Earth soon after it
formed into a reactor vessel. The chemicals included water (H2O), methane (CH4), and ammonia
(NH3). The reactor was heated and an electrical spark was created inside. Among the chemicals
produced were amino acids. Amino acids are a type of chemical found in living things.
Recently, scientists who repeated the experiment also included the chemical cyanamide (CN2H2) in the
reactants. They found that peptides were also produced. Peptides are made by combining amino acids.

The chemicals produced by the experiments in the 1950s

Why is the electric spark used?

A It is used to heat the reactor.
B It allows the reaction to be electrically turned on.
C It simulates lightning in an early Earth atmosphere.
D Electricity was the only energy present on the early Earth.

For what reason did the chemists perform these chemical reactions?
A to find out if peptides could have formed on the early Earth
B to obtain samples of amino acids and peptides for scientists
C to create a sample of Earth’s early atmosphere
D to try to create living organism

2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309
Why did the recent scientists add cyanamide to the reactor?
A Cyanamide decomposes to form water.
B Lots of other chemical reactions use cyanamide.
C The scientists knew it was the only way that the peptides would form.
D The scientists thought cyanamide might have been present on the early Earth.

Senior
MARTIAN IRON
A recent photograph from the surface of Mars shows a large iron meteor that fell onto Mars. These
meteors are fairly common in the solar system.

Large iron meteor on the surface of Mars

The iron atoms in the meteorite are different from the iron atoms in the soil on Mars.
In what way can iron atoms in two separate samples be different?
A The iron atoms could react differently.
B The iron atoms could form different ions.
C The iron atoms could have different masses.
D The iron atoms could have different amounts of protons.

2015 Big Science Competition Sample Questions © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309