Earth Science and Biology Quiz

Water Cycle

• The water cycle is a continuous process of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection.
• Rain falls in a slight right direction due to Earth's rotation.

Plant Biology

• Chlorophyll gives plants their green color. It absorbs blue and red light, reflecting green.
• Plants die when watered with salt water; osmosis causes a loss of water.

Earth Science

• Central Valley, California, is colder in the winter than the coast due to the warmer temperatures of the central coast.
• The ocean freezes at lower temperatures than lakes due to the salt content.
• A barometer measures air pressure/atmospheric pressure.
• Polaris, the North Star, is the direction that Earth is pointed, and stars circle around it.
• The open ocean has less productivity than the continental shelf due to a lack of nutrients from land or ocean sediment.

Evolution

• Natural selection is a process that leads to adaptations that help organisms survive, including variation, overpopulation, competition, and reproduction.
• Mutations cause variations in organisms and can be beneficial or harmful.

Geology

• Frost weathering is a form of physical weathering where ice crystals form in granite, breaking it down.
• The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is when the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the sun.

Cell Biology

• The nucleus is the control center of a cell; it contains chromosomes made of DNA.
• DNA replicates RNA.
• Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and water to create glucose (sugar) and oxygen.
• Cellular respiration uses glucose and oxygen to create energy.
• The function of a cell is determined by its structure; for example, muscle cells are long and tubular.

Chemistry

• Protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus of an atom.
• The pH scale measures acidity; lower numbers indicate higher acidity.
• Lemonade (pH 2.3) is the most acidic out of the listed options.

Natural Disasters

• The Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989 caused more damage near San Francisco Bay due to the presence of sediments and fill near the shoreline.

Ecology

• El Niño disrupts the food chain by altering ocean conditions.
• Fungi are decomposers.

Oceanographic

• The Sunlit Zone, also called the euphotic zone, is the top layer of the ocean where sunlight penetrates and supports the most ocean life.

Antarctica

• Antarctica, particularly the Ross Ice Shelf, experiences the longest amount of sunlight during the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

Test your knowledge on the water cycle, plant biology, and key concepts in earth science. Explore topics such as evaporation, the role of chlorophyll in plants, and the uniqueness of the Central Valley's climate. This quiz also covers evolution and natural selection principles.