Here are some science questions to help you test your general science knowledge. They will also show you which of the Florida, Utah, and NGSS science standards each question is testing.
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time.
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This is common, table salt. Is it:
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a rock?
Partly correct. Table salt, also known as halite, is both a rock and a mineral. -
a mineral?
Partly correct. Table salt, also known as halite, is both a rock and a mineral. -
Neither a rock nor a mineral?
No. Table salt, also known as halite, is both a rock and a mineral.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.4.E.6.2 Identify the physical properties of common earth-forming minerals, including hardness, color, luster, cleavage, and streak color, and recognize the role of minerals in the formation of rocks.
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Minerals Around You | text page, learnalong |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
| Review Minerals-1 | practice |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.III.1.b Observe rocks using a magnifying glass and draw shapes and colors of the minerals.
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
UT.8.III.1.b Observe and describe the minerals found in rocks (e.g., shape, color, luster, texture, hardness).
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
| Review Minerals-1 | practice |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
NGSS
5-PS1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
| Density: Ice, Oil, and Water | video |
| Wax and Wood, part 1 | video |
| Wax and Wood, part 2 | video |
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Raw Egg or Boiled? | video |
| Making Turmeric Paper | video |
| Testing for Tannic Acid | video |
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| Floating Bubbles | video |
| Finding Fat in Foods | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Fireworks Colors | video |
| Iron Cereal | video, ClosedCaptions |
| A Cool Change | text page |
| Acid Hunt | text page |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
Why is color not a reliable way to identify minerals?
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Many minerals occur in several different colors
Yes. This is the mineral quartz. Quartz can be clear, white, black, yellow, purple, and other colors, so its color is not reliable for identification. -
It is difficult to tell the difference between color and luster.
No. Luster tells us how the mineral reflects light, and has nothing to do with its color. -
Some minerals are clear, and don't have any color.
No. Even clear minerals like quartz can be found in different colors due to impurities and imperfections. -
Actually, color is a good way to identify minerals.
No. Color is not a reliable way to identify minerals.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.4.E.6.2 Identify the physical properties of common earth-forming minerals, including hardness, color, luster, cleavage, and streak color, and recognize the role of minerals in the formation of rocks.
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Minerals Around You | text page, learnalong |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
| Review Minerals-1 | practice |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.III.1.b Observe rocks using a magnifying glass and draw shapes and colors of the minerals.
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
UT.8.III.1.b Observe and describe the minerals found in rocks (e.g., shape, color, luster, texture, hardness).
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| What is a Rock? | video, learnalong |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
| Review Minerals-1 | practice |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
NGSS
5-PS1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
| Density: Ice, Oil, and Water | video |
| Wax and Wood, part 1 | video |
| Wax and Wood, part 2 | video |
| What is a Mineral? | video |
| Identifying Minerals | video, learnalong |
| Raw Egg or Boiled? | video |
| Making Turmeric Paper | video |
| Testing for Tannic Acid | video |
| Definition of a Mineral | video |
| Floating Bubbles | video |
| Finding Fat in Foods | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Fireworks Colors | video |
| Iron Cereal | video, ClosedCaptions |
| A Cool Change | text page |
| Acid Hunt | text page |
| Review Minerals-2 | practice |
| Review Minerals-3 | practice |
| Review Minerals-4 | practice |
| Review Minerals-5 | practice |
| Review Minerals-6 | practice |
| Review Minerals-7 | practice |
| Review Minerals-8 | practice |
The brown spots on this fern contain spores. How are spores different from seeds?
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Spores are much smaller, because they do not contain stored food for the young plant.
That is part of the answer. Most seeds contain stored food for the developing plant. Orchid seeds are an exception.. -
Spores are a form of asexual reproduction.
That is part of the answer. Spores contain only the genetic material from the parent plant. -
Spores develop into a different kind of plant from the parent.
This is part of the answer. Ferns have alternation of generations, which means that the spores grow into a plant called a prothallia. The prothallia produces male and female sex cells, which join, and grow into another fern plant. -
All of the above.
Yes! All three of the answers are correct.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.3.L.15.2 Classify flowering and nonflowering plants into major groups such as those that produce seeds, or those like ferns and mosses that produce spores, according to their physical characteristics.
| Pumpkin Guts | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Plants-4 | practice |
| Review Plants-8 | practice |
SC.4.L.16.4 Compare and contrast the major stages in the life cycles of Florida plants and animals, such as those that undergo incomplete and complete metamorphosis, and flowering and nonflowering seedbearing
plants.
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Creating a Sprout Guide | text page, photography, free |
| Review Life Cycle-3 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-4 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-1 | practice |
| Review Life Cycle-2 | practice |
| Review Plants-4 | practice |
Utah
UT.5.V.1.e Investigate variations and similarities in plants grown from seeds of a parent plant (e.g., how seeds from the same plant species can produce different colored flowers or identical flowers).
| Review Plants-4 | practice |
UT.7.IV.1.c Cite examples of organisms that reproduce sexually (e.g., rats, mosquitoes, salmon, sunflowers) and those that reproduce asexually (e.g., hydra, planaria, bacteria, fungi, cuttings from house plants).
| Pumpkin Guts | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Review Plants-4 | practice |
NGSS
MS-LS1-4 Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Bacteria and Antibiotics | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| A Walk in the Park | video |
| Nature Watching | video |
| Calling a Woodpecker | video |
| Selective Smelling | video |
| Pumpkin Guts | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| How Does a Butterfly Fly? | text page, free |
| Review Adaptation-3 | practice |
| Review Plants-2 | practice |
| Review Plants-4 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-4 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-5 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-8 | practice |
MS-LS3-2 Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.
| Extracting Your Own DNA | video |
| Review Plants-3 | practice |
| Review Plants-4 | practice |
MS-LS3-2 Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.
| Extracting Your Own DNA | video |
| Review Plants-3 | practice |
| Review Plants-4 | practice |
This snow fell when the temperature outside was 39°F. How can you get snow when the temperature is above freezing?
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The wind made it feel colder, allowing it to snow.
No. While wind chill can make it feel colder, it does not actually make it colder. -
It was colder in the clouds where the snow formed.
Yes. Even when air temperatures at the surface are above freezing, the clouds can be much colder. If the air at the surface is not too warm, the snow can reach the ground without melting. -
Rain froze into snow when it hit the ground.
No. Freezing rain forms ice, not snow. Light, fluffy snow flakes form as they fall through the air, not after they hit the ground. -
This is really hail instead of snow.
No. Hail is made of large chunks of ice, not tiny flakes.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.5.E.7.4 Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail), making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.
| Photographing Snowflakes | video |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 2 | video |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 1 | video |
| Snow Rollers | text page |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
SC.6.E.7.3 Describe how global patterns such as the jet stream and ocean currents influence local weather in measurable terms such as temperature, air pressure, wind direction and speed, and humidity and precipitation.
| Nephoscope | video |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.II.2.a Observe and record effects of air temperature on precipitation (e.g., below freezing results in snow, above freezing results in rain).
| Photographing Snowflakes | video |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 2 | video |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 1 | video |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
NGSS
3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
| Nephoscope | video |
| Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
| Review Space-8 | practice |
| Review Weather-5 | practice |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-4 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
| Review Space-5 | practice |
MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
| Cloud Types | video |
| Nephoscope | video |
| Cloud Formation, part 1 | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-4 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
| Review Weather-1 | practice |
| Review Weather-2 | practice |
The "strings" in a stalk of celery are made up of xylem and phloem. Which part of your body comes closest to serving the same function?
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Skeleton
No. Your skeleton provides support and protection. In plants, the cell wall provides support and protection. -
Intestines
No. Your intestines allow you to absorb nutrients from your food. Plants make their own food, so they do not need a digestive system. -
Nerves
No. Your nerves carry signals to let the parts of your body communicate. They carry messages for your senses, to move your muscles, etc. Instead of having nerves, plants release chemicals that signal other parts of the plant. -
Blood Vessels
Yes! Your blood vessels carry water and nutrients to different parts of your body. In plants, the xylem is made up of tubes that carry water and some nutrients from the roots upwards to other parts of the plant. The phloem is made up of tubes that carry the sugar produce by photosynthesis to other parts of the plant. While they work in very different ways, your blood vessels serve basically the same function (carrying water and nutrients) as the xylem and phloem in plants.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.3.L.14.1 Describe structures in plants and their roles in food production, support, water and nutrient transport, and reproduction.
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Testing a Leaf for Starch | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Heartless Plants | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Pumpkin Guts | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Measuring Photosynthesis | video |
| Smell the Flowers | text page |
| Review Plants-2 | practice |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
| Review Plants-8 | practice |
| Review Plants-3 | practice |
SC.5.L.14.2 Compare and contrast the function of organs and other physical structures of plants and animals, including humans, for example: some animals have skeletons for support — some with internal skeletons others with exoskeletons — while some plants have stems for support.
| Bird Bones | video, free |
| Reading a Skeleton | video, free |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
Utah
UT.6.V.1.b Compare characteristics common in observed organisms (e.g., color, movement, appendages, shape) and infer their function (e.g., green color found in organisms that are producers, appendages help movement).
| Onion Crystals | video |
| A Walk in the Park | video |
| Selective Smelling | video |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| Review Adaptation-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-6 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-3 | practice |
| Review Adaptation-4 | practice |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
UT.7.IV.2.d Relate the structure of organs to an organism’s ability to survive in a specific environment (e.g., hollow bird bones allow them to fly in air, hollow structure of hair insulates animals from hot or cold, dense root structure allows plants to grow in compact soil, fish fins aid fish in moving in water).
| Seed Search | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Orange Slices | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Flowers | video, ClosedCaptions |
| Onion Crystals | video |
| Hunting with an Umbrella | video, free, ClosedCaptions |
| Bendable Bones | video |
| Calling a Woodpecker | video |
| Selective Smelling | video |
| Thoughts on an Exoskeleton | text page, free |
| Review Plants-5 | practice |
| Review Plants-6 | practice |
| Review Plants-7 | practice |
NGSS
MS-LS1-1 Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.
| Microscopes: Making a Hay Infusion | video, free, learnalong |
| Microscopes: Making a Wet Mount | video, learnalong |
| Microscopes: Making a Dry Mount | video, learnalong |
| 901 | photo challenge, free |
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time.
