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1) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

The initial step in the preparation of recombinant DNA is to cut both DNA strands using enzymes known as:
W) snurps
X) restriction ligases
Y) restriction endonucleases
Z) restriction vectors

ANSWER: Y) RESTRICTION ENDONUCLEASES
1) Bonus - Biology - Short Answer

Assuming brown eyes is dominant over blue eyes and there is no polygenesis, if a mother is blue eyed and her husband is brown eyed heterozygous, what are the chances that any of the children will be blue eyed?

ANSWER: 50%
2) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

When alternating current electricity is generated at a power plant, the current is created in 'packets' known as phases. In the United States, what is the most common type of AC electricity?
W) 2 phase
X) 3 phase
Y) 4 phase
Z) 5 phase

ANSWER: X) 3 PHASE
2) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

In a 3-phase AC circuit, what is the angle shift between each phase?
W) 45 degrees
X) 60 degrees
Y) 90 degrees
Z) 120 degrees

ANSWER: Z) 120 DEGREES
3) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

Which fundamental force is not explained by the Standard Model?

ANSWER: GRAVITY
3) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

This device is used to detect charged particles, which create a visible track as they move through it. A magnetic field is aligned perpendicular to the plane of the device so that positively charged particles curve one way and negatively charged particles curve in the opposite direction.

ANSWER: CLOUD CHAMBER OR BUBBLE CHAMBER
4) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

In living cells, chemical processes, such as synthesis, all require the action of
W) specialized antibiotics
X) hormones
Y) salts
Z) biological catalysts

ANSWER: Z) biological catalysts
4) Bonus - Biology - Short Answer

The process of meiotic cell division in a human male usually forms what?

ANSWER: Four monoploid cells
5) Toss Up - Chemistry - Short Answer

What is the name of the elements in Group 16?

ANSWER: Chalcogens (Accept: Chalcogen, Oxygen Family)
5) Bonus - Chemistry - Short Answer

When Carbonic acid is created, it always decomposes into:

ANSWER: Dihydrogen Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide (Accept: H2O and CO2, Water and CO2)
6) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a seedless plant?
W) St. John’s wort
X) Hornwort
Y) Whisk fern
Z) Liverwort

ANSWER: W) ST. JOHN'S WORT
6) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice

A Paramecium [par-uh-MEE-see-uhm] lives in fresh water and has a contractile vacuole [kuhn-TRAK-tl VAK-yoo-ohl] that allows it to regularly expel excess water that enters its cell. Which of the following is correct?
W) The inside of the cell is hypertonic compared to the outside of the cell, so water enters the cell through osmosis
X) The inside of the cell is hypotonic to the outside of the cell, so water enters the cell through osmosis
Y) The inside and outside of the cell are isotonic, but water enters the cell as the Paramecium swims around
Z) The cellular processes of the Paramecium produce a lot of excess water, so it needs to get rid of the extra water

ANSWER: X) THE INSIDE OF THE CELL IS HYPOTONIC TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE CELL, SO WATER ENTERS THE CELL THROUGH OSMOSIS
7) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

The molar volume of which two elements is the same at standard temperature and pressure?
W) fluorine and bromine
X) fluorine and iodine
Y) fluorine and chlorine
Z) bromine and iodine

ANSWER: Y) fluorine and chlorine
7) Bonus - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

Zinc is most soluble in which of the following liquids?
W) Water
X) Alchohol
Y) Mercury
Z) Oil

ANSWER: Y) Mercury
8) Toss Up - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

Which of the following was discovered in the 1600’s about Venus that was strong evidence that the planets orbited the Sun:
W) Venus’s cloud cover reverses its direction in the sky at certain times of the year
X) Venus has phases varying from crescent to full
Y) Venus has an axial motion opposite to that of the Earth
Z) Venus is the brightest planet in the sky only part of the year

ANSWER: X) Venus has phases varying from crescent to full
8) Bonus - Astronomy - Short Answer

What star has the greatest apparent magnitude?

ANSWER: Sun
9) Toss Up - Math - Multiple Choice

What is the minimum number of times a deck of 52 cards must be shuffled to thoroughly mix the cards?
W) 2
X) 5
Y) 7
Z) 12

ANSWER: Y-- 7
9) Bonus - Math - Multiple Choice

Although the chance of YOUR winning a state lottery twice is as low as one chance in 17 trillion, what is the chance that SOMEONE will win twice?
W) 1 in 10
X) 1 in 30
Y) 1 in 3000
Z) 1 in 1,000,000

ANSWER: X-- 1 IN 30
10) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the repressor protein in the lac (read as: LACK) operon:
W) uncompetitive inhibitor
X) structural protein
Y) regulatory protein
Z) transcriptional factor

ANSWER: Y) REGULATORY PROTEIN
10) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice

Through which of the following mechanisms do allosteric inhibitors typically operate:
W) binding the substrate
X) binding to an enzyme’s active site
Y) binding to a site other than the active site and changing the shape of an enzyme
Z) acting as a competitive inhibitor and overpowering the active sites of enzymes

ANSWER: Y) BINDING TO A SITE OTHER THAN THE ACTIVE SITE AND CHANGING THE SHAPE OF AN ENZYME
11) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

Which phenomenon is responsible for the emission of electrons when photons strike a solar cell?

ANSWER: THE PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT
11) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

In a cyclotron, which of the following factors does not affect the particle's angular frequency?
W) strength of the magnetic field
X) charge of the particle
Y) mass of the particle
Z) radius of the particle's orbit

ANSWER: Z) RADIUS OF THE PARTICLE'S ORBIT
12) Toss Up - Astronomy - Short Answer

What is the Vostok 1?

ANSWER: the first manned spacecraft
12) Bonus - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

The Hertzsprung-Russel Diagram of stars DIRECTL
Y) compares what TWO of the following properties of stars?
W) size and temperature
X) temperature and luminosity
Y) size and luminosity
Z) temperature and density

ANSWER: X) temperature and luminosity
13) Toss Up - Earth Science - Multiple Choice

Low, layered gray clouds that produce light precipitation are called
W) cumulus.
X) stratus.
Y) cirrus.
Z) nimbus.

ANSWER: X-- STRATUS
13) Bonus - Earth Science - Multiple Choice

The tropical rain forest habitat covers only about seven percent of the Earth’s surface but contains what percent of Earth’s species?
W) 50 to 80
X) 25 to 40
Y) 10 to 25
Z) 7 to 14

ANSWER: W-- 50 TO 80
14) Toss Up - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

Which of the following positions is an inferior planet most likely in if it is seen just after sunset:
W) opposition
X) superior conjunction
Y) greatest eastern elongation
Z) greatest western elongation

ANSWER: Y) GREATEST EASTERN ELONGATION
14) Bonus - Astronomy - Short Answer

According to the Pogson scale for brightness, by what multiple does the brightness of 2 stars differ that have apparent magnitudes of +3 and +8?

ANSWER: 100
15) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following instruments can separate cells according to their size and density:
W) electron microscope
X) electrophoretic gel
Y) liquid chromatograph
Z) centrifuge

ANSWER: Z) CENTRIFUGE
15) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice

A restriction enzyme does which of the following:
W) recognizes a specific nucleotide sequence and snips the DNA at or near this recognition site
X) recognizes a non-specific nucleotide sequences and snips the DNA at or near this recognition site
Y) anneals single strands of DNA
Z) restricts which DNA strand will be transcribed

ANSWER: W) RECOGNIZES A SPECIFIC NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE AND SNIPS THE DNA AT OR NEAR THIS RECOGNITION SITE
16) Toss Up - Chemistry - Short Answer

What is the molecular formula for the conjugate base of the following Br0nsted-Lowry acid: HPO42-

ANSWER: PO43-
16) Bonus - Chemistry - Short Answer

To 2 decimal places, calculate how many moles of air are in a 4.0 liter tank at 1 atmosphere of pressure and at a temperature of 300K:

ANSWER: 0.17 (ACCEPT: 0.16 MOLES) (Solution: n = PV/RT; = (1atm)(4L)/0.08L.atm/K.mol)(300K); = 0.166moles)
17) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

Giving your answer as north, south, east, or west relative to a point on the Equator, in what direction is the Earth’s angular velocity as it rotates daily about its axis?

ANSWER: NORTH (Solution: fingers of right hand go towards east (direction of Earth’s rotation) and thumb goes north)
17) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

Ignoring air resistance, wind velocity, and the rotation of the Earth, if a projectile is fired directly upwards, the horizontal component of the projectile’s velocity:
W) is zero
X) remains a non zero constant
Y) continuously increases
Z) continuously decreases

ANSWER: W) IS ZERO
18) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

What radiation is due to the circular motion of charge?
W) Bremsttrahlung
X) Cerenkov radiation
Y) Ionizing radiation
Z) Synchrotron radiation

ANSWER: Z) SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
18) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

What is the name for radiation which is caused by charged particles moving in a medium at a speed greater than the phase velocity of light in that medium?

ANSWER: CERENKOV RADIATION
19) Toss Up - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

Which of the following constellations can be seen highest in the November sky of the northern hemisphere?
W) Orion
X) Cassiopeia
Y) Mensa
Z) Cancer

ANSWER: X) CASSIOPEIA
19) Bonus - Astronomy - Short Answer

The Stefan-Boltzman Law states that the energy emitted from a black body varies with what power of the temperature?

ANSWER: FOURTH
20) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

Which of the following has a refractive index closest to 1:
W) pure silica glass
X) a near perfect vacuum
Y) a quartz crystal
Z) pure water

ANSWER: X) A NEAR PERFECT VACUUM
20) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

What proposition of Niels Bohr states that to understand any one experiment dealing with light one must use either the wave or photon theory but not both:
W) exclusion theory
X) principle of complimentarity
Y) quantum exclusion postulate
Z) photocell theory

ANSWER: X) PRINCIPLE OF COMPLIMENTARITY
21) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

Which of the following molecular shapes would you expect from O3:
W) bent
X) trigonal planar
Y) linear
Z) see-saw

ANSWER: W) bent
21) Bonus - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

Which of the following molecules exhibits a dipole moment:
W) CH4
X) H2S
Y) CO2
Z) SO3

ANSWER: X) H2S
22) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a metallic element, composes about 5% of the Earth's crust, oxidizes very easily, and when pure is a dark, silver-grey metal:
W) cobalt
X) nickel
Y) iron
Z) titanium

ANSWER: Y) IRON
22) Bonus - Chemistry - Short Answer

In general, metals are relatively hard except for what group of metals in the Periodic Table?

ANSWER: ONE (ACCEPT: GROUP 1A or ALKALI METALS)
23) Toss Up - Energy - Short Answer

Which type of metabolic pathway uses ATP to build macromolecules, such as proteins, out of smaller components?

ANSWER: ANABOLIC METABOLISM
23) Bonus - Energy - Multiple Choice

Although coal formed throughout many geological periods, coal from the Lower Triassic period is quite rare. Which of the following is the best possible explanation?
W) Terrestrial plants had not yet evolved
X) Large animals had not yet evolved
Y) A mass extinction occurred
Z) Soil density was too low

ANSWER: Y) A MASS EXTINCTION OCCURRED
24) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

If 8 coulombs of charge pass through a conductor in -> second, how many amperes did the conductor carry?

ANSWER: 16 AMPERES
24) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

Assuming the velocity of light is 300,000 kilometers per second in a vacuum, what is the velocity of light, in kilometers/sec, in a transparent substance with a refractive index of 1.25?

ANSWER: 240,000 (ACCEPT: 240,000 Km/sec) (Solution: Vm=V0-n; 300,000^1.25 = 240,000 Km/sec)
25) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT true about toxic shock syndrome:
W) it is not known to occur in males
X) it is caused by a bacteria
Y) up to 15% of healthy women harbor the causative germ in their vaginal flora
Z) it is associated with infrequent changes of super absorbent tampons

ANSWER: W) IT IS NOT KNOWN TO OCCUR IN MALES
25) Bonus - Biology - Short Answer

What kind of microscopy does the following describe: Samples are treated with an electron-dense material and then cut into thin layers. While inside the microscope’s column, electrons that are passed through the sample and differentially scattered to show a silhouetted image on a phosphorescent screen:

ANSWER: TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (ACCEPT: TEM) (DO NOT ACCEPT: SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OR SEM)