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1) Toss Up - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

Which of the following sets of constellations would be found nearest the ecliptic to an observer in mid-northern latitudes:
W) Leo, Virgo, and Scorpius
X) Pisces, Aries, and Draco
Y) Cancer, Gemini, and Cassiopeia
Z) Taurus, Ursa Minor, and Pisces

ANSWER: W) Leo, Virgo, and Scorpius
1) Bonus - Astronomy - Short Answer

Name all of the following 4 objects that would NOT be found on Earth: meteors; craters; asteroid impact remnants; bolides

ANSWER: Meteors; bolides
2) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following occurs in meiosis but NOT in mitosis:
W) spindle apparatus attaches to kinetochores
X) nuclear membrane is not visible
Y) crossing over
Z) chromosomes line up at central area of cell

ANSWER: Y) CROSSING OVER
2) Bonus - Biology - Short Answer

What is the anatomical term for the specific section of the small intestine into which the pancreatic duct delivers its digestive enzymes?

ANSWER: DUODENUM
3) Toss Up - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

What shape do interstellar dust particles have since the light emitted by stars is dimmed and partially polarized:
W) sphere
X) cube
Y) disk
Z) rodlike

ANSWER: Z) rodlike
3) Bonus - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

The temperature of a star can be estimated most directly from its:
W) distance
X) elemental makeup
Y) color
Z) density

ANSWER: Y) color
4) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following most closely represents the resting membrane potential in a typical human neuron:
W) -70 millivolts
X) -60 millivolts
Y) -45 millivolts
Z) 0 millivolts

ANSWER: W) -70 MILLIVOLTS
4) Bonus - Biology - Short Answer

According to recent research, especially by Japanese scientists, there are 5 basic tastes. What are they?

ANSWER: UMAMI, SOUR, BITTER, SALTY, SWEET (accept in any order)
5) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

What is the temperature (in Kelvin) of a system in thermal equilibrium with another system made up of ice and water at one atmosphere of pressure?

ANSWER: 273 (DEGREES KELVIN) (ACCEPT 273.15)
5) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

The magnetic domains in a non magnetized piece of iron are characterized by which orientation?
W) parallel to the magnetic axis
X) anti-parallel to the magnetic axis
Y) random
Z) perpendicular to the magnetic axis

ANSWER: Y) RANDOM
6) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

which of the following are true about the number and nature of the roots of the polynomial xA3 - 29xA2 + 229x I. 0 is a root II. There must be a real, positive root III. There must be three real roots

ANSWER: I
6) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

Solve the following linear system of equations in 3 variables: 2x + y + 4z=9 -x + 2y + 5z=-11 5x + 3y + 3z=-4

ANSWER: x=4,y=-11 ,z=3 Also accept (4,-11 >3)
7) Toss Up - Earth Science - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the single most important factor that generally sets a northern limit to tree growth, such as in the areas of transition between taiga and tundra in Alaska:
W) high-winter winds
X) lack of summer warmth
Y) lack of spring moisture
Z) lack of soil nutrients

ANSWER: X) lack of summer warmth
7) Bonus - Earth Science - Multiple Choice

Which of the following was a time when glaciation was minimal on Earth:
W) Cretaceous Period
X) Quaternary Period
Y) Holocene Epoch
Z) Pleistocene Epoch

ANSWER: W) Cretaceous Period
8) Toss Up - Math - Multiple Choice

By definition, a quadrantal angle is an angle in standard position where its terminal side:
W) lies on a coordinate axis
X) is a central angle
Y) lies only in quadrants one and three
Z) lies only in quadrants two and four

ANSWER: W) lies on a coordinate axis
8) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

If $10,000 is placed in a savings account that pays 5% interest compounded annually, what is the total amount of money in the account at the end of 2 years, to the nearest dollar?

ANSWER: $11,025
9) Toss Up - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the MOST commonly accepted reason as to why the planet Uranus rotates on its side:
W) it oscillates in its rotation orientation over thousands of years
X) it captured four of its moons early in its development which radically affected its primordial disk
Y) it was once struck by a massive object
Z) because of its orbital position and low density it was susceptible to a wide variety of axial rotational possibilities

ANSWER: Y) it was once struck by a massive object
9) Bonus - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

The current star at the south pole, which serves as a south star the way Polaris serves as a north star, is known as what?
W) Eta Carinae
X) Sigma Octantis
Y) Delta Velorum
Z) Omega Carinae

ANSWER: X) Sigma Octantis
10) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Ducklings learn to recognize and follow the first moving object that they see, usually their mother. What is this behavior called?
W) Instinct
X) Imprinting
Y) Remote sensing
Z) Classical conditioning

ANSWER: X) IMPRINTING
10) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice

A pigeon is placed in a box. Sooner or later, the pigeon accidentally presses a button or lever that releases food. Eventually, the pigeon learns how to press the button whenever it wants food. This kind of learning is called:
W) Habituation
X) Classical conditioning
Y) Insight learning
Z) Operant conditioning

ANSWER: Z) OPERANT CONDITIONING
11) Toss Up - Astronomy - Short Answer

If a new Moon occurs on May 5th at 8:20 AM eastern daylight time, on what day will the full Moon occur that month?

ANSWER: 19th
11) Bonus - Astronomy - Short Answer

What is the name for a lunar ditch where molten lava once flowed?

ANSWER: Volcanic Rille
12) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Members of the order Gymnophiona (read as: jim-noh-FYOH-nah), otherwise known as Caecilians (read as: si-SIL-yahns), do NOT have which of the following?
W) Poison glands
X) Teeth
Y) Elongated organs
Z) Legs

ANSWER: Z) LEGS
12) Bonus - Biology - Short Answer

What group of hormones is responsible for both phototropism and gravitropism?

ANSWER: AUXINS
13) Toss Up - Earth And Space - Short Answer

Astronomers were very ecstatic when LIGO announced its discovery of these types of waves on February 11, 2016. What are these special waves called?

ANSWER: GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
13) Bonus - Earth And Space - Short Answer

Gravitational waves form when two massive objects orbit each other and distort the fabric of space-time in such a way that waves form. (1) Name an example of objects that are massive enough to cause gravitational waves to form, and (2) who first predicted the existence of these waves?

ANSWER: PULSARS (ACCEPT NEUTRON STARS, BLACK HOLES), EINSTEIN
14) Toss Up - Astronomy - Short Answer

What two planets have recently been trading off as the planet with the most discovered moons?

ANSWER: SATURN AND JUPITER
14) Bonus - Astronomy - Short Answer

What is the common scientific name for the region of magnetized plasma that surrounds the sun, includes the orbits of all our planets, and is created by the solar wind?

ANSWER: HELIOSPHERE
15) Toss Up - Astronomy - Short Answer

How many sidereal minutes are in 4 sidereal hours?

ANSWER: 240
15) Bonus - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the BEST explanation for why the Northern Hemisphere’s summer occurs when the Sun is not the closest to Earth in Earth’s orbit around the Sun:
W) Sun’s rays are made of mostly neutrinos that have such small mass that distance does not matter
X) the Sun emits different amounts of energy at different times of the year
Y) the Sun’s rays strike the Northern Hemisphere more directly in summer
Z) because of precession

ANSWER: Y) the Sun’s rays strike the Northern Hemisphere more directly in summer
16) Toss Up - Astronomy - Short Answer

Planets orbit the Sun because of the combined effects of gravity and what?

ANSWER: INERTIA
16) Bonus - Astronomy - Multiple Choice

Nearly all the elements found in our environment were formed inside stars. The major exceptions are:
W) iron and nickel
X) oxygen and carbon
Y) silver and technetium
Z) hydrogen and helium

ANSWER: Z) HYDROGEN AND HELIUM
17) Toss Up - Physics - Short Answer

What is the name for electromagnetic radiation emitted by a charged particle moving in a circular motion in a magnetic field?

ANSWER: CYCLOTRON RADIATION
17) Bonus - Physics - Multiple Choice

Cherenkov radiation can only occur
W) in a vacuum
X) in an electrical conductor
Y) in an electrical insulator
Z) when the moving charge is negatively charged

ANSWER: Y) IN AN ELECTRICAL INSULATOR
18) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following options explains the inheritance pattern of Huntington's disease, and why this pattern occurs?
W) Only passed on through the mother, since mitochondrial genes are found in the egg
X) Only passed on through the mother, since the Y chromosome does not have a copy of the responsible gene.
Y) Becomes more severe over successive generations, since the responsible gene accumulates more and more copies of the same sequence.
Z) Becomes more severe over successive generations, since misfolded proteins are passed on through the egg cell.

ANSWER: Y) Becomes more severe over successive generations, since the responsible gene accumulates more and more copies of the same sequence.
18) Bonus - Biology - Short Answer

What is the name for mobile genetic elements, famously able to affect kernel color in maize, that were discovered by Barbara McClintock?

ANSWER: Transposons or transposable elements
19) Toss Up - Biology - Multiple Choice

If the hormone ecdysone is inactivated in a monarch butterfly pupa, which of the following will occur:
W) molting will occur immediately
X) the chrysalis will rapidly develop into a larva
Y) the mature butterfly will be sterile
Z) molting will not occur

ANSWER: Z) MOLTING WILL NOT OCCUR
19) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice

For each NADH generated in either the Krebs cycle or glycolysis:
W) two PGAL molecules are converted to fructose 1,6-biphosphate
X) three ATP molecules are generated in the electron transport system
Y) three hydrogen are transported from the inner mitochondrial matrix to the outer matrix
Z) ADP is hydrolyzed to cyclic-AMP

ANSWER: X) THREE ATP MOLECULES ARE GENERATED IN THE ELECTRON TRANSPORT SYSTEM
20) Toss Up - Biology - Short Answer

What is the predominant immunoglobulin class found in human tears?

ANSWER: IgA
20) Bonus - Biology - Multiple Choice

Which of the following vitamins is NOT properly matched with one of its major symptoms of deficiency:
W) vitamin C and bleeding of gums
X) vitamin D and poor bone structure
Y) vitamin A and night blindness
Z) vitamin B-1 and pellagra

ANSWER: Z) VITAMIN B-1 AND PELLAGRA
21) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

When the reaction of Silver Nitrate (aqueous) and Sodium Chloride (aqueous) goes to completion, what is formed?
W) A Gas
X) Water
Y) An Acid
Z) A Precipitate

ANSWER: Z
21) Bonus - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

When does the value of pH equal the value of pKa?
W) when [HA]=[A-] (Read as: the molarity of the conjugate base equals the molarity of the conjugate acid)
X) at the end point of a titration
Y) everywhere in the buffer region
Z) in the Henderson-Hasselbach equation

ANSWER: W) when [HA]=[A-] (Read as: the molarity of the conjugate base equals the molarity of the conjugate acid)
22) Toss Up - Physics - Multiple Choice

What physicist won the Nobel prize in 1902 along with Pieter Zeeman for their joint research into what would become known as the Zeeman effect?
W) Hendrik Lorentz
X) John Strutt
Y) Joseph Thomson
Z) Gabriel Lippmann

ANSWER: W) HENDRIK LORENTZ
22) Bonus - Physics - Short Answer

What is the name of the effect of electric fields on spectral emission lines?

ANSWER: STARK EFFECT
23) Toss Up - Energy - Short Answer

Line losses vary linearly with what physical characteristic of power lines?

ANSWER: RESISTANCE (ACCEPT: RESISTIVITY)
23) Bonus - Energy - Short Answer

Arrange the following four sectors based on the number of tons of greenhouse gases released from smallest to largest: 1) Agriculture, 2) Residential, 3) Commercial, 4) Transportation.

ANSWER: 1, 2, 3, 4 (ACCEPT: AGRICULTURE, RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, TRANSPORTATION)
24) Toss Up - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

Which of the following diatomic molecules will exhibit paramagnetism:
W) B2
X) N2
Y) C2
Z) F2

ANSWER: W) B2
24) Bonus - Chemistry - Multiple Choice

A substance with an acid dissociation constant, or Ka, of 1 × 10-9 would be considered a:
W) weak acid
X) strong acid
Y) weak base
Z) strong base

ANSWER: W) weak acid
25) Toss Up - Math - Short Answer

Simplify `i^17` completely.

ANSWER: i
25) Bonus - Math - Short Answer

Evaluate the following limit: `lim_(x->oo) (1 + 3/n)^n` (read as: the limit as n approaches infinity of open parenthesis 1 plus 3 over n close parenthesis to the power of n).

ANSWER: `e^3`