Diagnostic Test

Directions: Get one whole sheet of pad paper

Write your name, grade level, section, and the date
Number your papers 1 to 50
Refrain from making erasures
You are given 50 seconds to answer each slide
No cheating!
____ 1. The main branches of natural science are
a. physics and chemistry. c. medicine and agriculture.
b. biology, zoology, and ecology. d. life, physical, and earth science.

____ 2. Technology can best be defined as

a. science that uses computers. c. applied science.
b. new inventions. d. the use of lenses and microscopes.

____ 3. Pure science is best defined as the

a. continuing search for new knowledge.
b. use of science to solve human problems.
c. study of the makeup of living things.
d. application of scientific knowledge.

____ 4. What do scientists who do pure science do?

a. They look for ways to use scientific knowledge to solve problems.
b. They develop new uses for scientific knowledge.
c. They do experiments to find out about the world.
d. They build faster and more powerful computers.
____ 5. What is a scientific law?
a. It is the same as a hypothesis.
b. It is a description of a natural event.
c. It is an explanation of a scientific observation.
d. It is the conclusion of a scientific experiment.

____ 6. For a scientific theory to be valid, it must allow you to

a. perform experiments. c. find a new, more complex explanation.
b. obtain new results each time. d. make predictions.

____ 7. A scientific model is a

a. representation of a real event or object.
b. small building used to conduct experiments.
c. mathematical statement of a theory.
d. new theory that takes the place of an incorrect one.

____ 8. A series of logical steps that is followed in order to solve a problem is called the
a. experimental process. c. scientific method.
b. scientific theory. d. model method.
____ 5. What is a scientific law?
a. It is the same as a hypothesis.
b. It is a description of a natural event.
c. It is an explanation of a scientific observation.
d. It is the conclusion of a scientific experiment.

____ 6. For a scientific theory to be valid, it must allow you to

a. perform experiments. c. find a new, more complex explanation.
b. obtain new results each time. d. make predictions.

____ 7. A scientific model is a

a. representation of a real event or object.
b. small building used to conduct experiments.
c. mathematical statement of a theory.
d. new theory that takes the place of an incorrect one.

____ 8. A series of logical steps that is followed in order to solve a problem is called the
a. experimental process. c. scientific method.
b. scientific theory. d. model method.
____ 9. The first step in the scientific method is usually
a. making an observation. c. collecting data.
b. forming a hypothesis. d. testing a hypothesis.

____ 10. Scientists test a hypothesis by

a. formulating questions. c. doing experiments.
b. designing models. d. drawing conclusions.

____ 11. Which question cannot be answered by an experiment?

a. Does penicillin kill Salmonella bacteria?
b. Is rabies caused by a virus?
c. Did a comet impact kill the dinosaurs?
d. Can radiation cause cancer?

____ 12. The SI unit for measuring temperature is the

a. degree. c. mole.
b. kelvin. d. ampere.
____ 13. Which SI prefix means one million?
a. kilo- c. giga-
b. mega- d. milli-

____ 14. Which SI prefix means one one-hundredth (1/100)?

a. nano- c. milli-
b. micro- d. centi-

____ 15. Maria is 123 centimeters tall. Her height in meters is

a. 0123 m. c. 1.23 m.
b. 0.123 m.d. 12.3 m.

____ 16. A loaf of bread weighs 1362 g. The weight in kilograms is

a. 1.362 kg. c. 01362 kg.
b. 1362 kg. d. 001362 kg.
____ 17. The force with which gravity pulls on a quantity of matter is referred to as
a. mass. c. volume.
b. length. d. weight.

____ 18. At which time of day was the

temperature approximately 4ºC?
a. 9:00 A.M. c. 11:00 A.M.
b. 10:00 A.M. d. 12:00 P.M.

____ 19. At which two times of day was the temperature the same?
a. 7:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. c. 10:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M.
b. 7:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M. d. 10:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M.
____ 20. The sample contained the same number
of pennies for which two years?
a. 1988 and 1992 c. 1994 and 1997
b. 1988 and 1991 d. 1994 and 1998

____ 21. For which year was the smallest

number of pennies found?
a. 1988 c. 1990
b. 1989 d. 1991

____ 22. The decimal equivalent of 10–2 is

a. 100. c. 0.1.
b. 10. d. 0.01.
____ 23.What is 78,900,000,000 expressed in scientific notation?
a. 789 × 109 c. 7.89 × 1010
b. 7.89 × 109 d. 7.89 × 1011

____ 24. The speed of light is approximately 3 × 108 m/s. How would this be written in
conventional notation?
a. 300,000 m/s c. 30,000,000 m/s
b. 3,000,000 m/s d. 300,000,000 m/s

____ 25. A precise measurement is one that

a. contains the correct number of significant figures.
b. contains at least three significant figures.
c. is close to the true value.
d. is as exact as possible.

____ 26. A measurement that is accurate is one that

a. is as exact as possible.
b. is close to the true value.
c. contains at least four significant figures.
d. contains five decimal places.
____ 27. Matter is defined as anything that
a. can be seen and touched. c. can be weighed.
b. has mass and takes up space. d. contains kinetic or potential energy.

____ 28. A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances is
a. a compound. c. an element.
b. a mixture. d. an atom.

____ 29. The chemical formula for water, H2O, means that each water molecule contains
a. two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms.
b. two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.
c. two hydrogen atoms and zero oxygen atoms.
d. one hydrogen atom and two oxygen atoms.

____ 30. You put 1 gram of salt into 1 liter of water and stir. The resulting liquid is an example of
a. a pure substance.c. a homogeneous mixture.
b. a heterogeneous mixture. d. an immiscible mixture.
____ 31. The science of what matter is made of and how it changes is called
a. chemistry. c. kinetics.
b. physics. d. engineering.

____ 32. The chemical element that is most abundant in the human body is
a. nitrogen. c. carbon.
b. iron. d. oxygen.

____ 33. The element that is most abundant in Earth is

a. iron. c. silicon.
b. oxygen. d. magnesium.

____ 34. The chemical symbol for sulfuric acid is H2SO4. How many atoms are contained in each
molecule of sulfuric acid?
a. 3 c. 6
b. 5 d. 7
____ 35. The chemical formula for table sugar is C12H22O11. How many oxygen atoms are in
each sugar molecule?
a. 2 c. 12
b. 11 d. 22

____ 36. Which of the following is an example of a gas-liquid mixture?

a. the air we breathe c. soapsuds
b. a carbonated drink d. ice cubes

____ 37. Which state of matter will hold its shape without a container?
a. solid c. gas
b. liquid d. plasma

____ 38. The kinetic theory is useful for

a. determining how much heat is necessary to melt a solid.
b. explaining how matter and energy are related.
c. testing the temperature of a gas.
d. showing the differences between states of matter.
____ 39. The change of a substance from a solid directly to a gas is called
a. condensation. c. melting.
b. evaporation. d. sublimation.

____ 40. Evaporation refers to the change of state from a

a. liquid to a gas. c. solid to a liquid.
b. gas to a liquid. d. liquid to a solid.

____ 41. The law of conservation of mass states that mass cannot be
a. burned. c. created or destroyed.
b. changed in form. d. heated or cooled.

____ 42. During a chemical or physical change, energy may be

a. created. c. greatly increased in strength.
b. destroyed. d. converted into another form.
____ 43. You burn a log of wood, and only a small pile of ashes is left. What has happened?
a. A large amount of mass has been lost.
b. A small amount of mass has been converted into a large amount of heat energy.
c. The total mass of the wood and oxygen is the same as the total mass of the ash and gases.
d. The total amount of energy is less than before.

____ 44. A liquid changes rapidly into a gas at the liquid's

a. boiling point. c. melting point.
b. freezing point. d. condensation point.

____ 45. Knowing the chemical properties of a substance will tell you how the substance
a. looks. c. can be broken down into atoms.
b. smells. d. reacts with other substances.

____ 46. Which of the following is not an example of a physical property?

a. freezing point c. reactivity
b. boiling point d. density
____ 47. Lead has a density of 11.3 g/cm3. What is the volume of a block of lead with a mass of
282.5 g?
a. 2.5 cm3 c. 250 cm3
b. 25 cm3 d. 2500 cm3

____ 48. Which of the following is an example of a chemical change?

a. ice melting c. pounding gold into a coin
b. paint fading d. a puddle of water evaporating

____ 49. Which of the following is an example of a physical change?

a. dissolving salt in water c. cooking an egg
b. burning wood into charcoal d. rusting iron

____ 50. Ice floats in water because it is

a. more dense than water. c. colder than water.
b. less dense than water. d. warmer than water.
1. ANS: D 11. ANS: C 21.ANS: D 31.ANS: A 41.ANS: C
2. ANS: C 12.ANS: B 22.ANS: D 32.ANS: D 42.ANS: D
3. ANS: A 13.ANS: B 23.ANS: C 33.ANS: A 43.ANS: C
4. ANS: C 14.ANS: D 24.ANS: D 34.ANS: D 44.ANS: A
5. ANS: B 15.ANS: C 25.ANS: D 35.ANS: B 45.ANS: D
6. ANS: D 16.ANS: A 26.ANS: B 36.ANS: B 46.ANS: C
7. ANS: A 17.ANS: D 27.ANS: B 37.ANS: A 47.ANS: B
8. ANS: C 18.ANS: B 28.ANS: C 38.ANS: D 48.ANS: B
9. ANS: A 19.ANS: D 29.ANS: B 39.ANS: D 49.ANS: A
10.ANS: C 20.ANS: C 30.ANS: C 40.ANS: A 50.ANS: B