Science for Non-Science Majors
Final Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course is designed to introduce students from non-scientific backgrounds to the fundamental principles and methods of science, emphasizing their relevance to everyday life. Covering topics from biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences, students will explore key scientific concepts, develop critical thinking skills, and learn how evidence-based reasoning informs our understanding of the natural world. Special attention is given to the scientific process, current issues in science and technology, and the societal impact of scientific discoveries, fostering scientific literacy for informed citizenship.
Recommended Textbook
An Introduction to Physical Science 13th Edition by James Shipman
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20 Chapters
2616 Verified Questions
2616 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Temperature and Heat
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Sample Questions
Q1) There are 10 mm in a(n) ______________.
Answer: centimeter
Q2) An object transported from Earth's surface to the surface of the Moon has
A) the same mass, but different weight.
B) the same weight, but different mass.
C) the same mass and the same weight.
D) different mass and different weight.
E) none of these.
Answer: A
Q3) Calculate the approximate number of seconds that a(n) 28-year-old student has lived.
Answer: 8 \(\times\) 10<sup>8</sup> s
Q4) What does 4 \(\times\) 10<sup>-12</sup> times 3 \(\times\) 10<sup>-8</sup> divided by 2 \(\times\) 10<sup>24</sup> equal?
Answer: 6 \(\times\) 10<sup>-</sup><sup>44</sup>
Q5) How long is a 10.0-ft pole in meters?
Answer: 05 m
Q6) Express 100 megadollars in standard powers-of-10 notation. Answer: 0 \(\times\) 10<sup>8 </sup>dollars
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Waves and Sound
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Sample Questions
Q1) The straight-line distance and direction between two points are, together, called ______________.
Answer: displacement
Q2) The straight-line distance and direction between two points are, together, called A) velocity.
B) displacement.
C) distance.
D) acceleration.
Answer: B
Q3) Temperature is an example of a(n) ______________ quantity. Answer: scalar
Q4) In free fall, the _______________ is constant.
Answer: acceleration
Q5) An automobile's acceleration may be changed by using the A) windshield wipers. B) steering wheel.
C) radio.
D) horn.
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: Optics and Wave Effects
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Sample Questions
Q1) The constant G that appears in the equation F = Gm<sub>1</sub>m<sub>2</sub>/r<sup>2</sup> is
A) smaller on the Moon than on Earth.
B) the force of gravity.
C) equal to g.
D) the acceleration due to gravity.
E) a universal constant.
Answer: E
Q2) If an object of mass 9 kg has a velocity of 7 m/s, what is its linear momentum?
A) 63 kg-m/s
B) 1.3 kg-m/s
C) 0.78 kg-m/s
D) 16 kg-m/s
E) cannot be determined
Answer: A
Q3) In keeping with Newton's second law of motion, if the force acting on a moving object is doubled, then its ______________ is doubled.
Answer: acceleration
Q4) Angular momentum has units of ______________.
Answer: kg-m<sup>2</sup>/s
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Electricity and Magnetism
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Sample Questions
Q1) Mechanical energy
A) is the automobile energy.
B) is the sum of kinetic and potential energies.
C) is the kinetic energy.
D) is the potential energy.
Q2) A student with a 5.0-kg book bag on her way to class climbs two flights of stairs (a 10-m vertical distance) in 15 s. At what rate did the student do work in carrying the book bag up the stairs?
Q3) Kinetic and potential energies are forms of __________ energy.
Q4) The kinetic energy of a pendulum is least
A) when its potential energy is least.
B) at the top of its swing.
C) at the bottom of its swing.
D) when its total energy is greatest.
Q5) Some food costs may rise in the future as a consequence of the increased use of which food-based fuel?
A) Ethanol
B) Gasoline
C) Oil
D) Coal
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Atomic Physics
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Celsius degree is
A) the same size as the Fahrenheit degree.
B) larger than the kelvin.
C) the same size as the kelvin.
D) smaller than the Fahrenheit degree.
Q2) When 10 kcal of heat is added to 2.0 kg of a substance, its temperature increases 20 C°. What is the specific heat of the substance?
Q3) Temperatures 1 and 2 are the ______________ and the ______________, respectively.
Q4) The Fahrenheit scale has a ___________ degree size than the Celsius scale.
Q5) Solids, liquids, and gases are called ______________ of matter.
Q6) A home fireplace loses most of its heat by
A) radiation into the room.
B) convection up the chimney.
C) radiation up the chimney.
D) conduction to the sides of the fireplace.
Q7) The energy balance in a thermodynamic process is expressed in the ______________.
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Q8) The second law of thermodynamics forbids a heat engine to have thermal efficiency of ______________.
Chapter 6: Nuclear Physics
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Sample Questions
Q1) A wave is a propagation of ______________.
Q2) A series of ocean waves, each 6.0 m from crest to crest and moving past an observer at a rate of 2.0 waves per second, has what speed?
Q3) What are the wavelength limits, in meters, of the audible region of the sound spectrum (v = 344 m/s)?
Q4) Which of the following sound frequencies lie(s) outside the audible range?
A) 25 Hz
B) 35 kHz
C) 4800 Hz
D) All of these
Q5) The Doppler effect is observed only when
A) the source of a wave moves toward a stationary observer.
B) there is relative motion between the source of a wave and an observer.
C) an observer moves toward the stationary source of a wave.
D) both the source of a wave and an observer are moving toward each other.
Q6) Approximately how many times faster is the speed of light in vacuum than the speed of sound in air?
Q7) How many times greater is the speed of red light (\(\lambda\)= 700 nm) than the speed of violet light (\(\lambda\)= 400 nm) in a vacuum?
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Chapter 7: The Chemical Elements
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Sample Questions
Q1) Polarizing sunglasses have the transmission axis oriented ______________.
Q2) A flashlight beam is seen because of A) specular reflection. B) diffuse reflection. C) dispersion. D) refraction.
Q3) The separation of white light into its component colors is called A) polarization. B) diffraction. C) dispersion. D) refraction.
Q4) The waveform of interfering waves is described by the principle of ______________.
Q5) A change in the direction of a wave as a result of its encountering a sharp edge or a slit is called ______________.
Q6) When a wave is ______________, the angle of reflection equals the angle of incidence.
Q7) The image of a convex mirror is always virtual, _________, and smaller.
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Q8) A change in the direction of a wave resulting from its meeting an opaque material is called ______________.
Chapter 8: Chemical Bonding
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Sample Questions
Q1) A moving electric charge or a current in a magnetic field may experience a(n)
Q2) Three resistors, 10 \(\Omega\), 20 \(\Omega\), and 30 \(\Omega\), are wired in series and connected to a 120-V battery. How much current flows in the circuit?
Q3) The direction of the magnetic field of a bar magnet is A) in the direction opposite to that in which a compass would point.
B) in any direction.
C) away from the south pole.
D) away from the north pole.
Q4) Electric charge is measured in units of A) coulombs.
B) watts.
C) volts.
D) newtons.
Q5) Three resistors, 10 \(\Omega\), 20 \(\Omega\), and 30 \(\Omega\), are wired in parallel and connected to a 12-V battery. How much current flows in the circuit?
Q6) A(n) ______________ converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Q7) The resistances are added in a(n) ______________ circuit.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Chemical Reactions
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Sample Questions
Q1) When a hydrogen atom's electron goes from an energy state of n = 1 to n = 3,
A) the radius of the electron's orbit is unchanged.
B) the radius of the electron's orbit is increased.
C) the radius of the electron's orbit is decreased.
D) the radius of the electron's orbit is infinite.
Q2) When fast electrons strike a metal target, what are produced?
A) Radio waves
B) Gamma rays
C) X-rays
D) Microwaves
Q3) The term stimulated emission would be used in explaining the operation of
A) an electron microscope.
B) an X-ray tube.
C) a microwave oven.
D) a laser.
Q4) In the quantum model of the atom, the location of the electron is described in terms of ______________.
Q5) According to Planck's hypothesis, the energy of an oscillator is directly proportional to its ______________.
Q6) The energy of a photon equals ______________ multiplied by the frequency.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Organic Chemistry
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Sample Questions
Q1) The process of obtaining energy by splitting a large nucleus is called A) nucleogenesis.
B) fusion.
C) bombardment.
D) fission.
Q2) The various isotopes of an element all have
A) the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
B) the same total number of neutrons and protons.
C) the same number of neutrons but different numbers of protons.
D) the same number of neutrons and the same number of protons.
Q3) The half-life of <sup>3</sup>H is 12 years. About how long does it take for 63/64 of a sample of that radionuclide to decay?
A) 6 years
B) 11.8 years
C) 12.2 years
D) 72 years
Q4) A scientist named ______________ discovered the proton in 1919.
Q5) The antiparticle of the electron is called the ______________.
Q6) The symbol for the element whose atoms contain 28 protons is ______________.
Q7) The collective name for neutrons and protons is ______________.
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Chapter 11: Place and Time
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Sample Questions
Q1) The identity of an atom is determined by its number of A) valence bonds.
B) neutrons.
C) electrons.
D) protons.
Q2) Pencil "lead" (graphite) is made primarily of A) oil.
B) PbO<sub>2</sub>.
C) carbon.
D) Pb.
Q3) The second period of the periodic table is composed of ______________ (how many?) elements.
Q4) In 1661, who developed a definition of element that made the concept subject to laboratory investigation?
A) Berzelius
B) Boyle
C) Lavoisier
D) Davy
Q5) An aqueous solution of the colorless gas HCl is called ______________.
Q6) The formula for sulfuric acid is _________________.
Page 13
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Chapter 13: The Solar System
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Sample Questions
Q1) The equation H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2 </sub>\(\to\) H<sub>2</sub>O + O is not correctly written because
A) the number of atoms of each element on each side is not the same.
B) the mass indicated on each side is not the same.
C) oxygen is diatomic.
D) hydrogen peroxide decomposes to H<sub>2</sub>O and H.
Q2) A solution with a pH of 8 is
A) strongly acidic.
B) weakly basic.
C) strongly basic.
D) weakly acidic.
Q3) By definition, the addition of oxygen to a substance is called A) neutralization.
B) reduction.
C) oxidation.
D) displacement.
Q4) A solution of pH 5 is ______________ times as acidic as a solution of pH 6.
Q5) When energy is released in a chemical reaction, the reaction is called a(n) ______________ reaction.
Q6) Complete and balance the equation: Al + HCl \(\to\)_______
Page 14
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Chapter 15: Moons and Small Solar System Bodies
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Sample Questions
Q1) Daylight hours and night hours are equal in duration throughout the year at the
Q2) The Sun is at the autumnal equinox on ______________.
Q3) An attempt to remedy the difference in apparent solar days was the calculation of a
A) meridian day.
B) 24-hour day.
C) sidereal day.
D) mean solar day.
Q4) The equator has approximately ______________ hours of daylight every day of the year.
Q5) It is generally believed that there are 7 days in a week because
A) there are 7 stars in the Big Dipper.
B) it is necessary to have 52 weeks in a year.
C) there are 7 visible bodies in the sky that move against the background of the fixed stars.
D) it is easy to multiply by 7.
Q6) The point in the sky directly above an observer's head is called the ______________.
Q7) Our current calendar is the____________ calendar.
Page 15
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Chapter 16: The Universe
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Sample Questions
Q1) The name given to the point of a planet's orbit that is closest to the Sun is A) aphelion.
B) focus.
C) perihelion.
D) solstice.
Q2) Stellar paralax proves that Earth is A) rotating. B) revolving. C) precessing.
D) an oblate spheroid.
Q3) The planet with the Great Red Spot is A) Jupiter.
B) Neptune.
C) Uranus.
D) Saturn.
E) Mars.
Q4) Earth's albedo is ______________.
Q5) When a planet has the same meridian as a star, the planet is said to be in ______________.
Q6) T<sup>2</sup> = kR<sup>3</sup> is known as ______________.
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Chapter 17: The Atmosphere
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Sample Questions
Q1) Comets are visible chiefly because of reflected ______________.
Q2) Short-period comets, such as Halley's Comet, are believed to come from the A) asteroid belt.
B) Oort cloud.
C) Kuiper Belt.
Q3) Pulverized rock is believed to make up the Moon's A) rays.
B) craters.
C) rills.
D) plains (maria).
Q4) ______________ is the largest known asteroid.
A) Pluto
B) Mars
C) Ceres
D) Vesta
E) Mercury
Q5) The names of the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, mean ______________ and ______________.
Q6) The moons of Mars are ______________; that is, they always keep the same face toward the planet.
Page 17
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Chapter 19: Atmospheric Effects
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Sample Questions
Q1) The tallest column of water able to be supported by using atmospheric pressure is
A) about 10 m.
B) about 1 m.
C) about 100 m.
D) about 1 cm.
Q2) Which of the following gases, is a trace natural constituent of the air?
A) Ar
B) SO<sub>2</sub>
C) CO
D) NO<sub>2</sub>
Q3) Clouds described as "artist's brushes" or "mare's tails" belong to what cloud family?
A) Middle
B) Low
C) High
D) None of these
Q4) The major contribution in heating the troposphere comes from ______________.
Q5) The term weather refers to the atmospheric conditions of the ______________.
Q6) Vertical air movements are referred to as ______________.
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Chapter 21: Structural Geology and Plate Tectonics
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Sample Questions
Q1) The three types of plate boundaries are ______________, divergent, and transform boundaries.
Q2) Secondary seismic waves travel ______________ (slower or faster?) than primary waves in solids.
Q3) One plate slides horizontally past another plate at the type of plate boundary called ______________.
Q4) Most earthquake damage is caused by A) tsunamis.
B) surface waves.
C) P waves.
D) S waves.
Q5) Earthquake P waves are A) neither longitudinal nor transverse.
B) transverse.
C) longitudinal.
D) sometimes longitudinal and sometimes transverse.
Q6) The San Andreas fault lies on the boundary of the Pacific plate and the ____________ plate.
Q7) Wyoming's Grand Tetons are examples of ______________ mountains.
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Q8) Seismic waves that travel through Earth are called ______________ waves.
Chapter 22: Minerals Rocks and Volcanoes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Orthoclase and plagioclase are the two major types of _____________.
Q2) Which of the following is the hardest mineral?
A) Quartz
B) Diamond
C) Talc
D) Gypsum
Q3) Laccoliths and sills are examples of ______________ plutons.
A) recordant
B) precordant
C) discordant
D) concordant
Q4) Which of the following is not a metamorphic rock?
A) Sandstone
B) Schist
C) Slate
D) Marble
Q5) Sediments that are composed of solid fragments derived from preexisting rocks are called ______________ sediments.
Q6) The brilliancy of a gem is a function of its index of ______________.
Q7) Gabbro and rhyolite are classified as ______________rocks.
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Chapter 23: Surface Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) The fast, downslope movement of large blocks of weathered materials is known as a
A) solifluction.
B) slump.
C) rock flow.
D) landslide.
Q2) Which of the following phenomena results from limestone being dissolved by rainwater?
A) Caverns
B) Delta formation
C) Sea arches
D) Beaches
Q3) What is the second largest ocean on Earth?
A) Atlantic
B) Indian
C) Antarctic
D) Mediterranean
E) Pacific
Q4) Collapsed cavern ceilings can cause ______________ to appear on the land's surface.
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Chapter 24: Geologic Time
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Sample Questions
Q1) Primordial lead contains the isotope lead-______________, whereas radiogenic lead does not.
Q2) Trace fossils are
A) tracks only.
B) borings only.
C) burrows only.
D) all of the above.
Q3) The oldest era in the Phanerozoic eon is the ______________ era.
Q4) The Phanerozoic eon and the Paleozoic era began about ______________ million years ago.
Q5) The actual age of rock layers and geologic events is referred to as ______________ geologic time.
Q6) We live in the period called the A) Cenozoic.
B) Holocene.
C) Ordovician.
D) Quaternary.
Q7) The earliest (oldest) period in the Paleozoic era is the ______________.
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Q8) Much of our energy comes from coal that was formed from plants that lived during the ______________ period.