This document contains questions from a knowledge bowl competition covering topics in science including chemistry, biology, geology, and physics. Some of the questions ask about identifying minerals based on properties, describing types of rocks and how they form, explaining concepts like the rock cycle and fossil formation, comparing plant and animal cells and their structures, and performing calculations related to cell surface area and volume. The questions cover a wide range of middle school to high school level science concepts tested in a quiz bowl format.

1. Semester 1 Knowledge Bowl
December 2013

2. Fill in the blanks

3. Fill in the blanks

4. How much mass is this on the 3 beam
balance?

5. Your family is going to purchase a
motorcycle. They are looking for one
that will not waste fuel. You already
know that bigger engines use more
fuel. So which motorcycle engine
would you recommend?
A. 0.5 L
B. 350 cm3
C. 400 mL
D. 200 kL

6. What does
“amorphous” mean?
Give three examples

7. What properties
do you use to
identify a
crystal?

8. What is the
difference
between a
mineral and a
crystal?

9. Why does a “salt” have
to be dissolved before
we can begin to grow a
crystal?

10. List a 4 properties
that can be used to
identify a mineral

11. Tell me 3 minerals that have
“special properties” and what
those special properties are!

12. Define a supersaturated solution

13. List three minerals
that have a metallic
luster

14. What does inorganic
mean?

15. What are the two most
important safety
precautions to
remember when making
your crystal solution?

16. How do I find the
streak of a
mineral?

17. What does it mean
when someone says
“this mineral is „soft‟?”

18. In class we saw clear
examples of three kinds
of cleavage. What is the
type of cleavage and
what mineral example
did we see?

19. In nature where can
we find dissolved
minerals?

20. Why are most
precious gems found
in mines

21. Why can‟t a sugar be
called a mineral?

22. What is a
compound?

23. What is a salt?

24. What is the
difference between a
molecule and a
compound?

25. What are the three kinds of rocks,
and how are rocks sorted into one
of these three types?

26. What two kinds of Igneous Rock
are there? Describe the difference
and give one example of each.

27. Why is Granite called a “coarsegrained” rock?

28. Why is Granite less dense than
Basalt?

29. What is the difference between
Lava and Magma?

30. Give 4 examples of Sedimentary
Rock!

31. Give 4 examples of Metamorphic
Rock!

32. What is/are strata? Where would
you find them and what kind of rock
would they be made of?

33. What are three different materials
that form sediments?

34. How can scientists find out
which way groundwater is
flowing?

35. What is the difference between
“weathering” and “erosion”?

36. What is the difference between
“cementation” and “compaction”?

37. What type of rock prevents
contamination from entering an
aquifer? Give 2 examples

38. What is a fossil?

39. What is an aquifer?

40. What 2 conditions are necessary
for fossil formation ?

41. Describe three environments
(terrain) where you would not go to
look for fossils

42. What are three things fossils can
tell us?

43. Where are the three places we can
find “original remains”?

44. Give two reasons why the
knowledge we have about the past
from fossils might not be accurate
or complete.

45. What is a metamorphic rock?

46. Why is a garnet NOT
considered a mineral?

47. Trace the sediments silt and
clay to their Metamorphic
Rock form.

48. Draw the entire ROCK CYCLE on
the board!

49. What are three
characteristics of living
things my class agreed on?

50. What are the three basic
statements of the Cell
Theory?

51. Who was the first person to “see” a cell and what was he looking at
Who was the first
person to see a cell and
what was he looking at?

52. What are the 4 most
important steps to follow
when trying to view an
object under high power?

53. Why couldn’t we see
the nuclei in the
elodea cells??

54. Why do nerve cells appear
different from bone cells?

55. Why are bacteria
considered to be
different than
amoeba?

56. Why can’t an Amoeba
grow large enough to
swallow you?

57. What are two advantages to
being multicellular?

58. What is the function of
the mitochondria?

59. What are the differences
between plant and animal
cells?

60. What is the function of the
endoplasmic reticulum?

61. Why don’t animal
cells require cell
walls?

62. How are ribosomes in a
plant cell important to the
formation of the cell wall?

63. What is the function of
the nucleus?

64. Why do we need to use
a cover slip when
preparing a slide to view
under the microscope?

65. If a cell is 4x3x2 what is it’s
surface area?

66. What is its volume?

67. If 2 molecules can enter
the cell through every
square unit of surface
area in a minute, how
many could enter this cell
in one minute??

68. If this cell only needs 1
molecule per cubic unit of
volume a minute to
survive- how many
molecules does it require
in one minute?

69. Can this cell
live? Why or
why not??