GMAS Science 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which organelle is responsible for controlling the activities of the cell?
- Ribosome
- Nucleus (Correct answer)
- Vacuole
- Chloroplast
Correct answer: Nucleus
The nucleus contains DNA and directs all cellular activities, acting as the control center of the cell.
Question 2: An ecosystem where decomposers break down dead organisms is demonstrating which biogeochemical process?
- The water cycle
- Nutrient cycling (Correct answer)
- Photosynthesis
- Transpiration
Correct answer: Nutrient cycling
Decomposers break down dead organic matter and return nutrients to the soil, completing nutrient cycles like the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
Question 3: What type of wave requires a medium to travel through?
- Electromagnetic wave
- Light wave
- Mechanical wave (Correct answer)
- Gamma ray
Correct answer: Mechanical wave
Mechanical waves, such as sound waves, require a physical medium (solid, liquid, or gas) to transfer energy.
Question 4: Which process describes water moving from the leaves of plants into the atmosphere?
- Precipitation
- Condensation
- Transpiration (Correct answer)
- Evaporation
Correct answer: Transpiration
Transpiration is the process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves into the atmosphere.
Question 5: A scientist observes a fossil of a marine organism in a desert. What does this most likely indicate?
- The organism could survive in dry climates
- The desert was once covered by an ocean (Correct answer)
- The fossil was carried there by wind
- Marine organisms can evolve into land animals quickly
Correct answer: The desert was once covered by an ocean
Marine fossils found in desert regions indicate that the area was once submerged under water millions of years ago.
Question 6: What is the relationship between an organism's genotype and phenotype?
- They are always identical
- Genotype is the physical trait; phenotype is the genetic code
- Genotype is the genetic makeup; phenotype is the observable trait (Correct answer)
- Phenotype determines genotype
Correct answer: Genotype is the genetic makeup; phenotype is the observable trait
Genotype refers to an organism's genetic code (alleles), while phenotype is the physical expression of those genes.
Question 7: Which of the following correctly describes the law of conservation of energy?
- Energy can be created from nothing under extreme conditions
- Energy is destroyed when converted from one form to another
- The total energy in a closed system remains constant (Correct answer)
- Potential energy always converts fully to kinetic energy
Correct answer: The total energy in a closed system remains constant
The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
GMAS Science 3
Which organelle is responsible for controlling the activities of the cell?