HiSET Science Practice Test #2 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An atom of carbon-14 has 6 protons and 8 neutrons. What is the mass number of this atom?
- 6
- 8
- 14 (Correct answer)
- 48
Correct answer: 14
Mass number = number of protons + number of neutrons = 6 + 8 = 14. This is why this isotope is called carbon-14.
Question 2: Which process causes water to change from a liquid to a gas at temperatures below its boiling point?
- Condensation
- Evaporation (Correct answer)
- Sublimation
- Precipitation
Correct answer: Evaporation
Evaporation is the process by which liquid water becomes water vapor (gas) at the surface, even below the boiling point of 100°C, due to some molecules having enough energy to escape.
Question 3: In which type of reproduction does an organism produce offspring that are genetically identical to the parent?
- Sexual reproduction
- Cross-pollination
- Asexual reproduction (Correct answer)
- Fertilization
Correct answer: Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction produces clones — offspring genetically identical to the single parent — because no fusion of egg and sperm occurs. Examples include budding, binary fission, and vegetative propagation.
Question 4: What happens to a gas inside a sealed container if the temperature is increased (assuming volume stays constant)?
- The pressure decreases
- The pressure increases (Correct answer)
- The volume decreases
- The mass decreases
Correct answer: The pressure increases
According to Gay-Lussac's Law, at constant volume, increasing temperature increases pressure. Higher temperature means faster-moving gas molecules that collide with container walls more forcefully.
Question 5: Which of the following is the correct order of taxonomic classification from broadest to most specific?
- Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species (Correct answer)
- Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom
- Kingdom, Class, Order, Phylum, Family, Genus, Species
- Domain, Species, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus
Correct answer: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
The standard taxonomy hierarchy from broadest to most specific is: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. A mnemonic is 'Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Soup.'
Question 6: Which type of electromagnetic radiation has the shortest wavelength and highest energy?
- Radio waves
- Visible light
- X-rays
- Gamma rays (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Gamma rays
The electromagnetic spectrum from longest to shortest wavelength: radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays. Gamma rays have the shortest wavelength and carry the most energy.
HiSET Science Practice Test #2 2
An atom of carbon-14 has 6 protons and 8 neutrons.
What is the mass number of this atom?