MTEL Elementary Education Subject Matter Flashcards

Which process in the water cycle directly converts liquid water into water vapor?

Answer: Evaporation

Evaporation is the process by which liquid water absorbs energy and changes to water vapor at the water's surface.

A student pushes a book across a table and it slows to a stop. Which force MOST directly causes the book to stop?

Answer: Friction

Friction between the book's surface and the table acts opposite to the direction of motion, converting kinetic energy to heat and stopping the book.

What is the PRIMARY role of chlorophyll in plants?

Answer: To absorb light energy for photosynthesis

Chlorophyll is the pigment in plant cells that absorbs light energy (primarily red and blue wavelengths) to drive the photosynthesis process.

Which characteristic of igneous rock distinguishes it from sedimentary rock?

Answer: It forms from cooled magma or lava

Igneous rock forms when magma (below ground) or lava (above ground) cools and solidifies, unlike sedimentary rock which forms from layered, compressed sediments.

In a food web, what role does a grasshopper that eats grass and is eaten by a frog occupy?

Answer: Primary consumer

A primary consumer eats producers (plants) directly; the grasshopper eats grass (a producer) and is therefore a primary consumer.

Which type of simple machine is a ramp used for loading boxes into a truck?

Answer: Inclined plane

An inclined plane is a flat surface set at an angle that reduces the force needed to raise an object by increasing the distance over which the force is applied.

A student observes that a plant grows toward a window over several days. Which stimulus is the plant responding to?

Answer: Light (phototropism)

Phototropism is the directional growth response of a plant toward (or away from) a light source, driven by unequal distribution of auxin.