NeSA NeSA Science 3

Question 1

Which scientific principle explains why populations with favorable traits survive and reproduce more successfully over generations?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection

Answer

Natural selection, proposed by Charles Darwin, states that organisms with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass those traits to offspring.

Question 2

In a controlled experiment, what is the variable that the scientist deliberately changes or manipulates?

Accepted Answer

Independent variable

Answer

The independent variable is the factor a scientist intentionally changes to test its effect; the dependent variable is what is measured in response to that change.

Question 3

What is the term for the minimum amount of energy needed to start a chemical reaction?

Accepted Answer

Activation energy

Answer

Activation energy is the minimum energy required to initiate a chemical reaction by breaking existing bonds so that new bonds can form between reactants.

Question 4

Which Earth science concept describes the slow movement of tectonic plates that causes earthquakes, volcanic activity, and the formation of mountain ranges?

Accepted Answer

Plate tectonics

Answer

Plate tectonics theory explains that Earth's lithosphere is divided into large plates that move slowly over the mantle, causing geological events where they collide, separate, or slide past each other.

Question 5

What does the law of conservation of energy state about energy in a closed system?

Accepted Answer

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed

Answer

The law of conservation of energy states that the total energy in a closed system remains constant — energy can change forms (e.g., kinetic to thermal) but cannot be created or destroyed.

NeSA - Nebraska State Accountability Practice Test

NeSA - Nebraska State Accountability Practice Test

NeSA NeSA Science 3