NM-MSSA Science 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which process do plants use to convert sunlight into food?
- Respiration
- Photosynthesis (Correct answer)
- Fermentation
- Digestion
Correct answer: Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen.
Question 2: What is the basic unit of life?
- Atom
- Molecule
- Cell (Correct answer)
- Tissue
Correct answer: Cell
The cell is the smallest structural and functional unit of all living organisms.
Question 3: Which type of rock forms when magma cools and solidifies?
- Sedimentary
- Metamorphic
- Igneous (Correct answer)
- Fossil
Correct answer: Igneous
Igneous rocks form when molten magma or lava cools and solidifies either underground or on Earth's surface.
Question 4: What force keeps planets in orbit around the Sun?
- Magnetism
- Friction
- Gravity (Correct answer)
- Electricity
Correct answer: Gravity
Gravity is the attractive force between masses that keeps planets in their elliptical orbits around the Sun.
Question 5: Which gas do animals exhale that plants use in photosynthesis?
- Oxygen
- Nitrogen
- Carbon dioxide (Correct answer)
- Hydrogen
Correct answer: Carbon dioxide
Animals exhale carbon dioxide as a waste product of cellular respiration, which plants then absorb to use in photosynthesis.
Question 6: What is the term for a change in an organism's environment that causes a response?
- Adaptation
- Stimulus (Correct answer)
- Response
- Mutation
Correct answer: Stimulus
A stimulus is any change in the environment that causes a living organism to react or respond.
Question 7: Which layer of Earth is composed of molten rock?
- Crust
- Mantle
- Outer core (Correct answer)
- Inner core
Correct answer: Outer core
The outer core is composed of liquid (molten) iron and nickel, which generates Earth's magnetic field.
NM-MSSA Science 2
Which process do plants use to convert sunlight into food?