PTA Science Fundamentals 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What are the three states of matter?
- Solid, liquid, and gas (Correct answer)
- Earth, water, and fire
- Hot, warm, and cold
- Heavy, medium, and light
Correct answer: Solid, liquid, and gas
Matter exists in three common states: solid (fixed shape and volume), liquid (fixed volume, variable shape), and gas (variable shape and volume).
Question 2: What is the water cycle?
- The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection (Correct answer)
- Water flowing downhill
- Rain falling once
- Ocean currents only
Correct answer: The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection
The water cycle describes how water continuously moves: evaporating from surfaces, condensing into clouds, falling as precipitation, and collecting in bodies of water.
Question 3: What is photosynthesis?
- The process by which plants convert sunlight, water, and CO2 into glucose and oxygen (Correct answer)
- Plants absorbing water through roots
- Animals digesting food
- Rocks breaking down over time
Correct answer: The process by which plants convert sunlight, water, and CO2 into glucose and oxygen
Photosynthesis allows plants to use solar energy to combine carbon dioxide and water into glucose (food) and oxygen.
Question 4: What is Newton's First Law of Motion?
- An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by an external force (Correct answer)
- Force equals mass times acceleration
- Every action has an equal and opposite reaction
- Objects always slow down over time
Correct answer: An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by an external force
The law of inertia states that objects resist changes in their state of motion — they keep doing what they are doing unless a force intervenes.
Question 5: What is the difference between an element and a compound?
- An element is a pure substance of one atom type; a compound is two or more elements chemically bonded (Correct answer)
- They are the same thing
- Compounds are simpler than elements
- Elements are always gases
Correct answer: An element is a pure substance of one atom type; a compound is two or more elements chemically bonded
Elements cannot be broken into simpler substances (like gold or oxygen), while compounds are two or more elements chemically combined (like water: H2O).
Question 6: What is DNA?
- Deoxyribonucleic acid — the molecule that carries genetic instructions for life (Correct answer)
- A type of protein
- A vitamin
- A blood cell
Correct answer: Deoxyribonucleic acid — the molecule that carries genetic instructions for life
DNA is the hereditary material containing the genetic blueprint for building and maintaining organisms, structured as a double helix.
PTA Science Fundamentals 1
What are the three states of matter?