WI Forward Science 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What process do plants use to convert sunlight into chemical energy?
- Cellular respiration
- Photosynthesis (Correct answer)
- Fermentation
- Transpiration
Correct answer: Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis converts light energy into glucose using carbon dioxide and water.
Photosynthesis occurs in chloroplasts: 6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy produces C6H12O6 + 6O2. This process forms the base of most food chains.
Question 2: Which layer of Earth's atmosphere is closest to the surface?
- Stratosphere
- Mesosphere
- Troposphere (Correct answer)
- Thermosphere
Correct answer: Troposphere
The troposphere extends from the surface to about 12 km and is where weather occurs.
The troposphere is the lowest layer, containing about 75% of the atmosphere's mass and nearly all water vapor. Temperature decreases with altitude in this layer.
Question 3: What type of rock forms from the cooling and solidification of magma or lava?
- Sedimentary
- Metamorphic
- Igneous (Correct answer)
- Fossil
Correct answer: Igneous
Igneous rocks form when molten rock cools and crystallizes.
When magma cools slowly underground, intrusive igneous rocks like granite form. When lava cools quickly on the surface, extrusive igneous rocks like basalt form.
Question 4: In a food web, what role do decomposers play?
- They produce their own food
- They hunt other organisms
- They break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients (Correct answer)
- They compete with producers
Correct answer: They break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients
Decomposers break down dead organic material and return nutrients to the soil.
Bacteria and fungi break down dead matter into simpler substances, releasing nutrients back into the soil for producers to absorb.
Question 5: What property of matter describes how much space an object takes up?
- Mass
- Volume (Correct answer)
- Density
- Weight
Correct answer: Volume
Volume measures the amount of three-dimensional space an object occupies.
Volume is measured in cm³, m³, liters, or mL. Mass measures the amount of matter, weight is gravitational force, and density is mass/volume.
Question 6: Which form of energy is stored in food and fuels?
- Kinetic energy
- Thermal energy
- Chemical energy (Correct answer)
- Electrical energy
Correct answer: Chemical energy
Chemical energy is stored in molecular bonds, released during chemical reactions.
Chemical energy is potential energy stored in chemical bonds between atoms. Your body converts food's chemical energy into ATP through cellular respiration.
WI Forward Science 2
What process do plants use to convert sunlight into chemical energy?