WVGSA Science 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student places a plant in a dark closet for two weeks. Which observation would most likely result from this experiment?
- The plant grows faster due to conserved energy
- The plant turns yellow and stops growing (Correct answer)
- The plant produces more oxygen in the dark
- The plant develops deeper roots to find light
Correct answer: The plant turns yellow and stops growing
Without light, plants cannot perform photosynthesis, so they lose chlorophyll (turning yellow) and stop growing.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes a physical change?
- Wood burning in a fireplace
- Iron rusting on a fence
- Ice melting into liquid water (Correct answer)
- Baking soda reacting with vinegar
Correct answer: Ice melting into liquid water
Ice melting is a physical change because water changes state but its chemical composition (H₂O) remains the same.
Question 3: Earth's tilt on its axis is primarily responsible for which phenomenon?
- Day and night cycles
- The phases of the Moon
- The changing of seasons (Correct answer)
- Ocean tides
Correct answer: The changing of seasons
Earth's 23.5° axial tilt causes different parts of Earth to receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the year, creating seasons.
Question 4: A food web shows that hawks eat snakes, snakes eat frogs, and frogs eat insects. If the insect population suddenly decreases, what would most likely happen to the hawk population?
- Hawks would increase because they have fewer competitors
- Hawks would be unaffected since they do not eat insects
- Hawks would eventually decrease due to less food available (Correct answer)
- Hawks would migrate and return when insects recover
Correct answer: Hawks would eventually decrease due to less food available
A decrease in insects reduces the food supply for frogs, which reduces snakes, which ultimately reduces the hawk population.
Question 5: Which layer of Earth is responsible for the movement of tectonic plates?
- Inner core
- Outer core
- Crust
- Mantle (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Mantle
Convection currents in the semi-molten mantle drive the movement of tectonic plates on Earth's surface.
Question 6: A student measures the volume of an irregularly shaped rock by placing it in a graduated cylinder containing 30 mL of water. The water level rises to 42 mL. What is the volume of the rock?
- 30 mL
- 42 mL
- 12 mL (Correct answer)
- 72 mL
Correct answer: 12 mL
The volume of the rock equals the water displaced: 42 mL − 30 mL = 12 mL.
Question 7: Which process describes water vapor in the atmosphere cooling and changing into liquid water droplets to form clouds?
- Evaporation
- Transpiration
- Condensation (Correct answer)
- Precipitation
Correct answer: Condensation
Condensation is the process by which water vapor cools and converts to liquid water, forming clouds and fog.
WVGSA Science 2
A student places a plant in a dark closet for two weeks.
Which observation would most likely result from this experiment?