Science Quiz of this week


1. The galaxy we live in is called the Milky Way. It is shaped approximately like:

A round ball
A doughnut
A pretzel
A flat spiral

2. Unlike most other fish, sharks have no:

Bones
Teeth
Gills
Liver

3. The metal mercury:

Is the hardest known metal
Is a liquid at room temperature
Is highly radioactive
Is extensively used in aircraft construction

4. If you were to take a lump of coal and squeeze for a long time at very high temperatures, you would end up with:

Graphite
Volcanic glass, also known as obsidian
A smaller lump of coal
A diamond

5. It is now believed that dinosaurs became extinct because of:

Viral diseases
Hunting by early humans
A worldwide period of climatic cooling
A meteorite impact

6. Kinetic energy is:

Life energy, possessed only by living organisms
Only important at subatomic distances
Energy of movement
A rare form of energy sometimes observed in deep space

7. Charles Darwin began developing his theory of evolution while voyaging on a ship named:

The Enterprise
The Beagle
The Santa Maria
The Endeavour

8. An android is any robot that:

Has more than one basic function
Has the ability to make decisions and formulate plans
Is built by other robots
Looks and acts like a human

9. What is special about Sirius, the Dog Star?

It is the only star first observed by Albert Einstein
It is the brightest star in the sky
It always lies directly above the North Pole
It emits staccato barking sounds which radio telescopes can detect

10. The platypus and the echidna are the only mammals that:

Lay eggs
Have green blood
Live in Antarctica
Eat eucalyptus leaves