General science ASVAB 2025 2026

(a) iron-deficiency

A pregnant woman feels dizzy and has a headache. Which of the following would be the most likely diagnosis?

(a) iron-deficiency

(b) scurvy

(c) cancer

(d) diabetes

(b) red meat

A person with high cholesterol should limit their intake of saturated fat. The only choice here that is high in saturated fats is (b) red meat. The others are filled with healthier fats (mono- and polyunsaturated fats) that could possibly help lower high cholesterol.

If a person has high cholesterol, which one of the following foods might his doctor suggest that he avoid?

(a) olive oil

(b) red meat

(c) almonds

(d) avocados

(d) ligament

What type of tissue would connect the humerus to the ulna?

(a) bone

(b) muscle

(c) tendon

(d) ligament

(d) right atrium

Which of the following does not contain oxygen-rich blood?

(a) aorta

(b) left ventricle

(c) pulmonary vein

(d) right atrium

Where does food go after the step where proteins begin to be digested?

(c) small intestine

(c) cerebellum

Which of the following parts of the brain, if damaged would likely cause a person to have poor balance?

(a) medulla

(b) spinal cord

(c) cerebellum

(d) cerebrum

(c) strep throat

Which of the following illnesses could be treated with an antibiotic?

(a) influenza

(b) anemia

(c) strep throat

(d) herpes

(c) arteries

Arteries pump blood away from the heart to the rest of the body, so the blood pressure is highest in those vessels. Some veins (a) have such low blood pressure that they need valves to keep the blood from flowing the wrong way! Capillaries (b) are tiny vessels located far from the heart, so their blood pressure is relatively low as well.

Blood pressure is generally highest in which of the following?

(a) veins

(b) capillaries

(c) arteries

(d) lungs

(d) the bones

Reading the question stem carefully, home in on the key word, "produced." Try to make a prediction before looking at your answer choices, if possible. Although white blood cells are found in the blood, and thus pass through the vena cava and heart, they are produced in the center of bones, the marrow, so look for an answer like "marrow" or "bone."

White blood cells are produced in __.

(a) the heart

(b) the superior vena cava

(c) the lymph nodes

(d) the bones

Make a prediction. Regulation of the heart is an autonomic (involuntary) process. It occurs in the brain stem (medulla).

(b) the medulla, or brain stem

(c) The black rabbit has a recessive white-fur allele.

Suppose that black ur in rabbits is a dominant trait and that white fur in rabbits is a recessive trait. A black rabbit and a white rabbit mate and produce a white kit ( that is, baby rabbit).

Which of the following inferences is supported by this information?

(a) The parent's next kit will be black.

(b) The white rabbit has a recessive black-fur allele.

(c) The black rabbit has a recessive white-fur allele.

(d) The kit is an albino.

(a) no oxygen is present during cellular respiration

Cellular fermentation takes place when __.

(a) no oxygen is present during cellular respiration

(b) oxygen is present during cellular respiration

(c) lactic acid is present during cellular respiration

(d) yeast is present during cellular respiration

(c) nucleus

Answer choice (c) is correct. The nucleus contains all genetic material. DNA replication takes place in the nucleus during interphase. Interphase is the longest phase of mitosis.

In which organelle does DNA replication take place?

(a) mitochondria

(b) ribosome

(c) nucleus

(d) endoplasmic reticulum

(b) biosphere

The biosphere begins in the deep crust of the Earth and includes all areas where life can exist - land, water and air. An ecosystem and a biome are smaller areas. The stratosphere is higher than the lower atmosphere.

Which of the following is the term for the zone that extends from the Earth's crust through the lower atmosphere and which encompasses all life on Earth?

(a) biome

(b) biosphere

(c) ecosystem

(d) stratosphere

(d) bacteria

Bacteria are considered a decomposer because they break down dead matter and release it back to the soil as minerals. Flies and vultures would be scavengers, and a tree would be an autotroph.

Which of the following is a decomposer?

(a) vulture

(b) fly

(c) oak tree

(d) bacteria

(a) Animalia

Mammals are part of the kingdom __.

(a) Animalia

(b) Mammalia

(c) Protista

(d) Monera

(a) Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom

"Species" is the most specific category in taxonomy and "Kingdom" is the most general (not including domains), so choice (a) is correct. Choice (b) lists the categories from largest to smallest. Choice (c) almost does the same but confuses Order and Class. Choice (d) is incorrect because it switches the places of :"Order" and "Family."

Not including domains, the correct order of the categories of taxonomy, from most specific to most general, is: __.

(a) Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom

(b) Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

(c) Kingdom, Phylum, Order, Class, Family, Genus, Species

(d) Species, Genus, Order, Family, Class, Phylum, Kingdom

To make a prediction on this question, think about what kind of blood flows into and out of the heart.

Which of the following describes the proper pathway of blood through the heart?

(a) vena cava -> right atrium -> right ventricle -> pulmonary artery -> pulmonary vein -> left atrium -> left ventricle -> aorta

(c) small intestine

The small intestine is the largest digestive organ and does the most work in breaking down food into materials the body can use.

Most human digestion takes place in the __.

(a) esophagus

(b) stomach

(c) small intestine

(d) large intestine

(c) O negative

Type O negative blood, also known as the "universal donor" type, can be donated to anyone.

Which blood type can be donated to anyone?

(a) A positive

(b) B negative

(c) O negative

(d) AB positive

(b) 23 chromosomes

A typical human gamete contains half the number of chromosomes as a normal cell, or 23.

A typical human gamete contains __.

(a) 2 chromosomes

(b) 23 chromosomes

(c) 46 chromosomes

(d) 92 chromosomes

(d) deer

A deer is an example of a primary consumer; that is, an animal that consumes only vegetation.

Which of the following is an example of a primary consumer?

(a) moss

(b) mushroom

(c) jackal

(d) deer

(a) 3

There are three domains in taxonomy: Eukaryota, Bacteria, and Archaea.

How many domains are recognized in taxonomy?

(a) 3

(b) 5

(c) 7

(d) 9

(a) Prokaryotic cells do not have nuclei.

Prokaryotic cells, such as bacteria, do not have nuclei. Their genetic material is contained within main part of the cell body. Eukaryotic cells do contain nuclei where all genetic material is contained. Eukaryotic cells are plant, animal. fungi and protist cells.

Which of the following best describes the difference between eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells?

(a) Prokaryotic cells do not have nuclei.

(b) Prokaryotic cells are only found in plants.

(c) Eukaryotic cells are only found in plants

(d) Eukaryotic cells do not have nuclei.

(b) semi-permeable structure

Animal cells have semi-permeable membranes which allow for osmosis. Osmosis is essential for maintaining homeostasis within the cell and preventing it from shrinking or bursting.

The cell membrane that surrounds an animal cell is a __.

(a) non-permeable structure

(b) semi-permeable structure

(c) fully permeable structure

(d) cell wall

arthropods

invertebrates with segmented bodies and jointed legs

monera

most primitive kingdom; organisms are prokaryotic; includes bacteria

chordata

vertebrates animals; includes man

fiber

provides bulk w/c allows the large intestine to carry away waste matter

arteries

carry blood from the heart to the tissues of the body

veins

carry blood back to heart from the cappilaries

cappilaries

permit the exchange of materials between the blood & the body's cells

platelets

cell fragment that allow blood to clot

lipase

changes fats to glycerol and fatty acids

pancreatic amylase

breaks down complex carbohydrates into simple sugar; helps digest starchy foods

trypsin

converts polypeptides into amino acid

bile

produced by the liver aids in the physical digestion of emulsifying fat

cerebellum

concerned with the mascular coordination of the brain

medulla

connection between the brain and the spinal cord; controls involuntary actions

spinal cord

carry impulses; control center for many simple reflexes

somatic nervous system

part of the peripheral nervous system; sending sensory information; controls voluntary actions

autonomic nervous system

part of the peripheral nervous system; regulates involuntary activities

meiosis

process by which gametes are created

protista

simplest eukaryotes (cells have nuclei)

ex: slime, water slime molds

fungi

decomposers (saprothrops) ; includes mushrooms

ecology

study of interrelationships between organisms & their physical surroundings

biosphere

zone of planet earth where life naturally occurs, including land, water & air

biome

species bound together by similar climate, vegetation & animal life

ecosystem

system made up of a community of animals, plants as well as the non-living

geology

deals with the history and composition of the earth and its life

outer core

2,300 km thick liquid

inner core

1,200 km radius solid

richter scale

use to measure the intensity of the earthquake

igneous rock

formed from hardening of molten rock or magma, w/c is called lava when reaches the surface of the earth

ex: granite, pumice, basalt, obsidian

sedimentary rock

formed by sedimentation or gradual depositing of small bits of rock, clay & other materials

ex: shale, sandstone, gypsum, dolomite, coal

metamorphic rock

formed when existing rock material is altered through temperature, pressure, or chemical processes

ex: marble, slate, gneiss, quartzite

precambrian eon

period before the fossil record began

meteorology

study of weather, atmosphere, & atmospheric phenomena

troposphere

lowest level of the atmosphere where all weather takes place. here found the 79% nitrogen & 21% oxygen

stratosphere

above troposphere and jet stream where airflow is mostly horizontal; here found the ozone layer; 60 degrees celcius

ozone layer

absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun

mesosphere

above the stratosphere where we see "falling stars", meteors that fall to the earth & burn up in the atmosphere; 90 degrees celcius

thermosphere

outermost layer of the earth; above mesosphere; 2000 degrees celcius at its upper limit

sun

classified as a "G2V star" or "yellow dwarf"

asteroids

a.k.a. "meteoroids", when they fall into the earth's gravitational field, they are seen as falling stars called "meteors"

comets

sometimes called dirty snowballs or icy mudballs

volume

measurement of three-dimensional space

physics

deals with the properties, changes & interactions of matter & energy

work

force exerted on an object times the distance moved in the direction of the force

newton

unit of force

joule

unit of work

power

rate at which work is performed

watt

unit of power

newton's first law of motion

an object at rest tends to stay at rest, an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force

friction

force that resists relative motion between two bodies in contact

newton's second law of motion

"law of inertia" the greater the mass, the greater the force needed to overcome its inertia

newtons' third law of motion

for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction

newton's law of gravitation

all objects in the universe attract each other w/an equal force that varies directly as a product of their masses. this force is known as "gravity"

sound waves

produced when an object vibrates, disturbing the medium around it

doppler effect

occurs when either the source of the sound waves, the listener, or both are moving

gamma rays

most active radiant energy

refractive index

ratio by which light is slowed down

law of reflection

angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection

concave mirror

converging mirror

convex mirror

diverging mirror

concave lens

one that is thicker on the edges than it is in the middle; also called "diverging lens"

convex lens

one that is thicker in the middle than on the edges; also called "converging lens"

conduction

simplest method of heat transfer; it is accomplished by direct contact such as placing your finger on a hot iron

convection

transfer of heat unevenly in a liquid or gas, lowering the density of the heated liquid or gas, w/c causes it to rise & the cooler liquid or gas to fall

radiation

occurs when electromagnetic waves transmit heat, the heat we get from the sun is called like this

element

a substance that cannot be separated into different substances by ordinary chemical methods

atom

smallest component of an element that still retains the properties of the element

molecule

smallest particle of an element or compound that can exist in the free state & still retains the characteristic of an element or compound

acid

substance that gives up positively charged hydrogen ions(H+) when dissolved in water

ex: vinegar, lemon juice

base

substance that gives up negative charged hydroxyl ions(OH-) when dissolved in water. tastes bitter ex: soap, baking soda

pH

number from 0 to 14. less than 7 are "acidic"

greater then 7 are "basic"

sublimation

the process by which a solid converts directly into a gas; example of endothermic change

heat

can be described as a from of energy

silver

best conductor of heat

group

in the periodic elements, it defines the number of outer electrons found in the atoms of its element