Natural Science CLEP 2

ALL of the following diseases are genetically inherited EXCEPT

(A) Tuberculosis

(B) Phenylketonuria

(C) Huntington's disease

(D) Cystic fibrosis

(E) Tay-Sachs disease

A) Tuberculosis

Which of the following diseases can be controlled by dietary regulation?

(A) Influenza

(B) Type 2 diabetes

(C) AIDS

(D) Pertussis

(E) Smallpox

B)Type 2 diabetes

Hard water is undesirable and is often softened because hard water______

(A) is too viscous for regular uses

(B) contains trace amounts of toxic substances

(C) forms insoluble precipitates when boiled or when used with soap

(D) cannot be used efficiently by the body due to dissolved impurities

(E) evaporates more rapidly than soft water

C) forms insoluble precipitates when boiled or when used with soap

In embryonic origin, nerve cells are most similar to

(A) epidermal cells

(B) bone cells

(C) red blood cells

(D) liver cells

(E) reproductive cells

A) epidermal cells

Which of the following instruments would be most useful for studying the internal structure of a chloroplast?

(A) Transmission electron microscope

(B) Scanning electron microscope

(C) Compound light microscope

(D) Dissecting microscope

(E) Phase-contrast microscope

A) Transmission electron microscope

Which of the following most directly leads to changes in cellular specialization during embryonic development?

(A) Meiosis in the embryo's cells

(B) Changes in the environmental stimuli the embryo experiences in the uterus

(C) Formation of the placenta

(D) An increase in the amount of DNA in the embryo due to replication

(E) Changes in gene expression

E) Changes in gene expression

Which of the following organisms typically transmits the West Nile virus to humans?

(A) Housefly

(B) Tsetse fly

(C) Mosquito

(D) Tick

(E) Mouse

C) Mosquito

Dark lines in the Sun's spectrum are explained as resulting from

(A) emission of radiation of certain frequencies from the Sun's atmosphere

(B) absorption of energy by atoms in the outer layers of the Sun

(C) radiation of ultraviolet light from sunspots

(D) continuous radiation from the corona

(E) x-rays emanating from the Sun's atmosphere

B) absorption of energy by atoms in the outer layers of the Sun

The release of chlorofluorocarbon gases into the environment has caused great concern to scientists and the public because these compounds

(A) react with water droplets to cause acid rain and acid snow

(B) decrease visibility near areas with high volumes of air traffic

(C) are implicated in the reduction of ozone levels in the upper stratosphere

(D) are made from rare elements that will soon be exhausted

(E) are known to cause cancer through direct skin contact

C) are implicated in the reduction of ozone levels in the upper stratosphere

Which of the following natural resources is NOT a fossil fuel?

(A) Uranium

(B) Natural gas

(C) Petroleum

(D) Anthracite coal

(E) Bituminous coal

A) Uranium

Which of the following is the farthest, on average, from Earth?

(A) Andromeda galaxy

(B) Halley's comet

(C) Jupiter

(D) Sirius

(E) Uranus

A) Andromeda galaxy

CaO + CO2 → CaCO3

What mass of CaO is needed to absorb 22 grams of CO2 according to the balanced chemical equation above? (Molar masses: CaO = 56 g/mol, CO2 = 44 g/mol)

(A) 112 g

(B) 100 g

(C) 56 g

(D) 28 g

(E) 22 g

D) 28 g

The half-life of 14 6C is 5,600 years. Which of the following statements about a 10-gram sample of 14 6C is correct?

(A) The radioactive decay of the sample will be complete after 5,600 years.

(B) The 14 6C sample will start radioactive decay after 5,600 years.

(C) A time of 5,600 years has been required to produce this sample of 14 6C in nature.

(D) After 5,600 years the sample will contain only 5 grams of 14 6C.

(E) After 11,200 years the sample will not contain any 14 6C.

D) After 5,600 years the sample will contain only 5 grams of 14 6C.

Impact craters dominate the Moon's surface, yet are rare on Earth's surface. Reasons for this difference include which of the following?

I. The Moon has no wind.

II. The Moon is geologically inactive.

III. The Moon is much older.

(A) I only

(B) II only

(C) I and II only

(D) II and III only

(E) I, II, and III

C) I and II only

At a fixed pressure, when the temperature of a gas sample increases, its volume increases. This relationship between the temperature and the volume of a gas is best described as which of the following?

(A) Direct proportion

(B) Inverse proportion

(C) Limiting ratio

(D) Hyperbolic function

(E) Logarithmic function

A) Direct proportion

The notation 1s2 2s2 2p4 represents

(A) a noble gas

(B) an atomic nucleus

(C) an element with 8 protons

(D) an element with 8 electrons

(E) an element with an oxidation state of 4

D) an element with 8 electrons

Of the following planets that are visible with the naked eye—Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn— only Venus has an orbit smaller than that of Earth. This means that Venus

(A) is seen only in the morning or the evening sky

(B) can be seen in the sky near midnight more often than at other times

(C) can rarely be seen at all

(D) has an orbit that is more elliptical than that of Earth

(E) has a longer year than Earth

A) is seen only in the morning or the evening sky

An unsorted mixture of clay, boulders, sand, and silt would most likely be deposited from which of the following?

(A) Glacial ice

(B) Subsurface water

(C) Streams

(D) Waves

(E) Wind

A) Glacial ice

Valleys with U-shaped cross sections are most likely the result of erosion by which of the following?

(A) Glaciers

(B) Perennial streams

(C) Intermittent streams

(D) Mudflows

(E) Wind

A) Glaciers

On a global basis, for which of the following activities is the most water used each day?

(A) Crop irrigation

(B) Cooling in power plants

(C) Commercial laundering

(D) Manufacturing of textiles

(E) Production of steel

A) Crop irrigation

Southern California experienced an earthquake that registered magnitude 3.5 on the Richter scale. One month later the same area experienced an earthquake that registered 5.5. About how many times as much energy was released by the magnitude 5.5 earthquake than by the magnitude 3.5 earthquake?

(A) 2

(B) 10

(C) 200

(D) 1,000

(E) 2,000

D) 1,000

Which of the following best describes the wind circulation associated with low pressure systems in the Northern Hemisphere?

(A) North to south

(B) West to east

(C) Southwest to northeast

(D) Clockwise

(E) Counterclockwise

E) Counterclockwise

Which of the following types of radiation is typically produced in the laboratory by a high-voltage electron beam impacting a metallic target?

(A) Primary cosmic radiation

(B) X-ray radiation

(C) Neutron radiation

(D) Ultraviolet radiation

(E) Beta radiation

B) X-ray radiation

Which of the following typically occurs when a forested watershed is clear-cut?

(A) Annual rainfall increases.

(B) Soil erosion increases.

(C) The water temperature in streams decreases.

(D) The sediment load in streams decreases.

(E) Atmospheric concentration of O2 increases.

B) Soil erosion increases.

Which characteristic of a star most directly relates to the likelihood of that star eventually becoming a black hole?

(A) Apparent magnitude

(B) Absolute magnitude

(C) Surface temperature

(D) Diameter

(E) Mass

E) Mass

How many joules of energy are absorbed by a 20.0 g sample of water as the temperature of the sample is raised from 273 K to 283 K? (The specific heat capacity of water is 4.2 J g−1K−1.)

(A) 42 J

(B) 84 J

(C) 200 J

(D) 840 J

(E) 4,200 J

D) 4,200 J

Which of the following is true about cells that lose the ability to regulate cell division?

(A) They commonly have two nuclei.

(B) They can develop into cancer cells.

(C) They will divide forever using ribosomes.

(D) They are missing key genes that separate chromatids.

(E) They cannot be used for drug research.

B) They can develop into cancer cells.

In a healthy human, which of the following should be free of microbes?

(A) Mouth

(B) Large intestine

(C) Stomach

(D) Spinal fluid

(E) Skin

D) Spinal fluid

An atom whose ground-state electron configuration ends with ... . .p5 is

(A) a halogen

(B) a noble gas

(C) an alkali metal

(D) an alkaline earth metal

(E) a member of the oxygen family

A) a halogen

A study of the Antarctic ice sheet yielded the data in the graph above. Which of the following statements about the data is accurate?

(A) The x- and y-axes are plotted incorrectly.

(B) There are too few data points for statistical analysis.

(C) There is a positive correlation between the two variables.

(D) The scale must be logarithmic because the line is straight.

(E) Because the line is straight, accurate extrapolations can be made far into the future.

C) There is a positive correlation between the two variables.

Which of the following can assist in communication between plants but can also be a harmful air pollutant?

(A) Radon

(B) Ozone

(C) Volatile organic compounds

(D) Carbon dioxide

(E) Nitrogen oxides

C) Volatile organic compounds

The elements in group 18 of the periodic table are chemically unreactive. Which of the following statements best explains this observation?

(A) The elements are gases, and gases are naturally unreactive.

(B) The elements form unusually stable diatomic molecules.

(C) The valence electrons of these elements are strongly attracted to their nuclei.

(D) The valence electrons of these elements are extremely stable because the electrons are paired.

(E) The valence electron shells of these elements are completely filled.

E) The valence electron shells of these elements are completely filled.

Which of the following elements makes up about one percent of Earth's atmosphere?

(A) Ar

(B) H

(C) He

(D) N

(E) O

A) Ar