General Science ASVAB Terms

1. In the SI system, ____ is the unit of length, ____ is the unit of time, and ____ is the unit of mass.

meter, or m; seconds, or s; kilogram, or kg

Explanation: The SI system has also been called the metric system

2. Elements are made up of ____, which are made up of positively charged ____, negatively charged ____, and neutrally charged ____.

atoms; protons; electrons; neutron

Explanation: Atoms bonded together form molecules.

3. What are the four different blood types?

A, B, AB, and O

Explanation: There is also usually a + or - designation after the type. This signifies either the presence (+) or absence (-) of the Rh factor. Certain types of blood should not mix with each other.

4. What are the planets in our solar system, from closest to farthest from the sun?

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

Explanation: Pluto used to be considered a planet, but scientists have removed it from the list and it is now considered a dwarf planet.

5. What is the taxonomic rank breakdown from most inclusive to least inclusive?

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species Explanation: A useful mnemonic for recalling the taxonomic ranking is “Dr. King Philip Came Over For Great Spaghetti.”

6. What are the major systems that make up the human body?

nervous, circulatory, digestive, reproductive, musculoskeletal, and respiratory

Explanation: You may see lists of body systems that have as many as 12 systems listed. This is because some of the above five can be divided, such as musculoskeletal into muscular and skeletal.

7. Meiosis results in ____ cells while mitosis results in ____ cells.

four; two

Explanation: Meiosis generates four haploid daughter cells in a total of eight stages, while mitosis generates two diploid daughter cells in a total of four stages.

8. How do eukaryotic cells differ from prokaryotic cells? How do animal cells differ from plant cells?

Eukaryotic cells contain membrane-bound organelles, including a nucleus containing their genetic material. Prokaryotic cells lack membrane-bound organelles and their genetic material floats in the cytoplasm. Animal cells lack a cell wall and chloroplasts; plant cells do not have centrioles or lysosomes.

Explanation: All living things are composed of cells.

9. What word would correctly fill in each blank? ____ eat only animals. ____ eat only plants. ____ eat both plants and animals. ____ decompose organic material.

Carnivores; Herbivores; Omnivores; Decomposers

Explanation: There are some plants that are parasites and eat other plants. They may be categorized as herbivores, too.

10. What are the five kingdoms of living organisms?

Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia

Explanation: An example of an organism of each kingdom is eubacteria (Monera), green algae (Protista), yeast (Fungi), sunflower (Plantae), and tiger (Animalia).

11. What steps are involved in the scientific method?

1. Observe a phenomenon or event. 2. Form a hypothesis about the event. 3. Formulate predictions based on the hypothesis. 4. Perform an experiment to test the predictions. 5. Verify or reformulate the hypothesis based on the results. Repeat the process.

Explanation: All steps of the process are important and it’s important to do them in this order. It’s also important, for valuable scientific studies, to repeat the process.

12. From closest to farthest from Earth’s surface, what are the layers of the atmosphere?

Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere

Explanation: Our daily living takes place in the troposphere. Commercial airliners usually cruise in the stratosphere.

13. The prefix or suffix ____ is added to the name of dark clouds that produce precipitation.

Nimbo/nimbus

Explanation: When a cloud produces precipitation, the word nimbo or nimbus is added to its name. Some examples are cumulonimbus and nimbostratus.

14. The metric prefix ____ is equivalent to 1,000,000.

mega-

Explanation:

milli- is 1/1000

centi- is 1/100

deci- is 1/10

deca- is 10

hecto- is 100

kilo- is 1,000

mega- is 1,000,000

15. The most important macronutrients are carbohydrates, lipids, and ____.

Proteins

Explanation: Carbohydrates provide readily accessible energy. Lipids (also known as fats) provide energy storage, are precursors for hormones, and aid in the absorption of micronutrients. Proteins are used for cell growth, transport, and repair.