1.

Which of the following statements best describes a hypothetical element with an electron configuration
of 1s22s22p63s23p5?
a. The hypothetical element has an atomic number of 11.
b. The hypothetical element is a member of Group V, otherwise called the Nitrogen Group.
c. The hypothetical element is in the fifth position in the p-block, along the third period of the periodic
table.
d. The hypothetical element is located at the third position of the p-block, along the fifth period of the
periodic table.

2. Despite the observed diversity among organisms, they  are all made from the same set of biomolecules
composed of monomeric units except:
a. Proteins
b. Carbohydrates
c. Nucleic Acids
d. Lipids and Fats
Justification: Lipids and Fats are the only non monomeric biomolecules.

3. What will be formed when radium isotope, with 88 protons and 138 neutrons undergoes alpha decay?
a. Radon Atom (Rn222) with 86 Protons
b. Francium Atom (Fr222) with 87 Protons
c. Actinium Atom (Ac222) with 89 Protons
d. Thorium Atom (Th232) with 90 Protons

4. Which of the following examples best illustrates application of Boyle’s Law?

a. A tire becomes harder as more air is pumped into it.
b. A sealed aerosol can explodes when thrown into a fire.
c. A balloon expands and bursts when exposed to direct sunlight.
d. A scuba divers stops at certain depths as he ascends to the ocean’s surface.
Justification: A diver's body absorbs compressed nitrogen gas while he dives. As it ascends to a depth
with less water pressure.

5. Three liquids A, B, C were studied in a laboratory. Liquid A was found to float over B and C. It was also
found that liquid A flows fastest among the three. What can be said about liquid A?
a. Densest and most viscous
b. Densest and least viscous
c. Least dense and most viscous
d. Least dense and least viscous
Justification: A liquid will float if it is less dense than the liquid it is placed in and liquids that have a low
viscosity flow quickly.

6. Which of the following statements represents a physical change?

a. An antacid tablet forms bubbles when dissolved in water.
b. A flashlight beam slowly gets dimmer and finally dies out over time.
c. The lawn grows thicker every day because fertilizers were added into the soil.
d. Frozen mango juice melted when left standing at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Justification: A change from solid to liquid is a physical change or phase change undergoes which is a
physical change.

7. Which of the following best explains why farmers burn rice straw and hull during seasons of harvest?
a. Burning rice hulls and straws produce compounds that act as repellant for pests which may damage
plantation.
b. The smoke produced by burning rice hulls and straws stimulate growth and fruit bearing of trees.
c. Rice hulls and straws are burned so that more spaces will be available for planting next set of crops.
d. Ash from burnt rice hulls and straws are rich in compounds that could neutralize acidic soil so that
more crops will grow
Justification: Rice husk ash is a by-product from the burning of rice husk that can have favorable effects on the soil in
terms of acidity connection.

8. Acid rain occurs when _________.

a. carbon dioxide combines with water in the atmosphere.

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b. phosphorus-rich water in lakes evaporates to form phosphoric acid.
c. sulfur released in burning fossil fuels combines with water in the atmosphere.
d. excess hydrogen is released into the atmosphere to produce acids.
Justifcation: Compounds formed when fossil fuels are burned combine with water in the atmosphere to
form acids which fall to the Earth's surface as acid rain.

9. Why is it difficult to integrate nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into the nitrogen cycle of the biosphere?
a. Nitrogen is very abundant in the atmosphere
b. Living organisms quickly absorb nitrogen gas
c. Oceans quickly absorb nitrogen gas
d. Few organisms can directly utilize atmospheric nitrogen
Justification: Because not all organisms can directly use nitrogen from the atmosphere. This is the reason
why it is difficult to integrate nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into the nitrogen cycle.

10. Which of the following sentences about greenhouse effect is INCORRECT?

a. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere which are returned to the earth’s surface.
b. Greenhouse effect is important in maintaining the temperature of the earth.
c. Greenhouse effect is due to gases that absorb the green region of light from the sun.
d. Greenhouse effect increases the overall surface temperature of the earth.
Justification: The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gases in Earth's atmosphere trap the
sun's heat.

11. When a gardener propagates a plant by taking cuttings, he plants his cutting in a well-watered soil in a
plant pot. What is the most likely reason why he may then cover the plant and pot with a lightly perforated
polythene bag?
a. To reduce the water demand of the cutting.
b. To decrease the rate of gaseous exchange by the plant.
c. To reduce the chance of attack by pests.
d. To protect the plant from cold weather.

12. It is a common observation that mushrooms thrive few days after lightning strikes. Which among the
following biogeochemical cycles is involved in this process?
a. Nitrogen cycle
b. Carbon-Oxygen cycle
c. Phosphorus cycle
d. Sulfur cycle
Justification: Nitrogen cycle also called as nitrogen fixation process occurs during lightning.

13. Which of the following factors contribute to an increase in human population?

I.    Immigration     II.   Emigration
III.   Natality       IV. Mortality
a. III and IV 
b. II and III
c. I only
d. I and III

14. Shown below is a simple food web in a grassy community. The arrow symbol means eaten by.  What
would happen if all snakes are killed?
Grass>Grasshopper>Frog>Snake
Bird>Snake
a. Grass population would increase.
b. Grasshopper population would increase.
c. Bird and frog populations would increase.
d. Grasshopper and bird populations would increase.

15. Which of the following shows mechanical weathering of rocks?

a. formation of caverns 
b. acids dissolves rocks
c. freezing water between rock particles
d. iron in rocks combine with oxygen
Justification: Mechanical weathering is the physical breaking up of rocks, it occurs by wedging effects and
the effects of reduced pressure.
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16. PAGASA announces the approach of the seasonal winds. The familiar names used are Amihan and
Habagat, internationally known as ________ and ________ respectively.
a. Northeast and southwest
b. Trade wind and easterlies
c. Southwest and northeast
d. Westerlies and easterlies
Justification: The familiar names used are Amihan and Habagat, intentionally known as the Northeast and
Southwest. Amihan and Habagat refer to the two kinds of winds and seasons that occur in the country
(Philippines) every year.

17. Fog is a cloud with its base at or very near the ground. The formation of fog generally occurs after the
ground has lost heat by:
a. Evaporation
b. Convection
c. Conduction
d. Radiation
Justification: Radiation or a ground fog occurs at night, when radiational cooling of Earth's surface cools
the shallow moist air layer near ground to its dew point.

18. Why do we see the sun rise in the east?

a. The earth revolves eastward.
b. The earth rotates from west to east. 
c. We are located in the 20th meridian.
d. On the globe, we are located in the east.
Justification: Earth rotates or spins toward the east, and that's why the sun, moon, planet, and stars all
rise in the east and make their way westward across the sky.

19. If a voltage of 100 volts produces a current of 5 amperes in an electrical device, what is the
resistance?
a. 95 Ohms
b. 20 Ohms 
c. 105 Ohms 
d. 500 Ohms

20. Which of the following best differentiates an earthquake's intensity from its magnitude?
a. Intensity describes 'the depth from which the earthquake originated’ while magnitude refers to ‘the
energy of the earthquake’.
b. Intensity cannot be measured while magnitude can be measured using a seismograph.
c. Intensity refers to the strength of the quake while magnitude refers to the degree of destruction it
caused at the epicenter.
d. Intensity is a measure of how much damage an earthquake cause at the surface while magnitude is the
strength of the quake.
Justification: Magnitude is determined from measurements on seismographs. Intensity measures the
strength of shaking produced by the earthquake at a certain location.

21. Comparing the speed of sound in liquids, gases, and solids, the speed of sound is usually lowest in
____ and highest in ____.
a. solids, gases
b. gases, liquids
c. liquids, solids
d. gases, solids
Justification: found travels the slowest through gases and highest in solid.

22. Which has a greater density, a lake full of water or a cupful of water?
a. The cup full of water
b. The lake full of water
c. Not enough information
d. They have the same density
–Provided the water in the cup and the lake are at the same temperature the water in both has the same
density.

23. A stainless steel spoon feels colder than a plastic spoon because stainless steel
GEN. ED. Gen. Sciences Page 3 of 4
a. absorbs less heat from the hand than plastic does
b. is really colder than plastic
c. has a lower temperature than plastic
d. conducts heat away from the hand faster than plastic does

24. Why is it NOT advisable to repeatedly open the door of a refrigerator?

a. It will loosen the hinges of the refrigerator's door
b. Leads to wastage in electrical energy.
c. Repeated opening introduces bacteria in to the refrigerator.
d. The warm air outside lowers the temperature inside thus making the refrigeration less-efficient.
Justification: This can come in the form of fuel and energy bills. You will be paying more without an
appreciable return on your investment.

25. What kind of mirror is used in cars to give the driver a wider area and smaller image of the traffic
behind him/her?
a. Double concave
b. Convex 
c. Plane
d. Concave
Justification: Convex mirror is preferred as a rear-view mirror in cars and vehicles as it gives a wider field
of view that helps the driver to see most of the traffic behind him/her.

26. Why do we hear thunder some seconds after seeing lightning?

a. Light appears brighter in the sky.
b. Light travels faster than sound.
c. Sound travels 1.331 m/s
d. Sound is released later actually
Justification: Light and thunder occur at the same time but the light is faster than the sound.

27. Water has a higher specific heat than iron. What does this mean?
a. Water is hotter than iron 
b. Water heats more rapidly than iron
c. Water is more dense than iron
d. Water heats more slowly than iron
–Water has a higher specific heat capacity because it has less of a tendency to change in temperature.
What this signifies is that more energy is required to increase the temperature of the water.

28. If a colorblind man marries a woman who has normal vision and no history of the disease, it is most
probable that all of their :
a. daughters will be carriers         
b. daughters will be colorblind
c. sons will be carriers
d. sons will be colorblind
–When a colorblind man marries a normal sight woman all of their sons will be normal but their daughters
will be carried.

29. Albino corn seedlings may grow several inches tall. However, they will eventually die, primarily
because
a. direct sunlight will destroy their cells 
b. they lack adequate root system
c. they cannot produce their own food
d. they cannot obtain carbon dioxide
–They cannot make their own food by photosynthesis. Therefore, they die as seedlings after their food
supply in the seed is exhausted.

30. Mimosa pudica, locally known as Makahiya is called as such because its leaflets tend to close when
touched. This organismal response to a given stimuli is called:
a. Hydrotropism 
b.Thigmotropism 
c. Geotropism 
d. Phototropism
Justification: Thigmotropism is a directional growth movement which occurs as a mechanosensory
response to a touch of stimulus.
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