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- 1. Multiple Choice
Which of the following is true about energy from the sun?
It arrives as mechanical energy in a wide range of wavelengths.
It arrives as radiation in a wide variety of wavelengths.
It arrives as sound energy made up of only sound waves.
It arrives as radiation made up of only visible light.
- 2. Multiple Choice
Which form of electromagnetic radiation has the longest wavelength?
infrared radiation
gamma rays
visible light
microwaves
- 3. Multiple Choice
Which of the following is NOT a type of radiation from the Sun?
ultraviolet waves
television waves
radio waves
x-ray waves
- 4. Multiple Choice
Which types of waves found in the electromagnetic spectrum are longer than visible light waves?
X-rays
gamma rays
ultraviolet rays
microwaves
- 5. Multiple Choice
How do we see light waves?
as an image in a prism
as rays of sunshine
as colors of the rainbow
as reflections in a mirror
- 6. Multiple Choice
Which types of waves found in the electromagnetic spectrum are shorter than visible light waves?
radio waves
gamma rays
infrared waves
microwaves
- 7. Multiple Choice
Which is true of how our eyes detect electromagnetic waves?
Our eyes are sensitive only to the shortest waves in the electromagnetic spectrum.
Our eyes are sensitive to a narrow band of waves within the electromagnetic spectrum.
Our eyes are sensitive to all electromagnetic waves with a wavelength longer than infrared.
Our eyes are sensitive to the entire range of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- 8. Multiple Choice
Where is visible light located in the electromagnetic spectrum?
between radio waves and infrared rays
between x-rays and gamma rays
between infrared and ultraviolet rays
between radio waves and microwaves
- 9. Multiple Choice
Which of the following shows the correct order of the electromagnetic spectrum, from shortest wavelength to longest?
gamma ray → x-ray → ultraviolet → visible → infrared → microwave → radio
radio → microwave → infrared → visible → ultraviolet → x-ray → gamma ray
visible → infrared → ultraviolet → x-ray → gamma ray → radio → microwave
microwave →x-ray → gamma ray → ultraviolet → visible → radio → infrared
- 10. Multiple Choice
The entire universe is blanketed in radiation referred to as the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, thought to be left over from the Big Bang. If the whole universe is covered in radiation, why is it NOT visible to people on Earth?
There is too much pollution in Earth's atmosphere, so no radiation is visible.
No type of radiation can pass through objects, so the celestial bodies block the radiation from Earth.
The radiation is only visible from space, because Earth's atmosphere blocks radiation.
Radiation consists of a wide range of wavelengths, and humans cannot see most wavelengths of light.
- 11. Multiple Choice
High-energy radiation from the Sun can cause damage to the cells of organisms. Earth's atmosphere protects its inhabitants from much of the Suns's harmful radiation. Which of the following is NOT a type of high-energy radiation that is reflected or absorbed by Earth's atmosphere?
x-ray radiation
gamma radiation
ultraviolet radiation
microwave radiation
- 12. Multiple Choice
How do human eyes see color?
All electromagnetic waves hit the eyes at the same wavelength, but eyes respond to each type of wave differently.
All colors are the same wavelength of light but change as they reflect off different objects into the eyes.
Each type of electromagnetic wave hits the eyes at a different angle, appearing as colors.
Each color is light of a separate wavelength, and eyes respond to each wavelength differently.
- 13. Multiple Choice
Which of these colors has the shortest wavelength?
red
green
orange
blue
- 14. Multiple Choice
What is true about most of the wavelengths found in the electromagnetic spectrum?
They are found in the range of visible light.
They are able to produce a rainbow when sent through a prism.
They are invisible to the human eye.
They are dangerous to humans.
- 15. Multiple Choice
Which type of electromagnetic radiation with a long wavelength is used to communicate on Earth?
gamma waves
infrared waves
radio waves
ultraviolet waves
- 16. Multiple Choice
In Mr. Hall's class, Amy was learning about light. Mr. Hall showed a white light traveling through a prism and emerging as a rainbow. He explained that all the colors traveling together at he same speed are seen as white light. The reason they are separated as they pass through the prism is because each color has a different wavelength and is bent differently as a result. Which of the following states the correct order of colors of light from the longest wavelength to the shortest?
violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red
green, blue, indigo, violet, red, orange, yellow
yellow, orange, red, violet, indigo, blue, green
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet
- 17. Multiple Choice
Which wavelengths of light can human eyes detect?
ultraviolet waves
infrared waves
visible waves
x-ray waves
- 18. Multiple Choice
Carla's favorite ball is bright blue when it is outside in the direct sunlight. Inside, the ball appears to be almost green. Why does Carla's ball seem to change colors?
Color is determined by the type of infrared electromagnetic waves hitting the object, and going inside blocks Carla's ball from some types of infrared radiation.
Color is determined by the size of an object, and Carla's ball lost air while being played with, so it was smaller when she went inside.
Color is determined by the wavelength of light reflected or absorbed by the object, and the light changes when Carla goes inside.
Color is determined by the temperature of an object, and the temperature changes when Carla goes inside out of the sunlight.
- 19. Multiple Choice
What is true about visible light?
Visible light waves are the only electromagnetic waves that we can see.
Visible light is created only when an object becomes hot.
Visible light has a longer wavelength than infrared radiation.
Visible light is incapable of creating chemical changes in materials.
- 20. Multiple Choice
The color of an object is most dependent on which of the following?
the temperature of the object
the way the object reflects light
the transparency of the object
the volume of the object
- 21. Multiple Choice
What best describes the relationship of the wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum?
Microwaves are shorter than visible light waves.
Infrared waves are longer than x-rays.
Gamma rays are longer than ultraviolet rays.
Radio waves are shorter than gamma rays.
- 22. Multiple Choice
The picture above represents the light waves generated by four differently colored bulbs. Which bulb produces a wave with the highest frequency?
Bulb A
Bulb B
Bulb C
Bulb D
- 23. Multiple Choice
The picture shows a duck swimming in a pond. Why does the duck appear to be floating above its twin?
The water in the pond reflects light from the Sun, making a mirror image.
The molecules in the atmosphere refract the light, splitting it into two images.
The duck scatters the light, making hundreds of tiny refractions that collect into an image.
The bottom of the pond absorbs the light, then projects it toward the surface as an image.
- 24. Multiple Choice
The picture shows the path of light into an eye with and without a corrective lens. How does the lens affect the light?
The lens absorbs the light, increasing the brightness of what the eye sees.
The lens scatters the light, increasing the number of colors the eye sees.
The lens refracts the light, changing where in the eye it attains focus.
The lens reflects the light, allowing less light to enter the eye.
- 25. Multiple Choice
The picture shows three light rays from the Sun that traveled toward Earth. What happened to the light ray Y?
It got reflected by the ground and headed back into space.
It got scattered by the clouds due to a change in temperature.
It got refracted by the atmosphere due to changes in air density.
It got absorbed by the carbon dioxide molecules and made oxygen.
- 26. Multiple Choice
The picture shows a diagram of light rays as they travel through a type of telescope. What happens to the light at point Z?
It is scattered by a mirror, splitting into hundreds of points of light which bounced around the eyepiece.
It is refracted by a lens, changing to an angle that causes it to travel in a straight line to the eyepiece.
It is reflected by a mirror, splitting into multiple beams as it travels into the eyepiece.
It is absorbed by a lens, changing the wavelength of light sent into the eyepiece.
- 27. Multiple Choice
The picture shows a diagram of light rays as they travel through a type of telescope. What happens to the light at point X?
The light hits a mirror and is absorbed, then it is emitted at a different wavelength.
The light hits a mirror and scatters into multiple beams of different colors.
The light hits a lens and reflects at the same angle it hit the lens.
The light hits a lens and refracts, changing the angle of the light.
- 28. Multiple Choice
The picture shows three light rays from the Sun that traveled toward Earth. What happened to the light ray X?
It was absorbed by space before it reached Earth's atmosphere.
It was reflected back into space by particles in Earth's atmosphere.
It was slowed down into a sound wave when it hit Earth's atmosphere.
It was transmitted around the planet by particles in Earth's atmosphere.
- 29. Multiple Choice
The picture shows a duck that appears to have its body detached when viewed underwater. Why does the duck's body look detached?
because the bottom of the pond scatters the light, making the duck's body underwater appear different than the rest of the duck
because the atmosphere absorbs the sunlight, so it reaches the ducks body underwater slower than the rest of the duck
because the pond is a different material than the air, and sunlight gets refracted as it travels in and out of the water
because the duck reflects the light toward its abdomen, making it look different than the rest of the duck
- 30. Multiple Choice
The picture shows three light rays from the Sun that traveled toward Earth. What happened to light ray Z?
It was reflected by the atmosphere at the same angle it hit, going straight back toward the Sun.
It was refracted by the higher density ground, heading back into the sky where it made a rainbow.
It was absorbed by the ground, which conducted it into the atmosphere and increased surface temperatures.
It was scattered into the ground, increasing the energy in the plates which caused an earthquake.
- 31. Multiple Choice
The picture shows a diagram of light rays as they travel through a type of telescope. What happens to the light at point Y?
The light is reflected by a mirror into the eyepiece at he same angle it hit the mirror.
The light is scattered into the eyepiece by a lens at the same angle it hits the lens.
The light is refracted by a lens, changing the angle of the beam.
The light is absorbed by a mirror, splitting into multiple beams.
- 32. Multiple Choice
In order to study how light moves, Tabitha aims a beam of white light at a prism. Which picture correctly shows how most of the light will act once it reaches the prism?
- 33. Multiple Choice
What happens when light is refracted?
It changes direction.
It becomes invisible.
It releases heat.
It moves faster.
- 34. Multiple Choice
What happens to the speed of light as it exits the air and enters a glass of water?
It speeds up.
It remains constant.
It slows down.
It first slows down and then speeds up.
- 35. Multiple Choice
Which statement about how light travels is true?
Light can only travel through air.
Light will not bend around a corner.
Light travels slowest through cold air.
Light cannot travel through solids.
- 36. Multiple Choice
A piano creates sound waves of different pitches by striking a small hammer against the strings inside the instrument. When a key is struck, the corresponding hammer strikes a string, causing a vibration that creates a sound wave. How do the sound waves of the higher pitch notes compare to the sound waves of the lower pitch notes?
The sound waves of notes with higher pitches have higher amplitudes.
The sound waves of notes with higher pitches travel at higher speed.
The sound waves of notes with higher pitches have higher wavelengths.
The sound waves of notes with higher pitches have higher frequencies.
- 37. Multiple Choice
Which of the following best describes how light waves pass through transparent materials?
They are refracted.
They are reflected.
They are transmitted.
They are diffused.
- 38. Multiple Choice
Which of the following has the greatest effect on refraction?
the length of the light wave as it approaches the medium
the speed of the light wave as it travels through the medium
the width of the light wave as it exits the medium
the reflection of the light wave off the medium's surface
- 39. Multiple Choice
Which of the following statement about how light waves travel is correct?
Light waves travel the fastest through liquids and slowest through the air.
Light waves travel faster through solids than through air.
Light waves travel the fastest through solids and slowest through liquids.
Light waves travel faster through the air than through solids.
- 40. Multiple Choice
How is the light wave that travels through a prism refracted?
The light reflects off the surface of the prism.
The light is absorbed by the glass in the prism.
The light speeds up as it leaves the prism and enters the air.
The light slows down as it moves from the air into the glass.
- 41. Multiple Choice
Which type of object transmits the most light?
an object that is opaque
an object that is a conductor
an object that is transparent
an object that is translucent
- 42. Multiple Choice
What causes light to slow down?
moving into a lighter medium
moving into a vacuum
moving into a less adhesive medium
moving into a denser medium
- 43. Multiple Choice
Which of the following statement about how sound waves travel is correct?
Sound waves travel the fastest through gases and slowest through liquids.
Sound waves travel faster through gases than through solids.
Sound waves travel fastest through liquids and the slowest through solids.
Sound waves travel faster through solids than through liquids.
- 44. Multiple Choice
Arlen is exploring the ways that colors react to light. He adds red food coloring to four different beakers containing 150 milliliters of water each. He adds three drops of red food coloring to the first beaker, 15 drops to the second beaker, 30 drops to the third beaker, and 50 drops to the fourth beaker. He places all four beakers in the sunlight. After 15 minutes, he measures the temperature of the water in each beaker. What can he expect to find?
The temperature will decrease as the color gets darker, because more radiant energy from the Sun bonds to the food coloring.
The temperature will increase as the color gets darker, because dark colors absorb more heat than light colors.
The temperature will increase as the color gets darker, because the chemical bonds between the food coloring and water create additional energy.
The temperature will decrease as the color gets darker, because the dark colors reflect more light than the light colors.
- 45. Multiple Choice
Light emitted by the Sun travels through space and enters Earth's atmosphere. How will the light waves behave when they move from empty space into matter made up of different gases?
speed up and reflect
continue at the same speed
move faster as they transmit
slow down and refract
- 46. Multiple Choice
While Kayden was swimming in the lake during the summer, his mother was standing on shore yelling for him to come and eat lunch. Not wanting to leave the lake, he pretended not to hear her by dunking his head in and out of the water. What happened to the sound waves of his mother's voice when his head was underwater
The sound waves moved slower in the water and increased in energy, so he could still hear his mother.
The sound waves moved slower in the water with lower frequency, so he could not hear his mother.
The sound waves moved faster in the water and decreased in energy, so he could still hear his mother.
The sound waves moved faster in the water with a higher frequency, so he could still hear his mother.
- 47. Multiple Choice
A prism is a piece of glass that has many different angled sides. As light enters the glass, the paths of different wavelengths of light bend differently. The shorter the wavelength, the more the light bends as it enters the glass. This results in white light being separated into all the colors of the rainbow as it passes through the prism. Which term best describes the process that is occurring when light bends as it enters a new substance?
absorption
reflection
disappearance
refraction
- 48. Multiple Choice
Which of the following is true of materials that are NOT completely transparent?
They either reflect light or separate light.
They either reflect light or refract light.
They either reflect light or absorb light.
They either reflect light or diffuse light.
- 49. Multiple Choice
Read the following passage:
Mitchell watched as his son stepped up to bat during his championship baseball game. After the pitch, he saw the ball fly from the bat and then heard the crack of the bat a moment later.
Which of the following explains why there was a difference between seeing ball fly and hearing the bat connect with the ball?
The light waves traveled back from the sky, gaining energy, and the sound waves traveled in a straight line, losing energy, causing the sound to be delayed.
The light waves traveled with a lower frequency in the air, allowing the ball to be seen first, while the sound waves moved with a higher frequency in the air, causing the sound to be delayed.
The light waves traveled in a straight path, allowing the ball to be seen first, and the sound waves bounced up into the sky and had to be reflected back, causing the sound to be delayed.
The light waves traveled with a faster speed in the air, allowing the ball to be seen first, while the sound waves moved with a slower speed in the air, causing the sound to be delayed.
- 50. Multiple Choice
What causes light traveling in a straight line to bend?
moving through the boundary of a new medium
traveling through a uniform medium
moving toward a solid object
traveling through a dense liquid
- 51. Multiple Choice
Which of the following is most likely to cause light to no longer travel in a straight line?
passing through a magnetic field
encountering a new medium
encountering another light wave
passing through a vacuum
- 52. Multiple Choice
Sonja's little brother Victor looked at the colored rocks in the water at the bottom of his new sister's new fish bowl. He asked if he could have the large brown stone with the red streaks that looked as big as a fifty-cent piece. Sonja retrieved the rock out of the fish bowl for him. Victor thanked her, but he commented that it was not as big as he thought it was. Why did it look bigger inside the fish bowl?
disappearance
absorption
reflection
refraction
- 53. Multiple Choice
Why can human ears hear dolphins' vocalizations while under the water but cannot hear them well on land?
The waves in the water travel faster and at a higher frequency than they travel on land.
The waves in the water travel faster and at a lower frequency than they travel on land.
The waves in the water travel slower and at a higher frequency than they travel on land.
The waves in the water travel slower and at a lower frequency than they travel on land.
- 54. Multiple Choice
Optical fibers are types of electrical wires that use light to transmit information. If light waves travel through the air at around 299,910 kilometers per second, what will happen to the light waves in the optical fibers?
They will move slower than the light rays in the air, then gain energy from the solid, and then speed up again.
They will move faster than the light rays in the air, then lose energy from the solid, and slow down again.
They will move at a slower speed than light rays in the air.
They will move at a faster speed than the light rays in the air.
- 55. Multiple Choice
Lindsay has collected four two-liter soda bottles in different colors: dark blue, dark green, and light yellow. She fills them with room-temperature water and places them in a sunny spot on the back porch. After two hours, she returns and measures the temperature of the water in the bottles. What can she expect to find?
The water in the dark blue bottle is the warmest, because blue light has a higher frequency than yellow or green.
The water in the yellow bottle is the coolest, because lighter colors absorb less heat than darker colors.
The water in the dark green bottle is the warmest, because green absorbs both yellow and blue wavelengths of light.
The water in the dark green bottle is the coolest, because there is no green light in sunlight.
- 56. Multiple Choice
If the same amount of light interacts with each of these materials, which will reflect the greatest amount of light?
The fog reflect sunlight, causing all of the sunlight that hits it to travel back into space.
The fog deflects sunlight, increasing the number of light rays that pass straight through it.
The fog refracts sunlight, decreasing the number of light rays that can pass straight through it.
The fog diffuses sunlight, causing all of the sunlight that hits it to remain isolated in the fog.
- 57. Multiple Choice
What happens to a light wave as it moves from the air into water?
It slows down, and its wavelength gets shorter.
It slows down, and its wavelength gets longer.
It speeds up, and its wavelength gets shorter.
It speeds up, and its wavelength gets longer.
- 58. Multiple Choice
Which of the following is true of light?
It will move in a straight line as long as it is moving through only gases or liquids.
It will move in a straight line as long as it is moving through the air.
It will move in a straight line as long as it is moving through low-density liquid.
It will move in a straight line as long as it is moving through a uniform medium.
- 59. Multiple Choice
The picture shows the path of a sound wave as it moves from left to right. What has taken place at point X to change the sound wave?
The sound wave has run out of energy and turned into a slower light wave.
The sound wave has gained energy and turned into a faster light wave.
The sound wave has moved into a new material and slowed down.
The sound wave has moved into a new material and sped up.
- 60. Multiple Choice
The picture shows a light wave. What will NOT happen to the light wave when it moves from the air into a solid?
Its wavelength will become longer.
Its frequency will decrease.
Its energy will increase.
It will slow down.
- 61. Multiple Choice
The picture shows a sound wave traveling through a liquid. Which picture below shows how the sound wave will change when it enters a gas?
- 62. Multiple Choice
The picture above shows a sound wave traveling through a liquid. Which of the following pictures below shows how the sound wave will change when it enters a solid?
- 63. Multiple Choice
Jude noticed that when he places a spoon underwater, the spoon appeared to bend as illustrated below. What causes the spoon to appear bent?
the reflection of light
the refraction of light
the absorption of light
the mass of light
- 64. Multiple Choice
Which illustration shows the path of a ray of light as it enters and travels through a glass of water?
- 65. Multiple Choice
Energy from the Sun travels to the Earth in the form of _________.
invisible light only
visible and invisible light
infrared light only
visible light only
- 66. Multiple Choice
The stem of a flower is put into a vase full of water. The stem looks like it is broken at the point where it enters the water. What form of wave interaction causes the stem to look broken?
reflection
polarization
absorption
refraction
- 67. Multiple Choice
Light that appears white or nearly white to humans is made up of
only two colors of light
all colors of light
no colors of light
only one color of light
- 68. Multiple Choice
Through which of the following will a sound wave travel the fastest?
water
a wall
air
outer space
- 69. Multiple Choice
Garrett throws a large rock into a waveless pond. The impact of the rock hitting the water causes waves to travel along the pond's surface toward the shore. If Garrett counts the number of waves that reach the shore over a 10 second period, what property of the waves is he measuring?
frequency
damping
wavelength
amplitude
- 70. Multiple Choice
Light is an example of something that travels in waves. Light waves come in many different varieties and can be seen as many different colors. What is the main difference between a light wave that produces the color blue and a light wave that produces the color red?
direction
magnitude
wavelength
amplitude
- 71. Multiple Choice
Derick plays the trombone in band class and he can hit a perfect "A note", according to his teacher. Derick can hit an "A note" by blowing very soft or by blowing very hard. By changing how hard he blows into the trombone, Derick is changing how loud the note is. Which property of waves is he changing when he changes how loud the "A note" is?
wavelength
direction
frequency
amplitude
- 72. Multiple Choice
Which characteristic measurement of a wave is identified by the letter A on the diagram above?
rest point
wavelength
amplitude
frequency
- 73. Multiple Choice
Through which of the following media can sound waves travel?
water and solids only
air and water only
air, water, and solids
air and solids only
- 74. Multiple Choice
Which of the following word pairs correctly completes the sentence below?
Mechanical waves travel faster through ___________ than through ___________.
liquids, solids
solids, liquids
air, liquids
a vacuum, air
- 75. Multiple Choice
The pictures below represent the amplitude of sound waves through time. Which of the following waves would produce a sound wave with the highest pitch?
- 76. Multiple Choice
Through which of the following will a light wave travel the fastest?
outer space
glass wall
air
water
- 77. Multiple Choice
You sometimes see lifeguards with a white cream on their noses. This cream is called zinc oxide. Zinc oxide helps protect the lifeguards from damaging UV sunlight. How does this cream protect from the UV rays of the Sun?
The cream is opaque and reflects the UV rays before they reach the skin's surface.
The cream is transparent and absorbs the UV rays after they reach the skin's surface.
The cream is transparent and transmits the UV rays as they reach the skin's surface.
The cream is opaque and allows the UV rays to pass through your skin safely.
- 78. Multiple Choice
Which of the following pictures shows an example of refraction?
- 79. Multiple Choice
Of the following types of energies that the Earth receives from the Sun, which type of energy causes sunburn?
infrared energy
light energy
ultraviolet energy
microwave energy
- 80. Multiple Choice
Most of the energy in Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and living systems comes from ___________.
Earth's core
magma
lightning
the Sun
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