PRAXIS 5005- Practice Test Questions
Which of the following geological processes adds new rock to the surface of the Earth?
(A) Volcanic Activity
(B) Glacial Activity
(C) Soil Erosion
(D) Weathering - answer(A) Volcanic Activity
Volcanic activity is the only process by which material from inside Earth is brought to the
surface. The other processes are means of wearing down Earth's surface.
Which THREE of the following are ways in which mammals keep themselves warm in
cold weather?
(A) Shivering
(B) Perspiring
(C) Fluffing out coat hair
(D) Contracting certain blood vessels - answer(A), (C), and (D)
Shivering produces heat. Fluffing out coat hair provides insulation and helps to retain
body heat. Contracting certain blood vessels reduces blood flow to extremities and thus
reduces heat loss. However, perspiring does not help because the skin is cooled as
energy is absorbed by the sweat as it evaporates.
If a feather and two rocks of different weights were dropped simultaneously from a
height of 5 meters in a vacuum, which of the following would be true?
(A) Both rocks would hit the ground at the same time, but before the feather.
(B) The heavier rock would hit the ground first.
(C) The lighter rock would hit the ground first.
(D) The feather and the two rocks would all hit the ground at the same time. - answer(D)
The feather and the two rocks would all hit the ground at the same time.
In a vacuum, all objects fall freely with the same constant acceleration regardless of
their mass.
Which of the following lab instruments would be most appropriate to use in determining
the volume of a large block of wood of unknown density?
(A) A metric ruler
(B) A triple-beam balance
(C) A 200 mL volumetric flask
(D) A micrometer - answer(A) A metric ruler
To find the volume of a large rectangular block of wood, first use the metric ruler to find
the length, width, and height of the block. Then use the formula for the volume of a
rectangular solid— length ́ width ́ height —to determine the volume.
A scientific hypothesis is a statement that:
(A) Ensures an experiment will produce positive results
,(B) Is accepted by most of the scientific community
(C) Is a proposal that may lead to experimental testing
(D) Is formulated by a renowned scientist - answer(C) A proposal that may lead to
experimental testing.
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation of a scientific problem. After the hypothesis is
proposed, scientific experimentation may be conducted that produces data that can
either support or fail to support the hypothesis.
Which of the following is the broadest category in the biological taxonomy?
(A) Kingdom
(B) Order
(C) Genus
(D) Species - answer(A) Kingdom
When putting living things into a biological classification scheme, the broadest category
is kingdom, followed by phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.
Some human traits are carried by genes on the Y chromosome. A man will transmit
these traits to:
(A) One-half of his male offspring only
(B) One-half of his female offspring only
(C) All of his male offspring
(D) All of his female offspring - answer(C) All of his male offspring
Human males generally have one X and one Y chromosome. Male offspring will only
receive a Y chromosome from their father, while female offspring will only receive an X
chromosome from their father. Therefore, genes on the Y chromosome are passed only
to male offspring.
A chlorine compound is added to swimming pools in order to:
(A) Monitor the pH of the water
(B) Add color to the water
(C) Soften the water by precipitating harmful chemicals
(D) Destroy bacteria through an oxidation reaction - answer(D) Destroy bacteria through
an oxidation reaction.
Chlorine and certain chlorine-containing compounds are highly reactive oxidizing agents
that are used as chemical disinfectants in a variety of situations, including swimming
pools.
Two campers each wrap a potato in aluminum foil prior to baking them in fire. However,
one camper inserts a large nail into her potato after wrapping it in the foil. After the
potatoes are placed in the fire, which of the following is most likely to happen?
(A) Both potatoes will bake at the same rate
(B) Neither potato will bake because the foil will reflect most of the heat
(C) The potato with the embedded nail will bake faster because heat will be conducted
through the nail into the potato
, (D) The potato with the embedded nail will bake more slowly because heat will be
conducted out of the potato through the nail - answer(C) The potato with the embedded
nail will bake faster.
Although the aluminum foil will reflect some radiant energy, it will not significantly
reduce the flow of energy by conduction. Because a nail is a good thermal conductor,
heat will flow into the potato through the nail and bake the potato from the inside as well
as from the outside. Thus, the potato with the imbedded nail will bake faster.
Alfred Wegener proposed which of the following in the early 1900s?
(A) The Sun, not Earth, is the center of the universe.
(B) Earth once contained a single supercontinent.
(C) An ocean current called the Gulf Stream flows northward along the east coast of the
U.S. and Newfoundland.
(D) The Himalayas were formed by plate tectonics. - answer(B) Earth once contained a
single supercontinent.
In the early1900s , Alfred Wegener proposed a theory that Earth once contained a
single large landmass called Pangaea.
Which of the following is a chemical element?
(A) Sodium Chloride
(B) Platinum
(C) Carbon Dioxide
(D) Water - answer(B) Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element found on the periodic table of elements. Its chemical
symbol is Pt. Sodium chloride, carbon dioxide, and water are compounds that are each
composed of combinations of two different elements.
Of the following, which best describes an example of the Doppler effect?
(A) As light passes through a prism, the light separates into a rainbow
(B) As a light beam passes from air into water, the beam changes direction
(C) As an emergency vehicle approaches an observer standing by the road, the pitch of
its siren increases.
(D) As a sound wave hits a wall, it is reflected and creates an echo. - answer(C) As an
emergency vehicle approaches an observer standing by the road, the pitch of its sirens
increases.
According to the Doppler effect, as the source of a sound moves toward an observer at
a fixed position, the successive sound waves arrive faster and faster at the observer's
position, resulting in an increase in the frequency of the sound waves arriving at the
observer's position. Since the pitch of a sound is proportional to the frequency, the
perceived pitch of the sound increases as the vehicle approaches the observer.
The process by which a gas becomes a liquid is called:
(A) Condensation
(B) Freezing
(C) Melting
(D) Reduction - answer(A) Condensation
Which of the following geological processes adds new rock to the surface of the Earth?
(A) Volcanic Activity
(B) Glacial Activity
(C) Soil Erosion
(D) Weathering - answer(A) Volcanic Activity
Volcanic activity is the only process by which material from inside Earth is brought to the
surface. The other processes are means of wearing down Earth's surface.
Which THREE of the following are ways in which mammals keep themselves warm in
cold weather?
(A) Shivering
(B) Perspiring
(C) Fluffing out coat hair
(D) Contracting certain blood vessels - answer(A), (C), and (D)
Shivering produces heat. Fluffing out coat hair provides insulation and helps to retain
body heat. Contracting certain blood vessels reduces blood flow to extremities and thus
reduces heat loss. However, perspiring does not help because the skin is cooled as
energy is absorbed by the sweat as it evaporates.
If a feather and two rocks of different weights were dropped simultaneously from a
height of 5 meters in a vacuum, which of the following would be true?
(A) Both rocks would hit the ground at the same time, but before the feather.
(B) The heavier rock would hit the ground first.
(C) The lighter rock would hit the ground first.
(D) The feather and the two rocks would all hit the ground at the same time. - answer(D)
The feather and the two rocks would all hit the ground at the same time.
In a vacuum, all objects fall freely with the same constant acceleration regardless of
their mass.
Which of the following lab instruments would be most appropriate to use in determining
the volume of a large block of wood of unknown density?
(A) A metric ruler
(B) A triple-beam balance
(C) A 200 mL volumetric flask
(D) A micrometer - answer(A) A metric ruler
To find the volume of a large rectangular block of wood, first use the metric ruler to find
the length, width, and height of the block. Then use the formula for the volume of a
rectangular solid— length ́ width ́ height —to determine the volume.
A scientific hypothesis is a statement that:
(A) Ensures an experiment will produce positive results
,(B) Is accepted by most of the scientific community
(C) Is a proposal that may lead to experimental testing
(D) Is formulated by a renowned scientist - answer(C) A proposal that may lead to
experimental testing.
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation of a scientific problem. After the hypothesis is
proposed, scientific experimentation may be conducted that produces data that can
either support or fail to support the hypothesis.
Which of the following is the broadest category in the biological taxonomy?
(A) Kingdom
(B) Order
(C) Genus
(D) Species - answer(A) Kingdom
When putting living things into a biological classification scheme, the broadest category
is kingdom, followed by phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.
Some human traits are carried by genes on the Y chromosome. A man will transmit
these traits to:
(A) One-half of his male offspring only
(B) One-half of his female offspring only
(C) All of his male offspring
(D) All of his female offspring - answer(C) All of his male offspring
Human males generally have one X and one Y chromosome. Male offspring will only
receive a Y chromosome from their father, while female offspring will only receive an X
chromosome from their father. Therefore, genes on the Y chromosome are passed only
to male offspring.
A chlorine compound is added to swimming pools in order to:
(A) Monitor the pH of the water
(B) Add color to the water
(C) Soften the water by precipitating harmful chemicals
(D) Destroy bacteria through an oxidation reaction - answer(D) Destroy bacteria through
an oxidation reaction.
Chlorine and certain chlorine-containing compounds are highly reactive oxidizing agents
that are used as chemical disinfectants in a variety of situations, including swimming
pools.
Two campers each wrap a potato in aluminum foil prior to baking them in fire. However,
one camper inserts a large nail into her potato after wrapping it in the foil. After the
potatoes are placed in the fire, which of the following is most likely to happen?
(A) Both potatoes will bake at the same rate
(B) Neither potato will bake because the foil will reflect most of the heat
(C) The potato with the embedded nail will bake faster because heat will be conducted
through the nail into the potato
, (D) The potato with the embedded nail will bake more slowly because heat will be
conducted out of the potato through the nail - answer(C) The potato with the embedded
nail will bake faster.
Although the aluminum foil will reflect some radiant energy, it will not significantly
reduce the flow of energy by conduction. Because a nail is a good thermal conductor,
heat will flow into the potato through the nail and bake the potato from the inside as well
as from the outside. Thus, the potato with the imbedded nail will bake faster.
Alfred Wegener proposed which of the following in the early 1900s?
(A) The Sun, not Earth, is the center of the universe.
(B) Earth once contained a single supercontinent.
(C) An ocean current called the Gulf Stream flows northward along the east coast of the
U.S. and Newfoundland.
(D) The Himalayas were formed by plate tectonics. - answer(B) Earth once contained a
single supercontinent.
In the early1900s , Alfred Wegener proposed a theory that Earth once contained a
single large landmass called Pangaea.
Which of the following is a chemical element?
(A) Sodium Chloride
(B) Platinum
(C) Carbon Dioxide
(D) Water - answer(B) Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element found on the periodic table of elements. Its chemical
symbol is Pt. Sodium chloride, carbon dioxide, and water are compounds that are each
composed of combinations of two different elements.
Of the following, which best describes an example of the Doppler effect?
(A) As light passes through a prism, the light separates into a rainbow
(B) As a light beam passes from air into water, the beam changes direction
(C) As an emergency vehicle approaches an observer standing by the road, the pitch of
its siren increases.
(D) As a sound wave hits a wall, it is reflected and creates an echo. - answer(C) As an
emergency vehicle approaches an observer standing by the road, the pitch of its sirens
increases.
According to the Doppler effect, as the source of a sound moves toward an observer at
a fixed position, the successive sound waves arrive faster and faster at the observer's
position, resulting in an increase in the frequency of the sound waves arriving at the
observer's position. Since the pitch of a sound is proportional to the frequency, the
perceived pitch of the sound increases as the vehicle approaches the observer.
The process by which a gas becomes a liquid is called:
(A) Condensation
(B) Freezing
(C) Melting
(D) Reduction - answer(A) Condensation
