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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who postponed his honeymoon in order to write a scientific paper about the movements of electrons?
(a) Ernest Rutherford.
(b) Niels Bohr.
(c) Albert Einstein.
(d) James Chadwick.

2. In 1875, why was Max Planck advised against studying physics and urged to study math instead?
(a) A career in math offered greater financial opportunities for him.
(b) Planek knew high-level math but only very basic physics.
(c) It was believed that all the important physics discoveries had already been made.
(d) The government often arrested those who delved in certain branches of physics.

3. Sir Isaac Newton wrote "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy," which explains his laws of what?
(a) Motion and gravity.
(b) Attraction.
(c) Quantum physics.
(d) Electromagnetic interference.

4. Atoms are made up of smaller particles, including:
(a) Cells.
(b) Bytes.
(c) Molecules.
(d) Quarks.

5. When did the last supervolcano erupt on Earth?
(a) 1,100 years ago.
(b) 23,000 years ago.
(c) 9,000 years ago.
(d) 74,000 years ago.

Short Answer Questions

1. Many scientists suspect that Pluto is just a comet of the:

2. The Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is thought to be the site of what?

3. Scientists are aware of at least how many galaxies in the universe?

4. Had the universe formed just slightly differently:

5. Which of the following is not a major geological era?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Bryson consider Pluto to be an oddity?

2. Describe what happens in a supernova.

3. Who was Clair Patterson? Describe Clair Patterson's campaign against lead contamination.

4. Explain how inventor and engineer, Thomas Midley, Jr., solved some problems but created enormous safety and environmental issues by adding lead to gasoline and by inventing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

5. Explain the misunderstanding of radiation during the early 1900s.

6. Describe some of the theories regarding what might have caused the Big Bang.

7. How did the English scientist Henry Cavendish determine the weight of Earth?

8. Describe what happened when astronomer Edmond Halley asked Sir Isaac Newton for mathematical help.

9. What did geologist Harry Hess discover about the Atlantic Ocean in the 1960s that validated the idea that the continents are drifting apart?

10. Summarize what the author says about why it took so long to discover that Pluto has a moon.

(see the answer keys)

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