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Junior High Sample Contest
Student Name _________________________

Date ___________________

Rules: You have 30 minutes to complete this test. You must work independently,
and no reference tools may be used. Each question has exactly one right answer.

Part 1: Life Science

1. Which of the following living things is not correctly paired with the kingdom it
belongs to?
A. Animalia mouse
C. Protista mushrooms

B. Plantae moss
D. Monera - bacteria

2. Which type of cell reproduction involves cells dividing twice?

A. mitosis
C. cloning

B. meiosis
D. haploid

3. Which of the following is not one of the 10 major organ systems in the human body?
A. endocrine system
C. excretory system

B. muscular system
D. spinal system

4. The DNA of a cell is located in which part?

A. nucleus
C. vacuole

B. centriole
D. cell membrane

5. If they can, molecules will spread from areas of high concentration to areas of low
concentration. What term identifies the molecules as being spread evenly throughout a
space?
A. dissolved
C. equilibrium

B. diffused
D. osmosis

Part 2: Physical Science

6. How many elements are currently included on the periodic table of elements?
A. less than 80
C. 90 100

B. 80 90
D. over 100

7. The atomic number of an element represents the number of what in one atom of that
element?
A. protons
C. electrons

B. neutrons
D. nucleuses

8. Chemists often use litmus paper to test the acidity of a substance. What color does
litmus paper turn when an acid is applied to it?
A. blue
C. green

B. red
D. white

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9. My husband and I are the physicists who discovered the nature of radioactivity. I
discovered the element radium in 1898, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1903 for my
work. I also worked on developing the use of X-rays for imaging during World War I. I
later died from the effects of my exposure to radioactive materials. Who am I?
A. Marie Curie
C. Niels Bohr

B. Marie Lavoisier
D. Yuri Denisyuk

Part 3: Earth Science

10. Rocks are made up of natural, nonliving substances which give them their basic
qualities such as hardness and color. There may be only a few of these substances in a
rock, or there may be very many. What are these substances called?
A. salts
C. vitamins

B. talc
D. minerals

11. A seismograph is an instrument that has its base fixed firmly to the ground when
being used. A shaft rises from the base, and a weight hangs from the top of the shaft.
When shock waves move through the earth, the weight swings and makes marks on
paper. What is a seismograph used for?
A.
B.
C.
D.

measuring the strength of the wind

measuring the strength of an earthquake
finding water beneath the ground
predicting volcanic eruptions

12. A scientist has just completed conducting and observing an experiment. He is now
writing down the reasons he believes are the cause for the phenomenon he observed.
Which step of the scientific method is he performing?
A. Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena
B. Formulation of an hypothesis to explain the phenomena
C. Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to
predict quantitatively the results of new observations
D. Performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independent
experimenters and properly performed experiments
Part 4: Astronomy
13. Which of the following planets does not have a moon?
A. Mercury
C. Mars

B. Jupiter
D. Neptune

14. Which of the following lists the planets in correct order by size from largest to
smallest?
A.
B.
C.
D.

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

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

15. Galaxies are typically measured in units called light-years. One light-year is equal to
the distance that light travels in one year, which is about 6 trillion miles. How many lightyears long is the Milky Way, the galaxy we live in.
A. 100 light-years
C. 10,000 light-years

B. 1,000 light-years
D. 100,000 light-years

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Online Science League

A Division of AcademicLeagues.com
Answer Key Seventh Grade Sample Contest
1. C (Mushrooms belong to the fungi kingdom. The kingdom Protista includes mostly onecelled organisms. Common examples include algae and amoebas.)
2. B (Mitosis and meiosis both include replication of the chromosomes in the nucleus of the
parent cell. The cell then divides. In mitosis, there is only one division, which produces 2
daughter cells that are exact replicas of the parent cell. Meiosis consists of 2 divisions of the
cells. Since reproduction of the chromosomes only occurs once, the 4 daughter cells have half
as many chromosomes as the parent cell.)
3. D (This question is designed to get students thinking about some of the lesser known
systems of the human body. The endocrine system sends chemical messages through the
body to aid in processes that people do not think about such as absorbing nutrients. The
muscular system provides movement. The excretory system filters out cellular waste. For an
overview of all 10 of the major organ systems of the human body, visit:
http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/%7Eacarpi/NSC/14-anatomy.htm)
4. A (The nucleus of each cell contains the DNA for that cell, which provides the cell its
unique characteristics. The centrioles are located in the centrosome of an animal cell, and
replicate during cell division. Vacuoles aid in digestion and the release of waste from the cell.
The cell membrane is responsible for controlling the passage of substances in and out of the
cell.)
5. C
6. D (The number of elements included on the periodic table varies by source. Almost all
current sources, however, include over 100 elements.)
7. A
8. B (Acids turn litmus paper red, while alkalis turn it blue.)
9. A
10. D (Salts and talc are both examples of minerals. Minerals in rocks are what give them
their luster and texture as well as color and hardness.)
11. B (Seismographs are very sensitive instruments used to measure the force of an
earthquake. They are so sensitive, in fact, they can pick up movements from earthquakes
thousands of miles away.)
12. B (The scientific method is an attempt to minimize the influence of bias or prejudice in
the experimenter when testing an hypothesis or a theory. The four steps in the scientific
method are listed in order as the answer choices. In the scenario given in the question, the
scientist is clearly formulating a hypothesis to explain the phenomenon he observed.)
13. A (Of the 9 planets in our solar system, only Mercury and Venus do not have a moon.)
14. C (This question may seem daunting, but a student who knows that Jupiter is the largest
planet and Pluto is the smallest can quickly narrow the choices down to two. If they have any
idea of the size of any of the other planets, this question will not be that difficult.)
15. D (The Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across and about 3,000 light-years thick.
It is the 2nd largest galaxy in a group known as the Local Group. The largest is called the
Andromeda Galaxy, and measures about 130,000 light-years across.)

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