science News

Science World, May 12, 2008

DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 3 to 7. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letters of the correct answers below.

1. Planes that mimic birds' flying feats are more efficient than fixed-wing planes because

(A) their flexible wings can adjust to wind gusts.

(B) they create more drag when they hover.

(C) they are smaller and use less fuel.

(D) they can take off while moving backward.

2. Planes with flapping wings are called

(A) helicopters.

(B) gliders.

(C) ornithopters.

(D) gyrocopters.

3. Between 2006 and 2007, the number of worldwide shark attacks --, and the number of related deaths --.

(A) increased, increased

(B) increased, decreased

(C) decreased, increased

(D) decreased, decreased

4. Since the --, participation in outdoor activities has declined by 18 to 25 percent.

(A) 1970s

(B) 1980s

(C) 1990s D year 2000

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

5. Which of the following is NOT a duty of a Project BudBurst citizen-scientist?

(A) Observe when a plant first produces flowers.

(B) Observe when a plant first produces seeds.

(C) Record data about the plant at the project's Web site.

(D) Collect a sample from the plant and send it to the lab.

6. -- is the study of the timing of life-cycle events.

(A) Pollination

(B) Mitosis

(C) Pharmacology

(D) Phenology

7. Last March, the planned flooding of the Grand Canyon aimed to do all of the following EXCEPT

(A) restore backwater habitats.

(B) stir up river sediments to replenish depleted sandbars.

(C) provide drinking water to communities downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam.

(D) restore the canyon's ecosystem.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

8. Based on information in the article about the Grand Canyon, you can infer that before the construction of Glen Canyon Dam,

(A) the Grand Canyon had a healthier ecosystem.

(B) there was less water flowing through the Grand Canyon.

(C) the Grand Canyon looked the same as it does today.

(D) the Colorado River flowed into the Mississippi River instead of through the Grand Canyon.

9. Which of the following statements is an opinion, not a fact, about the V-Frog program?

(A) V-Frog's designers used photos and videos of real frogs to help them construct the virtual model.

(B) Students use their computer's mouse to manipulate a virtual scalpel.

(C) Students can see magnified 3-D views of the virtual frog's body systems.

(D) A V-Frog dissection is less gross to look at than a real-life one.

10. Which of the following statements about the two space probes that will slam into the moon is NOT true?

(A) They will slam into the moon's poles.

(B) They will look for frozen water inside craters.

(C) They will hit the moon in February.

(D) They will measure the moon's magnetic field.

1. a 2. c 3. b 4. b 5. d 6. d 7. c 8. a 9. d 10. d