The Science Quiz

A feature of the Darwin Day Dinner is the annual science quiz, in which you and your tablemates compete as a team for fabulous prizes. The quiz tests your science literacy and your knowledge of current events in science. Winning the quiz requires you to see through a tablemate who is utterly convinced his or her wrong answer is correct.

To give you the flavor of the quiz, here are a few of the 10 questions from 2018 :

1. The total eclipse of August 21, 2017, dubbed “The Great American Eclipse” by the media, was visible within a band across the entire contiguous United States, passing from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. This eclipse was caused by the

  1. Earth moving between the Sun and the Moon.
  2. Moon moving between the Sun and Earth.
  3. Mars intersecting Earth’s orbit.
  4. giant frog devouring the Sun
  5. man on the Moon hanging up his laundry.

2. Denver, Colorado, is at a higher altitude than Los Angeles, California. Which of these statements is correct?

  1. Water boils at a lower temperature in Denver than Los Angeles.
  2. Water boils at a higher temperature in Denver than Los Angeles.
  3. Water boils at the same temperature in both Denver and Los Angeles.
  4. Water tastes better in Denver than Los Angeles.
  5. Water tastes worse in Denver than in Los Angeles.

3. The half-life of Zn-71 is 2.4 minutes. If one had 100.0 g at the beginning, how many grams would be left after 7.2 minutes has elapsed?

A. 100.0g B. 50.0g C. 12.5g D. 8.5g E. None

Short Response Question

Islands provide clear examples of evolution in action. Organisms from a continent or another island that were able to colonize isolated islands show patterns of adaptation to their new environment. On your answer sheet, list some of the changes that have occurred in these species as they adapted to island life.