At an event last evening I was talking with a friend. He was telling me that he just had the “you’re back in junior high again” dream. I think many of us have it. Mine usually goes something like this: All of a sudden I appear in the halls of some generic junior high. In order to go back to what I was doing in my dream, I must spend a day there and do well. Guess what? Pop quiz day in science. Stuff I haven’t seen for probably 40 years. And if I don’t pass, I don’t get to leave.

1) The basic unit of life is the:
a) cell.
b) organ.
c) organelle.
d) tissue.

2) When tectonic plates slide against each other, which of the following may result?
a) volcano
b) earthquake
c) constructive plate margin
d) destructive plate margin

3) How genetically similar is an asexual offspring to its parent?
a) 0% similarity
b) 50% similarity
c) variable similarity
d) 100% identical

4) If it takes 10 seconds for a ball dropped from a plane to hit the ground, which is its velocity just before it hits? Assume acceleration from gravity is 10 m/s2.
a) 0 m/s
b) 1 m/s
c) 10 m/s
d) 100 m/s

5) A red ball is red because it:
a) absorbs all white light.
b) reflects all white light.
c) only reflects red light
d) only absorbs red light

6) The Earth’s water cycle is powered by:
a) the wind.
b) the sun.
c) radioactive decay.
d) energy of the Earth’s rotation.

7) Which is an example of a physical change?
a) boiling water
b) cooking an egg
c) burning wood
d) tarnishing silver

8) Which of these is considered a gaseous planet?
a) Earth
b) Moon
c) Pluto
d) Neptune

9) Which type of rock would you most likely find buried deep in the Earth?
a) metamorphic rock
b) igneous rock
c) sedimentary rock
d) granite

10) Which of the following travels through space and does not fall to Earth?
a) meteorite
b) meteor
c) meteoroid
d) none of the above

All you nerds are begging for answers, aren’t you? Let’s see who the teacher’s pet is:

1) a) the cell

2) b) an earthquake

3) d) 100% identical

4) d) 100 m/s

5) c) it only reflects red light

6) b) powered by the sun

7) a) boiling water

8) d) Neptune

9) a) metamorphic rock

10) c) meteoroid

You can check this quiz here and find others. (Umm – I failed so see you in 8th again next year.)