Science Trivia Questions and Answers

Science in Rapid Fire Trivia holds 2,000 questions across 5 topics, free to play. Pick a topic below, or try the 10 questions here first.

A few to start with

1. 1Which deep seafloor region is broad, flat, and covered by fine sediment?

   AnswerAbyssal plain

   Sediment buries rough oceanic crust to create some of Earth’s flattest large surfaces.

2. 2Which type of precipitation consists of ice pellets that refreeze before reaching the ground?

   AnswerSleet

   Melted snow or rain passes through a cold layer and freezes into small pellets.

3. 3Which process moves loose sediment from one place to another?

   AnswerErosion

   Water, wind, ice, and gravity transport material after it has been broken down.

4. 4Rivers flow downhill mainly because of which force?

   AnswerGravity

   Gravity pulls water from higher elevations toward lower ground and ultimately the oceans.

5. 5Which narrow ridge of sand or gravel extends from shore into open water?

   AnswerSpit

   Longshore transport deposits sediment outward from the coast, often curving the spit’s tip.

6. 6A stretched spring stores which form of energy?

   AnswerElastic potential energy

   Stretching or compressing a spring stores energy that can later become motion.

7. 7Why does liquid rise through a drinking straw when someone sucks?

   AnswerHigher outside air pressure pushes it upward

   Lowering pressure in the straw lets atmospheric pressure on the drink drive liquid upward.

8. 8Au is the chemical symbol for which element?

   AnswerGold

   Gold’s symbol Au comes from aurum, the Latin word associated with gold.

9. 9Liquid water becomes vapor through which process?

   AnswerEvaporation

   Evaporation occurs when surface water molecules gain enough energy to enter the air.

10. 10Which particle carries a negative electric charge inside atoms?

    AnswerElectron

    Electrons occupy quantum states around the nucleus and carry one negative elementary charge.