ASVAB Study GuideGeneral Science Practice Test 7
Tap an answer to check it instantly and read the explanation. 10 questions: 3 easy, 4 medium and 3 hard.
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Question 1 easy
Which subatomic particles are located outside the nucleus of an atom?
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Correct answer: C — electrons
Electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom in electron shells/clouds, while protons and neutrons reside inside the nucleus.
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Question 2 easy
Which element has an atomic number of 2?
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Correct answer: B — helium
Helium is the second element on the periodic table and has an atomic number of 2, meaning it has 2 protons in its nucleus.
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Question 3 easy
Which of Newton's laws states that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an net external force?
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Correct answer: A — first law of motion
Newton's first law of motion (also known as the law of inertia) states that an object remains at rest or continues moving at a constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force.
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Question 4 medium
What happens to the acceleration of an object if the net force acting on it doubles while its mass remains constant?
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Correct answer: C — The acceleration doubles.
According to Newton's second law of motion ($$F = ma$$), acceleration ($$a = \frac{F}{m}$$) is directly proportional to net force. Doubling the force doubles the acceleration.
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Question 5 medium
The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion depends primarily on its
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Correct answer: B — mass.
Inertia is an object's resistance to changes in motion, and mass is the direct quantitative measure of an object's inertia.
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Question 6 medium
What does a coefficient placed in front of a chemical formula represent?
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Correct answer: C — the number of molecules or formula units of the substance
While a subscript indicates the number of atoms of an element within a molecule, a coefficient placed in front of a chemical formula represents the total number of molecules or formula units present.
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Question 7 medium
Which of the following solution pH values represents a strong acid?
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Correct answer: A — $$\text{pH} = 2$$
On the pH scale $$(0-14)$$, solutions with a pH below 7 are acidic. Lower pH values indicate higher hydrogen ion concentrations, so pH = 2 represents a strong acid.
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Question 8 hard
At the molecular level, what primarily determines the state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) of a substance at a given temperature and pressure?
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Correct answer: A — the balance between particle kinetic energy and intermolecular attractive forces
The physical state of matter is determined by the competition between the kinetic energy of particles (which tends to separate them) and the attractive intermolecular forces (which tend to draw them together).
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Question 9 hard
When a solid undergoes sublimation to become a gas directly, what happens to its molecular behavior and energy?
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Correct answer: B — Molecules absorb energy, overcome intermolecular forces, and move rapidly far apart.
Sublimation is an endothermic phase change where a solid absorbs heat energy directly to overcome attractive forces, resulting in fast-moving gas molecules that spread far apart.
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Question 10 hard
During the phase transition of liquid water boiling into steam at 100°C, why does the temperature remain constant despite continuous heat input?
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Correct answer: B — The added heat is used as latent heat to break intermolecular hydrogen bonds rather than increasing average kinetic energy.
During a phase change, thermal energy added (latent heat of vaporization) goes into breaking hydrogen bonds and overcoming attractive intermolecular forces between liquid molecules rather than increasing the average kinetic energy (temperature) of the molecules.