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40 Science quiz questions and answers

Science and Nature · Medium · answers included

Forty questions on science and the natural world, from the periodic table to the solar system. Keep a science round to things people half-remember from school rather than anything genuinely technical. The fun is in the arguing, and nobody argues about a question they have never heard of.

PDFWordSpreadsheet

  1. 1.How many bones are there in an adult human body?

    • 186
    • 206
    • 226
    • 246
    Show answer

    206

  2. 2.Which planet is closest to the Sun?

    • Venus
    • Mercury
    • Earth
    • Mars
    Show answer

    Mercury

  3. 3.Which blood cells carry oxygen around the body?

    • White blood cells
    • Platelets
    • Red blood cells
    • Plasma cells
    Show answer

    Red blood cells

  4. 4.What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere of Earth?

    • Oxygen
    • Carbon dioxide
    • Nitrogen
    • Argon
    Show answer

    Nitrogen

  5. 5.How many chambers does the human heart have?

    • Two
    • Three
    • Four
    • Five
    Show answer

    Four

  6. 6.Which force keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun?

    • Magnetism
    • Gravity
    • Friction
    • Inertia
    Show answer

    Gravity

  7. 7.Which scientist proposed the theory of general relativity?

    • Isaac Newton
    • Niels Bohr
    • Albert Einstein
    • Galileo Galilei
    Show answer

    Albert Einstein

  8. 8.What is the chemical formula for water?

    • CO2
    • H2O
    • NaCl
    • O2
    Show answer

    H2O

  9. 9.Which organ in the human body produces insulin?

    • Liver
    • Kidney
    • Pancreas
    • Spleen
    Show answer

    Pancreas

  10. 10.What is the largest planet in the solar system?

    • Saturn
    • Neptune
    • Jupiter
    • Uranus
    Show answer

    Jupiter

  11. 11.What type of animal is a Komodo dragon?

    • Snake
    • Lizard
    • Crocodile
    • Amphibian
    Show answer

    Lizard

  12. 12.What does DNA stand for?

    • Deoxyribonucleic acid
    • Dinucleic acid
    • Deoxyribose nitrate
    • Double nucleic acid
    Show answer

    Deoxyribonucleic acid

  13. 13.Which part of a plant carries out most photosynthesis?

    • Root
    • Stem
    • Leaf
    • Flower
    Show answer

    Leaf

  14. 14.What is the speed of light in a vacuum, to the nearest hundred thousand?

    • 150,000 km/s
    • 300,000 km/s
    • 450,000 km/s
    • 600,000 km/s
    Show answer

    300,000 km/s

  15. 15.Which element has the atomic number 1?

    • Helium
    • Oxygen
    • Carbon
    • Hydrogen
    Show answer

    Hydrogen

  16. 16.What is the study of fossils called?

    • Archaeology
    • Geology
    • Palaeontology
    • Anthropology
    Show answer

    Palaeontology

  17. 17.What is the chemical symbol for sodium?

    • So
    • Sd
    • Na
    • Nm
    Show answer

    Na

  18. 18.What is the largest organ of the human body?

    • Liver
    • Skin
    • Brain
    • Lungs
    Show answer

    Skin

  19. 19.Which planet is famous for its prominent ring system?

    • Jupiter
    • Saturn
    • Uranus
    • Neptune
    Show answer

    Saturn

  20. 20.What is the central part of an atom called?

    • Electron
    • Nucleus
    • Shell
    • Orbital
    Show answer

    Nucleus

  21. 21.Which vitamin does the skin make when exposed to sunlight?

    • Vitamin A
    • Vitamin C
    • Vitamin D
    • Vitamin K
    Show answer

    Vitamin D

  22. 22.What is the SI unit of force?

    • Joule
    • Watt
    • Newton
    • Pascal
    Show answer

    Newton

  23. 23.Who discovered penicillin in 1928?

    • Louis Pasteur
    • Alexander Fleming
    • Joseph Lister
    • Edward Jenner
    Show answer

    Alexander Fleming

  24. 24.How many teeth does an adult human normally have, including wisdom teeth?

    • 28
    • 30
    • 32
    • 36
    Show answer

    32

  25. 25.What is the chemical symbol for iron?

    • Ir
    • Fe
    • In
    • I
    Show answer

    Fe

  26. 26.Which gas makes up about 21% of Earth's atmosphere?

    • Nitrogen
    • Oxygen
    • Argon
    • Carbon dioxide
    Show answer

    Oxygen

  27. 27.What is a scientist who studies earthquakes called?

    • Volcanologist
    • Seismologist
    • Meteorologist
    • Hydrologist
    Show answer

    Seismologist

  28. 28.What is the smallest bone in the human body?

    • Stapes
    • Femur
    • Coccyx
    • Patella
    Show answer

    Stapes

  29. 29.What are animals that eat only plants called?

    • Carnivores
    • Herbivores
    • Omnivores
    • Insectivores
    Show answer

    Herbivores

  30. 30.Which scientist set out the three laws of motion?

    • Galileo Galilei
    • Isaac Newton
    • Johannes Kepler
    • Nicolaus Copernicus
    Show answer

    Isaac Newton

  31. 31.Roughly how long does sunlight take to reach Earth?

    • About 8 seconds
    • About 8 minutes
    • About 8 hours
    • About a day
    Show answer

    About 8 minutes

  32. 32.What is the pH of pure water at 25°C?

    • 5
    • 7
    • 9
    • 14
    Show answer

    7

  33. 33.Which metal is liquid at room temperature?

    • Lead
    • Mercury
    • Tin
    • Aluminium
    Show answer

    Mercury

  34. 34.What is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up called?

    • Catalyst
    • Solvent
    • Isotope
    • Polymer
    Show answer

    Catalyst

  35. 35.Which part of a cell is known as its powerhouse?

    • Ribosome
    • Mitochondrion
    • Chloroplast
    • Cell wall
    Show answer

    Mitochondrion

  36. 36.What is a group of stars forming a recognised pattern in the sky called?

    • Galaxy
    • Nebula
    • Constellation
    • Supernova
    Show answer

    Constellation

  37. 37.What is the closest star to Earth?

    • Proxima Centauri
    • The Sun
    • Sirius
    • Polaris
    Show answer

    The Sun

  38. 38.What is absolute zero in degrees Celsius, to the nearest degree?

    • -100
    • -212
    • -273
    • -459
    Show answer

    -273

  39. 39.In which country was Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, created?

    • England
    • Scotland
    • United States
    • Sweden
    Show answer

    Scotland

  40. 40.Which blood type is known as the universal donor?

    • AB positive
    • O negative
    • A negative
    • B positive
    Show answer

    O negative

40 science quiz questions and answers: a free medium science and nature round from QuizCast

How to run this round

A mix of biology, chemistry, physics and space, alternating so no table's specialist dominates for long. The chemical-symbol questions are the ones people remember from school and get wrong, which makes them good for a groan. If the room is struggling, reading the four options out turns this from Medium into something most tables can manage.

Answer sheet for the host
  1. 206
  2. Mercury
  3. Red blood cells
  4. Nitrogen
  5. Four
  6. Gravity
  7. Albert Einstein
  8. H2O
  9. Pancreas
  10. Jupiter
  11. Lizard
  12. Deoxyribonucleic acid
  13. Leaf
  14. 300,000 km/s
  15. Hydrogen
  16. Palaeontology
  17. Na
  18. Skin
  19. Saturn
  20. Nucleus
  21. Vitamin D
  22. Newton
  23. Alexander Fleming
  24. 32
  25. Fe
  26. Oxygen
  27. Seismologist
  28. Stapes
  29. Herbivores
  30. Isaac Newton
  31. About 8 minutes
  32. 7
  33. Mercury
  34. Catalyst
  35. Mitochondrion
  36. Constellation
  37. The Sun
  38. -273
  39. Scotland
  40. O negative

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