UPCAT General Science Reviewer
10 General Science practice questions for the University of the Philippines College Admission Test, each with the correct answer and an explanation of why it's right.
General Science Practice Questions with Answers
- 1medium
Maria is conducting an experiment to study how heat transfer is affected by the type of medium through which they travel. Which is the independent variable?
- A.speed of heat transfer
- B.thermal energy
- C.temperature
- D.type of medium
Show answer & explanation
Answer: D. type of medium
The independent variable is what the experimenter intentionally changes or controls — in this case, the type of medium.
- 2medium
Anna wants to view a plant cell under a magnification of 100x using a compound microscope. Which objective should she use if the eyepiece has a magnification of 10x?
- A.110x
- B.90x
- C.10x
- D.100x
Show answer & explanation
Answer: C. 10x
Total magnification = eyepiece × objective. 100x = 10 × objective → objective = 10x.
- 3medium
Where will the 5 kg pot be placed on a lever to balance a 15 kg robot at 0.5 m from the fulcrum?
- A.0.5 m
- B.1.0 m
- C.1.5 m
- D.2.0 m
Show answer & explanation
Answer: C. 1.5 m
By torque balance: F₁ × d₁ = F₂ × d₂ → 15 × 0.5 = 5 × d → d = 7.5/5 = 1.5 m from the fulcrum.
- 4medium
Anna's pet Bruno has thick fur, sleeps for months at a time, and was suffering in her house. Which biome is applicable to Bruno?
- A.Tropical Rainforest
- B.Savanna
- C.Desert
- D.Tundra
Show answer & explanation
Answer: D. Tundra
Thick fur coat and hibernation (sleeping for months) are adaptations to extremely cold climates. Bruno belongs to the Tundra biome, characterized by permafrost and sub-zero temperatures.
- 5medium
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
- A.Almost all rocks are made of minerals.
- B.Almost all minerals are made of rocks.
- C.Both A and B.
- D.None of the above.
Show answer & explanation
Answer: A. Almost all rocks are made of minerals.
Rocks are aggregates of minerals. Almost all rocks consist of one or more minerals. Minerals are not made of rocks — minerals are inorganic, naturally occurring crystalline solids.
- 6medium
What causes the tides in oceans?
- A.Force of gravitation between the Sun and the Moon
- B.Gravitational force between the Sun and the Earth
- C.Force of gravitation between the Earth and the Moon
- D.All of the above
Show answer & explanation
Answer: C. Force of gravitation between the Earth and the Moon
Tides are primarily caused by the gravitational force between the Earth and the Moon.
- 7medium
Which property of minerals describes breaking along parallel repetitive planes of weakness to form smooth, flat surfaces?
- A.Cleavage
- B.Fracture
- C.Specific Gravity
- D.Color and Streak
Show answer & explanation
Answer: A. Cleavage
Cleavage is the tendency of a mineral to break along flat planar surfaces, determined by the atomic structure. Fracture is irregular breaking that does not follow cleavage planes.
- 8medium
As a star exhausts hydrogen in its core, it
- A.becomes hotter and more luminous
- B.becomes cooler and more luminous
- C.becomes hotter and less luminous
- D.becomes cooler and less luminous
Show answer & explanation
Answer: B. becomes cooler and more luminous
When a star exhausts its hydrogen fuel, the core contracts and heats up, but the outer layers expand dramatically into a Red Giant. The expanded surface area radiates more light, making the star more luminous, even though the surface temperature drops (cooler).
- 9medium
Which of the following statements best describes the Scientific Method?
- A.It is used by scientists to acquire knowledge in order to explain phenomena
- B.It is a logical method used by scientists to acquire knowledge that is used to explain different phenomena in nature.
- C.It is a tool used by scientists to make sense of everything and be able to explain everything that is happening on Earth.
- D.It is a tool used by scientists to make sense of the world.
Show answer & explanation
Answer: B. It is a logical method used by scientists to acquire knowledge that is used to explain different phenomena in nature.
The Scientific Method is a systematic process for investigation that involves observing phenomena, forming testable hypotheses, conducting experiments, and drawing conclusions based on evidence. It emphasizes empirical observation and logical reasoning rather than opinion or assumption, making it the foundation of scientific inquiry across all disciplines.
- 10medium
These are the factors that are kept constant throughout the experiment.
- A.Variables
- B.Dependent Variables
- C.Independent Variables
- D.Controls
Show answer & explanation
Answer: D. Controls
The factors kept constant throughout an experiment are called control variables. These are the variables that researchers deliberately hold steady to ensure that any observed changes in the dependent variable result only from changes in the independent variable, not from other factors.
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