Chemistry of Life Quiz

What makes carbon so important to life?

• bonding properties

• its place on the Periodic Table

• it is a reactant in all chemical reactions

• it is an enzyme

The building blocks of most living things contain the element

• carbon

• nitrogen

• calcium

• sodium

Large bodies of water, such as lakes and oceans, do no quickly fluctuate in temperature. What is the reason behind this phenomenon? 

• Water is an acid

• Water has a high specific heat

• Water is a universal solvent

• Water acts as a base

Why does water move from the roots to the leaves of plants?

• Water is pushed by solutes

• Water is pulled by gravity causing it to move toward the leaves

• Capillary action (adhesion and cohesion) pulls the water molecules up.

• Water's property of being a universal solvent causes it to "pull" towards the leaves

What property of water helps to moderate Earth’s temperature and even our constant internal body temperature?

• Cohesion

• Adhesion

• Density

• Specific heat capacity

A water strider can skate along the top of a pond because:

• Low surface tension of water caused by adhesion and cohesion

• Hydrogen bonds and polarity result in water cohesion (surface tension)

• Covalent bonds result in water adhesion causing water to stick to itself

• Water striders have adapted to take advantage of water cohesion

Why does ice stay at the top of oceans instead of sinking to the bottom? 

• Ice is colder than liquid water

• Ice is less dense than liquid water

• Ice is more dense than liquid water

• Ice is warmer than liquid water

Substance in a solution that dissolves the other substance and is present in the greater amount:

• Solute

• Acid

• Solution

• Solvent

The ability of water molecules to stick together is called:

• Adhesion

• Cohesion

• Transpiration

• Solvency

Water is polar because:

• The molecule has two poles, at which it is colder than the other regions of the molecule.

• The water molecule is neutral

• The unequal sharing of electrons gives the water molecule a slight negative charge and a slight positive charge.