Science Knowledge Quiz

I Got 11 out of 12.  I’ll take it.

Who developed the polio vaccine? Does water boil at different temperatures based on altitude? Which is the hottest of Earth’s three layers? Take our science quiz and see how you compare with Americans overall.

Source: Science Knowledge Quiz

 

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Science Knowledge Quiz Results

You answered 11 of 12 questions correctly.
See below how your results compare with the 3,278 randomly sampled adults that took part in our national survey and review how you responded to each question. For more findings from the survey, read “A Look at What the Public Knows and Does Not Know About Science.”

You scored better than 82% of the public, below 6% and the same as 12%.

<1%
0
1%
1
2%
2
3%
3
6%
4
7%
5
9%
6
12%
7
12%
8
15%
9
15%
10
12%
11
6%
12
Total number of questions answered correctly
These percentages only reflect the 3,278 adults that took part in the national survey; online quiz results are not included in the sample.

Your responses and demographic breakdowns

Below are the percentages of each group from the nationally representative sample who answered correctly during the survey.
Gender Age Education Race
Total Male Female 18-29 30-49 50-64 65+ HS or less Some College College Grad Post-grad White Black Hispanic
sciencequiz_answer1

This picture shows an object in space that has an icy core with a tail of gas and dust that extends millions of miles. What is this?

You correctly answered “A comet

78 84 73 77 79 80 74 71 79 87 88 81 61 74

Which kind of waves are used to make and receive cellphone calls?

You correctly answered “Radio waves

72 79 66 80 77 68 57 63 76 81 81 76 48 64
sciencequiz_answer3

This picture shows three layers of the Earth. Which layer is the hottest?

You correctly answered “The inner layer, called the Earth’s core

86 89 84 90 87 84 84 79 89 93 93 89 75 76

Which of these is the main way that ocean tides are created?

You correctly answered “The gravitational pull of the moon

76 83 71 76 77 74 80 65 79 90 91 83 46 70

What does a light-year measure?

You correctly answered “Distance

72 78 66 70 76 70 70 61 76 82 84 77 49 67

Denver, Colorado, is at a higher altitude than Los Angeles, California. Which of these statements is correct?

You answered “Water boils at a higher temperature in Denver than Los Angeles.

The correct answer is “Water boils at a lower temperature in Denver than Los Angeles.”

34 39 30 38 36 32 29 27 36 42 47 36 33 25
PI_15.09.10_ScienceQuizImages_magnifying glass

Which of these pictures best illustrates what happens when light passes through a magnifying glass?

You correctly answered “3

46 55 37 49 50 46 33 40 49 49 53 49 29 44

The loudness of a sound is determined by what property of a sound wave?

You correctly answered “Amplitude or height

35 42 30 40 38 34 28 20 38 52 62 39 23 25
sciencequiz_answer9

Which of the following statements best describes the data in the graph below?

You correctly answered “The more sugar people eat, the more likely they are to get cavities

63 69 58 67 68 61 54 50 65 79 84 67 51 58

Which of these elements is needed to make nuclear energy and nuclear weapons?

You correctly answered “Uranium

82 90 75 74 86 82 87 73 85 93 94 87 61 76
PI_15.09.10_ScienceQuizImages_polio vaccine

Which of these people developed the polio vaccine?

You correctly answered “Jonas Salk

74 79 70 68 73 72 86 64 79 83 88 79 53 69

Which of these terms is defined as the study of how the positions of stars and planets can influence human behavior?

You correctly answered “Astrology

73 73 72 68 75 75 71 64 74 83 85 76 65 64
Note: Questions about Earth’s hottest layer and magnifying glasses were adapted with permission from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) grade 8 science assessment items in 1999. Images from Pew Research Center.
Want to take another science quiz? Take Pew Research and Smithsonian magazine’s 2013 Science and Technology Knowledge Quiz.

 

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