science & technology Online Quiz - 42

A meteor is the streak of light we see when a small meteoroid burns up in Earth's atmosphere. This phenomenon is commonly called a 'shooting star,' though it's not actually a star at all - it's a space rock creating a bright flash as it enters our atmosphere.

The International Space Station began construction in 1998 when Russia launched the first module, Zarya, on November 20. The station has been continuously inhabited since November 2000, making it one of humanity's greatest achievements in space cooperation.

Buzz Aldrin was the second person to walk on the moon, joining Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. He got his nickname from his sister mispronouncing 'brother' as 'buzzer,' which was later shortened to Buzz.

A black hole is a region in space with gravity so strong that nothing can escape from it, not even light. They form when massive stars collapse at the end of their lives, creating a point of infinite density called a singularity.

Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space on April 12, 1961, aboard the Soviet spacecraft Vostok 1. His historic flight lasted 108 minutes and completed one full orbit around Earth.

The Aravalli Range is India's oldest mountain range, dating back about 2.5 billion years to the Proterozoic Eon. It extends across Rajasthan and represents one of the most ancient folded mountain systems globally.

Ash trees (Fraxinus) are flowering plants that reproduce through flowers, unlike the other options which are fungi or algae. Mucor is a mold fungus, toadstools are fungal fruiting bodies, and Fucus is a brown algae.

During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide through stomata to synthesize glucose. The carbon atoms from CO2 form the backbone of carbohydrates while oxygen is released as waste.

Plants release carbon dioxide during respiration as they metabolize glucose for energy through cellular respiration. This process consumes oxygen and produces CO2 as a metabolic byproduct.

Coniferous trees produce seeds within woody cones, which protect and then disperse the seeds when mature. Unlike flowering plants, conifers don't produce fruits or typical flowers.

Holly is an evergreen plant that retains its foliage throughout the year, unlike the other options. Larch (though a conifer), oak, and elm are all deciduous species that seasonally shed their leaves.

The scientific family name for grasses is Gramineae (or alternatively Poaceae). This family encompasses all grass species including cereals, bamboo, and lawn grasses.

Larch is unusual among conifers because it is deciduous, dropping its needles each autumn. Most conifers like cedar, spruce, and pine retain their leaves year-round as evergreens.

Fungi like mushrooms lack chlorophyll entirely and obtain nutrients through decomposition. Dandelions, poppies, and holly are all photosynthetic plants containing chlorophyll.

Plants absorb inorganic minerals from soil, not 'mineral food' as a category. Organic food, transpiration, and green color are all applicable to plants, while mineral food is not a standard botanical term.

Pearls are formed by oysters and other mollusks, making them animal-derived. Paper (from wood pulp), sugar (from sugarcane/beets), and rubber (from rubber trees) all come from plants.

Carrots and turnips are root vegetables - we eat their taproots, which are swollen underground storage organs. We don't eat their stems, leaves, or flowers.

Bamboo, sugarcane, and vernal grass are all grasses (Poaceae family). Shallots are bulb-forming plants in the Allium genus (like onions), related to lilies, not grasses.

Rhubarb and celery are stem vegetables - we eat their leaf stalks (petioles), which are crisp, edible stems. The leaves are toxic in rhubarb, and we don't eat roots or flowers.

Herbaceous plants have soft, green, non-woody stems that die back annually. Sycamore is a tree with hard, woody stems, making it the only non-herbaceous option.