PiCAT General Science Practice Test 2024 [PDF]

Last Updated on May 23, 2024

PiCAT General Science Practice Test 2024 [PDF]: Try our free Prescreen Internet Computerized Adaptive Test (PiCAT) US Armed Forces General Science review questions and answers. You can also download the PiCAT General Science Practice Test in PDF.

This is a test of 16 questions to find out how much you know about general science, as usually covered in high school courses. Pick the best answer for each question. Your score on this test will be based on the number of questions you answer correctly. You should try to answer every question.

PiCAT General Science Practice Test 2024

Q1. Under natural conditions, large quantities of organic matter decay after each year’s plant growth has been completed. As a result of such conditions

• A. many animals are deprived of adequate food supplies.
• B. soil erosion is accelerated.
• C. soils maintain their fertility.
• D. earthworms are added to the soil.

Q2. The thin, clear layer that forms the outer coat of the eyeball is called the

• A. pupil.
• B. iris.
• C. lens.
• D. cornea.

Q3. The most likely reason why dinosaurs became extinct was that they

• A. were killed by erupting volcanoes.
• B. were eaten as adults by the advancing mammalian groups.
• C. failed to adapt to a changing environment.
• D. killed each other in combat.

Q4. Which of the following is a chemical change?

• A. Magnetizing a rod of iron
• B. Burning one pound of coal
• C. Mixing flake graphite with oil
• D. Vaporizing 1g of mercury in a vacuum

Q5. In the process of manufacturing food, plants

• A. create energy.
• B. destroy energy.
• C. store energy of the sun.
• D. do not need the energy of the sun.

Q6. One-celled animals belong to the group of living things known as

• A. protozoa.
• B. annelida.
• C. porifera.
• D. arthropoda.

Q7. Spiders can be distinguished from insects by the fact that spiders have

• A. hard outer coverings.
• B. large abdomens.
• C. four pairs of legs.
• D. biting mouth parts.

Q8. An important ore of uranium is called

• A. hematite.
• B. chalcopyrite.
• C. bauxite.
• D. pitchblende.

Q9. Of the following, the lightest element known on Earth is

• A. hydrogen.
• B. oxygen.
• C. helium.
• D. air.

Q10. Of the following gases in the air, the most plentiful is

• A. argon.
• B. oxygen.
• C. nitrogen.
• D. carbon dioxide.

Q11. When two forces act on an object in the same direction, the resultant force is equal to the

• A. difference between the forces.
• B. product of the forces.
• C. ratio of the forces.
• D. sum of the forces.

Q12. Of the following types of clouds, the ones that occur at the greatest altitude are called

• A. cirrus.
• B. nimbus.
• C. cumulus.
• D. stratus.

Q13. A new drug for treatment of tuberculosis was being tested in a hospital. Patients in Group A actually received doses of the new drug; those in Group B were given only sugar pills. Group B represents a(n)

• A. scientific experiment.
• B. scientific method.
• C. experimental error.
• D. experimental control.

Q14. Of the following, the simple machine that provides a mechanical advantage of 1 is the

• A. screw.
• B. second-class lever.
• C. single fixed pulley.
• D. single movable pulley.

Q15. Radium is stored in lead containers because

• A. the lead absorbs the harmful radiation.
• B. radium is a heavy substance.
• C. lead prevents the disintegration of the radium.
• D. lead is cheap.

Q16. The type of joint that attaches the arm to the shoulder blade is known as a(n)

• A. hinge.
• B. pivot.
• C. immovable.
• D. ball and sock