Can You Pass This General STEM Quiz?

By: John Miller
Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Can You Pass This General STEM Quiz?
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

In this fast-paced, high-tech world, we have a desperate need for more people who apply their intellectual brawn in STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM fields are incredibly important to helping entire nations – and our race as a whole – advancing to next-level science and technology. But do you really know anything about the STEM subjects in our quiz?

In America, educators and employers became alarmed at what they saw as a shortage of qualified students and workers in high-tech fields. They adopted the STEM acronym as an easy way to convey an important message – you young people need to start studying your science and math, because we need you to help us build a better future. Do you know the names of the disciplines often associated with STEM curricula?

STEM students must master a range of challenging topics, everything from basic math to calculus, from beginning physics to Einstein-level formulas. These are the folks who wind up working at NASA, or in computer manufacturing labs, or in major engineering firms.

From grade-school biology to convoluted theories regarding the nature of DNA, let’s see if you really understand what’s at stake in this quiz. Take our STEM challenge now!

STEM is an acronym for what, exactly?
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
silence, tao, enigma, and magic mushrooms
starfish, tongues, ears, and more
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It refers to curricula that helps students learn all about these fields.

Animals that have a backbone fit into which category?
viruses
bacteria
vertebrates
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Vertebrate are animals with backbones. Mammals, like humans, are just one of many types of vertebrates.

"mL" is the symbol for what?
magnetism
milliliters
magnesium
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A millileter -- or mL -- is part of the metric system of volume. One milliliter has has a mass of about 1 gram.

Advertisement

Robert Fulton is known as the person who commercialized which method of transportation?
covered wagon
steamboat
rocket ship
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1807, inventor Robert Fulton saw the culmination of his major work -- the commercialization of the steamboat. His boats helped to revolutionize transportation in America.

On the periodic table of elements, what does "O" stand for?
osmium
oxygen
oganesson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Oxygen, at least for humans, is one of the most important elements in the universe. It is critical for respiration, as well as whole lot of chemical reactions.

Geometry is the study of _____.
shape
highway design
the human form
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Geometry is essentially the study of shape. Mastering geometry is a lifelong endeavor for many passionate mathematicians.

Advertisement

What do you call a mathematician who specializes in the field of geometry?
geomagician
geometer
geomatician
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Geometers are mathematicians who are especially enthralled with geometry. Plato, for example, was a famous geometer who investigated geometry thousands of years ago.

Which planet in our solar system is closest to the sun?
Earth
Venus
Mercury
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Mercury is the heat-blasted planet closest to the sun, and Venus is second. Earth is third in line.

What is a very basic machine that consists of rope and a wheel?
tripwire
pulley
Wheel-o
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A pulley is simply rope and a wheel. Its simple design belies its ability to help people do far more work with a lot less effort.

Advertisement

Which basic force is vital for keeping planets in their orbits?
yaw
gravity
kryptonite
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gravity, of course, is one of the most familiar forces in the universe. It keeps us grounded, so to speak, and also helps maintain planets in their regular orbits.

What is the fastest land animal on Earth?
cheetah
carpenter ant
marlin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The famous cheetah is Earth's fastest animal. These big, lithe cats can quickly accelerate to around 60 mph in order to nab prey or to escape from threats.

What tool do you use to measure temperature?
flask
scale
thermometer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Any science lab has multiple thermometers. They are vital for making observations of temperatures and possibly preventing you from blowing the place up with an experiment gone wrong.

Advertisement

What's the name for a very common biological catalyst?
kerosene
lipid
protein
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Biological catalysts -- enzymes -- are protein molecules that typically speed up chemical reactions in cells. Proteins are therefore incredibly important to all creatures.

Who invented a device called the phonograph?
Benjamin Franklin
Thomas Edison
Bill Gates
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1877, tech whiz and inventor Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, which was meant to record and play back sound. The first phonographs had cool flared horns that amplified the volume of quiet audio.

Which one of the following weather phenomenon causes the most deaths annually across the United States?
straight line winds
ball lightning
lightning
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lightning consistently kills about 50 people per year in America. Violent weather like hurricanes and tornadoes often claim far more lives.

Advertisement

An object that's moving in a straight line will likely keep moving in a straight line thanks to _______.
electricity
fat
inertia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Objects that are in motion tend to remain in motion … and to keep going on the same path, thanks to inertia. Your unmotivated sibling seems to be suffering from unemployment inertia.

In a destructive symbiotic relationship, a parasite causes much harm to ______.
another parasite
a host
a giraffe
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a bit of biological yin and yang, parasites latch onto hosts. The parasite thrives -- the host slowly but surely begins to suffer.

Which of the following items did Benjamin Franklin invent?
bifocal glasses
gasoline engine
kites
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Franklin was a lifelong tinkerer who also happened to have rather poor vision. He invented bifocal glasses, which significantly improved his ability to see his environment.

Advertisement

What's the name of force that causes resistance when two surfaces slide against one another?
torque
potential energy
friction
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Friction causes resistance between sliding objects. When you rub your cold hands together to warm them, you're utilizing the concept of friction.

In the realm of statistics, what's an "outlier"?
an over-performing equation
a random number
a data point that's very different from other observations
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Outliers are those strange data points that fall far from other observations. Outliers may just be mistakes, or perhaps they require further investigation.

What sort of creatures would you find in the class named Aves?
spiders
birds
reptiles
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Birds make up the class Aves. They are vertebrates with endothermic traits, meaning they regulate their body temperature. They range from ultra-tiny hummingbirds to ostriches that weigh hundreds of pounds.

Advertisement

Seismology is the study of _____.
earthquakes
hurricanes
cultures and religions
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In California, seismologists are celebrities, because they study earthquakes. And everyone on the West Coast wants to know when the next "big one" might come along and drop San Francisco into the bay like a hot potato.

The Wright brothers are credited with inventing which technology?
airplane
diesel train
space shuttle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After years of experimentation, in 1903, the Wright brothers (Orville and Wilbur) launched the first successful airplane. Their fantastic feat sparked a major shift in transportation technologies.

What did Guglielmo Marconi invent?
radio
digital computers
pasta
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi is credited with inventing radio. For his feat, he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun. Both men are icons of electrical engineering.

Advertisement

What's the number on the bottom of a fraction?
quotient
denominator
integer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The numerator takes its position on the top of a fraction. The denominator lives downstairs. like the 40-year-old son who's still living in his parents' basement.

What's the hottest place on -- or in -- all of Earth?
Sahara Desert
mantle
inner core
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Earth is made up of multiple layers, the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core. The inner core is by far the hottest part of Earth, with temperatures topping 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

What are the rays of the sun that cause human skin to burn?
infrared
X-rays
ultraviolet rays
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ultraviolet rays, or UV, make up about 10% of the electromagnetic radiation from the sun. It's also the reason that those of you with Irish ancestry must slather on 30 gallons of sunscreen before you dare wander out of the cellar.

Advertisement

What's the term for coplanar lines that never intersect?
rhombus
parallel
the interstate
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Parallel lines never intersect, instead traveling side by side into eternity. Because they never connect, no matter how hard they try, parallel lines symbolize the way all of us are ultimately going to die alone.

What is the fastest animal in the entire world, including land, sea and air?
swordfish
peregrine falcon
pronghorn antelope
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The peregrine falcon is master of the world when it comes to speed. During a dive, these sleek birds can top 200 mph. If you look very closely, you'll see that peregrine falcons actually have anus afterburners.

In eukaryotic cells, which organelle stores most of the cell's genetic material?
outer membrane
cytoplasm
nucleus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The nucleus is the central organelle, one that's critical to reproduction -- it stores the bulk of that cell's genetic material. A damaged nucleus often spells doom for the cell.

Advertisement

You Got:
/30
shutterstock