Question 1

Quadratic Formula

Accepted Answer

Used to find the roots of a quadratic equation. Given ax^2 + bx + c = 0, the roots are x = [-b ± sqrt(b^2 ~ 4ac)] / (2a).

Question 2

Pythagorean Theorem

Accepted Answer

In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse (longest side) equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides. Formula: a^2 + b^2 = c^2.

Question 3

Rational Numbers

Accepted Answer

Numbers that can be written as a fraction (ratio) where the numerator and denominator are both integers and the denominator is not zero.

Question 4

Irrational Numbers

Accepted Answer

Numbers that cannot be expressed as a fraction/ratio of two integers. These numbers have decimal expansions that neither terminate nor become periodic. Examples: π, √2.

Question 5

Mitosis

Accepted Answer

The process of cell division which results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus.

Question 6

Meiosis

Accepted Answer

A type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half and produces four gamete cells, essential for sexual reproduction.

Question 7

Natural Selection

Accepted Answer

Process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. Coined by Charles Darwin.

Question 8

Photosynthesis

Accepted Answer

Process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the aid of chlorophyll. The formula is 6CO2 + 6H2O + Light Energy = C6H12O6 + 6O2.

Question 9

Kinetic Molecular Theory

Accepted Answer

Describes the behavior of gases in terms of particles in motion, where the temperature of the gas increases with increased kinetic energy of its molecules.

Question 10

Conservation of Energy

Accepted Answer

In a closed system, the total energy of the system is conserved and cannot be created or destroyed, but only transformed from one form to another.

Question 11

Plate Tectonics

Accepted Answer

The theory explaining the structure of the earth's crust and many associated phenomena resulting from the interaction of rigid lithospheric plates that move slowly over the underlying mantle.

Question 12

Capitalism

Accepted Answer

Economic system where trade, industry, and the means of production are predominantly controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

Question 13

Cold War

Accepted Answer

Period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, after World War II, from 1947 to 1991.

Question 14

Federalism

Accepted Answer

A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units, like states in the United States.

Question 15

Separation of Powers

Accepted Answer

The division of governmental authority into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. This is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances.

Question 16

Monroe Doctrine

Accepted Answer

The American policy, stated in 1823, of opposing European colonialism in The Americas, declaring that any attempt would be viewed as an act of aggression requiring U.S. intervention.

Question 17

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

Accepted Answer

A set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). The learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade.

Question 18

Civil Rights Movement

Accepted Answer

A struggle for social justice from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s in the U.S. aimed to end racial discrimination against African Americans and to secure legal recognition and federal protection of citizen's rights enumerated in the Constitution and federal law.

Question 19

Analytical Writing

Accepted Answer

Type of writing that presents a claim or thesis statement followed by an argument that supports it. It often requires critical thinking and research.

Question 20

Theme

Accepted Answer

A central topic, subject, or message within a narrative. Themes are often complex and can be conveyed through symbolism.

Question 21

Foreshadowing

Accepted Answer

A literary device in which a writer gives a hint of what is to come later in the story.

Question 22

Irony

Accepted Answer

A figure of speech where words are used in a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. There are three types: verbal, dramatic, and situational irony.

Question 23

Allegory

Accepted Answer

A symbolic representation. It could be a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, usually a moral or political one.

Question 24

Hyperbole

Accepted Answer

A figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis.

Question 25

Simile

Accepted Answer

A figure of speech that directly compares two things by using connecting words (like "like" or "as"). For example: "Her smile was as bright as the sun."

Question 26

Metaphor

Accepted Answer

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unrelated things but shares some common characteristics. Unlike simile, it doesn't use "like" or "as".

Question 27

Personification

Accepted Answer

A figure of speech in which an object, animal, or idea is given human characteristics.

Question 28

Oxymoron

Accepted Answer

A figure of speech in which two contradictory terms appear in conjunction. For example: "bittersweet", "living dead".

Question 29

Alliteration

Accepted Answer

A literary device where two or more words in a phrase or line of poetry share the same beginning consonant sound.

Question 30

Assonance

Accepted Answer

The repetition of a vowel sound or diphthong in non-rhyming words.

Question 31

Onomatopoeia

Accepted Answer

A word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes.

Question 32

Primary Source

Accepted Answer

A document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event.

Question 33

Secondary Source

Accepted Answer

A document or recording that relates or discusses information originally presented elsewhere. They involve generalization, analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of the original information.

Question 34

Probability

Accepted Answer

A branch of mathematics that studies the likelihood of occurrence of random events in order to predict the behavior of defined systems.

Question 35

Independent Variable

Accepted Answer

A variable in an experiment that is manipulated or changed by the scientist. This variable is the cause in the cause and effect relationship.

Question 36

Dependent Variable

Accepted Answer

A variable in an experiment that is observed for changes to test the effects of manipulating the independent variable. This is the effect in the cause and effect relationship.

Question 37

Control Group

Accepted Answer

In an experiment, the group that does not receive the treatment and is used as a benchmark to measure how the other tested subjects do.

Question 38

Experimental Group

Accepted Answer

The group in an experiment that receives the variable being tested. The results of this group are compared to those of the control group.

Question 39

Hypothesis

Accepted Answer

An educated guess or prediction that can be tested. It's an explanation based on limited evidence that acts as a starting point for further investigation.

Question 40

Theory

Accepted Answer

In science, a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment.

Question 41

Acid

Accepted Answer

A substance that donates protons (H+ ions) when dissolved in a solution. Acids have a pH less than 7.

Question 42

Base

Accepted Answer

A substance that accepts protons (H+ ions) when dissolved in a solution or donates OH- ions. Bases have a pH greater than 7.

Question 43

Covalent Bond

Accepted Answer

A type of strong chemical bond where two atoms share one pair or more of valence electrons.

Question 44

Ionic Bond

Accepted Answer

A type of chemical bond formed through an electrostatic attraction between two oppositely charged ions.

Question 45

Isotope

Accepted Answer

Variants of a particular chemical element which differ in neutron number, and consequently in nucleon number.

Question 46

Solvent

Accepted Answer

The component of a solution that is present in the greatest amount. It is the substance in which the solute is dissolved.

Question 47

Solute

Accepted Answer

A substance that is dissolved in a solution. The amount of solute that can be dissolved in solvent is called its solubility.

Question 48

Algebraic Expression

Accepted Answer

A mathematical phrase that can contains ordinary numbers, variables (like x or y) and operators (like add, subtract, multiply, and divide).

Question 49

Distributive Property

Accepted Answer

A property of real numbers that states that the product of a number and the sum of two other numbers is equal to the sum of the two products of the numbers. Symbolically, a(b+c)=ab+ac.

Question 50

Pythagorean Triples

Accepted Answer

A set of three positive integers a, b, and c that satisfy the equation a^2 + b^2 = c^2. The most common example is (3,4,5).

Question 51

Theorem

Accepted Answer

A statement that has been proven on the basis of previously established statements, such as other theorems, and generally accepted statements, such as axioms.

Question 52

Linear Equation

Accepted Answer

An equation that makes a straight line when it's graphed. Typically, a linear equation looks like y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.

AZMerit Advanced Concepts for Grades 9-12