GED Physical Science Practice Questions, Set 2

This is set 2 of 3 for GED Physical Science, with 27 practice questions that are not part of any full practice test. If a question type feels unfamiliar, review the Physical Science study guide first, then check each answer below.

Question 1 of 27

0 answered

A jeweler heats a gold ring until it melts, then pours it into a mold to make a pendant. A test shows the pendant is still pure gold. What kind of change took place?

Physical Science practice set 2: 27 questions with answers

Work each question on paper first, then open the answer to check your reasoning.

1.A jeweler heats a gold ring until it melts, then pours it into a mold to make a pendant. A test shows the pendant is still pure gold. What kind of change took place?
1. A.A chemical change, because heat was used
2. B.No change, because the mass of the gold stayed the same
3. C.A chemical change, because the shape changed
4. D.A physical change, because no new substance formed
Show answer
Answer: D. A physical change, because no new substance formed
Melting and reshaping gold changes its form, but it is still gold, so the change is physical. Using heat does not make a change chemical; what matters is whether a new substance forms.

2.A cook wants sugar to dissolve quickly in a pitcher of lemonade. Which step would most speed up dissolving?
1. A.Letting the pitcher sit unstirred
2. B.Stirring the sugar into warm water
3. C.Adding the sugar to ice-cold water
4. D.Using bigger sugar cubes instead
Show answer
Answer: B. Stirring the sugar into warm water
Warm water and stirring both bring water into contact with the sugar faster, so it dissolves more quickly. Bigger cubes expose less surface area, so they dissolve more slowly.

3.Hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen: ?H₂O₂ → 2H₂O + O₂ What number belongs in front of H₂O₂ to balance the equation?
1. A.1
2. B.4
3. C.3
4. D.2
Show answer
Answer: D. 2
The right side has 4 hydrogen atoms and 4 oxygen atoms, and 2H₂O₂ also has 4 of each. A coefficient of 1 would give only 2 hydrogen and 2 oxygen atoms on the left.

4.In a lab, 23 g of sodium reacts completely with chlorine gas to make 58.5 g of table salt. How many grams of chlorine reacted?
1. A.35.5 g
2. B.81.5 g
3. C.58.5 g
4. D.23.0 g
Show answer
Answer: A. 35.5 g
Mass is conserved, so the chlorine’s mass is 58.5 − 23 = 35.5 g. The answer 81.5 g adds the two masses instead of subtracting.

5.A shopper pushes an empty cart and a full cart with the same force. The empty cart speeds up much faster. Which idea best explains this?
1. A.Conservation of mass: matter is never lost
2. B.Newton’s second law: more mass, less acceleration
3. C.Newton’s first law: objects at rest stay at rest
4. D.Newton’s third law: every force has a pair
Show answer
Answer: B. Newton’s second law: more mass, less acceleration
Newton’s second law says acceleration equals force divided by mass, so with the same push, the lighter empty cart speeds up more. The first law is tempting, but it describes motion when no net force acts.

6.Kinetic energy = ½ × mass × speed². A 1,000 kg car moves at 10 m/s. What is the car’s kinetic energy?
1. A.50,000 J
2. B.100,000 J
3. C.5,000 J
4. D.10,000 J
Show answer
Answer: A. 50,000 J
Kinetic energy = ½ × 1,000 × 10² = ½ × 1,000 × 100 = 50,000 J. The answer 5,000 J forgets to square the speed.

7.A motor uses 500 J of electrical energy and does 350 J of useful work lifting a load. What happened to the other 150 J?
1. A.It became heat and sound, mostly from friction
2. B.It was destroyed inside the motor’s wires
3. C.It was stored in the load as extra mass
4. D.It went back into the outlet as new energy
Show answer
Answer: A. It became heat and sound, mostly from friction
Energy is conserved, so the missing 150 J changed into forms that are not useful here, mainly heat from friction and some sound. Energy cannot be destroyed, which rules out the second choice.

8.A graph of a jogger’s distance over time is a flat horizontal line from minute 10 to minute 15. What was the jogger doing during those 5 minutes?
1. A.Resting in one place
2. B.Speeding up steadily
3. C.Jogging back home
4. D.Running at top speed
Show answer
Answer: A. Resting in one place
A flat line on a distance-time graph means the distance did not change, so the jogger was not moving. Top speed would show as the steepest part of the line, not a flat one.

9.A truck travels north at 60 km/h. A car travels south at 60 km/h on the same highway. Which statement is correct?
1. A.They have the same velocity because their speeds match
2. B.The truck is faster because it is heading north
3. C.They have the same speed but different velocities
4. D.They have different speeds but the same velocity
Show answer
Answer: C. They have the same speed but different velocities
Velocity includes direction, so equal speeds in opposite directions give different velocities. The first choice is tempting but ignores direction, which is the difference between speed and velocity.

10.A worker uses a wheelbarrow to move bricks. The wheel is at the front, the load sits in the middle, and the worker lifts the handles at the back. How does the wheelbarrow help?
1. A.It lets a smaller lifting force move the load
2. B.It reduces the actual weight of the bricks
3. C.It increases the force the worker must use
4. D.It lets the worker skip doing any work
Show answer
Answer: A. It lets a smaller lifting force move the load
The wheelbarrow is a lever with the load between the wheel and the handles, so a smaller lifting force raises a heavy load. It does not reduce the bricks’ weight or remove the need to do work.

11.A doctor uses ultrasound to see a baby before birth. Sound waves too high in frequency for people to hear are sent into the body and bounce off tissues. What makes it possible to form an image?
1. A.Ultrasound can travel only through empty space
2. B.The sound waves turn into light inside the body
3. C.Echoes return at different times from different tissues
4. D.The baby gives off its own sound waves to the device
Show answer
Answer: C. Echoes return at different times from different tissues
The machine times the echoes that bounce back from tissues at different depths and builds an image from them. Sound cannot travel through empty space at all; it needs a medium such as body tissue.

12.A label on a water filter says it removes lead ions (Pb²⁺). What does the 2+ tell you about a lead ion?
1. A.It has lost two of its electrons
2. B.It has gained two extra electrons
3. C.It has two more protons than lead
4. D.It contains two lead atoms joined
Show answer
Answer: A. It has lost two of its electrons
A positive charge means the atom has fewer electrons than protons, so Pb²⁺ has lost two electrons. Gaining electrons would make the charge negative, not positive.

13.A scientist tests an unknown element. It is shiny, conducts electricity and heat well, and can be hammered into thin sheets without breaking. Where on the periodic table is this element most likely found?
1. A.Among the nonmetals in the upper right
2. B.Among the noble gases in the far right column
3. C.Among the metals on the left and center
4. D.In Group 17 with chlorine and fluorine
Show answer
Answer: C. Among the metals on the left and center
Shine, good conduction and the ability to be hammered into sheets are properties of metals, which fill the left and center of the table. Nonmetals in the upper right are usually dull and brittle and conduct poorly.

14.A chemistry handout defines a compound as a substance made of two or more elements chemically joined in a fixed ratio. Which of these is a compound?
1. A.Oxygen gas (O₂)
2. B.Table salt (NaCl)
3. C.Pure copper (Cu)
4. D.Air (a gas mixture)
Show answer
Answer: B. Table salt (NaCl)
Table salt is sodium and chlorine joined in a fixed 1 to 1 ratio, so it is a compound. Air contains several substances, but they are only mixed, not chemically joined in a fixed ratio.

15.A driver turns a car’s large steering wheel, which is attached to a narrow shaft. A small turning force on the rim makes a larger turning force on the shaft. Which simple machine is this?
1. A.Wheel and axle
2. B.Fixed pulley
3. C.Wedge
4. D.Inclined plane
Show answer
Answer: A. Wheel and axle
A large wheel turning a small shaft is a wheel and axle, which multiplies force. A fixed pulley only changes the direction of a force on a rope, and there is no rope here.

16.A cook notices four things in the kitchen over one week. Which of these is a chemical change?
1. A.Sugar dissolves in a cup of hot tea
2. B.Milk left out sours and smells bad
3. C.Bread is sliced into thin pieces
4. D.Ice cubes melt in a glass of juice
Show answer
Answer: B. Milk left out sours and smells bad
Souring milk forms new substances, shown by the new smell and the lumps that form, so it is a chemical change. Dissolving sugar is tempting, but the sugar is still sugar and can be recovered by evaporating the water.

17.Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. At room temperature, it turns directly into carbon dioxide gas without first becoming a liquid. What kind of change is this?
1. A.A physical change, because it is still carbon dioxide
2. B.A physical change, because it absorbs no energy
3. C.A chemical change, because a gas is given off
4. D.A chemical change, because the solid seems to disappear
Show answer
Answer: A. A physical change, because it is still carbon dioxide
The substance stays carbon dioxide and only changes state, so the change is physical. A gas forming can signal a chemical change, but only when the gas is a new substance.

18.When 100 g of limestone (calcium carbonate) is heated strongly, it breaks down into 56 g of lime (calcium oxide) and carbon dioxide gas. How many grams of carbon dioxide are produced?
1. A.56 g
2. B.100 g
3. C.44 g
4. D.156 g
Show answer
Answer: C. 44 g
Mass is conserved, so the products must total 100 g, and 100 − 56 = 44 g. The 156 g choice adds the masses, but the lime is part of the original 100 g, not extra matter.

19.During a storm, a person sees a flash of lightning and hears the thunder several seconds later, even though both were made at the same moment. Why does the thunder arrive later?
1. A.Sound travels much faster than light through air
2. B.Light needs air to travel, but sound does not
3. C.Light travels much faster than sound through air
4. D.Thunder is made several seconds after the flash
Show answer
Answer: C. Light travels much faster than sound through air
Light crosses the distance almost instantly, while sound in air moves only about 340 m each second. The passage says both are made at the same moment, so a delay at the source is ruled out.

20.A delivery drone flies in a straight line at a steady 12 m/s for 25 seconds. How far does it travel?
1. A.37 m
2. B.2.1 m
3. C.3,000 m
4. D.300 m
Show answer
Answer: D. 300 m
Distance = speed × time, so 12 m/s × 25 s = 300 m. The 37 m choice adds the two numbers instead of multiplying them.

21.A cyclist traveling at 12 m/s brakes to a stop in 4 seconds. Acceleration = change in speed ÷ time. What is the cyclist’s acceleration?
1. A.3 m/s²
2. B.−8 m/s²
3. C.−48 m/s²
4. D.−3 m/s²
Show answer
Answer: D. −3 m/s²
The speed changes from 12 to 0 m/s, a change of −12 m/s, and −12 ÷ 4 = −3 m/s². The negative sign shows slowing down, so the positive 3 m/s² choice has the wrong direction.

22.In a crash, an airbag inflates in front of a driver. The driver still comes to a stop, but the stop takes a little longer than it would against the steering wheel. How does the airbag protect the driver?
1. A.It removes the driver’s inertia so the body stops at once
2. B.A longer stopping time means less force on the body
3. C.It adds forward force to balance the crash force
4. D.It makes the car slow down in a shorter time
Show answer
Answer: B. A longer stopping time means less force on the body
Stopping the same motion over a longer time takes less force, so the driver’s body is hit less hard. Inertia cannot be removed, because it is a property of all matter.

23.A camper switches on a battery-powered flashlight. Which sequence of energy changes takes place?
1. A.Electrical → chemical → light and sound
2. B.Light → electrical → chemical and heat
3. C.Heat → chemical → electrical and light
4. D.Chemical → electrical → light and heat
Show answer
Answer: D. Chemical → electrical → light and heat
A battery stores chemical energy, which becomes electrical energy in the circuit and then light and some heat in the bulb. The sequence starting with light runs the other way, like a solar charger filling a battery.

24.A cook stirs sugar into a pitcher of iced tea. After a while, extra sugar stays on the bottom no matter how long the cook stirs. Which term describes the tea at this point?
1. A.Neutral
2. B.Saturated
3. C.Evaporated
4. D.Diluted
Show answer
Answer: B. Saturated
A saturated solution holds all the solute it can at that temperature, so extra sugar stays undissolved. Diluted is tempting, but a dilute solution can still dissolve more solute.

25.A metal block at 80°C is dropped into an insulated cup of water at 20°C. After several minutes, the block and the water both read 30°C. Which statement best describes what happened?
1. A.Cold moved from the water into the block until it cooled
2. B.Heat moved from the water to the block until both matched
3. C.The block lost heat to the air but none to the water
4. D.Heat moved from the block to the water until both matched
Show answer
Answer: D. Heat moved from the block to the water until both matched
Heat always flows from a warmer object to a cooler one until their temperatures are equal. The idea that cold moves into the block is tempting, but cold is not a form of energy; the block cools because it loses heat.

26.A vacuum bottle has two glass walls with almost no air between them. Hot soup inside stays hot for hours. Why does the vacuum slow heat loss so well?
1. A.Glass walls conduct heat better than metal walls
2. B.Radiation cannot travel through any kind of vacuum
3. C.Conduction and convection need particles to carry heat
4. D.The vacuum adds heat to the soup as time passes
Show answer
Answer: C. Conduction and convection need particles to carry heat
Conduction and convection both depend on particles that touch or move, so a near vacuum blocks them. Radiation can cross a vacuum, which is how sunlight reaches Earth, so that choice is false.

27.Noise-canceling headphones use a microphone to pick up outside sound. A tiny speaker then makes a sound wave with the same shape, but with its peaks lined up with the troughs of the outside wave. Why does the listener hear less noise?
1. A.The new wave doubles the frequency of the noise
2. B.The headphones absorb sound by turning it into light
3. C.The two waves combine and mostly cancel each other
4. D.The outside sound bounces off the speaker and away
Show answer
Answer: C. The two waves combine and mostly cancel each other
When peaks meet troughs, the waves interfere and add up to a much smaller wave. Doubling the frequency would only change the pitch, not remove the sound.

More practice sets

Physical Science has 3 practice sets. None of these questions appear in the full practice tests.

Set 1: 27 questions
Set 2: 27 questions (this page)
Set 3: 27 questions