Independent practice material. Not affiliated with the University of the Philippines and not official UPCAT content. Official UP Office of Admissions site

UPCATReviewer

Science

UPCAT Science practice questions

50 free UPCAT Science practice questions with the correct answer and a worked explanation for every item. Read through them or run the section as a shuffled quiz.

  • 25 easy
  • 21 medium
  • 4 hard
Take the Science quiz

Instructions: Choose the best answer for each item.

All 50 questions

Answers shown on each page

  1. 1Which organelle is the main site of aerobic respiration in a eukaryotic cell?
    Answer: D. Mitochondrion    Biology
  2. 2Which molecule delivers amino acids to the ribosome during translation?
    Answer: B. tRNA    Biology
  3. 3The loss of water vapor from a plant through the stomata is called
    Answer: D. transpiration    Biology
  4. 4Which vessel carries oxygenated blood from the lungs back to the heart?
    Answer: B. Pulmonary vein    Biology
  5. 5In a cross between two heterozygous individuals (Aa × Aa), what is the expected genotypic ratio of the offspring?
    Answer: C. 1 : 2 : 1    Biology
  6. 6A homozygous tall pea plant (TT) is crossed with a homozygous short plant (tt). What fraction of the F1 generation will be tall, given that T is completely dominant?
    Answer: A. All of them    Biology
  7. 7Which of the following is NOT a function of the liver?
    Answer: B. Secreting insulin    Biology
  8. 8Which enzyme in saliva begins the digestion of starch?
    Answer: C. Amylase    Biology
  9. 9Most absorption of digested nutrients occurs in the
    Answer: A. small intestine    Biology
  10. 10The movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to one of higher solute concentration is called
    Answer: D. osmosis    Biology
  11. 11Which of the following is an autotroph?
    Answer: C. Green algae    Biology
  12. 12Atmospheric nitrogen is converted into a form usable by plants mainly through the action of
    Answer: C. certain bacteria    Biology
  13. 13How many chromosomes are present in a normal human gamete?
    Answer: B. 23    Biology
  14. 14During which stage of mitosis do the chromosomes align along the equator of the cell?
    Answer: B. Metaphase    Biology
  15. 15The identity of a chemical element is determined by its number of
    Answer: D. protons    Chemistry
  16. 16A solution with a pH of 3 is best described as
    Answer: A. acidic    Chemistry
  17. 17What type of bond holds sodium chloride together?
    Answer: C. Ionic bond    Chemistry
  18. 18Approximately how many particles are in one mole of a substance?
    Answer: B. 6.02 × 10²³    Chemistry
  19. 19In the balanced equation for the formation of water from hydrogen and oxygen gas, what is the coefficient of H₂? ___ H₂ + ___ O₂ → ___ H₂O
    Answer: C. 2    Chemistry
  20. 20Noble gases are chemically unreactive mainly because they have
    Answer: A. a complete outermost electron shell    Chemistry
  21. 21Which of the following is a physical change?
    Answer: A. Ice melting into liquid water    Chemistry
  22. 22Two isotopes of the same element differ in their number of
    Answer: D. neutrons    Chemistry
  23. 23As you move down a group in the periodic table, atomic radius generally
    Answer: D. increases    Chemistry
  24. 24What is the molar mass of CO₂? Use C = 12 g/mol and O = 16 g/mol.
    Answer: B. 44 g/mol    Chemistry
  25. 25A catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction by
    Answer: A. lowering the activation energy required    Chemistry
  26. 26In a solution of salt dissolved in water, water is the
    Answer: C. solvent    Chemistry
  27. 27In a redox reaction, oxidation is defined as the
    Answer: B. loss of electrons    Chemistry
  28. 28What is the SI unit of force?
    Answer: D. Newton    Physics
  29. 29A rocket moves forward as hot gas is expelled backward. This is best explained by
    Answer: B. Newton's third law    Physics
  30. 30Passengers lurch forward when a moving jeepney brakes suddenly. This is due to
    Answer: A. inertia    Physics
  31. 31Which statement correctly distinguishes velocity from speed?
    Answer: C. Velocity specifies direction, while speed does not.    Physics
  32. 32Near the surface of the Earth, the acceleration due to gravity is approximately
    Answer: A. 9.8 m/s²    Physics
  33. 33A student pushes a crate with a constant force of 25 N over a distance of 4 m in the direction of the force. How much work is done?
    Answer: C. 100 J    Physics
  34. 34What net force is required to give a 2 kg object an acceleration of 3 m/s²?
    Answer: A. 6 N    Physics
  35. 35In a battery-powered flashlight, the main sequence of energy transformation is
    Answer: C. chemical → electrical → light    Physics
  36. 36The number of complete wave cycles passing a point per second is the wave's
    Answer: B. frequency    Physics
  37. 37A straw appears bent where it enters a glass of water. This is caused by
    Answer: A. refraction    Physics
  38. 38Which statement about a vacuum is correct?
    Answer: B. Light travels through it, but sound cannot.    Physics
  39. 39A potential difference of 12 V is applied across a 4 Ω resistor. What current flows through it?
    Answer: A. 3 A    Physics
  40. 40A converging (convex) lens is used to correct which vision defect?
    Answer: D. Hyperopia, or farsightedness    Physics
  41. 41Which layer of the Earth consists mainly of liquid iron and nickel?
    Answer: D. Outer core    Earth Science
  42. 42A boundary where two tectonic plates move apart, allowing magma to rise and form new crust, is called
    Answer: A. a divergent boundary    Earth Science
  43. 43The seasons on Earth are caused primarily by
    Answer: A. the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to its orbital plane    Earth Science
  44. 44A rock formed by the cooling and solidification of magma is classified as
    Answer: D. igneous    Earth Science
  45. 45Which greenhouse gas is released in the greatest quantity by the burning of fossil fuels?
    Answer: C. Carbon dioxide    Earth Science
  46. 46The ozone layer that absorbs most incoming ultraviolet radiation is found in the
    Answer: C. stratosphere    Earth Science
  47. 47When the Earth lies between the Sun and the Moon, an observer on Earth sees
    Answer: B. a full moon    Earth Science
  48. 48Which instrument records the ground motion produced by an earthquake?
    Answer: B. Seismograph    Earth Science
  49. 49The Philippines experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies along the
    Answer: D. Pacific Ring of Fire    Earth Science
  50. 50In the water cycle, the change of water vapor into liquid droplets that form clouds is called
    Answer: D. condensation    Earth Science

Topics in this section