Academic Bowl Practice Questions

How would the removal of a top predator from an ecosystem most likely affect biodiversity? 

Which of the following must always be true if x, y, and z are negative rational numbers? 

A baseball player throws a ball to another. The ball's path over time is shown in the table. Which function models it?

Which of the following best describes dramatic irony?

The Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) was the first successful slave revolt, creating an independent nation. Who led it?

Which statement best describes a data set whose shape is skewed left?  

If 5.0 g of hydrogen reacts completely with 20.0 g of oxygen to form water, what is the mass of the water produced?

Which of the following are drawing techniques?  

Which event directly triggered the U.S. entry into World War II?

6 friends use $2-off coupons for movie tickets, spending $42 total. What is the price of one ticket without the coupon?

Which literary device uses contradictory ideas to reveal a deeper truth, as in the phrase 'less is more'?

What is the title of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of a woman with an enigmatic smile? 

What is the term for a recurring element in a story that has symbolic significance?

Which rhetorical device is used when an author poses a question and immediately answers it?

The Battle of Hastings in 1066 was pivotal in English history. Who became England's ruler as a result?

The Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494 was an agreement between which two countries to divide newly discovered lands?

Which of the following would increase the rate of a reaction?   

The Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution primarily for what reason?

Pablo Picasso’s Guernica is a powerful statement against which event? 

The Trail of Tears refers to the forced relocation of which Native American tribe to Oklahoma?

What is the main purpose of a narrative hook in a story?

What is the primary function of a soliloquy in a play?

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 addressed the balance of power between free and slave states. What was a key provision?

Which term describes a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with something closely associated with it?

Alex’s parents watch her in a bike race. The graph shows distance after x hours. What’s the average rate from 0 to 4?

What is the solution of x² + 4x = 5? 

The Homestead Strike of 1892 was a major U.S. labor conflict. Which industry was primarily involved?

What does the photoelectric effect demonstrate about light?  

What is the simplified form of (-2j²-3)+(-4j+5)+(j²-j-1)?

Which of the following best describes a dynamic character?

A mutation occurs in a gene that codes for a protein in a cell.  Which of the following outcomes is most likely?  

Which of the following best describes the data shown in the scatterplot? 

Which equation represents the graphed line? 

What is the term for the technique of applying paint thickly to create texture? 

A 2.0-liter gas sample is heated from 300K to 600K at constant pressure. What happens to its volume?

Which literary theory focuses on the interplay of economic power and class struggle?

Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? 

Which phenomenon explains why a prism separates white light into different colors?  

A ray of light passes from air into glass.  What happens to its speed and direction?

Why does increasing the temperature of a reaction generally increase the reaction rate?   

The term “Pointillism” refers to a technique using: 

Which painting by Edvard Munch depicts a figure holding its face in anguish? 

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret research project during World War II. What was its primary goal?

The Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 marked the end of major conflict between the U.S. and which Native American tribe?

What happens to the internal energy of a system if 100 J of heat is added, and 50 J of work is done by the system?

In poetry, what is the term for a pause in a line caused by punctuation?

Which line(s) intersect the parabola y = x² − x + 3 at two points?

Which ancient civilization is known for its large pyramid structures? 

What is the medium of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker? 

What are the characteristics of aerial perspective?