150 Middle School Science Trivia Questions for Classrooms

Think you’re ready to ace middle school science? In Episode 3 of Trivia Time with Mr. Baldman, we take a deep dive into 150 brain-busting science trivia questions, covering everything from biology and geology to astronomy and physics. Whether you're a teacher looking for an engaging activity, a student brushing up on your science knowledge, or just someone who loves learning new things, this episode is perfect for you!

Challenge yourself, your students, or your friends to see who can go the distance through all five tiers of questions. From easy ones like identifying the Red Planet to tougher topics like the layers of Earth and cellular respiration, this episode has something for everyone.

Want to get involved in future episodes? I love hearing from my listeners! If you want your class, group, or even yourself shouted out in an upcoming episode, send me a message using the 'Text Me' link in the show notes. It’s a great way to share how you’re using Trivia Time in your day, whether it’s for indoor recess, family fun, or even a trivia night!

Transcript

Welcome back to Trivia Time with Mr. Baldman! This episode is a science spectacular, packed with 150 middle school-level questions perfect for teachers, students, or anyone ready to test their knowledge of the universe!

This week’s shout-out goes to Ms. Melanie and her students at Menta Academy in Southern Illinois—she uses Trivia Time for indoor recess fun. Thanks for tuning in, Melanie! Want your class to get a shout-out? Send me a message using the 'Text Me' link in the show notes!

Alright, teachers, students, and science enthusiasts—grab your thinking caps, and let’s dive into this trivia-filled journey!

1-25

Question: What is the process by which plants make their own food using sunlight?
Answer: Photosynthesis.

Question: What planet is known as the Red Planet?
Answer: Mars.

Question: What is the boiling point of water in Celsius?
Answer: 100 degrees Celsius.

Question: What is the smallest unit of life?
Answer: A cell.

Question: What gas do humans exhale that plants need for photosynthesis?
Answer: Carbon dioxide.

Question: What is the center of an atom called?
Answer: The nucleus.

Question: What is the force that pulls objects toward the Earth?
Answer: Gravity.

Question: What type of energy does a moving object have?
Answer: Kinetic energy.

Question: What is the primary gas in Earth’s atmosphere?
Answer: Nitrogen.

Question: What is the chemical symbol for water?
Answer: H2O.

Question: What type of rock is formed by cooling lava or magma?
Answer: Igneous rock.

Question: What organ in the human body pumps blood?
Answer: The heart.

Question: What is the main function of roots in a plant?
Answer: To absorb water and nutrients.

Question: What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?
Answer: Diamond.

Question: What do you call an animal that eats both plants and meat?
Answer: Omnivore.

Question: What do we call a scientist who studies weather?
Answer: Meteorologist.

Question: What layer of Earth lies directly below the crust?
Answer: The mantle.

Question: What is the most abundant element in the universe?
Answer: Hydrogen.

Question: What is the name of the galaxy we live in?
Answer: The Milky Way.

Question: What is the process by which water turns into vapor?
Answer: Evaporation.

Question: What is the name of the organ that controls the body’s functions?
Answer: The brain.

Question: What kind of blood cells help fight infections?
Answer: White blood cells.

Question: What tool do scientists use to measure temperature?
Answer: Thermometer.

Question: What is the term for an animal that carries its young in a pouch?
Answer: Marsupial.

Question: What is the study of living things called?
Answer: Biology.

You’re doing amazing so far—keep it up! Remember, every question is an opportunity to learn something new, even if you don’t get it right.

26-50

1. Question: What gas do humans need to breathe to survive?
   Answer: Oxygen.
2. Question: What is the largest organ in the human body?
   Answer: The skin.
3. Question: What type of rock is made from layers of compressed sediment?
   Answer: Sedimentary rock.
4. Question: What is the name of the process by which water cycles from the Earth to the atmosphere and back?
   Answer: The water cycle.
5. Question: What is the largest planet in our solar system?
   Answer: Jupiter.
6. Question: What kind of charge does a proton have?
   Answer: Positive.
7. Question: What is the freezing point of water in Fahrenheit?
   Answer: 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Question: What is the name of the only flying mammal?
   Answer: Bat.
9. Question: What do we call a push or pull on an object?
   Answer: Force.
10. Question: What is the process by which caterpillars transform into butterflies?
    Answer: Metamorphosis.
11. Question: What are the three states of matter?
    Answer: Solid, liquid, and gas.
12. Question: What is the basic unit of heredity in living organisms?
    Answer: Gene.
13. Question: What is the layer of gases surrounding Earth called?
    Answer: The atmosphere.
14. Question: What is the name of the organ in plants that captures sunlight for photosynthesis?
    Answer: The leaf.
15. Question: What type of simple machine is a seesaw?
    Answer: A lever.
16. Question: What is the name of the closest star to Earth?
    Answer: The Sun.
17. Question: What do you call the boundary where two tectonic plates meet?
    Answer: A fault line.
18. Question: What is the name of the gas responsible for the greenhouse effect?
    Answer: Carbon dioxide.
19. Question: What kind of energy is stored in a stretched rubber band?
    Answer: Elastic potential energy.
20. Question: What do you call an animal that primarily eats meat?
    Answer: Carnivore.
21. Question: What is the name of the process by which plants release oxygen into the atmosphere?
    Answer: Respiration.
22. Question: What is the measure of the amount of matter in an object?
    Answer: Mass.
23. Question: What is the term for when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun?
    Answer: Solar eclipse.
24. Question: What is the scientific name for the study of insects?
    Answer: Entomology.
25. Question: What is the unit of measurement for force?
    Answer: Newton.

Break Dialogue (After 50 Questions)

"Look at you go—50 questions down, and you’re crushing it! Keep that brain powered up because you’re on your way to science trivia glory. 

Middle School Science Trivia Questions (51–75)

1. Question: What is the name of the outer layer of the Earth?
   Answer: The crust.
2. Question: What part of the cell is known as the powerhouse?
   Answer: Mitochondria.
3. Question: What do you call animals that live both in water and on land?
   Answer: Amphibians.
4. Question: What is the chemical symbol for sodium?
   Answer: Na.
5. Question: What is the term for water that falls to the ground from clouds?
   Answer: Precipitation.
6. Question: What is the longest bone in the human body?
   Answer: The femur (thigh bone).
7. Question: What type of energy does a battery store?
   Answer: Chemical energy.
8. Question: What planet in our solar system has the most moons?
   Answer: Saturn.
9. Question: What do we call a scientist who studies fossils?
   Answer: Paleontologist.
10. Question: What do you call the path of an object around another object in space?
    Answer: Orbit.
11. Question: What is the name of the process by which liquids change into gas?
    Answer: Vaporization.
12. Question: What kind of celestial body is Halley’s?
    Answer: A comet.
13. Question: What is the smallest particle of an element?
    Answer: An atom.
14. Question: What is the device used to measure earthquakes?
    Answer: Seismograph.
15. Question: What type of blood vessel carries blood away from the heart?
    Answer: Artery.
16. Question: What do we call the phenomenon where light bends as it passes through water?
    Answer: Refraction.
17. Question: What is the main gas found in the bubbles of soda?
    Answer: Carbon dioxide.
18. Question: What is the layer of the Earth’s atmosphere where weather occurs?
    Answer: The troposphere.
19. Question: What is the term for when an object resists a change in motion?
    Answer: Inertia.
20. Question: What do you call a living thing that makes its own food?
    Answer: Autotroph.
21. Question: What is the smallest planet in our solar system?
    Answer: Mercury.
22. Question: What is the energy of motion called?
    Answer: Kinetic energy.
23. Question: What is the name of the star pattern that looks like a hunter?
    Answer: Orion.
24. Question: What is the process by which cells divide to produce new cells?
    Answer: Mitosis.
25. Question: What is the name of the organ that filters waste from the blood in humans?
    Answer: Kidney.

Break Dialogue (After 75 Questions)

"Keep it going! Remember, science is all about discovery, and you’re proving how much you’re capable of. Keep that momentum going—because there’s nothing you can’t learn with a little effort and curiosity. Onward to the next set of questions!"

Middle School Science Trivia Questions (76–100)

1. Question: What is the term for organisms that break down dead material?
   Answer: Decomposers.
2. Question: What is the chemical symbol for iron?
   Answer: Fe.
3. Question: What do you call the study of weather and the atmosphere?
   Answer: Meteorology.
4. Question: What is the main function of the xylem in plants?
   Answer: To transport water.
5. Question: What type of galaxy is the Milky Way?
   Answer: Spiral galaxy.
6. Question: What organ in the human body is responsible for producing insulin?
   Answer: The pancreas.
7. Question: What do you call the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination?
   Answer: The cerebellum.
8. Question: What is the term for a solid turning directly into a gas?
   Answer: Sublimation.
9. Question: What kind of rock is formed under intense heat and pressure?
   Answer: Metamorphic rock.
10. Question: What is the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment?
    Answer: Ecology.
11. Question: What is the term for a star that has exploded?
    Answer: Supernova.
12. Question: What do you call the measurement of how hot or cold something is?
    Answer: Temperature.
13. Question: What is the primary function of the respiratory system?
    Answer: To bring oxygen into the body and remove carbon dioxide.
14. Question: What type of energy does the Sun produce?
    Answer: Solar energy.
15. Question: What is the scientific term for a group of tissues working together?
    Answer: An organ.
16. Question: What do we call the force that two surfaces exert on each other when they rub?
    Answer: Friction.
17. Question: What is the name of the process by which an animal sheds its outer covering?
    Answer: Molting.
18. Question: What is the layer of Earth that is made of liquid metal?
    Answer: The outer core.
19. Question: What do you call a scientist who studies the universe?
    Answer: Astronomer.
20. Question: What is the name of the pigment that gives plants their green color?
    Answer: Chlorophyll.
21. Question: What do you call the phenomenon when a species completely disappears?
    Answer: Extinction.
22. Question: What is the largest bone in the arm?
    Answer: The humerus.
23. Question: What is the name of the outermost layer of skin?
    Answer: Epidermis.
24. Question: What is the name of the branch of science that deals with matter and energy?
    Answer: Physics.
25. Question: What is the name of the force that keeps planets in orbit around the Sun?
    Answer: Gravity.

Break Dialogue (After 100 Questions)

"Boom! That’s 100 science questions done—amazing work! You’ve shown determination, curiosity, and a love for learning—qualities that make you unstoppable. Take a quick breather because we’re not finished yet. Get ready for the next round as we keep building that big brain of yours!"

1. Question: What is the process by which plants lose water through their leaves?
   Answer: Transpiration.
2. Question: What is the largest moon of Saturn?
   Answer: Titan.
3. Question: What do we call the remains of plants and animals preserved in rock?
   Answer: Fossils.
4. Question: What is the process by which liquid water turns into ice?
   Answer: Freezing.
5. Question: What is the main function of the large intestine in the human body?
   Answer: To absorb water and form solid waste.
6. Question: What is the name of the positively charged particle in an atom?
   Answer: Proton.
7. Question: What is the common name for dihydrogen monoxide?
   Answer: Water.
8. Question: What is the layer of Earth where tectonic plates float?
   Answer: The asthenosphere.
9. Question: What type of eclipse occurs when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon?
   Answer: Lunar eclipse.
10. Question: What is the term for an organism that gets energy by consuming other organisms?
    Answer: Consumer.
11. Question: What is the measurement of the amount of space an object occupies?
    Answer: Volume.
12. Question: What gas do plants release during photosynthesis?
    Answer: Oxygen.
13. Question: What is the name of the process by which cells release energy from food?
    Answer: Cellular respiration.
14. Question: What is the primary function of red blood cells?
    Answer: To carry oxygen.
15. Question: What is the name of the scientist who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection?
    Answer: Charles Darwin.
16. Question: What is the term for the molten rock beneath the Earth's surface?
    Answer: Magma.
17. Question: What is the function of the small intestine in digestion?
    Answer: To absorb nutrients from food.
18. Question: What do you call the change of state from gas to liquid?
    Answer: Condensation.
19. Question: What is the name of the outermost planet in our solar system?
    Answer: Neptune.
20. Question: What is the name of the process by which plants grow towards light?
    Answer: Phototropism.
21. Question: What is the study of rocks called?
    Answer: Geology.
22. Question: What type of simple machine is a wheel and axle?
    Answer: A lever.
23. Question: What do you call the energy stored in an object due to its position?
    Answer: Potential energy.
24. Question: What is the name of the boundary between two air masses?
    Answer: A front.
25. Question: What part of the flower produces pollen?
    Answer: The anther.

Break Dialogue (After 125 Questions)
"Wow, 125 questions down! You’re absolutely crushing this science trivia marathon. Remember, persistence is the key to mastery, and you’re proving that with every question. We’ve got one final set to go—finish strong, because you’ve got this!"

1. Question: What is the term for a habitat where saltwater and freshwater mix?
   Answer: Estuary.
2. Question: What type of energy comes from the splitting of atomic nuclei?
   Answer: Nuclear energy.
3. Question: What is the name of the process by which plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen?
   Answer: Photosynthesis.
4. Question: What is the term for animals that regulate their body temperature externally?
   Answer: Cold-blooded.
5. Question: What is the name of the scale used to measure the hardness of minerals?
   Answer: Mohs scale.
6. Question: What is the name of the longest river in the world?
   Answer: The Nile River.
7. Question: What is the term for the flow of electricity through a conductor?
   Answer: Electric current.
8. Question: What is the name of the process by which rocks are broken down into smaller pieces?
   Answer: Weathering.
9. Question: What is the name of the moon phase when the Moon is not visible from Earth?
   Answer: New Moon.
10. Question: What is the term for a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and organisms?
    Answer: Biome.
11. Question: What do we call the force that opposes motion between two surfaces?
    Answer: Friction.
12. Question: What is the process called when a liquid changes to a gas at the surface of the liquid?
    Answer: Evaporation.
13. Question: What organ helps fish maintain buoyancy in water?
    Answer: Swim bladder.
14. Question: What is the smallest particle of a compound that still has the properties of that compound?
    Answer: Molecule.
15. Question: What is the term for animals that eat only plants?
    Answer: Herbivores.
16. Question: What is the layer of Earth that contains all its water?
    Answer: Hydrosphere.
17. Question: What is the scientific study of the atmosphere and weather called?
    Answer: Meteorology.
18. Question: What is the name of the positively charged subatomic particle?
    Answer: Proton.
19. Question: What is the measure of the amount of salt in water?
    Answer: Salinity.
20. Question: What is the name of the process by which wind and water move soil and rock?
    Answer: Erosion.
21. Question: What do we call the remains of a star after it explodes as a supernova?
    Answer: Neutron star or black hole.
22. Question: What type of simple machine is a ramp?
    Answer: Inclined plane.
23. Question: What is the function of stomata in plant leaves?
    Answer: To allow gas exchange.
24. Question: What do we call the energy an object has because of its motion?
    Answer: Kinetic energy.
25. Question: What is the branch of science that studies the relationships between organisms and their environment?
    Answer: Ecology.

Final Break Dialogue (After 150 Questions)

And that’s a wrap for this science-packed episode of Trivia Time with Mr. Baldman! 150 questions later, and you’re officially a trivia superstar. Thanks for joining me on this journey of learning and fun!

Don’t forget—if you want a shoutout for your class, team, or even yourself,  or have ideas for content you’d like to hear on the show, send me a message using the 'Text Me' link in the show notes. I’d love to hear from you! 

Oh, and make sure to follow me on TikTok @mr_baldman_trivia for even more trivia goodness, fun facts, and behind-the-scenes moments. Until next time, keep asking questions, stay curious, and always keep learning. Baldman out!