ASVAB General Science practice

Learn what each structure does before memorizing its name. Cell membranes regulate movement into and out of cells; nuclei contain genetic material; mitochondria support the release of usable energy from food.

Apply the same method to body systems: the respiratory system exchanges gases, the circulatory system transports substances, and the digestive system breaks down food for absorption.

Producers capture energy to make organic matter. Consumers obtain it by eating other organisms. Decomposers return nutrients to the environment. Energy flows through an ecosystem; nutrients cycle.

For inheritance, distinguish a gene from a version of that gene, called an allele. A simple dominant/recessive model describes some traits, not every human characteristic.

A physical change alters a material’s state, size or shape without changing its chemical identity. A chemical change produces different substances. Melting ice is physical; iron reacting with oxygen to form rust is chemical.

Know the roles of protons, neutrons and electrons, and distinguish an element, compound and mixture. Use the particle model to explain changes of state rather than memorizing isolated examples.

Conduction transfers thermal energy through interactions within matter; convection involves the movement of a fluid; radiation can travel through empty space. A single situation can involve more than one method.

For waves, connect frequency, wavelength and speed. For a fixed wave speed, a higher frequency means a shorter wavelength. Sound needs a medium; light can travel through a vacuum.

Earth’s rotation produces the daily cycle. Its tilted axis, together with its orbit around the Sun, produces the seasons. The seasons are not caused mainly by changing distance from the Sun.

Trace evaporation, condensation and precipitation in the water cycle. Distinguish weather over a short period from climate patterns over a longer period, and connect rock types to how they form.