2012

Junior Paper Years7­8

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Do not open this booklet until told to do so by your teacher.
2. Use only B or 2B pencil.
3. Answers must be recorded on the answer sheet provided.
There is no penalty for an incorrect answer
4. Calculators may be used.
5. Diagrams are not necessarily drawn to scale.

TIME
50 minutes
30 Questions
All questions have equal marks
 UMBRELLA IN THE SKY
One idea to reduce the effect of global warming is to create an ‘umbrella’ in the sky.
The umbrella would be made of a fine mist of sulfur-based chemicals. These chemicals would be
sprayed from rockets and aircraft.
Like carbon dioxide the sulfur mist is slightly acidic.

Sulfur mist Rocket

Aircraft

Earth

The ‘umbrella’ method to reduce the effect of global warming

1 How is the sulfur mist most likely to reduce global warming?

A It acts like a blanket to trap the sunlight.
B Sunlight is reflected back into space by the ‘umbrella’.
C The ‘umbrella’ causes the sun to shine less brightly.
D It absorbs the sunlight before it reaches the Earth’s surface.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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2 Some scientists are worried that even if the umbrella approach helped to reduce global
warming there may be other effects on the Earth’s environment.
Which of the following are plausible negative effects of the ‘umbrella’ method?
Select the column with the correct response for each item.

Would this be a negative effect? A B C D

Less rainfall due to less evaporation Yes No Yes No
More earthquakes as the land cools No Yes No Yes
The oceans become more acidic Yes Yes No Yes

3 Suppose the ‘umbrella’ method of cooling worked, was tried for several decades and was then
stopped.
What might happen to the Earth’s atmosphere once the ‘umbrella’ method was no longer being
used?
A It could get colder or warmer depending on the Sun.
B It would stay cool as the climate is very slow to change.
C It would become warmer than it was before the mist was added.
D It would go back and stay at the same conditions as before the mist was added.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 EXPLORING THE OCEAN
More people have visited the Moon than the deepest parts of the world’s oceans.
Projects are now studying the ocean depths using small submarines called ‘submersibles’.
The deepest point in the ocean is in the Marianas Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, where it reaches
a depth of 11,000 m.

4 The deep ocean is a difficult environment to explore.

Which of these factors would be most important to consider when designing a deep sea
submersible?
A lack of light
B high water pressure
C extremely low temperature
D distance from the support ship on the surface

5 In 1960 two people in a United States Navy submersible reached a depth of 10,911 m in the
Marianas Trench.
To return to the surface of the ocean the submersible released nearly 9000 kg of iron ballast
into the water.
Why would the release of the iron ballast cause the submersible to return to the surface of the
ocean?
A It changes the submersible’s shape.
B The density of the submersible is reduced.
C The surface area of the submersible is reduced.
D It changes the size of the submersible.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 A 1960's submersible Diagram of a modern submersible

6 The design of the modern submersible resembles that of a small airplane.

Look at the images of the two submersibles.
What advantage will this new submersible be likely to have compared to the one used in the
1960s?
A it will be able to reach deeper water
B it will be more manoeuvrable under water
C it will be able to remain under water longer
D it will allow more scientists to work in the deep ocean

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY
Rice is a large part of the diet of many people. It is a good source of energy, but it is low in Vitamin A.
Too little Vitamin A in the diet, (‘Vitamin A deficiency’ [VAD]) can cause blindness or death. Up to
250 million people suffer from VAD, and over 250,000 children go blind because of VAD each year.
Scientists have genetically engineered rice so that it produces -carotene within the grain. Vitamin A
can be produced in the body from -carotene.
-carotene makes the genetically engineered rice pale yellow in colour, so it is called ‘Golden Rice’.

Wheat
Rice consumption consumption Fat consumptiong/
Country (Kj/day) (Kj/day) Level of VAD day
Australia 380 2,264 No deficiency 133
China 3356 2,527 ++ 81
India 2941 2,130 ++++ 46
Bangladesh 6,561 607 ++++ 25
Vietnam 6,824 448 ++++ 42
Thailand 4,368 477 ++ 49
Burma 5,707 167 ++++ 42
Philippines 5,092 695 ++++ 50
Japan 2,536 1,523 No deficiency 89
Brazil 1,519 1,628 +++ 99
Kenya 310 812 ++++ 47
World 2,230 2,230 Not applicable 74

Level of VAD scale: + low, +++ medium, ++++ high

7 It would have been possible to genetically engineer wheat to produce -carotene.

Why was rice rather than wheat chosen to produce -carotene?
A Eating rice causes VAD.
B People who eat wheat do not have VAD.
C It is not possible to grow wheat in countries where VAD occurs.
D Rice is more commonly eaten in countries where VAD is frequent.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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The process of removing the outer layers from rice is called ‘milling’. Different amounts of milling are
used to produce different types of rice.
• ‘Brown Rice’ has just the husk removed.
• ‘White Rice’ has the bran and germ removed as well as the husk.
• ‘Golden Rice’ is milled in the same way as ‘White Rice’.

husk

endosperm
(rice grain)
bran

rice embryo

Cross section of a rice grain

8 -carotene is better absorbed by the body if some oils or fats are also present in the diet.
The -carotene from the milled ‘Golden Rice’ is difficult to absorb in the body.
Which of the following would be the best explanation for this difficulty?
A All diets that are rich in rice contain little fat.
B Milling removes all the nutrients from the Golden Rice, making it unhealthy.
C People now avoid fat in their diet because of its link to heart disease.
D The fats and oils that occur in rice are found in the outer layers of the grain.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 WHITE LIGHTS
The differences in colours produced by artificial light and sunlight can be important.
Sunlight is composed of all the colours of visible light. Each colour of white light has a different
wavelength. These colours can be seen in a rainbow.
Wavelengths are measured in nanometres (nm).
Artificial lights do not always produce the same spectrum of colours as sunlight.
• Red light has a wavelength of around 650 nm.
• Violet light has a wavelength of around 400 nm.

Wavelengths and relative light intensity for sunlight

40
35
violet red
30
relative 25
intensity 20
(%) 15
10
5
0
400 450 500 550 600 650 700

wavelength (nm)

Light characteristics of three types of light sources

relative relative relative

intensity intensity intensity
(%) (%) (%)

80 80 80
70 70 70
60 60 60
50 50 50
40 40 40
30 30 30
20 20 20
10 10 10
0 0 0
400 450 500 550 600 650 400 450 500 550 600 650 400 450 500 550 600 650
wavelength (nm) wavelength (nm) wavelength (nm)

Incandescent globe Fluorescent globe Light Emitting Diode (LED)

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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9 Use the information from the graphs to answer this question.
What feature do all three light sources have in common?
A All wavelengths of visible light are emitted.
B They each produce the same amount of light.
C Each globe absorbs some wavelengths of light.
D They all produce light that is the same as sunlight.

10 Use the information from the graphs to answer this question.

How would the light produced by an incandescent globe look different to an LED globe?
A The light from the incandescent globe would produce more shadows.
B The light from the LED would look bluer.
C The light from the LED would be brighter.
D There is not enough information to decide if they would be different.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 Spotted snow skinks

Thailand South
Bay of China Sea
Bengal Andaman Vietnam Philippines
Sea Gulf of
Thailand
Malaysia
Singapore
Indonesia Banda
Sea
Papua New
Java Sea Arafura Guinea
Sea Solomon
Sea

Coral Sea
Indian
Ocean
Australia

Great
Australian
Tasmanian
Bight
Sea New
Zealand
Tasmania

Spotted snow skinks (Niveoscincus oscellatus) are small lizards found in Tasmania, Australia.
They breed once a year, giving birth to 3 or 4 live young. Spotted snow skinks have a life span of
about 7 years.
A recent study conducted over several breeding seasons looked at:
• the sex (male or female) of young born
• the time when females gave birth.
Some results from the study are shown below.

Week
beginning 2000/2001 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007
Dec 20 4 2 2 0 1 4 3
Dec 27 25 2 18 7 3 20 4
Jan 3 47 5 20 9 25 41 30
Jan 10 20 11 27 18 36 35 30
Jan 17 3 41 11 30 25 15 20
Jan 24 0 28 6 20 4 3 7
Jan 30 0 10 3 16 0 0 0
Feb 6 0 3 0 6 0 0 0
Feb 13 0 1 0 2 0 0 0
Percentage
of total
skinks 45% 60% 56% 67% 59% 45% 49%
born that
were male

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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11 Which of these is consistent with the data shown in the table?
A The skink breeding season is finishing later now than it did in the past.
B If the breeding season starts in the week beginning 20 Dec, it will finish before 13 Feb.
C For all seasons, the highest number of births occurred in the week beginning 17 Jan.
D Fewer males than females are usually born in seasons when no births occur after 30 Jan.

12 The study found that when pregnant spotted snow skinks spent more time in the sun, they were
more likely to give birth to female young. Studies of other reptile species have also shown a
relationship between the temperature experienced during pregnancy and sex of young. This
effect is called Temperature-dependent Sex Determination (TSD).
Some scientists have claimed that TSD could have played a role in the extinction of the
dinosaurs.
Below are three pieces of evidence uncovered by studying the fossil record.
Which of these pieces of evidence could support the claim that TSD played a role in dinosaur
extinction?
Select the column that reflects the correct response for each piece of evidence.

Does this help to support the claim that TSD played A B C D

a role in dinosaur extinction?
Plants suited to cooler climates began to appear around Yes No Yes No
the time that dinosaurs became extinct.
A huge increase in volcanic activity occurred around Yes Yes Yes No
the time that dinosaurs became extinct.
More small mammal fossils were found in periods after Yes No No Yes
dinosaurs became extinct.

13 Some spotted snow skinks live on high mountains. Why are these populations more likely to
become extinct because of an increase in global temperatures than other reptiles?
A They are dark so they will absorb more heat than other reptiles.
B Mountain tops warm up more quickly than places at lower altitudes.
C The habitat they can survive in is already limited and will shrink further as temperature
increases.
D They will be exposed to a much higher degree of UV radiation because they are nearer
to the ozone layer.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 TITANIUM
Australia is a leading producer of titanium metal. It produces about half of the titanium used around
the world.
Titanium metal and its compounds are used in a wide variety of new materials.
Artificial hip joints are now made of titanium alloy rather than stainless steel.
The table below shows the properties of stainless steel and titanium alloy compared to other metals.

Properties Stainless steel Titanium alloy

Strength high high
Density high low
Resistance to corrosion high high
Thermal expansion high low
Melting point high high
Magnetism low low

14 In the past, stainless steel was used for artificial hip joints.
The properties of titanium alloy make it more suitable than stainless steel for making artificial
hip joints
Select the column that correctly identifies the advantages of titanium over stainless steel.

Property A B C D
lightweight Yes No Yes Yes
corrosion resistant No Yes No Yes
strong Yes No No Yes
limited expansion when heated Yes Yes Yes No

15 One of the compounds extracted from the mineral sands is titanium dioxide.
Titanium dioxide is a white powder.
What can be deduced from this information?
A Titanium dioxide reflects white light.
B Titanium dioxide produces white light.
C All metal oxides are white in colour.
D Titanium dioxide particles are very smooth.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 DAIRY PRODUCTION
Dairy production is a large and varied industry, responsible for producing a wide range of products
including fresh milk, milk powder and cheese.

16 Milk contains proteins such as casein and whey. Casein is an important protein for cheese
production.
Casein can be separated from whey by passing milk through a filter with tiny holes.
To be able to separate casein from whey by filtering, which of the following statements must
be correct?
A The properties of casein are altered by filtering.
B Casein and whey proteins are of different sizes.
C Casein and whey are pure substances after being filtered.
D Chemicals are added to the milk to separate the proteins.

17 Milk powder can be changed back into drinkable milk by mixing it with water.
Producing milk powder consumes more energy compared to producing fresh drinking milk.
What process in producing milk powder is likely to cause this difference?
A cooling
B filtration
C evaporation
D condensation

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 SPACE JUNK
Space Junk, or orbital debris, is a major problem for space exploration.
Millions of items of space junk orbit the Earth, ranging in size from tiny flakes of paint to whole
satellites.
More than 14,000 items of space junk larger than 10 cm are being tracked as they move through space.

The distribution of tracked items of space junk

(Image courtesy of NASA: http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/photogallery/beehives.html)

18 Which information about the space junk can be extracted from the diagram above?
A The direction of movement of items of space junk.
B The approximate number of items of tracked space junk.
C The distance at which the tracked space junk orbits Earth.
D The exact distance between two items of tracked space junk.

19 During its journeys in space, a space shuttle was hit by a number of pieces of space junk.
In one incident a cabin window was damaged when it was struck by a flake of paint.
Why could such a small piece of space junk damage the window of the space shuttle?
A Space shuttle windows are very light and thin to reduce weight.
B The flake would be very thin, so it would behave like a knife blade.
C The flake of paint was travelling at high speed relative to the space shuttle.
D Flakes from other spacecraft are very hard in order to withstand launching.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 BIRD STRIKES
Collisions between birds and aircraft are known as ‘bird strikes’. Some bird strikes have caused major
damage to aircraft, injuring those onboard.

Reported numbers of bird strikes in Australia

2002–2009
1600
Number of bird strikes

1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year

20 Which of these statements is supported by the evidence in the graph?

A There will be more than 1600 bird strikes in 2010.
B Almost twice as many birds hit aircraft in 2009 than in 2002.
C Australia is a dangerous place to fly because of bird strikes.
D An aircraft was more likely to be involved in a bird strike in 2009 than in 2002.

21 Which of the following factors will affect the amount of damage to an aircraft by a bird strike?
Select the column with the correct response for each factor.

Factors A B C D
the speed of the aircraft Yes No Yes Yes
the mass of the bird Yes Yes No Yes
the part of the aircraft struck Yes Yes No Yes
the height above the ground No Yes No Yes

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 DUST STORMS
In Australia, dust storms are caused by strong westerly winds lifting dust from the centre of the
continent. The dust forms when floods are followed by droughts. The floods wash away mud from
a large area of land and deposit them in the Lake Eyre basin. When droughts dry out the mud, it
becomes dust that can blow away.
The Lake Eyre basin is an arid area with a low population and little industry. The eastern coastal zone
of Australia has industrial areas and large cities.

Path of dust storm

Lake Eyre Basin Brisbane

Sydney
Ship position

Melbourne

Dust storm origins in Australia

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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22 How are these dust storms likely to affect the cities on the east coast of Australia?
A reduce growth of plants
B irritate people’s airways
C increase the number of hot days
D pollute household water with plant materials

23 Scientists collect samples of dust from the air on the east coast by exposing sticky pads during
a dust storm.
How can scientists find where the dust in a dust storm came from?
They compare the composition of the dust with
A rocks near a city.
B dust deposited on city streets.
C soil samples from known areas.
D rocks from the place where the wind is coming from.

24 Air borne dust samples are collected on a ship anchored just off the coast of Sydney. They are
compared to dust samples from the Lake Eyre Basin.
What could be found in the dust sample taken on the ship that is not found in dust from the
Lake Eyre Basin?
A chemicals from factories
B fragments of plant material
C radioactive gases
D carbon dioxide from burning fuels

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 TENNIS BALLS
Professional tennis players often examine the ball before serving and reject those that are too ‘fluffy’
or irregular. They do this because the condition of the surface of the tennis ball affects the forces acting
on it.
A wind tunnel can be used to study the forces acting on a tennis ball. In a game of tennis, the hit tennis
ball moves through the air. In a wind tunnel, the air is blown over a firmly held tennis ball.
Smoke is used to see changes in the airflow around the ball. The pattern of the smoke is curved on
either side of the ball. The airflow behind the ball is called the ‘wake’.
When the top of the ball is spinning in the direction the ball is moving it is called ‘topspin’. When the
spin is the other way round it is called ‘backspin’.

25 What is the most likely effect of using a fluffy or irregular tennis ball?
A It is difficult to put any spin on the ball.
B Air resistance increases and becomes unpredictable.
C Increased weight of the ball causes it to fall too quickly.
D The increased diameter of the ball makes it go further than intended.

26 How could you check that the forces acting on a tennis ball in a wind tunnel are the same as
those acting on a ball during a game?
A Examine the condition of the tennis balls after use for the same length of time.
B Use the same tennis ball in the wind tunnel as was used on the tennis court.
C Compare the forces acting on several different brands of tennis ball in the wind tunnel.
D Compare the forces acting in both a real game and a wind tunnel.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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Spinning balls are subject to the Magnus Effect. This effect is a force at right angles to the direction
the ball is travelling. It results from the way fluids (including gases) flow over spinning objects. That
airflow can be shown in a wind tunnel.
The diagram shows the flow of air over a spinning ball. It also shows the direction of the force acting
on the ball.

Movement of ball

Force acting on ball Direction of spin

Direction of air flow

Airflow over a spinning tennis ball

27 What is the type of spin of the tennis ball in the diagram and what behaviour will it have?

Time to reach the playing surface

Type of spin compared to a non-spinning ball
A Backspin Slower
B Backspin Faster
C Topspin Slower
D Topspin Faster

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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Both topspin and backspin strokes are important in tennis matches. Research was performed to
investigate how spin affects the trajectory (path) of a tennis ball when it bounces. The angle of the ball
as it bounced onto and off the ground was measured.

40.0
Angle ball
hits the
30.0 surface Angle ball Angle ball
hits the leaves the
20.0 Angle ball
leaves Surface Spin surface surface
10.0 the surface
Clay No spin 27.0° 37.5°
0 Hard No spin 24.0° 33.0°
ay rd ss
Cl Ha Gra No Spin Grass No spin 25.0° 29.5°

30.0
Angle ball
25.0 hits the
20.0 surface Angle ball Angle ball
hits the leaves the
15.0 Angle ball
leaves Surface Spin surface surface
10.0 the surface
5.0 Clay Topspin 28.0° 27.5°
0 Hard Topspin 25.0° 25.0°
ay rd ss
Cl Ha Gra Topspin Grass Topspin 25.0° 18.5°

50.0
Angle ball
40.0 hits the
surface Angle ball Angle ball
30.0 hits the leaves the
Angle ball
20.0 leaves Surface Spin surface surface
the surface
10.0 Clay Backspin 25.0° 40.0°
0 Hard Backspin 25.0° 41.0°
ay rd s s
Cl Ha Gra Backspin Grass Backspin 22.0° 24.5°

28 Which of these conclusions is most valid given the data above?

A Grass tends to produce a lower bounce than either clay or hard surfaces.
B The data for clay is more credible than that for grass or hard surfaces.
C Backspin produces a higher bounce than topspin or no spin regardless of surface.
D Hard surfaces offer more opportunities for variable bounce than clay or grass.

2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 FRACKING
Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is used to release natural gas from gas-rich shale (rock).
During fracking, millions of litres of chemically treated water and sand are forced down a well at
high pressure. This process causes the shale to crack open and release natural gas. The sand keeps the
fractures in the shale open while 75% of the water returns to the surface.

Production rig

Groundwater

fractures
Shale layers

drill line

29 Natural gas is mostly methane. Methane has the chemical formula CH4.
Which of the following best describes methane?
A an atom
B an element
C a compound
D a mixture

30 What is the main source of the groundwater shown in the figure?

A oceans
B mountain streams
C rain filtered through the soil
D evaporation from deeper water sources
2012 Big Science Competition Junior Paper © Australian Science Innovations ABN 81731558309

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 2012 - Big Science Competition - Junior paper - Answers

Correct
Question Description
Response
1 Understands that materials in the atmosphere can reflect heat. B

2 Recognises possible consequences of an action to regulate atmospheric temperature. A

3 Understands influencing the atmosphere may only be a temporary solution to climate change. C

4 Identifies key factor to consider in the design of deep sea submersible. B

5 Identifies that changes in density will change the buoyancy of an object. B

6 Identifies a probable advantage of a new design of deep sea submersible. B

7 Identifies a social reason for the genetic manipulation of a food crop. D

8 Uses scientific information to draw a conclusion about human diet. D

9 Interpret complex diagrams that compare simulated data about three light sources. A

10 Interprets complex data to compare to light sources. B

11 Interprets a complex data table and identifies trends in results. D

12 Identifies evidence that would help to evaluate a proposed explanation for a mass extinction. C

13 Recognises implications of global warming for species adapted to living at high altitudes. C

14 Uses information on two substances to deduce which properties make one suitable for a particular use. C

15 Recognises the connection between light and colour. A

16 Understands the basic principle of filtration. B

17 Recognises a scenario as an example of the modification of a substance due to evaporation. C

18 Evaluates what data which can be extracted from a visual representation. B

19 Identifies high speed as a cause of damage in collisions. C

20 Identifies a conclusion that is a supported by evidence. B

21 Identifies factors that are likely to increase damage to planes during bird strikes. A

22 Uses scientific understanding to evaluate data. B

23 Identifies a testing method that makes a fair comparison. D

24 Uses scientific understanding to draw a conclusion from data. A

25 Recognises that a rougher surface will increase friction. B

26 Identifies the study needed to provide the information required to solve a problem. D

27 Is able to determine and apply information from a complex diagram. D

28 Identifies patterns in the data and uses these to justify conclusions. A

29 Identifies methane as a compound. C

30 Identifies source of groundwater. C