8th Grade Science -- 2009 Released Test

The line graph shows five years of data about a dog. What information does the graph show?
1. How the mass of the dog changed
2. How much food the dog consumed
3. What kinds of food the dog consumed
4. When the dog was measured each month
All of these can be inherited by people EXCEPT —
1. height
2. eye color
3. blood type
4. language
Which of the following is an example of static electricity?
1. A dry-cell battery connected to wires lights up a light bulb.
2. A balloon sticks to a wall after it is rubbed with a piece of wool.
3. A magnet sticks to a refrigerator door made of metal.
4. A light switch that is turned on runs a ceiling fan.
During which phase does the Moon receive sunlight only on the side facing away from Earth?
1. Full Moon
2. New Moon
3. Waning gibbous
4. Waxing gibbous
A lab group measured how far two rubber bands stretched when attached to 100-gram masses. Five measurements were made for each rubber band. What is the range of the data collected for rubber band B?
1. 0.3 cm
2. 0.5 cm
3. 2.7 cm
4. 2.8 cm
A coal-burning facility is constructed in an area containing several pond ecosystems. How will this human activity most likely affect the pond ecosystems?
1. More nutrients will be available.
2. Organism diversity will increase.
3. Disease will become less common.
4. Water quality will be reduced.
Which characteristic is used to classify frogs into a different phylum from squid, snails, and jellyfish?
1. Frogs are predators.
2. Frogs breathe oxygen.
3. Frogs have backbones.
4. Frogs live on land.
The illustration shows a wave. The wave’s wavelength is the distance between points —
1. 1 and 2
2. 1 and 4
3. 2 and 3
4. 2 and 4
Which is an SI metric unit of measurement that is used to record the heat transfer of a solution in a classroom investigation?
1. Liter
2. Newton
3. Volt
4. Degree Celsius
Black bears roam over large territories. What effect would building shopping centers in these territories have on the bears?
1. Promote an increase in black bear reproduction
2. Stabilize the black bear population
3. Reduce the black bears’ habitat
4. Introduce a new bear population to the area
According to this equation, what happened to the carbon and oxygen?
1. They combined chemically to form a new compound.
2. They combined chemically to form carbon and oxygen.
3. They combined physically to form a new mixture.
4. They combined physically to form a new element.
The average distance from Earth to the Moon is 384,401 km. How is the distance from Earth to the Moon expressed in scientific notation?
Which energy transformation occurs first in a coal-burning power plant?
1. Chemical energy to thermal energy
2. Thermal energy to mechanical energy
3. Thermal energy to electrical energy
4. Mechanical energy to electrical energy
This picture shows a radiometer. It is designed to be placed in a sunny window. One side of each thin blade of the radiometer is painted black, and the other side is painted white. The Sun’s rays strike the blades, and the device begins to spin. The device is powered by which kind of energy?
1. Wind
2. Solar
3. Electrical
4. Geothermal
This data table shows the results of an investigation. What information should be used for the column headings marked X?
1. Trial number
2. Number of seeds
3. Predicted value for the results
4. Average of the data in each column
Which of the following is an example of potential energy?
1. A glass jar sitting on a shelf
2. A flag waving in the wind
3. A ball rolling along a sidewalk
4. A battery powering a radio
What is the role of the Orca in this food chain?
1. Producer
2. First-order consumer
3. Second-order consumer
4. Third-order consumer
A car manufacturer reduces the mass of a car by 250 kg. If the new design is otherwise identical to the old design, how will the new car compare to the old car?
1. It will have a greater gravitational attraction to the road.
2. It will require more fuel to operate.
3. It will need less force to move.
4. It will release more gas emissions.
A student predicts that similar ice cubes will melt faster in a microwave than in a pot on the stove. How should this hypothesis be tested?
1. Measure and compare the volume of the pot and the microwave.
2. Determine the volume of liquid water made by each ice cube.
3. Observe and record the time for each ice cube to completely change to a liquid.
4. Identify and record the temperature of each ice cube before each trial.
Which of these best describes the particle motion taking place as gas is exposed to freezing temperatures?
1. The particles decrease in speed.
2. The particles move with more force.
3. The motion of the particles becomes random.
4. The motion of the particles is unchanged.
The best scientific reason for a scientist to accept a specific theory is —
1. to obtain funding for the research
2. that research and observations support the theory
3. because there can only be one correct theory
4. to gain recognition as a great scientist
Robert Hooke looked at a piece of cork under a microscope. The little boxes he saw in the cork are called —
1. cells
2. genes
3. nuclei
4. chromosomes
There are harvesting regulations for many fish species that limit the number and size of the fish that may be kept. What is the most likely reason these limits have been placed on harvesting these fish?
1. To have enough fish for zoo aquariums
2. To keep other game fish species populations low
3. To have people spend more money on fishing
4. To keep a healthy population of adult fish
How is the modern model of an atom different from the Bohr atomic model?
1. The masses of the atomic particles are different.
2. The numbers of electrons are different.
3. The shapes of the nuclei are different.
4. The arrangements of the electrons are different.
It is important to protect air quality because —
1. storms worsen as air pollution decreases
2. acid rain is caused by air pollution
3. wind currents change when the air is polluted
4. energy produced by the Sun decreases when air is polluted
As the energy needs for Virginia increase, new sources of energy are required to replace or supplement the nonrenewable sources of energy now in use. Two sources of energy that are renewable and available in Virginia are —
1. natural gas and wind power
2. coal and hydropower
3. petroleum and solar power
4. wind power and solar power
Human sweat is the direct result of which life functions?
1. Respiration and cellular growth
2. Digestion and disease prevention
3. Reproduction and cellular transport
4. Waste removal and temperature control
What is one advantage of using a hydroelectric plant?
1. It is expensive to build.
2. It provides renewable energy to human populations.
3. It has little effect on water flow.
4. It has little effect on wildlife when being constructed.
Which of the following are products of combustion?
1. Heat and light
2. Newly discovered elements
3. Liquid and solid water
4. Additional atoms
Which of these substances is an element?
1. Steel
2. Chlorine
3. Plastic
4. Sugar
The quality of pond water can be determined by identifying the number and types of organisms found living in the water. Which piece of equipment will best help students identify some of these organisms?
1. Microscope
2. pH paper
3. Binoculars
4. Pan balance
A scale model of the planet Mercury is shown. Based on the scale, which of the following is the most accurate diameter of Mercury?
1. 1,000 km
2. 5,000 km
3. 50,000 km
4. 500,000 km
Where is water most likely to become contaminated?
1. In a forest
2. By a dam
3. Near a cattle farm
4. At the ocean bottom
A student makes a drawing of a carbon atom. Which of these should the student show in the nucleus of the atom?
1. Ions
2. Protons
3. Electrons
4. Molecules
For separate ecosystems to be classified as the same type of biome, they must —
1. have deciduous forests
2. be located along the equator
3. have similar organisms and climates
4. be at least one hundred square meters in area
Clouds are formed when millions of drops of water become suspended in the air. Which of the following is a step in the process of cloud formation?
1. Expansion of cold air
2. Formation of carbon dioxide
3. Condensation of water vapor
4. Breakdown of atmospheric ozone
The equation for photosynthesis is shown. Which of these is required to complete the equation for photosynthesis?
1. Carbon
2. Oxygen
3. Nitrogen
4. Hydrogen
To complete a project, 200,000 Joules of work are needed. The time taken to complete the project is 20 seconds. How much power is needed?
1. 0.0001 J/s
2. 10,000 J/s
3. 200,020 J/s
4. 1,000,000 J/s
Otters have adaptive traits that allow them to survive by eating shellfish and crustaceans. If changes in biotic factors of the ecosystem result in reduced numbers of shellfish and crustaceans, the otters will most likely —
1. experience a population decline
2. adapt to a different ecosystem
3. change the genetic makeup of their bodies
4. increase reproduction rates
Which of the following best describes why the Moon orbits Earth?
1. The distance the Moon and Earth are from the Sun
2. The energy reflected from the surface of Earth
3. The winds generated on Earth by the energy of the Sun
4. The gravitational attraction between the Moon and Earth
A student suspects that there is a relationship between the amount of sunny weather in a given state and the amount of solar energy used by its inhabitants. In order to find out if this idea is correct, the student will need which information for each state?
1. The efficiency of solar technology used in that state
2. The location and type of solar cells used in that state
3. The percentage of days that have enough sunlight to power a solar water heater
4. The number of sunny days per year and the amount of solar power used per year
During a fireworks show, a family sees the spray of sparkles from an exploding firework high in the sky and, a moment later, hears the pop. Which of these best explains why the pop and spray do not seem to occur at the same time?
1. Light and sound travel through air.
2. Sound travels through a vacuum.
3. Sound travels slower than light.
4. Light and sound travel at the same speed.
Which gas do animals need to carry out life processes?
1. Oxygen
2. Carbon monoxide
3. Helium
4. Carbon dioxide
On a sunny morning, students standing in front of a store window noticed an image of themselves in the glass. Why did the students see their image in the glass?
1. Some of the light was reflected off the surface of the glass.
2. Some of the light passed through the glass window.
3. Some of the light was absorbed by the glass surface.
4. Some of the light separated into different colors.
Which of the following is a nonrenewable energy source?
1. Solar collector
2. Wind turbine
3. Fossil fuel
4. Hydroelectric generator
Energy from the Sun is distributed around Earth by —
1. subduction and rift zones
2. radiation and convection
3. tectonic plates
4. solar flares
Students conducted an investigation to determine if unknown liquids were acids or bases. What was the independent variable in this investigation?
1. Sample
2. Indicator
3. Color change
4. Identification
Chloroplasts are found only in organisms that are able to —
1. generate their own energy
2. grow to a larger size
3. migrate to other ecosystems
4. hunt for prey
Laundry in a clothes dryer often becomes charged with static electricity while drying. Which of these best explains why a clothes dryer often generates static electricity?
1. Short circuits in the dryer charge the laundry.
2. Clothes with metal pieces conduct electricity in the dryer.
3. Electrons are transferred as clothes rub against each other in the dryer.
4. Heat from the dryer charges the air and produces lightning.
Earth is different from the other planets in our solar system because it —
1. orbits a star
2. has collided with meteorites
3. has oceans and lakes
4. makes up the majority of the mass of our solar system