7th Grade
Science
1
Different relative positions of the sun, the moon, and Earth have different effects on Earth’s
oceans. Which model shows the positions of the sun, the moon, and Earth that have the
greatest effect on ocean tides?
Moon
Sun
A
Earth
C
Sun
Moon
Earth
B
Sun
Moon
Earth
D
Earth
Sun
Moon
2
A phase of the moon is shown below.
Which pair of diagrams shows the moon’s phase immediately before and immediately after
this phase?
F
H
Before
After
G
Before
After
Before
After
J
Before
After
3
Many Kentucky caves provide a habitat for animals that live in total darkness. The
caves are damp and cool, and most of the caves are rich in the mineral calcite. The
diagram below shows the relationships of some organisms involved in a cave
ecosystem.
Inside the Cave
Outside the Cave
Cave spiders
Owls
Beetles
Millipedes
Springtails
Snakes
Bat droppings
Bats
Based on the diagram, which of the following statements is valid?
A Owls are predators of bats, and bats are predators of moths.
B Beetles compete with bats and cave spiders.
C Snakes prey on bats and owls.
D None of the above
Moths
4
A student wants to use a spinning basketball to model the day-and-night cycle on Earth.
What should the student do in order to best model the cause of the day-and-night cycle?
F Spin the ball in different directions
G Tilt the ball while it is spinning
H Paint one half of the ball black and the other half white
J Shine a bright light on one side of the ball
5
A bus travels 20 km in 30 minutes. What is the average speed of the bus?
A 20 km/h
B 30 km/h
C 40 km/h
D 50 km/h
6 During a demonstration of Newton’s laws of motion, a student used the setup shown in
Figure 1. The student flicked the index card with a fingertip, and the coin fell straight down into
a plastic cup as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Which of these best explains why the coin fell straight down into the cup instead of remaining
on the index card?
F The coin was at rest until the card was removed, so it tended to remain in the same
location. Once the card was gone, the unbalanced force of gravity caused the coin to fall.
G Moving the card applied an action force on the coin. Since the card was gone, gravity
applied a reaction force on the coin.
H The card had less mass than the coin, so a smaller force of gravity acted on the card. The
larger force of gravity on the coin made it fall.
J The acceleration of the coin falling into the cup was equal and opposite to the acceleration
of the card.
7
For an investigation a student records data about four unknown substances.
Data for Unknown Substances
Substance
Mass
(g)
Volume
(cm3)
1
6.95
4.0
2
4.54
2.0
3
5.40
3.0
4
10.35
5.0
Density
(g/cm3)
The student then calculates the densities of the unknown substances and compares them with
the table of densities of known substances shown below.
Densities of Some Known Substances
Substance
Density
(g/cm3)
Calcium
1.54
Carbon
2.27
Magnesium
1.74
Phosphorus
1.82
Platinum
21.46
Sulfur
Which unknown substance is most likely carbon?
A
Substance 1
B
Substance 2
C
Substance 3
D Substance 4
2.07
© NASA/JPL
8 The image shows a plate boundary. Arrows have been added to indicate the movement of the
plates.
What plate boundary feature is also shown?
F
A ridge formed by an inactive convergent boundary
G A valley forming at an active divergent boundary
H A fault forming at an active transform boundary
J
A volcano formed by an active transform boundary
9 On July 4, 1776, the American colonies declared their independence. The table shows the
lunar phases for June 1776.
Lunar Phases for
June 1776
Date
Lunar phase
June 2
Full moon
June 9
Last-quarter moon
June 16
New moon
June 24
First-quarter moon
Source: NASA
What lunar phase occurred on July 4, 1776?
A
Waning gibbous
B
Waxing gibbous
C Waning crescent
D
10
Waxing crescent
Which of the following best describes the velocity of an object?
F
30 m/s
G
30 m east
H 30 m/s east
J
30 m/s2
In the summer many people enjoy going to the beach. The photograph shows a beach
in Argentina, which is located in the Southern Hemisphere.
© iStockphoto.com/Ralf Hettler
11
Which diagram shows the position of Earth when it is summer in Argentina?
A
Sun
C
Sun
B
Sun
D
Sun
12
A student jumps off a sled toward the west after it stops at the bottom of an icy hill.
North
West
South
Based on the law of action–reaction, in what direction will the sled most likely move as the
student jumps off?
F
North
G South
H East
J
West
13
Some students are studying the relationships between organisms in a food web.
Great-horned owls
Red-tailed
hawks
Red foxes
Raccoons
Striped
skunks
Eastern
cottontails
Meadow
voles
Garter snakes
Caterpillars
Clover
Blackberries
How many predators are omnivores in the food chain above?
A 1
B 2
C 3
D 4
14 A student used a video camera to record another student dropping a marble through water
in a graduated cylinder. The students watched the video in slow motion and made the
observations shown below.
Marble Drop Experiment
Marble
Graduated cylinder
Water
1 Speed increases.
2 Speed decreases.
3 Speed is constant.
During which part or parts of the marble’s fall did the marble experience unbalanced forces?
F
Part 1 only
G Parts 1 and 2 only
H Part 3 only
J
Parts 2 and 3 only
15 A student runs two times around a running path at a local park. Each lap is 3 km. The
student completes the first lap in 20 minutes. The student then sits on a bench and rests for 5
minutes before completing the second lap in 25 minutes. Which graph best represents the
student’s motion?
6
4
B
2
0
10
20
30
40
Distance (km)
A
Distance (km)
6
50
4
2
0
10
6
4
D
2
0
10
20
30
Time (min)
30
40
50
40
50
Time (min)
40
50
Distance (km)
C
Distance (km)
Time (min)
20
6
4
2
0
10
20
30
Time (min)
16
Three cousins have a similar appearance but different face shapes.
Which of these cell components are most involved in determining the basic shape of each
girl’s face?
F
Genes, chromosomes, and nucleus
G Cytoplasm, chloroplasts, and genes
H Vacuoles, nucleus, and chromosomes
J
17
18
Chromosomes, chloroplasts, and vacuoles
A skier is skiing down a steep hill. Which type of energy is the skier using?
A
potential energy
B
thermal energy
C
kinetic energy
D
nuclear energy
In which part of the cell does photosynthesis take place?
F
chloroplast
G
vacuole
H cell wall
J
mitochondria
19
20
21
Which type of plate boundary is the least likely location for volcanoes?
A
where two oceanic plates diverge
B
where a continental plate subducts an ocean plate
C
where two continental plates slide by each other
D
where two oceanic plates push together
Which of the following can NOT be separated into a more simple substance?
F
compound
G
element
H
mixture
J
solution
Carlos is attending a baseball game in a large stadium. He sees the players hit the ball a few
moments before he hears the hit. What would account for this slight delay?
A Sound travels faster than light.
B Light travels faster than sound.
C Sound had to travel farther.
D Light had to travel farther.
22
A scientist notices that a plant is growing toward the light source in the room. The scientist is
making
F
a conclusion
G an inference
H an observation
J
23
a hypothesis
The majority of water on Earth is
A
fresh water in streams, rivers and lakes
B
in our atmosphere as water vapor
C
salty water in the oceans
D
in glaciers as solid ice
24
Which organism is a decomposer?
F
pine tree
G
squirrel
H bacteria
J
25
26
27
ant
Which cell structure separates cells from the outside world?
A
cytoplasm
B
cell membrane
C
cell wall
D
mitochondria
The Law of Superposition states that older rock layers are generally found
layers.
F
above
G
below
H
beside
J
mixed in with
What is the main reason that the inner core is solid?
A
It is at such a high temperature.
B
It is composed of iron and nickel.
C It is inside the outer core.
D It is at such a high pressure.
28
The convection currents in the molten rock below the lithosphere result in
F
the movement of the earth’s plates
G the rotation of the earth
H storms such as hurricanes and tornadoes
J
the creation of minerals
younger rock
29
30
Which of the following has kinetic energy?
A
a match
B
a waterfall
C
a fallen rock
D
a fully wound spring
What can be seen when wavelengths of light are refracted at different angles?
F
an object that appears to be bent, such as a pencil in a glass of water
G a rainbow
H Shadows that have variable levels of darkness
J a mirror image