Grade 8 Science Pretest
1. Which is a chemical property of iron?
a.
b.
c.
d.
it can melt
it can rust
it can bend
it can break into pieces
2. Examine the following table to answer the question that follows. Which pair of tests measured chemical properties?
Substance
Sugar
Salt
Baking Soda
Flour
a.
b.
c.
d.
Physical
Description
Small, white,
hard crystals
Reaction to Acid
(weak HCI solution)
None
Reaction to
Water
None
Small, white,
hard crystals
Fine, white,
smooth powder
Fine, white,
smooth powder
None
None
Reaction to
Heat
Caramelizes
(turns brown
and bubbly)
None
Bubbles and fizzes
None
None
None
None
None
Physical description and reaction to heat
Physical description and reaction to acid
Reaction to water and physical description
Reaction to acid and reaction to heat
3. Kelley mixes and stirs two chemical solids together. While stirring she notices that the beaker is getting hot. Why is
the beaker getting hot?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The reaction of the two chemicals is taking in heat.
The beaker is getting hot because of the stirring.
The reaction of the two chemicals is releasing heat.
The beaker is getting hot because the solids are changing phase.
4. Which of the following is an example of a physical change?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Evaporation in a swamp cooler
Electricity produced by a dry cell
Digestion of hamburger meat
Rusting the metal in a car body
5. Heat is energy that causes particles of matter to move faster and farther apart. As particles move faster, they leave
one phase and enter another. Use the diagram below where the dots represent the position of the particles to
answer the following question. At which point is the substance a solid?
a.
b.
c.
d.
A
C
D
E
6. Which of the following statements best explains why a liquid changes to a gas when heated?
a. The heat energy causes molecules to move faster and they move farther apart. Some of the molecules have
enough energy to escape the liquid as a gas.
b. Things get bigger when they are heated because the heat causes more motion in the substance. The
substance expands into a gas.
c. The molecules of water change to hydrogen and oxygen. They are gases and escape from the water.
d. A liquid turns into a gas when heated because it expands and the container can no longer hold it. The
molecules spill out the sides of the container.
7. Water is placed over a burner and it boils. The graph below shows the temperature at each 2-minute interval. Using
the graph, answer the following question. At which point do the molecules have the most energy?
a.
b.
c.
d.
A
B
C
D
8. The Law of Conservation of Mass states that matter is not gained or lost in a chemical reaction. Which of the
following correctly restates this law in a chemical reaction?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The amount of mass of the reactants will equal the mass of the products.
The amount of mass is equal to the sum of the reactants and products.
Matter is gained and lost depending on how much energy is added.
Matter is gained and lost but energy is conserved.
9. The following results were collected during an experiment that involved mixing vinegar and milk. Which variable
was being tested?
Experiment
#
1a
1b
2a
2b
a.
b.
c.
d.
Amount of
Vinegar
5 mL
10 mL
1 mL
5 mL
Amount of
Milk
20 mL
20 mL
20 mL
20 mL
Temperature
30 °C
30 °C
30 °C
30 °C
Results
Curdles
Curdles
No change
Curdles
amount of vinegar
amount of milk
temperature of the mixture
results
10. Acid rain is found in parts of the country where there are many cars and power plants. Water in the form of rain is
chemically combined with sulfur dioxide and oxygen to create sulfuric acid, which becomes acid rain. In this
reaction which substances are considered the reactants?
a.
b.
c.
d.
sulfur dioxide, oxygen and water
oxygen, water and sulfuric acid
water, sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide
sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide and oxygen
11. In a closed terrarium, more photosynthesis is taking place then respiration. Where are the plants getting the energy
for photosynthesis?
a.
b.
c.
d.
air
respiration
sun
the soil
12. Why is respiration important to living things?
a.
b.
c.
d.
It releases energy from food.
It stores energy from sunshine.
It moves blood through the body.
It creates new offspring.
13. 1. photosynthesis
2. mechanical energy
3. light energy
4. respiration
Study the list above. Which sequence best shows the path of energy that allows animals to move?
a.
b.
c.
d.
photosynthesis  light energy  mechanical energy  respiration
mechanical energy  light energy  photosynthesis  respiration
light energy  photosynthesis  respiration  mechanical energy
respiration  light energy  photosynthesis  mechanical energy
14. Which relationship best describes a fox eating a duck?
a.
b.
c.
d.
producer/consumer
predator/prey
mutualism
parasitism
15. Study the food web below. Which of the following plants would be a parasite?
a.
b.
c.
d.
dodder plant
grass
berry bush
tree
16. Which organism best fits in the missing area in the diagram below of a food chain?
a. A mouse because an owl eats it
b. A tree because it is larger than the plant shown
c. A deer because it eats the grass
d. A hawk because it is a consumer
17. Various environmental and governmental groups work hard to prevent certain animal and plant species from
becoming extinct. What might be the most serious concern about allowing a species to become extinct?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Other species may become fearful that they, too, may become extinct.
We will miss seeing that particular species.
It will disrupt the food web.
We will regret not helping that species.
18. When land is cleared for paving a parking lot, what happens to the ability of that land to support living things?
a.
b.
c.
d.
More organisms can live there.
Fewer organisms can live there.
The number of organisms will not change.
The organisms can change into new forms.
19. A newspaper reporter notices that a pair of peregrine falcons has built a nest on her building. Over the next 2
months, she watches them hatch their eggs, feed the chicks and model flying and hunting behaviors. She writes a
weekly report for the newspaper and documents their growth and behavior. How has the reporter used scientific
methods?
a.
b.
c.
d.
She has made observations, recorded and reported them.
She has asked other people in her office to help watch the falcons.
She has appreciated the beauty and wonder of nature.
She has written about the things that are important to her.
20. A rock has three minerals in it. One of them, quartz, has a hardness of 7. The second, feldspar, has a hardness of 4.
The third, biotite, has a hardness of 2.5. What is true about the hardness of the rock?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The hardness is 13.5 because that is the total hardness of the minerals.
The hardness is 4.4 because that is the average hardness of the minerals.
The hardness of each mineral in the rock is different.
The hardness is 2.5, the hardness of the softest mineral.
21. Which event would most likely produce igneous rocks?
a.
b.
c.
d.
deposition of soil
earthquake
erosion in a flood
volcanic eruption
22. Sam made the following key while studying rocks. Pretend you have a rock that has particles stuck together, crystals
and flat layers. According to Sam’s key, what type of rock is it?
Shiny
Metamorphic
Igneous
Sedimentary
Mineral
a.
b.
c.
d.
Air
holes
X
X
Flat
layers
Fossils
X
X
X
X
X
X
Particles
stuck
together
Glassy
X
X
X
X
Crystals
X
X
X
X
metamorphic
igneous
sedimentary
mineral
23. What two rock types are formed by the transfer of heat?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Igneous and sedimentary
Sedimentary and metamorphic
Metamorphic and igneous
Sedimentary only
24. Two containers were filled with the same size pieces of gravel and water. Jar A was allowed to sit for one month.
Jar B was shaken several times each day during the same month. The jars below show the results at the end of the
experiment. What process does this experiment model?
A before
A after
B before
B after
a.
b.
c.
d.
ice wedging
weathering
a landslide
a volcano
25. Use this diagram of a road cut to answer the following question. What event most likely created the offset of layers
J and I?
a.
b.
c.
d.
erosion
an earthquake
folding
a volcano
26. An excavation exposes the side of a hill. Rock layers of different colors, thicknesses and textures are revealed as
shown in the sketch below. Examine the figure and answer the question; which one of the following assumptions is
made by biologists considering fossils found at various levels?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Fossil communities had the same physical environment as the present living community.
Each layer contains fossils that are older as you go from layer I to layer VI.
Each layer contains fossils that are more recent as you go from layer I to layer VI.
An animal could burrow into any layer and become fossilized.
27. Which evidence supports the idea that Earth’s surface has changed over time?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Fossils of rainforest plants in areas that are now deserts.
Rocks and fossils that came from outer space.
Modern plants and animals that look like ancient organisms.
Climates in some places on Earth that are different than other places.
28. Tim studied the amount of energy that came to the surface of the earth from the interior for 16 days. His special
equipment printed the graph below. His notes taken during the study indicate that two earthquakes preceded the
volcanic eruption on the 15th day. Those occurred on the third and seventh days. What would be the most logical
explanation for the pattern of energy transfer from days 9-12?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Heat and pressure were building under the surface.
Heat and pressure were being released under the surface.
Nothing was happening under the surface.
Energy was building on the surface of the Earth.
29. Two students make models of earth quakes. Tom slowly bends a popsicle stick, breaking it and notes the sudden
release of energy. Tina drops a rock into a pan of water and watches the waves travel outward. Which model is the
most scientific?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Tina’s model creates data that is easier to measure.
Tom’s model uses equipment that is more accurate for predictions.
Both are good models that show characteristics of earthquakes.
Neither model shows the correct scientific methods that are used by scientists.
30. A home is built on several known earthquake faults. After it is built, the owner is told the home cannot be lived in or
resold. Why was the scientific information that was available before building NOT used?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Homes are not part of most scientific investigations.
People know that scientists are usually wrong so they don’t listen.
Earthquakes are not known to damage houses built on the fault.
People often overlook information that costs them money.
31. Two students wish to measure the speed of sound in water. They go to one end of a swimming pool and strike a bell
with a hammer underwater. They used a timing device to see how long it takes for the sound to reach the other end
of the pool. They repeat their test 10 times. The table below shows their data. How could this data best be
analyzed?
Trial
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10
Time(s) .12 .15 .08 .11 .12 .09 .10 .18 .13 .10
a.
b.
c.
d.
Add together the times for each test to get the total.
Measure the length of a sound wave.
Find the mathematical average of the trials.
Look up information about sound in the dictionary.
32. You can estimate how far away a lightning bolt strikes by counting the seconds between seeing the lightning and
hearing the thunder. Why does this work?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Sound waves travel more slowly through air that light waves.
Sound waves travel slowly through the ear canal before they can be heard.
Sound waves cannot travel through empty space, they need a medium.
Sound waves spread out form a source in circles and light does not.
33. An experiment in the 1700’s tried to measure the speed of light with a clock by timing how long it took light to travel
from one lighthouse to another, the experiment failed. The speed of light was eventually measured when
astronomers measured the time it took light to travel from a planet to Earth. How did technology limit the first
experiment?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Light cannot be measured as it travels through Earth’s atmosphere.
Light travels too fast for a clock to measure in short distances.
A clock will slow down when traveling at the speed of lights.
A clock cannot be used unless Earth’s rotation is calculated.
34. Three boys, John, Mario and Brock decided to see how many arm curls they could do without stopping. An arm curl
is performed by holding a barbell with the arm straight down and the hand facing forward, then bending the arm at
the elbow and raising the barbell toward the shoulder. The boys used 3 different barbells of increasing mass. What
would be a good conclusion for this activity?
Mass
2 kg
4 kg
6 kg
a.
b.
c.
d.
John
35
31
22
Mario
40
35
26
Brock
37
33
29
Mario is the strongest boy.
Brock is the strongest boy.
As the mass increased, the number of curls decreased.
As the number of curls decreased, the mass increased.
35. Which of the following is an example of how a scientist could help an engineering design and build a bridge to
support a maximum load?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Test the forces supported by models of the bridge.
Take photographs of existing bridges.
Discover what traffic patterns are in the city.
Find out what kinds of bridges people find attractive.
36. A student puts out a fire on the stove by dumping baking soda on the flame. How has the student used scientific
knowledge in his daily life?
a.
b.
c.
d.
He knew that a chemical property of baking soda is that it doesn’t burn.
He knew that a physical property of baking soda is that it doesn’t melt.
He knew that a chemical property of baking soda is that it dissolves in water.
He knew that a physical property of baking soda is that it is white in color.
37. A family wishes to build a house on a steep hillside. They call a geologist to ask if this is a good idea. What will the
geologist most likely tell the family about the characteristics of the land?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Windstorms will affect the house and yard.
The hillside may erode and damage the property.
It will be difficult to grow plants on the steep hillside.
Earthquakes are more likely on steep hillsides.
38. Which of the following best restates how Earth’s gravitational force on an object depends upon the distance of the
object from earth?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The closer an object is to Earth, the less the attraction of gravity.
The further two objects are from one another, the greater the attraction.
An object with more mass falls to Earth faster than one with less mass.
The further an object is from Earth, the less affect Earth’s gravity has on it.
39. Why would a lever be used to lift a heavy object?
a.
b.
c.
d.
It reduces the amount of time it takes to lift the object.
It reduces the effect of gravity on the object being lifted.
It reduces the amount of force needed to lift the object.
It increases the amount of force needed to lift the object.
40. Students wanted to see the effect different surfaces had on pulling a 500 g wooden block up an inclined plane with
mechanical advantage of 2. They used the same inclined plane and covered it with 4 different materials, one at a
time. Their results are found in the table below. Which substance resulted in the least amount of friction?
Material Used
Sand Paper
Foam Rubber
Short-Pile Carpet
Plain Wood
Linoleum
a.
b.
c.
d.
sand paper
foam rubber
plain wood
linoleum
Force Required to Pull
Object Up the Plane (N)
8.0
6.5
5.5
3.5
3.0
41. Which of the following describes the mathematical relationship between the length of the arms on a lever?
a.
b.
c.
d.
The longer the effort arm, the less the force needed to lift a mass.
The longer the effort arm, the greater the force needed to lift a mass.
The longer the resistance arm, the less the force needed to lift a mass.
The shorter the resistance arm, the greater the force needed to lift a mass.
42. The data in the table below was collected by a group of students as they tested four different types of plastics.
Which of the plastics could be the same?
Plastic
Type
1
2
3
4
a.
b.
c.
d.
Acetone
Flame Test
Heat
No effect
Softened
No effect
No effect
Green color
No change
Red color
Green color
Softens
No change
Softens
Softens
Crease Color
None
White
None
None
1 and 2
2 and 3
3 and 4
1 and 4
43. Two students planted 5 seeds, each at a slightly different angle in the soil. All other variables were kept the same.
After 9 days, every plant was 5 or 6 cm tall. If they repeated the experiment with 30 seeds, what would be the most
likely outcome?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Most of the plants would be 5 to 6 cm tall.
The plants would all be over 10 cm tall.
Fewer of the seeds would sprout.
The plants would be from 5 to 12 cm tall.
44. A ball is thrown into the air as shown in the picture below. At what point in the path of the ball is kinetic energy
entirely changed into potential energy?
a.
b.
c.
d.
A
B
C
D
45. Identify one of the energy changes that takes place as a candle burns.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Mechanical to electric energy
Electric to mechanical energy
Electric to heat energy
Chemical to heat energy