WASL
Washington Assessment of
Student Learning
A Component of the Washington State Assessment Program
Science
Grade 8
2009 Released Scenarios and Items
For Student Practice
Published by the Science Assessment Team of the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction September 2009.
Copyright © 2009 by Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
All rights reserved. Educational institutions within the State of Washington have permission to reproduce this document. All other individuals wishing to
reproduce this document must contact OSPI.
Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Garage Band
Directions: Use the following information to answer questions 1 through 5.
Dani and Angie wanted to practice playing music with their band in the garage. They used a model of a
garage to do the following investigation to find out how to make the garage walls soundproof.
Question: What is the effect of different materials inside a wall on the decrease in loudness of the
sound that travels through the wall?
Hypothesis (prediction): Air will decrease the loudness of the sound the most, because sound does
not travel as well through air.
Materials:
wallboard box (large)
wallboard box (small)
materials to put inside the wall: fiberglass, stiff foam, packing peanuts, air, and wallboard
sound generator with speaker
sound measuring devices
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Garage Band
Procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Put the materials together as shown in the Garage Model Setup Diagram.
Fill the space between the outer and inner boxes with fiberglass.
Turn on the sound generator to the loud setting.
Measure and record the loudness of the sound inside and outside the Garage Model.
Calculate and record the decrease in loudness of the sound as Trial 1.
Repeat steps 2 through 5 twice as Trials 2 and 3.
Remove the fiberglass.
Repeat the entire investigation using stiff foam, packing peanuts, air, and more wallboard as the
materials between the inner and the outer boxes.
9. Calculate and record the average decrease in loudness for each material.
Data:
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Garage Band
1 Sound changes speed as the sound moves from air through the wallboard. What causes this change
in speed?
o A. The sound travels a shorter distance in the wallboard.
o B. The sound is moving through a different substance.
o C. The sound spreads out more in air.
o D. The sound is absorbed in the air.
2 How are the particles in the walls of the Garage Model affected when sound travels through?
o A. The particles in the walls slow down.
o B. The particles in the walls stop moving.
o C. The particles in the walls spin in place.
o D. The particles in the walls vibrate more.
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Garage Band
3 How could Dani and Angie be more sure of the results of their investigation?
o A. Use a new sound generator.
o B. Change the size of the inner box.
o C. Repeat the investigation the same way.
o D. Use different materials between the boxes.
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Garage Band
4 Describe two disadvantages of using the Garage Model to investigate
sound transfer in a real garage wall.
In your description, be sure to:
• Identify two ways the Garage Model is different than a real garage.
• Describe why each difference is a disadvantage of using the model to
investigate sound transfer.
One way the Garage Model is different:
Why this difference is a disadvantage:
Another way the Garage Model is different:
Why this difference is a disadvantage:
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Garage Band
5 Angie wants to build a sound barrier wall in her backyard to block the noise
coming from the road behind her house. Use the Type of Material vs.
Decrease in Loudness table to describe a solution to the road noise.
In your description, be sure to:
• Identify one of the materials from the Type of Material vs. Decrease in
Loudness table that could be used to solve the road noise problem.
• Describe why this material would be the best solution to the problem.
One material:
Why this material would be the best solution:
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Danger! Mudflow!
Directions: Use the following information to answer questions 6 through 13.
Saya and James wanted to investigate mud, a mixture of soil and water. They wondered how water
affects a mudflow. They built a model as shown below, and did the following investigation.
Question: What is the effect of the volume of water in mud on the distance a mudflow travels?
Hypothesis (prediction): As the volume of water in mud increases, a mudflow will travel farther
because water erodes soil.
Materials:
dry soil
water
balance
stirring rod
graduated cylinder
beaker
piece of rain gutter
brick
meterstick
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Danger! Mudflow!
Procedure:
1. Put the rain gutter and brick together as shown in the Investigation Setup diagram.
2. Stir 100 grams of dry soil and 20 milliliters (mL) of water together in a beaker to make mud.
3. Pour the mud into the top of the raised end of the rain gutter as shown in the Investigation Setup
diagram.
4. Measure and record the distance the front of the mudflow traveled as Trial 1.
5. Rinse and dry the rain gutter to remove the mud.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 two times as Trials 2 and 3.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 for 25 mL of water, 30 mL of water, and 35 mL of water.
8. Calculate and record the average distance the mudflow traveled for each volume of water used.
Data:
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Danger! Mudflow!
6
Which variable was the responding (dependent) variable in this investigation?
o A. Density of the mud mixture
o B. Temperature of the mudflow
o C. Distance the mudflow traveled
o D. Mass of soil in the mud mixture
7
Based on the results of James and Saya’s investigation, which weather
condition is most likely to produce a large mudflow?
o A. Strong winds
o B. Heavy rains
o C. Low snowfall
o D. High temperatures
8 What caused the mudflow to stop moving in each trial of the investigation?
o A. Kinetic energy of the mud increased.
o B. Gravitational force on the mud decreased.
o C. The mass of the mud became greater as the mud moved.
o D. Friction became greater than the force of gravity on the mud.
9 Why did Saya and James repeat the investigation three times?
o A. To fill in the data table
o B. To support the hypothesis
o C. To be sure the data is reliable
o D. To make the results identical
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Danger! Mudflow!
10 Which diagram below shows the mud with the greatest potential energy?
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Danger! Mudflow!
11 Write a conclusion for this investigation.
In your conclusion, be sure to:
• Answer the investigative question.
• Include supporting data from the Volume of Water vs. Distance
Mudflow Traveled table.
• Explain how these data support your conclusion.
Question: What is the effect of the volume of water in mud on the
distance a mudflow travels?
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Danger! Mudflow!
12 Mudflows are a form of erosion. Describe two ways to reduce the amount
of erosion on a hillside.
In your description, be sure to:
• Identify two possible ways to reduce erosion.
• Describe how each way keeps Earth materials from eroding on a hillside.
Use words, labeled pictures, and/or labeled diagrams in your answer.
One way to reduce erosion:
Another way to reduce erosion:
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Danger! Mudflow!
13 Plan a new investigation to answer the new question printed in the box.
In your plan, be sure to include:
• Hypothesis (prediction)
• Materials needed to do the investigation
• Procedure that includes:
• logical steps to do the investigation
• one controlled (kept the same) variable
• one manipulated (changed) variable
• one responding (dependent) variable
• how often measurements should be
taken and recorded
Question: What is the effect of different angles (slopes) of the rain
gutter on the distance a mudflow travels?
Hypothesis (prediction):
Materials:
Procedure: You may use this space for a labeled diagram to support your
procedure.
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Grade 8 Science Practice Items
Danger! Mudflow!
Procedure (continued):
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