EARTH SPACE
Coal, a fossil fuel made from the remains of swamp plants, has been found in Antarctica. Which of the following is the most reasonable explanation for how this is possible when 98% of Antarctica is now covered in ice?
A. The coal was transported by animals that ate the swamp plants.
B. The climate of Antarctica has become milder due to its closeness to the ocean.
C. The climate of Antarctica was probably much warmer in the past than it is today.
D. The coal was transported through large convection currents and uplifted in the mantle.
C. The climate of Antarctica was probably much warmer in the past than it is today.
Correct. The question stem says that coal, a fossil fuel made from the remains of swamp plants, has been found in Antarctica despite being covered in ice today. Because coal comes from the energy stored by land plants from swamps that lived hundreds of millions of years ago, it is possible that the climate of this region was once much warmer and able to support swamp life.
Earth’s crust is made up of tectonic plates. This diagram shows two plates found under the Himalaya Mountains.Which of the following statements best describes the tectonic plates shown in the diagram?
C. Two convergent continental plates Correct. Mountains form where two continental plates collide. Since both plates have a similar thickness and weight, neither one will sink under the other. Instead, they
Michelle wants to classify an organism that she is studying in lab. The organism is multicellular, makes its own food, and is unable to move around its environment. Which of the following Domains can the organism that Michelle is studying most likely be classified into?
A. ANIMALIA
B. ARCHEA
C. BACTERIA
D. EUKARYA
D. Eukarya Correct this domain has organisms with all of the characteristics listed in the item. You can challenge the students and have them identify which kingdom the organism possibly belongs to PROTISTA as it is the only kingdom in domain Eukarya that has autotrophic organisms
Green plants produce their own food during photosynthesis. Which of these substances is also a product of photosynthesis?
A. carbon dioxide
B. chlorophyll
C. oxygen
D. water
c. oxygen Correct, oxygen along with glucose or sugar are the products of photosynthesis
In an eighth-grade science class, there are four lab groups. Group 4 designs an experiment to find out how light affects the germination rate of radish seeds. The students in Group 4 write out their procedure and conduct their experiment. They discover inconsistencies in their data and decide to increase the number of trials to obtain multiple data sets. Which of these most accurately describes how this should be done?
A. Group 4 should repeat their procedure multiple times.
B. Group 4 should repeat a revised procedure multiple times.
C. Group 4 should communicate their procedure to another group for replication.
D. Group 4 should communicate a revised procedure to another group for replication.
A. Group 4 should repeat their procedure multiple times. Correct. Repetition is when the same scientist performs multiple trials in the same experiment to ensure the results are reliable.
A light year is a unit of measurement. One light year is the distance light travels in one year, which is equal to about 9.5 trillion kilometers. Which of the following distances would this unit of measurement be most appropriately used to measure?
D. The Sun to another star Correct. Scientists use the light year for measuring distances to stars or other galaxies (i.e., distance between the Sun and another star) but not for measuring distances within our own solar system (i.e., answer choices A, B, and C).
6. The arrows in the diagram below show the circulation of air on a sunny day. The air circulation shown is caused by which of the following?
D. Hot air rising and cool air sinking Correct. During the day, land heats up faster and the warm air rises. The cool air over the water blows toward the land. This is known as a sea breeze.
5. Many species of bird prey on Peppered moths. Light-colored moths blend into the lichen-covered oak trees in unpolluted areas. There was an increase in dark-colored moths because of the darkened woods caused by pollution in industrial areas. Since the 1960s, the United States has improved air quality and pollution around industrial centers has decreased. The result being that the white peppered moth is now much more prevalent than the black peppered moths. Which of the following explains why the black peppered moth is decreasing in number?
A. ADAPTATION
B. EVOLUTION
C. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
D. NATURAL SELECTION
D. natural selection Correct, this is answer encompasses the environmental factor and the availability of “various” genes (the ability to have peppered or black moths)
Kristine exercises regularly. The process of cellular respiration makes it possible for Kristine to run on the treadmill and to lift weights. What do her cells do during cellular respiration?
a. convert kinetic energy into chemical energy
b. combine water and carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and food
c. absorb light energy through the chlorophyll in their chloroplasts
d. breakdown food molecules to release energy and carbon dioxide
D. breakdown food molecules to release energy and carbon dioxide
Gregor Mendel conducted research about genetics by breeding pea plants. Although he could not actually see into cells, he deduced from his results that each of an organism’s traits is determined by two factors (alleles). Long after Mendel’s work, microscopes were improved, and scientists observed that chromosomes in the nucleus occurred in matching pairs. It is now accepted that the two alleles for each trait are located on homologous chromosomes. What does this demonstrate about science?
A. Advances in science may result from new interpretations of previous work.
B. Improvements in equipment and data gathering can disprove previous conclusions.
C. Earlier scientists did not have the proper equipment and materials to make their conclusions.
D. Much of early scientific research was faulty because the earlier scientists did not practice the same data-gathering practices as modern scientists.
Advances in science may result from new interpretations of previous work. Correct. Scientific knowledge is based on an ever-growing collection of facts about the natural world, but it changes with new evidence or new interpretations.
The diagrams below show the alignment of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth.
A Correct. This shows an alignment in which spring tide takes place (full moon).
8. The graph below represents a sample of stars that have been plotted on an H-R diagram. Which location on the graph represents a star that would most likely have a reddish color?
D Correct. A star’s color is related to the temperature of its surface. Star D is the coldest star on the graph, and is therefore most likely to have a reddish color.
Robin’s teacher asked her to write a summary about diversity and evolution of living organisms. Robins paragraph is below.
Individuals within populations exhibit some diversity. As a result of possessing slightly different traits, some individuals are better able to survive and reproduce than others. If these individuals ________________ changes in the characteristics of the population occur over time. The cumulative change in these characteristics is known as __________________.
Which of the following will best complete the last two sentences?
A. UNDERGO ADAPTATIONS AND EXTINCTION
B. ARE NATURALLY SELECTED FOR, EVOLUTION
C. BECOME EXTINCT, EVOLUTION
D. UNDERGO EVOLUTION, EXTINCTION
B. are naturally selected for, evolution
Carbon exists in many forms on Earth. The diagram below shows part of the carbon cycle. Based on evidence in the diagram, what is happening in Step 1?
a. Animals are decomposing and releasing carbon into the soil.
b. Animals are releasing energy into the environment and storing carbon.
c. Animals are converting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing oxygen.
d. Animals are breaking down food and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
D. Animals are breaking down food and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Kyra is studying the different factors that can affect the growth of a plant. Based on her research, she thinks that the amount of water, the exposure to sunlight and the type of fertilizer may contribute to the growth of the plant. What should Kyra do to test the effect of sunlight and get accurate result in her experiment?
A. Change the amount of water and keep the type of fertilizer and the amount of sunlight the same.
B. Change the type of fertilizer and the amount of water at the same time and keep the amount of sunlight the same.
C. Change the amount of sunlight by placing the plants in different locations and keep the amount of water and the type of fertilizer the same.
D. Change the type of fertilizer, the amount of water, and the amount of sunlight at the same time.
C. Change the amount of sunlight by placing the plants in different locations and keep the amount of water and the type of fertilizer the same.
The pictures show two different mountains in the same geographical location. The mountains in Picture A are rough and jagged. The mountains in Picture B are smooth and rounded. Which statement about these mountains is probably true?
B. The mountains in Picture B are older. Correct. The mountains in Picture B are smooth and rounded due to erosion, which takes place slowly over time. This mountain must be older.
Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. The figure below shows part of the planet’s surface and atmosphere.Why is Venus so hot?
C. The atmosphere of Venus reflects heat back down the surface of the planet. Correct. The diagram clearly illustrates that heat in Venus’s atmosphere gets reflected back down to the surface of the planet, becoming trapped. This is because Venus has an incredibly thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide, which traps the heat on the planet in a greenhouse effect and makes it the hottest planet in our solar system.
In Drosophila melanogaster, commonly known as the fruit fly, the recessive eye color allele causes the flies to have very dark colored eyes. The dominant eye color allele causes the fruit flies to have normal red eyes. Two fruit flies are crossed and they produce several hundred offspring. Twenty-five percent of their offspring exhibit the dark eye color allele. Which of the following statements best describes the assumption that can be formulated about the parental generation?
A.Both parents exhibit the recessive dark-eyed phenotype.
B. Neither parent carries the recessive dark-eyed allele.
C. Both parents carry the recessive dark-eyed allele.
D. Only one parent carries the recessive dark-eyed allele.
c. Both parents carry the recessive dark-eyed allele. Correct, meaning that both parents are heterozygous for eye color, resulting in the 25% percent of offspring exhibiting dark eye color.
Rabbits and sheep both graze on shrubs, grasses, and other plants. The sharp rise in the population of rabbits in a region may result in a shortage of plants for sheep to graze upon. Which of the following correctly identifies the relationship between rabbits and sheep?
a. commensalism
b. competition
c. parasitism
d. predation
b. competition Correct, both are competing for grass.
A scientist spends a month observing two prairie animals, prairie dogs and ferrets, in their natural habitat. Based on his observations, the scientist states that ferrets are more active than prairie dogs. Why is his statement NOT a scientific theory?
A. It is an observation of something in nature.
B. Prairie dogs and ferrets are different species.
C. The statement is not widely accepted and supported by sufficient evidence.
D. The scientist has not conducted enough trials to draw a valid conclusion.
C. The statement is not widely accepted and supported by sufficient evidence.
The figure below shows the rotation of the Sun. How is the rotation of the Sun different from the rotation of Earth?
A. The parts of the Sun rotate at different speeds and the parts of Earth rotate at the same speed. Correct. The Sun’s rotation period varies with latitude on the Sun because it is made of gas (a fluid). The diagram clearly illustrates that gases at the Sun’s equator take less time to rotate than the poles. In contrast, Earth is a rocky (terrestrial) planet, and, being a solid sphere, rotates at the same angular velocity everywhere (360 degrees per day).
Which image best represents a portion of the heliocentric model of the solar system? (S=Sun, E=Earth, and M=Moon)
A Correct. A heliocentric system is one in which the planets revolve around a fixed Sun (a star). Diagram A is correct because it shows Earth, a planet, revolving around the Sun. In line with a heliocentric model, the Moon in diagram A is the only celestial sphere in this system which revolves around Earth, and, together with it, around the Sun.
Sam and Amy study food chains. Which of the following, according to the Law of Conservation of Energy, is true of a food chain?
A.Energy that is lost cannot be replaced.
B. Energy is lost as it moves through the food chain. C. The amount of energy in the food chain stays the same.
D. The amount of energy in the food chain will change over time.
c. The amount of energy in the food chain stays the same.
Structures within the human body are organized in a hierarchal arrangement where each structure performs a specific task. The diagram below shows the various levels of structures within the human body.
a. cell
b. organ system
c. tissue
d. organism
b. organ system Correct, review hierarchy and what each picture represents.
Suppose NASA discovers a new planet in a neighboring galaxy. Astronomers want to collect more information about the new planet. Which of the following methods are scientists least likely to use to study the planet?
A. Travel to the distant planet and observe it directly.
B. Launch satellites into space to take pictures of the planets.
C. Make a model of the planet based on data already collected.
D. Use a telescope to track the movement of the planet across the sky.
A. Travel to the distant planet and observe it directly.