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Quest: 8th Grade Science Assessment

Back to the SSA page.

Here are some science questions from the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Standards to help you test your knowledge of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time you reload the page.

* Click here to see only the most recently added questions.



I let mold grow on this stale loaf of bread. What part of the food web does the mold belong to?

  1. Producer.

    No. A producer captures energy from sunlight, and stores it as food. To do that, the organism needs to contain chlorophyll. This mold is green, but does not have chlorophyll.
  2. Primary Consumer.

    No. Primary consumers eat producers. This mold does not eat living plants.
  3. Secondary Consumer

    No. Secondary consumers eat other consumers. This mold does not eat animals.
  4. Decomposer

    Yes! Decomposers break down dead and decaying organisms. The mold is a fungus that is breaking down and decomposing the bread to get energy from it..



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.4.L.17.3 Trace the flow of energy from the Sun as it is transferred along the food chain through the producers to the consumers.
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Scavengers and Decomposers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Food Web Tag text page
Review Food Web-2 practice
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice
Review Food Web-7 practice
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice

SC.7.L.17.1 Explain and illustrate the roles of and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web.
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Measuring Calories video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Scavengers and Decomposers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Food Web Tag text page
Review Food Web-2 practice
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice
Review Food Web-7 practice
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice

Utah


UT.8.II.2.a Categorize the relationships between organisms (i.e., producer/consumer/decomposer, predator/prey, mutualism/parasitism) and provide examples of each.
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Review Food Web-2 practice
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice
Review Food Web-7 practice
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice
Review Food Web-11 practice
Review Food Web-12 practice

NGSS


5-PS3-1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
Measuring Photosynthesis video, checked
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Measuring Calories video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Scavengers and Decomposers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Calories: Measuring the Energy text page, free
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Review Food Web-2 practice
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice
Review Food Web-7 practice
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice

5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Scavengers and Decomposers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Review Food Web-2 practice
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice
Review Food Web-7 practice
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice

This snow fell when the temperature outside was 39°F. How can you get snow when the temperature is above freezing?

  1. The wind made it feel colder, allowing it to snow.

    No. While wind chill can make it feel colder, it does not actually make it colder.
  2. It was colder in the clouds where the snow formed.

    Yes. Even when air temperatures at the surface are above freezing, the clouds can be much colder. If the air at the surface is not too warm, the snow can reach the ground without melting.
  3. Rain froze into snow when it hit the ground.

    No. Freezing rain forms ice, not snow. Light, fluffy snow flakes form as they fall through the air, not after they hit the ground.
  4. This is really hail instead of snow.

    No. Hail is made of large chunks of ice, not tiny flakes.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.5.E.7.4 Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail), making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.

SC.6.E.7.3 Describe how global patterns such as the jet stream and ocean currents influence local weather in measurable terms such as temperature, air pressure, wind direction and speed, and humidity and precipitation.
Nephoscope video, checked
Review Weather-6 practice

Utah


UT.4.II.2.a Observe and record effects of air temperature on precipitation (e.g., below freezing results in snow, above freezing results in rain).

NGSS


3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
Nephoscope video, checked
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-5 practice
Review Weather-6 practice
Review Weather-4 practice
Review Weather-3 practice
Review Space-5 practice
Review Space-8 practice

MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
Cloud Types video
Nephoscope video, checked
Cloud Formation, part 1 video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-1 practice
Review Weather-2 practice
Review Weather-6 practice
Review Weather-4 practice
Review Weather-3 practice

Which of the following observations is scientifically testable?

  1. Honeybees are good insects.

    No. "Good" is a generic term that could mean many different things in different situations. It is an opinion, not a testable property. This statement is NOT scientifically testable.
  2. Honeybees are important insects.

    No. "Important" is a generic term that could mean many different things to different people. It is an opinion, not a testable property. This statement is NOT scientifically testable.
  3. Honeybees are pretty insects.

    No. Some people might think that a honeybee is pretty, and some people might not. It is an opinion, not a testable property. This statement is NOT scientifically testable.
  4. Honeybees are not insects.

    Yes! While this statement is not correct, it is scientifically testable. You could examine the bee to see that it does fit the definition of an insect. This statement is IS scientifically testable.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.5.N.2.1 Recognize and explain that science is grounded in empirical observations that are testable; explanation must always be linked with evidence.

SC.8.N.2.1 Distinguish between scientific and pseudoscientific ideas.

Utah

NGSS

These layers have not been overturned or folded. Based on that, which layer is the oldest?

  1. A

    No. A is on top, which means the other layers had to be there before it could be deposited. A is younger than B and C.
  2. B

    No. By the law of Superposition, layer C had to be in place before B could form on top of it. Layer B is older than A, but younger than C.
  3. C

    Yes! As the bottom layer, the Law of Superposition tells us that it is older than layers A and B. This layer had to be in place before A and B could form on top of it..
  4. D

    No. Layer D is actually a pile of rock fragments, mostly from layer A. These fragments are the result of weathering and erosion of layers A, B, and C. D is the youngest deposit at this location.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.7.E.6.3 Identify current methods for measuring the age of Earth and its parts, including the law of superposition and radioactive dating.

Utah


UT.8.III.3.c Explain why some sedimentary rock layers may not always appear with youngest rock on top and older rocks below (i.e., folding, faulting).

NGSS


4-ESS1-1 Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
Igneous Rocks and Bubbles video, free, learnalong, Updated
Sedimentary Rocks video, learnalong
Reading the Rocks: Law of Superposition video
Reading the Rocks: Law of Crosscutting video
What is a Rock? video, learnalong, checked
Reading the Rocks: The Present is the Key to the Past video, ClosedCaptions
Paleo Cookies video
Evaporites video, learnalong, checked
Homemade Fossil Dig text page
Review Rocks-1 practice
Review Geologic Time-1 practice
Review Rocks-4 practice
Review Geologic Time-2 practice
Review Rocks-5 practice
Review Rocks-6 practice
Review Rocks-8 practice
Review Rocks-9 practice
Review Rocks-7 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice
Review Geologic Time-3 practice

This is Halite, also known as table salt. It was formed when ancient seas dried up, leaving layers of salt behind. What kind of rock is it?.

  1. Igneous

    No. Igneous rocks formed from magma or lava. The Halite was not melted, and is not an igneous rock.
  2. Sedimentary

    Yes! Sedimentary rocks are deposited by wind, water, ice, or gravity, and they often contain fossils. Halite was deposited in large layers by water, which means that it is a sedimentary rock. Halite is also a mineral, and is one of the few rocks/minerals that we eat.
  3. Metamorphic

    No. Metamorphic rocks have been changed by heat and pressure from a different kind of rock. It is not metamorphic.
  4. Halite is not a rock.

    No. Halite is a naturally occurring solid that forms large layers in the Earth. Halite is a rock.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.4.E.6.1 Identify the three categories of rocks: igneous, (formed from molten rock); sedimentary (pieces of other rocks and fossilized organisms); and metamorphic (formed from heat and pressure).
Igneous Rocks and Bubbles video, free, learnalong, Updated
Sedimentary Rocks video, learnalong
What is a Rock? video, learnalong, checked
Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals video
Evaporites video, learnalong, checked
Homemade Fossil Dig text page
Foliated and Unfoliated Rocks text page, learnalong
Identifying Igneous Rocks text page, learnalong
Intrusive and Extrusive Igneous Rocks text page, learnalong
Light and Dark Minerals text page, learnalong
Review Rocks-10 practice
Review Rocks-1 practice
Review Rocks-2 practice
Review Rocks-3 practice
Review Rocks-4 practice
Review Rocks-5 practice
Review Rocks-6 practice
Review Rocks-8 practice
Review Rocks-9 practice
Review Rocks-7 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice

SC.7.E.6.2 Identify the patterns within the rock cycle and relate them to surface events (weathering and erosion) and sub-surface events (plate tectonics and mountain building).
What is a Rock? video, learnalong, checked
The Rock Cycle video, learnalong
Change: Fast and Slow video
Erosion video, checked
Continuous Change video, checked
Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals video
Weathering and Erosion video, learnalong, checked
Evaporites video, learnalong, checked
Review Rocks-1 practice
Review Erosion-1 practice
Review Erosion-2 practice
Review Erosion-3 practice
Review Erosion-4 practice
Review Erosion-5 practice
Review Rocks-4 practice
Review Rocks-5 practice
Review Rocks-6 practice
Review Rocks-8 practice
Review Rocks-9 practice
Review Rocks-7 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice

Utah


UT.4.III.1.a Describe the differences between minerals and rocks.
Identifying Minerals video, learnalong
What is a Rock? video, learnalong, checked
Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals video
Definition of a Mineral video, checked
What is a Mineral? video, checked
Review Rocks-1 practice
Review Rocks-4 practice
Review Rocks-5 practice
Review Rocks-6 practice
Review Rocks-8 practice
Review Rocks-9 practice
Review Rocks-7 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice

NGSS


4-ESS1-1 Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
Igneous Rocks and Bubbles video, free, learnalong, Updated
Sedimentary Rocks video, learnalong
Reading the Rocks: Law of Superposition video
Reading the Rocks: Law of Crosscutting video
What is a Rock? video, learnalong, checked
Reading the Rocks: The Present is the Key to the Past video, ClosedCaptions
Paleo Cookies video
Evaporites video, learnalong, checked
Homemade Fossil Dig text page
Review Rocks-1 practice
Review Geologic Time-1 practice
Review Rocks-4 practice
Review Geologic Time-2 practice
Review Rocks-5 practice
Review Rocks-6 practice
Review Rocks-8 practice
Review Rocks-9 practice
Review Rocks-7 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice
Review Geologic Time-3 practice

MS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
Definition of a Mineral video, checked
Igneous Rocks and Bubbles video, free, learnalong, Updated
What is a Mineral? video, checked
Identifying Minerals video, learnalong
Sedimentary Rocks video, learnalong
What is a Rock? video, learnalong, checked
The Rock Cycle video, learnalong
Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals video
Evaporites video, learnalong, checked
Light and Dark Minerals text page, learnalong
Review Rocks-1 practice
Review Rocks-2 practice
Review Rocks-3 practice
Review Rocks-4 practice
Review Rocks-5 practice
Review Rocks-6 practice
Review Rocks-8 practice
Review Rocks-9 practice
Review Rocks-7 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice
Review Rocks-10 practice

The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time you reload the page.