8th Grade Pre Test

Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. A student in your science class decided to do an experiment with the same materials to determine

which box material would create the most friction. She hypothesized, If I test 5 different materials
for their frictional forces, the fine sand paper (220 grit) would create the most friction because it has
the most contact points per square inch. She did the following experiment and collected the data
that follows.

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The independent variable in this experiment was ?

a. mass needed to move the block
c. length of string
b. distance the block moved
d. type of box material
2. The dependent variable in the experiment from question 1 is?
a. mass needed to move the block
c. distance the block moved
b. length of string
d. type of box material
3.
Shipping and Sliding Friction Data Results
Type of Box Material
Average Mass (g)
Wax Paper
40
Aluminum Foil
42
Coarse Sand Paper (80 grit)
150
Fine Sand Paper (220 grit)
135
MDF Board
35
Which of the following is a valid interpretation of the data from the experiment?
a. The MDF board takes the greatest amount c. The 80 grit sandpaper takes the greatest
of force to break the frictional force
amount of force to break the frictional
force
b. The 220 grit sandpaper takes the greatest d. The Wax paper takes the greatest amount
amount of force to break the frictional
of force to break the frictional force
force
4. Which would be the best evaluation of the students hypothesis?
a. If I test 5 different materials, the fine
c. The hypothesis that the fine grit sandpaper
sandpaper will create the most friction
would provide the most friction was not
because it has the most contact points per
supported by the data.
square inch.
b. The hypothesis that the fine grit sandpaper d. The hypothesis that the fine sandpaper
would provide the most friction was
would provide the most friction was
wrong because it did not take the most
correct because its rough surface required
mass to make the box move.
the most mass to make it move.
5. Which would not be a good recommendation for future studies?
a. conduct multiple trials for each surface
c. test more surfaces for the amount of
friction provided
b. test fewer surfaces to concentrate on the
d. test different floor materials to see how it
best possibilities
affects friction with the box

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6. Which statement best describes the type of eclipse that was occurring in the following diagram?

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7.

____

8.

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9.

____ 10.

a. A lunar eclipse was observed from

c. A solar eclipse was observed from
position A.
position A.
b. A lunar eclipse was observed from
d. A solar eclipse was observed from
position B.
position B.
Any force that causes an object to move in a circle is called a
a. balanced force.
b. unbalanced force.
c. gravitational force.
d. centripetal force.
The force that pulls falling objects toward Earth is called
a. gravity.
b. free fall.
c. acceleration.
d. air resistance.
If the unseat belted driver of a car slams on the brakes, which of the following would occur?
a. his inertia will cause him to continue
c. his inertia will cause him to speed up
moving forward and hit the dash board
b. his inertia will cause him to stay in his
d. none of the above
seat as the car decelerates
What happens to the force of gravity as the masses of objects increases

a. gravity stays the same

b. gravity decreases

c. gravity increases
d. gravity fluctuates

____ 11. In Figure B, what force is needed to accelerate the 10 kg box, 8 m/s 2? (F=ma)

a. 80kg
b. 18N

c. 80m/s2
d. 80N

____ 12. 1. For the moving rocket ship in figure C, the action has to be ____________to the

reaction and in the __________ direction.

a. equal, same
c. greater, same
b. equal, opposite
d. greater, opposite
____ 13. Using figure B, if you increase the mass of an object from 10kg to 100kg, what will happen to the
acceleration?

a. the acceleration will stay the same

b. the acceleration will decrease

c. the acceleration will increase

____ 14.

What type of material would could be used in the past or present to create the truss bridge pictured above?
a. stone
c. wood
b. metal
d. b or c
____ 15. Which of the following types of forces stretches the bottom of the deck of a truss bridge as a load goes
across?
a. compression
c. tension
b. shear
d. stretching
____ 16. The traffic going across this bridge is called the?
a. dead load
b. live load

c. traffic load
d. driving load

____ 17.

In an arch bridge, the arch transmits the load from the deck to the?
a. bottom of the arch
c. towers above the bridge
b. piers under the bridge
d. abutments on either side of the bridge
____ 18.

The advance in technology that made it possible for bridges like the one below to span long distances was the
development of?
a. steel suspension cables
c. stone support arches
b. wooden support beams
d. painted bridge surfaces

____ 19.

The diagram above shows that, in causing tides on Earth, the moons gravity
a. has more effect than the suns gravity
c. is equal to the suns gravity
b. has less effect than the suns gravity
d. has no significant effect
____ 20. The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion is called?
a. gravity
c. inertia
b. force
d. centripetal
____ 21.
(drawing is not to scale)

According to the diagram above, which season is it in Connecticut when Earth is in this position?
a. summer
c. spring
b. winter
d. fall
____ 22. What determines the strength of gravity between a planet and the sun?
a. their locations and the time of year
c. their relative sizes and the speed of the
planets revolutions
b. their volumes and degree of tilt on their
d. their masses and the distance between
axis
them
____ 23.

What is the phase of the moon in this above diagram

a. Full moon
c. 1st quarter
b. New moon
d. 3rd quarter
____ 24. Why is the revolution time (1 year) for Earth different from that of Jupiter
a. their rotations (days) are different
c. Jupiter has more moons
b. their distance from each other
d. their distance from the sun is different
____ 25. Astronomers theorize that the universe began in an enormous explosion called?
a. the solar nebual
c. a super nova
b. a black hole
d. the big bang
____ 26. During a new moon, the side of the moon facing Earth is ?

____ 27.

____ 28.

____ 29.

____ 30.

____ 31.

____ 32.

____ 33.

a. half lit
c. unlit
b. fully lit
d. partly lit
Each of the two daughter cells that results from the normal mitotic division of the original parent cell contains
a. the same number of chromosomes but has genes different from those of the parent cell
b. the same number of chromosomes and has genes identical to those of the parent cell
c. one-half the number of chromosomes but has genes different from those of the parent cell
d. one-half the number of chromosomes and has genes identical to those of the parent cell
The appearance of a recessive trait in offspring of animals most probably indicates that
a. both parents carried at least one recessive gene for that trait
b. one parent was homozygous dominant and the other parent was homozygous recessive for
that trait
c. neither parent carried a recessive gene for that trait
d. one parent was homozygous dominant and the other parent was hybrid for that trait
If a color-blind man marries a woman who is a carrier for color blindness, it is most probable that
a. all of their sons will have normal color vision
b. half of their sons will be color-blind
c. all of their sons will be color-blind
d. none of their children will have normal color vision
Which statements best describe the relationship between the terms chromosomes, genes, and nuclei?
a. Chromosomes are found on genes. Genes are found in nuclei.
b. Chromosomes are found in nuclei. Nuclei are found in genes.
c. Genes are found on chromosomes. Chromosomes are found in nuclei.
d. Genes are found in nuclei. Nuclei are found in chromosomes.
What process is illustrated by the following combination of 2 gamete cells?
egg + sperm zygote
a. meiosis
b. mitosis
c. fertilization
d. cleavage
How does meiosis differ from mitosis?
a. Mitosis includes cytokinesis, while meiosis does not.
b. The DNA is replicated before mitosis but not before meosis.
c. Meiosis produces haploid cells, while mitosis produces diploid cells.
d. Mitosis produces gametes, while meiosis produces offspring cells.
Which trait is least likely to be influenced by the environment?
a. skin color
c. height
b. blood type
d. weight

____ 34.

Using this Punnett square, what are the genotypes of the offspring?
a. TT, TT, TT, tt
c. Tt, Tt, Tt, tt
b. TT, TT, Tt, tt
d. TT, Tt, Tt, tt
____ 35. What are the parents phenotypes from the punnet square in question 47?
a. they both are tall
c. they both are heterozygous
b. one is tall and one is short
d. one is homozygous and one is
heterozygous
____ 36.

Explain the genotype for the third generation X individual.

a. she received the affected gene from only c. she received no affected genes from either
dad
parent
b. she received the affected gene from only d. she received the affected gene from both
mom
mom and dad
____ 37. Human body cells have 46 chromosomes. How many chromosomes do the sex cell produced during meiosis
have?
a. 92
c. 23
b. 46
d. 138
____ 38. One example of a physical change is
a. burning paper.
b. baking cookies.
c. heating table sugar.

____ 39.

____ 40.

____ 41.

____ 42.

____ 43.

____ 44.

____ 45.

____ 46.

____ 47.

d. dissolving salt in water.

One example of a chemical change is
a. filtering.
b. burning wood.
c. boiling water.
d. crushing a can.
All elements are composed of extremely small particles called
a. compounds.
b. mixtures.
c. atoms.
d. molecules.
Which of the following is NOT an example of a chemical change?
a. gas burning on a stove
b. rust forming on an iron fence
c. salt dissolving in a glass of water
d. using electricity to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen
What holds atoms together in a molecule?
a. density
b. gravity
c. physical bonds
d. chemical bonds
Anything that has mass and takes up space is called
a. matter.
b. energy.
c. heterogeneous.
d. homogeneous.
How do liquid water, ice, and water vapor differ from each other?
a. They are different states of matter.
b. They are different compounds.
c. They are made of different kinds of molecules.
d. They are made of different kinds of atoms.
If you heat a liquid and measure the temperature at which it boils, you are measuring a(n)
a. atomic property.
b. physical property.
c. chemical property.
d. molecular property.
Soil, a salad, and sugar water are all examples of
a. elements.
b. compounds.
c. mixtures.
d. atoms.
A chemical bond formed when two atoms share electrons is called a(n)
a. ionic bond.
b. covalent bond.
c. polyatomic bond.
d. crystal bond.

____ 48. What can you tell about methane (CH4) from its molecular formula?
a. It contains four carbon atoms.
b. It contains one hydrogen atom.
c. It contains four hydrogen atoms.
d. It forms groups of four molecules.
____ 49. The total energy of all the particles in a substance is called
a. temperature.
b. thermal energy.
c. degrees.
d. mass.
____ 50. The more particles a substance has at a given temperature,
a. the higher its temperature.
b. the more thermal energy it has.
c. the more degrees it has.
d. the more kelvins it has.