Grade 8 Science
All questions should be completed on the answer sheet provided.
DO NOT WRITE ON THIS QUESTION BOOKLET!
For each of the following statements, select the best answer. Indicate each selection on
the answer sheet provided. (One mark for each correct response)
1. Which of the following statements is not considered a characteristic of all living
things? All living things
a)
b)
c)
d)
reproduce
need energy
are made of cells
breathe
2. The coarse focus adjustment should be used:
a)
b)
c)
d)
when needing to fine-tune the clarity of the specimen
when you need to move the stage lower to switch to a higher power objective
only with the low power objective
all of the above
3. Which of the following statements about the circulatory system is false?
a)
b)
c)
d)
arteries carry blood away from the heart
blood travels from the right ventricle to the lungs
blood travels from the left ventricle to the body
capillaries carry blood towards the heart
4. If you were to look inside Kermit the Frog, which of the following organs/tissues
would you see that you could NOT find in yourself?
a)
b)
c)
d)
heart
lungs
liver
stuffing
5. Which organ from the digestive system is also part of the excretory system?
a)
b)
c)
d)
pancreas
gallbladder
liver
kidney
6. While viewing an object under medium power, you find that the object is larger
than the field of view. What should you do to see the entire object?
a)
b)
c)
d)
increase the magnification by turning to a lower power
increase the magnification by turning to a higher power
decrease the magnification by turning to a higher power
decrease the magnification by turning to a lower power
7. During diffusion
a) particles move from an area where there are fewer particles to an area where
there are more
b) particles move from an area where there are more particles to an area where
there are fewer
c) particles arrange themselves according to their size
d) none of these
8. The skin excretes
a)
b)
c)
d)
ammonia
carbon dioxide
urea
salt
9. Which of the following correctly lists the structures that oxygen would pass
through, in order, as it enters your body (note: not all possibilities start at the very
beginning)?
a)
b)
c)
d)
mouth/nose, trachea, bronchioles, bronchi
trachea, bronchioles, bronchi, alveoli
mouth/nose, esophagus, bronchi, alveoli
trachea, bronchi, alveoli, capillaries
10. Which of the following statements about the excretory system is NOT true?
a)
b)
c)
d)
the kidneys filter the urea and water from the blood
the urethra connects the bladder to “the free world”
the liver converts ammonia into urea
the ureters connect the liver to the kidneys
11. Objects viewed through a microscope appear?
a)
b)
c)
d)
upside down
backwards
sideways
upside down and backwards
12. The system responsible for removing chemical and gaseous wastes from the blood
is the
a) nervous system
b) digestive system
c) excretory system
d) circulatory system
13. An organism is a
a) living thing
b) an organ belonging to the excretory system
c) response to a stimulus
d) characteristic that allows an organism to live in its environment
14. If a slide is moved up and to the left, which way will the image move?
a)
b)
c)
d)
down and to the right
down and to the left
up and to the right
up and to the left
15. Which of the following statements about the digestive system is false?
a)
b)
c)
d)
the gallbladder produces bile
nutrients are removed in the small intestine
chemical and mechanical digestion occurs in the stomach
the pancreas produces enzymes which are sent to the small intestine
16. Cells
a)
b)
c)
d)
can only come from other cells
no longer exist in a leaf once it is dead
are made up of thousands of organisms
are easy to see without a microscope in the large organisms such as trees and
whales
17. The storage rooms of the cell are
a)
b)
c)
d)
the cytoplasm
mitochondria
chloroplasts
vacuoles
18. The tiny air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange occurs are called
a)
b)
c)
d)
alveoli
trachea
bronchi
capillaries
19. Which of the following pair of structures is found in plant cells and not animal
cells?
a)
b)
c)
d)
chloroplasts, cell wall
cytoplasm, chloroplasts
cell wall, cell membrane
chloroplasts, cell membrane
20. Plants do not have skeletons, yet they grow very large. What structure allows a
plant to maintain its shape?
a)
b)
c)
d)
cell membrane
cell wall
vacuole
cytoplasm
21. The correct order from smallest to largest is
a)
b)
c)
d)
cell, tissue, organ, organ system
tissue, cell, organ, organ system
organ, tissue, cell, organ system
cell, organ, organ system, tissue
22. The liver is part of which two organ systems in the body?
a)
b)
c)
d)
circulatory and respiratory
digestive and circulatory
excretory and respiratory
digestive and excretory
23. The part of the cell that converts energy into the usable form required for the cell
to survive is the:
a) mitochondria
b) vacuoles
c) cytoplasm
d) nucleus
24. Which of the following correctly traces the path food follows as it is digested
(note: not all options begin at the very beginning of the digestive system)?
a)
b)
c)
d)
trachea, small intestine, liver, large intestine
esophagus, stomach, small intestine, liver, large intestine
esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine
trachea, stomach, small intestine, large intestine
25. Which of the following structures are the smallest found in the circulatory
system?
a)
b)
c)
d)
veins
alveoli
arteries
capillaries
26. Gas exchange between the arteries and muscle cells occurs by:
a)
b)
c)
d)
osmosis
force
diffusion
reverse diffusion
27. Which of the following is not an organ of the excretory system?
a)
b)
c)
d)
kidney
liver
skin
pancreas
28. Dialysis is a machine used when this structure is damaged
a)
b)
c)
d)
intestine
kidneys
bladder
liver
29. Which of the following statements is correct?
a)
b)
c)
d)
hibernation is an example of a structural adaptation
duck’s webbed feet are an example of a behavioral adaptation
the function of your heart is to exchange oxygen
the function of your digestive system is to break food into nutrients
Use the following diagram to answer the next three questions.
Z
Y
The microscope structure labelled X is the
a) eyepiece
b) objective lens
c) stage clip
d) base
30. The microscope structure labelled Y is the
a)
b)
c)
d)
coarse adjustment knob
objective lens
body
fine adjustment knob
31. The microscope structure labelled Z is used to
a)
b)
c)
d)
focus the specimen
control the amount of light
magnify the specimen
move the specimen across the stage
32. What do different types of tissues working together form?
a)
b)
c)
d)
an organ system
an organism
an organ
an organization
33. In plant and animal cells, the command center of the cell is the
a) chloroplast
b) ribosomes
c) nucleus
d) mitochondria
34. Living organisms need to rid their bodies of waste. Waste products could include
urine and feces. What is an example of another waste product?
a)
b)
c)
d)
hydrogen
carbon dioxide
nitrogen
carbon monoxide
35. You are looking at a fly under the microscope. To observe the bristles of hair on
one of the fly's legs at a magnification of 1000x, the best objective lens to use
with a 10x ocular lens is …
a)
b)
c)
d)
100x
10x
1000x
1x
37. What is the name given to the structures inside of cells?
a)
b)
c)
d)
organelles
mitochondria
nuclei
chromosomes
38. Which of the following best describes this flour sifter?
a)
b)
c)
d)
selectively permeable
permeable
impermeable
none of the above
39. Identify the cell membrane that does not allow any particles to pass through it.
a) selectively permeable
b) permeable
c) impermeable
d) nucleus
40. Which of the following is not an example of diffusion?
a) Perfume is sprayed from a bottle and soon fills a room with fragrance.
b) Food coloring is dropped into a glass of water, and eventually the water turns
pink.
c) Boiling water causes rice grains to float to the top of the pot.
d) Chlorine is poured into a swimming pool, and eventually the whole pool has
an equal chlorine distribution.
41. What term could you use to describe a stomach?
a)
b)
c)
d)
tissue
organ
organ system
organism
42. When a person eats a steak, a baked potato, and a salad for dinner, the
digestive system begins to work. What happens to the food once it enters the
body?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Most of it is expelled as waste.
Most of it is used up as the body rids itself of carbon dioxide.
It is evenly distributed to the various organs in the body.
It is broken down and sent to cells.
43. Which component of blood is responsible for defending the body against
infection and disease?
a)
b)
c)
d)
white blood cells
platelets
plasma
red blood cells