Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Formative Post-Assessment
Select the best answer choice for each question.
1.
Melanie would like to find out if there have ever been any earthquakes registered in
Louisiana. Which resource would provide the most reliable data to answer her question?
A. Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism website
B. a website about the most destructive earthquakes in history
C. a website about the history of Louisiana
D. United States Geological Survey (USGS) website
2. The amount of tectonic plate movement is measured using Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellites and a network of GPS receivers. This technology allows scientists to measure plate
movements as small as a few millimeters per year. To calculate rates of motion, geologists
use the following formula: Rate = distance/time.
In 10 million years, a tectonic plate will move 300 km. What is its rate of motion?
A. 3 cm/year
B. 5 cm/year
C. 3 mi/year
D. 5 mi/year
3. Use the diagram to answer the question.
The Mohs Hardness Scale is used to rank the hardness
of minerals. The scale assigns a mineral’s hardness a
ranking from 1 to 10. Which statement below is an
explanation rather than an observation made from
reading the scale?
A. A fingernail has a hardness rating of 2.5.
B. A common nail can scratch a penny.
C. Quartz has a hardness rating greater than fluorite.
D. A ring is probably not a diamond ring if its stone
can be scratched by a steel file.
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
4. What mineral property is being tested in the diagram below?
A. luster
B. density
C. streak
D. reaction to acid
5. Use the graph to answer the question.
Seafloor Spreading
Deep-sea drilling has brought up rock samples from the ocean floor. Scientists have measured
the ages of these rock samples. Some of their measurements are shown in the graph above. How
many kilometers from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are rock samples that are 75 million years old?
A.
225 Km
B.
700 Km
C. 1150 Km
D. 1380 Km
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
6. Use the graph in question #7 above to answer the question: What is the relationship
between the age of rocks on the ocean floor and their distance from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
A. The graph does not provide enough information to determine whether there is or is
not a relationship between age of rocks and distance from the mid-ocean ridge.
B. The graph clearly shows that there is no relationship between age of rocks and
distance from the mid-ocean ridge.
C. As age of rocks increases, distance from the mid-ocean ridge decreases.
D. As age of rocks increases, distance from the mid-ocean ridge increases.
7. Use the diagram to answer the question.
Lystrosaurus was a slow-moving, plant-eating reptile that lived over 250 million years ago.
Fossils of Lystrosaurus have been found in the dark areas shown above. How is this explained
by the existence of Pangaea?
A. Lystrosaurus swam across the oceans from one continent to another.
B. Lystrosaurus drifted on rafts of vegetation from one continent to another.
C. Land bridges once crossed oceans to connect Africa, Antarctica, and India.
D. Africa, Antarctica, and India used to be joined together into a single landmass.
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
8. Use the diagram to answer the question.
The formation of some volcanoes can be modeled as an oceanic plate undergoing subduction
at a plate boundary. Which statement describes a limitation of this model of volcano
formation?
A. The model does not explain why volcanoes often occur in chains or lines.
B. The model does not explain why some volcanoes occur in the middle of plates.
C. The model is most accurate for volcanoes near the equator and less accurate for
volcanoes near the poles.
D. The model is most accurate for volcanoes in the ocean and less accurate for volcanoes
on land.
9. A mineral sample has a mass of 4.2 grams and a volume of 2 milliliters. What is the density
of the mineral?
A. 2.1 g/mL
B. 2.2 g/mL
C. 6.2 g/mL
D. 8.4 g/mL
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
10. Use the diagram to answer the question.
A mineral sample scratches fingernails,
pennies, and glass but does not scratch
steel as shown below. What is the
hardness of the mineral?
A.
about 4
B. about 5
C.
about 6
D.
about 7
11. A teacher provided students with the following materials so that they could record their
observations of rock samples: safety goggles; collection of rocks of different types, shapes
and sizes (at least 20); magnifiers; baggies to sort rock samples; colored pencils; note
cards. Which strategy would be an unsafe method for her students to use in making these
observations?
A. touch
B. taste
C. odor
D. sound
12. Alfred Wegener’s hypothesis was that all the continents were once joined together in a
single landmass and have since drifted apart. But because Wegener could not identify the
cause of this movement, most geologists of his time rejected his idea. What new
information did scientists discover that helped Wegener’s hypothesis of continental drift
become accepted as part of the theory of plate tectonics?
A. evidence of climate changes on continents
B. similar fossils on separate continents
C. evidence of seafloor spreading
D. matching land features on separate continents
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
13. Use the diagram to answer the question.
Rock Cycle
The diagram is a model of the rock cycle. Which statement describes how the model could be
improved?
A. Include all of the major rock types.
B. Add more arrows to represent the variety of pathways that are part of the rock cycle.
C. Identify processes associated with rock formation.
D. Delete the clouds since they involve weather and not the rock cycle.
14. Both the crust and the upper mantle are strong, hard, and rigid. Geologists often group the
crust and uppermost mantle into a single layer called the
A. mesosphere
B. asthenosphere
C. discontinuity
D. lithosphere
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
15. Use the diagram to answer the question.
B
A
C
D
The processes of subduction and seafloor spreading can change the size and shape of the
oceans. Identify the location on the diagram where seafloor spreading is taking place.
A. location A
B. location B
C. location C
D. location D
16. Use the diagram to answer the question.
B
A
C
The diagram illustrates how heat is transferred throughout the environment. Which answer
below most accurately identifies heat transfer by means of convection currents?
A. method A
B. method B
C. method C
D. methods A, B, and C
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
17. Use the diagram to answer the question.
The tectonic plates shown in the diagram are moving away from each other. What is the
name of this type of plate boundary and a most likely result of this type of movement?
A. Subduction - above-ground volcanic activity
B. Divergent - sea floor spreading and the creation of new lithosphere
C. Collisional - mountain building
D. Transform – plates move in a direction that is parallel to the boundary line
18. Use the diagram to answer the question.
At which location would earthquakes be least likely to occur?
A. location 1
B. location 2
C. location 3
D. location 4
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
19. Use the diagram to answer the question.
What rock type would most likely be
found in the location marked by the
black rectangle in the diagram?
A. Igneous
B. Metamorphic
C. Sedimentary
D. Mesomentary
20.
Pyrite is called “fool’s gold” because it looks a lot like gold. Which properties can be used
to tell gold and pyrite apart?
A. density
B. hardness
C. streak
D. all of the above
21. According to the rock cycle, which of the following transitions are possible? Assume an
unlimited number of steps.
A. An intrusive (underground) igneous rock becomes a sedimentary rock.
B. A sedimentary rock becomes soil.
C. A metamorphic rock becomes an extrusive (above ground) igneous rock.
D. All of the above are possible.
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
22. Ben is starting to study some common minerals and has a number of samples. Which
question about minerals could he answer through a scientific investigation?
A. Which color of mineral is most beautiful?
B. What determines whether minerals are hard or soft?
C. Do shiny minerals conduct electricity?
D. Where are the best mineral samples found?
23. John is writing a report on recent ground ozone levels in Shreveport. Which resource would
most likely provide reliable data for the report?
A. a government environmental agency Web page
B. the Web site for a major oil refinery in the area
C. an online encyclopedia entry about ozone
D. an environmental discussion forum on the Internet
24. Use the diagram to answer the question.
Jessica observed this road cut through a
mountain. In her science journal, she wrote
some descriptions and some explanations
about the road cut. Which statement is an
explanation?
A. The rocks at the bottom of layer 2 are larger than those at the top of layer 2.
B. The layers in the hanging wall are all lower than matching layers in the footwall.
C. Layers 3 and 5 are much thinner than layers 2 and 4.
D. Tectonic forces have moved the footwall up compared to the hanging wall.
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
25. Use the chart to answer the question.
Mineral Identification Flowchart
Angel is using a flowchart to identify a mineral. She already observed that the mineral is
metallic, soft, and shows cleavage. According to the flowchart, which step should she take
next?
A. Break the mineral and observe how it fractures.
B. Rub the mineral on a piece of porcelain tile and observe the mark it leaves.
C. Add vinegar to the mineral and observe whether it bubbles.
D. Touch the mineral to an iron object and observe whether it is magnetic.
26. Some geologists investigating the rock layers near a dormant volcano expect to find igneous
rock in the rock layer that formed when the volcano was active. Instead, they find a thick
layer of metamorphic rock and conclude that the rock layer must be older than they thought.
Which model of metamorphic rock formation best illustrates why they would draw this
conclusion?
A. volcanic eruptions occurred
lava cooled to form igneous rock
weathering and erosion formed metamorphic rock
B. volcanic eruptions occurred
lava cooled to form igneous rock
heat and pressure formed metamorphic rock
long period of
long period of
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
C. weathering and erosion of volcano formed layers of sediment
occurred
lava melted sediment to form metamorphic rock
volcanic eruptions
D. weathering and erosion of volcano formed layers of sediment
volcanic eruptions
occurred
cooling lava mixed with sediment to form metamorphic rock
27. Use the map to answer the question.
Kyle is going to use the Major Volcanoes in
Chile map as a visual aid in an oral presentation
about volcanoes. Which change to this map
would most improve his presentation?
A. Remove the country boundaries from the map.
B. Add a more detailed key to the map.
C. Add the names of the tectonic plates to the map.
D. Enlarge and crop the map to just show the area around the Chaiten Volcano.
28. Plate tectonics helps explain the evidence for continental drift. India is on a continental
plate that is moving north and colliding with Asia. What is the most likely result of the
collision of two continental plates?
A. sideways movement along a fault
B. mountain building
C. subduction of both plates
D. continental rift formation
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
29. Use the diagram to answer the question.
Which density layers of Earth are fluid in nature?
A. outer core, inner core
B. mantle, outer core, inner core
C. mantle, inner core
D. mantle, outer core
30. Streak is a property used to help identify minerals. Which procedure allows an experimenter
to determine the streak of a mineral?
A. Rub the mineral with a variety of objects and observe which ones scratch the mineral.
B. Hold the mineral to a light source and observe whether light is reflected off its surface.
C. Rub the mineral against a porcelain tile and observe the powder left behind.
D. Break the mineral and observe the surfaces of the pieces that result.
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
31. Which diagram best shows how convection currents cause movements within Earth’s
mantle?
A.
B.
C.
D.
32. The detection of seafloor spreading helped lead to the theory of plate tectonics. What
evidence was key to identifying that ocean plates moved over time?
A. the discovery of the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean
B. bands of ocean crust showing magnetic field reversals
C. lava emerging from the ocean floor
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
D. the discovery of deep ocean trenches near coastlines
33. Use the picture to answer the question.
A class observed this outcrop of folded rock.
Which statement explains how this outcrop
was most likely formed?
A. An oceanic plate was pushed underneath a continental plate.
B. An oceanic plate moved away from another oceanic plate.
C. A continental plate slid past an oceanic plate.
D. A continental plate crashed into another continental plate.
34. Use the table to answer the question.
Maria studied four objects and recorded her
observations in the table. Which object is
most likely a rock?
Maria’s Observations
Object
1
A. object 1
B. object 2
C. object 3
2
Observations
light pink, can be scratched
with steel
pink, black, white, many
different grain sizes
3
purple, scratches glass
4
black, magnetic
D. object 4
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
35. Use the diagram to answer the question.
How should the processes in the rock cycle be labeled on the diagram?
A.
W: weathering and erosion
X: heat and pressure
Y: burial and extreme heat
Z: crystallization
B.
W: heat and pressure
X: compaction and cementation
Y: weathering and erosion
Z: crystallization
C.
W: crystallization
X: heat and pressure
Y: burial and extreme heat
Z: weathering and erosion
D.
W: burial and extreme heat
X: cementation
Y: crystallization
Z: weathering and erosion
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment
36. (2 points short answer)
Use the diagram to answer the question.
The diagram is a model of movement in Earth’s mantle that creates a mid-ocean ridge. Name the
type of current shown and explain what is happening during the motion of these currents to
create the mid-ocean ridge and new ocean floor.
Grade 8 Science-Unit 2: Post-Assessment