Question 1
Which diagram shows the relative positions of Earth (E), the sun (S), and the
moon (M) during a full moon?
[Note: Diagrams are not drawn to scale.]
A.
B.
C.
D.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 2
Which phenomena occur as a result of the gravitational attraction between
the moon and Earth?
A. eclipses
B. ocean tides
C. seasonal changes
D. phases of the moon
Question 3
What change would occur if Earth’s rate of rotation significantly increased?
A. The year would be shorter.
B. The year would be longer.
C. The day would be shorter.
D. The day would be longer.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 4
What causes the streak of light observed when a meteoroid enters Earth’s
atmosphere?
A. sunlight reflected from the meteoroid surface
B. energy released from radioactive materials in the meteoroid
C. lightning produced between the meteoroid and the upper atmosphere
D. visible light produced from the interaction between the meteoroid and the
upper atmosphere
Question 5
Which explains the relationship between hours of sunlight and seasons?
A. the rotation of Earth on its axis
B. the tilt of Earth’s axis relative to the sun
C. the location of Earth’s orbit in the solar system
D. the motion of the moon as it travels around Earth
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 6
Which unit of measurement do astronomers use when measuring the
distance between two stars found in the Milky Way?
A. meter
B. light-year
C. kilometer
D. astronomical unit
Question 7
Why do satellites and spacecraft launched from Earth need to reach a
specific speed to escape Earth’s surface?
A. to overcome Earth’s gravitational force
B. to protect equipment from radiation
C. to break through the sound barrier
D. to avoid Earth’s magnetic field
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 8
This photograph of Galaxy M-82 was taken by students at the Kitt Peak
observatory in Arizona.
Which type of equipment did the students use to collect the light to make this
photograph?
A. satellite
B. binoculars
C. microscope
D. optical telescope
Question 9
Two galaxies are interacting with each other.
What is the force that draws these two galaxies toward each other?
A.friction
B. gravity
C. electricity
D. magnetism
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 10
Use the diagrams and information below to answer question #.
Monte Bolca is located high in the mountains of northern Italy. This site is one
of the world’s largest deposits of coral reef fish fossils. There are fossils of
more than 160 fish species dating back 49 million years.
These fossils provide evidence of the environment in which the coral fish lived
and died.
Which statement is consistent with this evidence and explains how ancient
coral reef fossils can be found high in the mountains far from any sea?
A. A huge tidal wave pushed marine life up into the mountains.
B. Prehistoric man carried fish into the mountains from the sea.
C. Fish were thrown into the mountains by a tremendous volcanic explosion.
D. Land that was uplifted to form the mountains was once covered by the sea.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Use the information below to answer questions 12-13.
Extinction
A paleontologist was studying the evidence of extinction of organisms in the
fossil record. Data were collected at several work sites. The paleontologist
developed the drawing below of eight layers at one work site. Other data used
included the graph below that shows changes in sea level from 490 million
years ago to 60 million years ago. Asterisks on the graph indicate times of
mass extinction of marine organisms.
Question 11
Based on observations, the paleontologist concluded that the layers had been
undisturbed by geological activity.
Which layer should have the oldest fossils?
A. layer 8
B. layer 6
C. layer 4
D. layer 2
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 12
The paleontologist collected samples from a site that has the same rock
layers as the original site but is located 5 kilometers away.
Comparing the original site with the site shown above, what geologic process
accounts for the difference in the arrangement of the rock layers at the two
sites?
A. erosion
B. faulting
C. folding
D. weathering
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 13
The map below shows some of the major tectonic plates on Earth.
What process is forming high nonvolcanic mountains at location 1 on the
map?
A. One tectonic plate is splitting apart into two plates.
B. Two tectonic plates are colliding and pushing together.
C. One tectonic plate is sliding past another tectonic plate.
D. Two tectonic plates are colliding and one is sliding under the other.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 14
The map below shows some of the major tectonic plates on Earth.
A line of volcanoes occurs along the western coast of South America, near
location 4.
Based on the information about plate movement on the map, which process
explains the formation of these volcanoes?
A. subducting of one plate under the other causing melting of the lower plate
B. sliding of one plate sideways past another resulting in friction and melting
C. melting of crust because of plate movement over a “hot spot”
D. rifting of a plate with lava filling in the resulting valley
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 15
In which environment is white fur color an advantage for survival?
A. desert
B. grassland
C. arctic tundra
D. temperate forest
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 16
The diagram below represents a cross section of a lagoon and some of its aquatic
organisms. A magnified view (400X magnification) of each organism is shown.
Lagoon
Paramecia usually reproduce asexually. Fish reproduce sexually. Suppose
the environmental conditions in the lagoon change.
What advantage will the fish population have over the paramecium
population?
A. Sexual reproduction produces offspring that are identical to the parents.
B. Sexual reproduction decreases the genetic variability in the fish populations.
C. Sexual reproduction limits the spread of harmful characteristics in fish
populations.
D. Sexual reproduction allows populations to adapt to new conditions over fewer
generations.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 17
Male mussels release sperm into the water. Female mussels take the sperm into
their gill chambers where fertilization occurs. Young mussel larvae are released into
the water where they float freely until they attach to the gill of a host fish. After a few
weeks, they reach the juvenile stage and drop off. After the juvenile drops off the fish
gill, it burrows into the river bed and begins the life cycle all over again.
The parasitic behavior of the larvae benefits the mussel in two ways. One benefit is
that the fish provides nutrition for the larvae when they are attached to its gill.
What is the second way this behavior enhances the survival of the mussel species?
A. The large size of the fish provides the mussel larvae with plenty of room to grow.
B. The parasitism increases the opportunity for the mussels to mate with other mussel
species.
C. The mobility of the fish spreads the mussels to areas they would otherwise be unable
to reach.
D. The location of the larvae on the gills of fish reduces the exposure of the larvae to
oxygen-rich water.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 18
Use the following pictures to answer question 18.
The reproductive success of an organism depends in part on the ability of the
organism to survive.
How does the physical appearance of these organisms help them survive?
A. Their physical appearance helps them find a habitat.
B. Their physical appearance helps them resist parasites.
C. Their physical appearance helps them avoid predators.
D. Their physical appearance helps them defend a territory.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 19
Use the diagram showing a cross section of a hill and the information below
to answer question 19.
Scientists see three layers of rock exposed on the side of a hill. The bottom
layer is sandstone with fossils of a certain species of reptile found only in this
geographic location. The middle layer is volcanic ash. The top layer is mud
stone (shale) with fossils of a different species of reptile.
The fossil evidence supports which hypothesis about the extinction of the
older reptile species?
A. The older reptile species went extinct because sea levels rose and flooded its
habitat.
B. The older reptile species went extinct because a predator was introduced into
the environment.
C. The older reptile species went extinct because it could not compete with the
younger reptile species.
D. The older reptile species went extinct because a volcanic eruption caused the
environment to change.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 20
Use the information below to answer question 20.
Fossils of the Coelacanth (sØ' lŒkanth') fish occur in the fossil record from
410 to 65 million years ago. The lack of more recent fossils led scientists to
conclude that the fish went extinct along with the dinosaurs. In 1938, a
fisherman caught a living Coelacanth. More than 200 of them have been
caught on the deep reefs in the Indian Ocean. This fish has been called a
“living fossil” because its body plan is nearly identical to the 400-million-yearold fossils.
This structural similarity, as evidenced by the fossil record, supports which
statement?
A. The environment of the deep sea has changed little over millions of years.
B. The amount of salt in the deep sea has varied greatly over millions of years.
C. The oceans have completely dried up multiple times during the past 400
million years.
D. The oceans have been continuously repopulated by freshwater fish species
over millions of years.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Use the information below to answer questions 21-24.
Toy Car Race
Ms. Williams’ science class uses a toy car race to study and collect data about forces and
motion. The racetrack shown has a 6-meter ramp and a 5-meter level section to the finish
line. Two cars compete at a time.
The data table and graph below show the speed and total distance traveled for car 1 and car
2 during the first three seconds of a race.
Question 21
On what section of the racetrack will the forces on the cars be balanced?
A. the starting block
B. the ramp only
C. the level section after the ramp
D. the entire track
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 22
The data table and graph show speeds and distances during a race between
car 1 and car 2.
In your Answer Document, state which car won the race. Provide support to
explain why your answer is correct. (2 points)
Question 23
At what point on the track does a car reach its fastest speed?
A. halfway down the ramp
B. at the bottom of the ramp
C. halfway down the level section
D. at the finish line
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 24
In the diagrams below, g is the force of gravity, r is the force of the ramp
acting on the car and f is the force of friction.
Which diagram shows the directions of the forces acting on a car as it travels
down the ramp?
A.
B.
C.
D.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 25
An adult and a small child are at the playground. The child sits on the end of a
seesaw, as shown. The adult weighs twice as much as the child.
At which point on the seesaw will the adult need to sit in order to balance the
child’s weight?
A. point A
B. point B
C. point C
D. point D
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 26
Block and Ramp
Students investigated the motion of wooden blocks on ramps. They used two boards, each
two meters long, to create ramps. They set the ramps up at different heights, as shown in
the diagram below. Next they took two identical blocks (I and II) and placed one at the top of
each ramp. They placed the blocks so that the back edge of each block was even with the
edge of the ramp (distance = 0 meters). The students held the blocks so that the blocks
would not slide until the students released them. The students released the blocks at time =
0 seconds. They measured the total distance traveled by each block at 1-second intervals
as the blocks slid down the ramps. The students recorded their results as shown below.
Which conclusion is supported by the results of this investigation as
expressed in the data table?
A. As the travel time increases, the speed of the block decreases.
B. As the ramp steepness is increased, the travel time of the block increases.
C. As the distance traveled increases, the average speed of the block increases.
D. As the height of the ramp is increased, the average speed of the block
decreases.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 27
Refer to the Block and Ramp scenario in Question 26, in your Answer
Document, name two forces that acted on the blocks as they slid down the
ramps.
Describe or show how each force you listed affected the motion of the block.
(4 points)
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 28
Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction
Students perform a chemistry experiment by mixing baking soda with vinegar.
They mix 4 grams of baking soda with 50 grams of vinegar in a 6-gram plastic
cup as shown below. The cup is left uncovered. The students record the
mass and temperature of the mixture every 5 seconds. They continue these
observations until 10 seconds after they see the mixture stop bubbling. Their
data are shown in the table below.
Question 28 continues on the next page.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
Question 28, continued.
Which graphs show the trends in the mass (M) and temperature (T) changes
during the baking soda and vinegar reaction shown in the diagram?
A.
B.
C.
D.
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009
8th Grade OAT items
Created by Brice Harris TCESC, Dec 2009