Process Skills Questions
4/8/LE
Observing
4
• The diagram shows four blocks on a balance
beam. All four blocks have the same mass.
• 38 Give one observation that shows side A
has more mass on it. [1]
4
• 39 The diagrams below show a dog and a
fish.
• Identify two body structures the fish has
that the dog does not have. [2]
• (1) __________
• (2) __________
8
• A student is given a ruler and a hand lens and asked to make
observations and inferences about a rock sample collected on a field trip.
The student wrote the nine statements below.
• 1. The rock is mostly gray with white speckles on the outside surface.
• 2. When acid is placed on the rock, a bubbling reaction occurs at the
white speckles.
• 3. The white speckles are probably the mineral calcite.
• 4. The rock probably formed in a water environment.
• 5. The rock measures 4 cm wide, 8 cm long, and 2 cm thick.
• 6. Fossil shells embedded in the rock can be seen with a hand lens.
• 7. If the rock is broken with a hammer, it will probably contain more fossil
shells within its interior.
• 8. The rock has a smooth surface.
• 9. The smooth surface is most likely the result of weathering and erosion
over many years.
• 77 List the numbers of the five student statements that are observations.
[1]
8
• 73 The diagram below shows a one-celled
organism reproducing. This is an example
of asexual reproduction. What information
in the diagram supports this statement? [1]
• 50 Fill in all of the blanks in parts 2 and 3 of the dichotomous key below,
so that it contains information that could be used to identify the four
animals shown below. [2]
•
Dichotomous Key
• 1. a. Leg present……………………… Go to 2
• b. Legs not present…………………… Go to 3
•
Characteristic
• 2. a. _____________
•
b. _____________
• 3. a. _____________
•
b. _____________
Organism
........... _____________
........... _____________
........... _____________
........... _____________
LE
LE
• 78 Describe what will happen to red onion
cells in a wet-mount slide when a saltwater
solution is added to them. [1]
Classifying
4
• 32 Identify property C. [1] __________
• 33 Identify property D. [1] __________
4
• 34 The blocks can be sorted based on the property of shape. The two
boxes below are labeled Triangles and Not Triangles. Sort the
blocks by writing the letter of each block in the box where it belongs.
[1]
• 35 Identify the property used to sort all of the blocks into the two
groups shown below. [1] Property: _____________________
8
•
•
•
4 The diagram below shows two different organisms, a dog and a cat.
Which phrase best describes the classification of
these two organisms?
•
•
•
•
(1) same kingdom, same species
(2) same kingdom, different species
(3) different kingdoms, different species
(4) different kingdoms, same species
8
•
55 List two structures that are found in both plant and animal cells. [1]
•
•
(1) ______________________________
(2) ______________________________
LE
• 34 Which model best represents the
relationship between a cell, a nucleus, a
gene, and a chromosome?
LE
• 35 A researcher recently discovered a new
species of bacteria in the body of a
tubeworm living near a hydrothermal vent.
He compared the DNA of this new bacterial
species to the DNA of four other species of
bacteria. The DNA sequences came from
the same part of the bacterial chromosome
of all four species. According to these data,
the unknown bacterial species is most
closely related to
• (1) species I (3) species III
• (2) species II (4) species IV
Measuring
4
• 35 The diagram below
shows a Fahrenheit
thermometer in a
classroom.
• What is the air
temperature shown on the
thermometer? [1]
• _________ °F
4
• 36 A student uses a pan balance to compare the
masses of an orange, an apple, and a pear. Using
the same orange, the student compared its mass to
the mass of the pear and then to the mass of the
apple. The results are shown in the diagrams
below. In the spaces below, list the three fruits in
order from the least mass to the greatest mass. [1]
8
• 21 Which instrument could be used to
determine the volume of an irregularly
shaped solid?
8
• 57 The diagram below
shows a rock being
placed in a graduated
cylinder containing
water.
• What is the volume of
the rock? Note: 1 mL
= 1 cm3. [1]
• ___________ cm3
LE
• 31 What is the approximate length of the
earthworm shown in the diagram below?
• (1) 9 mm
• (2) 90 mm
(3) 10.6 cm
(4) 106 cm
LE
• 31 A laboratory procedure calls for heating
50 milliliters of a sugar solution to 60°C.
Which piece of laboratory equipment will not
be needed?
•
•
•
•
(1) protective eyewear
(2) ruler
(3) thermometer
(4) graduated cylinder
Inferring
• 16 The sunrise and sunset times for three days in February
are recorded in the chart below.
• Which statement is an accurate conclusion based on this
information?
• A There are more hours of daylight as the month goes by.
• B There are fewer hours of daylight as the month goes by.
• C The Sun rises later as the month goes by.
• D The Sun sets earlier as the month goes by.
4
•
35 A student hung three wet shirts in the sun to dry, shirts A, B, and C. The
student predicted that shirt B would dry the fastest. The data table below
shows the results.
•
Drying Time of Shirts
•
•
•
Do the results agree with the prediction that shirt B would dry fastest?
Circle one: Yes No
Use the data in the table to explain your answer. [1]
8
• During an experiment, a strip of magnesium (Mg) metal wrapped around
a nichrome (nonreactive) wire is placed in a flask. The nichrome wire
outside the flask is insulated. The contents of the flask are sealed off
from the environment with a rubber stopper. When the nichrome wire is
connected to a battery, an electric current passes through the wire,
causing a white powder called magnesium oxide (MgO) to form.
• 16 The flask and its contents had a mass of 120 grams before the
experiment and a mass of 120 grams after the experiment. Which
conclusion can best be made from these measurements?
• (1) A phase change took place. (3) Matter was conserved.
• (2) Energy was destroyed. (4) New elements were formed.
8
•
37 The diagram below shows the life cycle of a liver fluke.
•
•
•
This diagram shows that the liver fluke
(1) depends on other organisms for survival (3) completes its life cycle in the snail
(2) dies when it enters the fish (4) survives at very high temperatures
LE
• 13 When antibiotics were first developed, most infectious
diseases could be controlled by them. Today, certain
bacteria are resistant to many antibiotics. One possible
explanation for this change is that
• (1) the antibiotics killed most of the bacteria that did not
have a genetic variation for resistance
• (2) the bacteria needed to change in order to produce
more antibiotics
• (3) some of the bacteria learned how to resist the
antibiotics
• (4) antibiotics have become weaker over the years
LE
• 21 What will most likely occur if two different
plant species compete for the same
requirements in an ecosystem?
• (1) They will usually develop different
requirements.
• (2) One species may adapt to a different
environment.
• (3) One species may be eliminated from that
ecosystem.
• (4) They will alter the environment so that they
can both survive in that ecosystem.
Predicting
4
• 12 A student measured the volume of
water in a pan. The student boiled the
water for thirty minutes and then
measured the volume of the water again.
The volume of water most likely
• A decreased
• B increased
• C remained the same
4
• 29 The data table below shows the height of a bean plant over a
three-month period. The height of the plant is recorded in
centimeters (cm).
•
•
•
•
•
If the pattern shown continues, the height of the plant in June will be
A 6 cm
B 12 cm
C 14 cm
D 19 cm
8
• 58 The table below lists four changes to the materials in the
diagram. Will the changes cause the distance the wooden platform
moves to decrease, increase, or remain the same? For each change
in the left column, circle your answer in the right column. [3]
8
•
73 What would happen to the metal paper clip if the string were cut? [1]
•
74 Explain how this diagram would be different if the paper clip was made of
plastic. [1]
LE
• A park with a small lake is home to a population
of ducks. The building of a housing complex
eliminates a nearby pond. Soon other ducks and
waterbirds like geese and egrets come to live at
this small lake.
• 58 Predict one way the new populations of birds
may affect the populations of plants that live in
and around the lake. [1]
LE
• 33 The diagram below represents a species of
bee that helps one type of orchid plant reproduce
by carrying pollen on structure X from one orchid
flower to another. Pollination by this species of
bee is the only way the orchid can reproduce. If
this bee species dies out, this orchid species
would most likely
• (1) cease to exist
• (2) find another animal to carry the pollen
• (3) flower at a different time of year
• (4) develop another way to reproduce
Communicating
4
• 38 Complete the chart below by describing
one way that some trees respond to each
change in season listed. [2]
4
• 40 Diagrams A and B below show the same bar magnet
attracting the same
• paper clip from two different distances.
• Explain why the bar magnet attracts the paper clip with
more force in diagram B than in diagram A. [1]
80 Use the data in the table to
construct a line graph on the grid
below. Using an X for each point, plot
the data for the age and average
height of females. Connect the Xs
with a line. [2]
8
8
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•
•
•
•
46 The locations for August 29 through September 5 have been plotted on the hurricane
tracking chart.
Plot the five remaining locations of Hurricane Betsy shown on the data table by following the
directions below.
a Place an X for each remaining location of Hurricane Betsy from September 6 through
September 10. [1]
b Label each X with the appropriate date. [1]
c Connect the Xs using straight lines to show the continuing path of Hurricane Betsy. [1]
LE
• 51 In the space
below, sketch a
chemical molecule
that might be
released from nerve
• cell A and be
recognized and bind
to area I of nerve
cell B. [1]
LE
• 60 A population of bats feeds on flying insects.
Some of these bats have a gene that results in
much stronger flight muscles than those of the other
bats in the area. Explain how this variation could
lead to evolutionary change within this species of
bat. In your answer, be sure to include an
explanation of:
• competition within the bat population [1]
• survival of various individuals within the bat
population [1]
• how the frequency of the trait for stronger flight
muscles would be expected to
• change within the bat population over time [1]
• Extras
4
• 16 The diagram below shows several
objects.
• Which objects in the picture are
nonliving?
• A tree and rope
• B tire and rope
• C grass and tire
• D grass and tree
4
• 40 A scientist studied a population of deer
in an area. One year later, half of the deer
population had moved to another area.
Identify two factors that might have
caused the deer to move. [2]
• (1) __________________________
• (2) __________________________
4
• 17 Apple trees can live for many years, but
bean plants usually live for only a few
months. This statement suggests that
• A different plants have different life spans
• B plants depend on other plants
• C plants produce many offspring
• D seasonal changes help plants grow
8
• 38 The diagram below shows water being
heated in a flask. The flask has a rubber stopper
with a glass tube extending through it. The
current level of the water in the glass tube is
indicated. The temperature of the water is 25°C.
If heating continues, the water in the glass tube
will most likely
• (1) turn into a solid
• (2) become more dense
• (3) move into the flask
• (4) rise higher in the tube
4
• 22 The diagram below shows a plastic cup
floating in a container of water. If some
marbles are placed in the cup, the water
level will
• A decrease
• B increase
• C remain the same