Grade 8 Released Test Items

Grade 8 Released Test Items: Life Science Page 19

Grade 8 RELEASED test ITEMS

REPORTING CATEGORY: Life Science

Grade 8 Released Test Items: Life Science Page 19

DIRECTIONS

Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. Then mark the space in the answer booklet for the answer you have chosen.

1 Which of the following is an example of a decomposer at work in the food web?

A A tree growing in a field

B A grasshopper eating leaves

C A seagull catching a fish

D A fungus growing on a log

2 Which type of characteristics can be inherited?

F Those controlled by genes

G Those caused by accidents

H Those produced by exercise

J Those produced by diet

Which of these species would be most in danger of becoming extinct if one of their food sources became unavailable?

A Brown bear

B Panda

C Polar bear

D Black bear

4 Which of the following organisms break down dead material and the substances to the environment?

F Grasshopper and worm

G Grass and algae

H Bacteria and fungi

J Snake and grasshopper

In the food web shown, which of the following consumers eats only producers?

A Hawk

B Owl

C Fox

D Mouse

6 Which of these best completes the statement about the interaction of the respiratory system with the circulatory system? The lungs add —

F nutrients to the blood

G bile to the blood

H oxygen to the blood

J carbon dioxide to the blood

7 Asexual reproduction involves only one parent. The offspring of this type of reproduction have —

A DNA identical to the DNA of the parent

B DNA that is different from the parent

C one-half of the DNA of the parent

D DNA that is incomplete

8 Which of these is due entirely to inheritance in humans?

F Reading skill

G Eye color

H Endurance

J Broken bones

This experiment was set up to test the hypothesis that plants grow faster in green light. The same amount of water and fertilizer were added to each pot. Which of these would improve the experiment?

A Use green lights for all three plants

B Add more types of plants

C Use the same kind of plant in all trials

D Use different pots for each plant

10 Which biome contains large populations of grazing herbivores, few species of birds, and deep, rich soil?

F A taiga

G A tundra

H A deciduous forest

J A grassland

The picture represents five red blood cells seen through a microscope. The lines represent a scale also visible through the microscope. Each division on the scale represents one micrometer. Use the scale to estimate the diameter of the average red blood cell.

A 4—5 micrometers

B 7—8 micrometers

C 10—11 micrometers

D 12—13 micrometers

12 Which of these has the greatest influence over how big a baby elephant will grow?

F The amount of oxygen in the air

G The amount of food available

H The size of the trees in the jungle

J The type of grass on the plains

Ranchers historically have used genetics to produce new varieties of cattle. Buffalo can tolerate both hot and cold temperatures but have meat that is not as tasty and tender as beef. Cattle that are subjected to severe temperature extremes produce meat that is neither tender nor good-tasting. What good qualities might a “beefalo” (cross between cattle and buffalo) possess?

A Animals that tolerate heat and cold but do not have good-tasting meat

B Animals with good-tasting meat but not tolerance to heat

C Animals that tolerate heat and cold and have good-tasting meat

D Animals that tolerate cold but do not have good-tasting meat

The picture shows a pond ecosystem. What would most likely happen if all the lily plants were removed from this community?

F There would be more oxygen in the air.

G The pond water currents would be slower.

H There would be more kinds of animals in the pond.

J The animals would have fewer places to hide.

15 A group of people were concerned about a new coal-burning power plant that might be built in their neighborhood. What is probably their main concern?

A Burning coal produces more heat than burning wood.

B The heat from burning coal can drive generators that produce electricity.

C Burning coal produces sulfur dioxide which contributes to acid rain.

D There is more coal in the earth than there is oil and gas.

16 Which of the following do typical plant cells have that typical animal cells do not?

F Cytoplasm

G Nuclei

H Mitochondria

J Chloroplasts

The relationship between the algae and the frog may be described as —

A consumer → producer

B consumer → decomposer

C producer → consumer

D producer → decomposer

18 Which of these could cause a decrease in the number of squirrels in a population?

F An increase in cooperation with birds in the area

G An increase in the squirrels’ territory

H An increase in competition with other nut-eating animals

J An increase in the squirrels’ food supply

What is next in this series?

A Habitats

B Organisms

C Systems

D Organelles

Which process is the foundation for the food web?

F Evaporation

G Condensation

H Photosynthesis

J Movement

21 Which of the following is produced as a result of photosynthesis?

A Heat

B Water

C Oxygen

D Carbon dioxide

The loss of which of these would have the least effect on the water cycle?

F Soil

G Rivers

H Animals

J Plants

23 A tick that feeds on the blood of animals is a —

A predator

B host

C competitor

D parasite

24 How are humans classified within a food chain?

F Producers

G Consumers

H Decomposers

J Manufacturers

Which of these best shows what is happening to the cell in pure water?

26 Which level of organization below is the most basic or primary level of organization?

F Cell

G Tissue

H Organ

J Organ system

These birds all live in Virginia. One of the bird’s main sources of food is the nectar inside long, trumpet-shaped flowers. A second bird eats mostly rodents. The third bird often is seen pecking into the bark of the local trees to get the insects just inside. Which of the following lists has correctly matched the pictured birds with their diets?

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird–nectar; Red-tailed Hawk–insects; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker–rodents

B Ruby-throated Hummingbird–insects; Red-tailed Hawk–nectar; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker–rodents

C Ruby-throated Hummingbird–rodents; Red-tailed Hawk–nectar; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker–insects

D Ruby-throated Hummingbird–nectar; Red-tailed Hawk–rodents; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker–insects

28 Most of the hereditary information within the cell is carried in the —

F ribosomes

G vacuoles

H chromosomes

J Golgi bodies

The sea urchin shown has radial symmetry. This means that its body parts are —

A equally arranged around a central point

B designed to function in seawater

C likely to be reformed if any part of the body is damaged

D able to function on land and in the water

Suppose that in a certain area, mice are the main food source for wolves. Based on the graph, in which year would there be the least amount of competition among wolves for food?

F 1975

G 1980

H 1985

J 1990

Some snapdragon seeds were studied in the experiment above. The seeds were placed in a dish lined with a moist paper towel. Which of these is the independent (manipulated) variable in this experiment?

A The type of seed

B The amount of water used

C The number of sprouts

D The temperature of each dish

32 Which amphibian is most aquatic?

33 Which of these processes helps extract energy from food?

A Reproduction

B Digestion

C Excretion

D Circulation

34 Some students counted the birds in an area. They counted the number of species present and the number of birds in each species. Which of these would be best to use to report the results?

According to this diagram, both of these fish —

A eat bacteria

B give off toxic wastes

C take in minerals through their gills

D get their energy from other animals

36 Lions usually live in prides made up of a few adult females, an adult male, and some younger lions. The females hunt together and the kill is shared with the pride. The lions’ method of hunting best illustrates —

F cooperation

G competition

H territoriality

J parasitism

37 Plants release oxygen into the air as a result of photosynthesis. Which of these do plants need for photosynthesis?

A Carbon dioxide

B Nitrogen

C Methane

D Hydrogen

The primary producer in the ecosystem above is the —

F plant

G rabbit

H hawk

J fox

39 The island of Guam had no native snake species until the brown tree snake was introduced. What effect did this egg-eating snake have on the native bird populations?

A Bird populations were not affected by the snake’s introduction.

B Bird populations increased as the birds preyed on the snakes.

C Bird populations decreased as the snakes fed on the bird eggs.

D Bird populations increased as the snakes eliminated predators.

40 In which of the following environments would you expect to find the greatest number of different species of plants and animals per square mile?

F An island near the South Pole

G A wheat field in North Dakota

H A pasture on a Virginia farm

J A tropical rain forest in Panama

The picture shows dinosaur tracks found in rocks. How many dinosaurs left their tracks here?

A 2

B 4

C 14

D 24

42 John and Emily were experimenting with the effects of road salt on plant growth. To do this, they watered plants daily with the same amount of salt water. They could best improve their experiment by —

F increasing the amount of salt added to the water each day

G cooling the salt water before watering the plants

H adding food color to see how far the salt penetrates the plants

J watering half the plants with pure water and half with salt water

43 Sponges are classified as animals because they cannot —

A move from place to place

B make their own food

C get rid of waste products

D catch their own food

The picture shows the growth curve of a bacterial population. According to this information, the bacterial population doubles every —

F 3 minutes

G 20 minutes

H 30 minutes

J 60 minutes

45 Which of the following are characteristics of the most productive ecological environment?

A Stable temperatures and high rainfall amounts

B Hot temperatures and low rainfall amounts

C Cold temperatures and low rainfall amounts

D Low temperatures and high rainfall amounts

Lemmings are small mammals that experience a population explosion about once every four years. Snowy owls eat lemmings. Which of these statements is supported by the data in this graph?

F The snowy owls are becoming extinct.

G Lemmings live much longer than snowy owls.

H The habitat of the lemmings is continuously decreasing in size.

J The snowy owl population increases because of an increase in lemmings.

47 The kangaroo rat is able to get all of the water it needs through its food and, therefore, never needs to drink liquids. This animal has adapted to survive in which biome?

A Forest

B Tundra

C Desert

D Grassland

The chart shows the results of an experiment to test the effects of different plant lights on plant seedling growth. Which group of plants showed the greatest gain in height?

F Group 1

G Group 2

H Group 3

J Group 4

49 In which biome would you find the most variety of life?

A Tundra

B Desert

C Grassland

D Rain forest

50 Which of these processes in the water cycle causes dew to form in the morning?

F Condensation

G Evaporation

H Transpiration

J Precipitation

Which of these populations is most likely to increase if the number of grasshoppers decreases?

A Plant

B Frog

C Praying mantis

D Owl

52 Northern garter snakes exhibit a unique behavior in which they gather in deep dens by the hundreds or thousands. They then coil together in a huge ball. This behavior could help to —

F reduce heat loss

G increase camouflage

H locate food sources

J increase oxygen consumption

53 A plant’s green color is due to the presence of which organelle?

A Chloroplast

B Nucleus

C Mitochondrion

D Vacuole A B

Scientists have spent many years studying the peppered moth, which is a species that has adapted its color from light to dark in reaction to environmental pollution. Which of the following line graphs represents the data from the table?

55 Mendel’s early work with pea plants demonstrated a significant genetic discovery. The crossing of homozygous tall pea plants with homozygous short pea plants always resulted in tall plants and demonstrated that tallness in pea plants is a trait that is —

A blended

B dominant

C mutated

D recessive

56 Because burning fossil fuels creates much pollution, alternatives are being investigated. What might limit the use of wind as a major energy source?

F The strength of the wind varies.

G Wind machines have huge blades to capture the wind.

H Turbines and generators in the wind machines create electricity.

J Wind power does not create pollution.

The picture above illustrates the habitat of a population of animals and its distance from the nearest water source. How far does an animal have to travel to obtain water?