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Quest: 8th Grade Science Assessment

Back to the SSA page.

Here are some science questions from the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Standards to help you test your knowledge of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time you reload the page.

* Click here to see only the most recently added questions.



Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of ALL mammals?

  1. All mammals have hair.

    No. All mammals DO have hair. Even whales and dolphins have some hair on their skin.
  2. All mammals give birth to live young.

    Yes! While most species of mammals give birth to live young, a few (platypus, echidna) lay eggs.
  3. All mammals have mammary glands.

    No. All mammals DO have mammary glands. In females, these glands can produce milk to feed their young.
  4. All mammals have three bones in their inner ear.

    No. All mammals DO have three bones in their inner ear. These bones are called the malleus, the incus, and the stapes. They transfer vibration from the ear drum to the inner ear.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.3.L.15.1 Classify animals into major groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods, vertebrates and invertebrates, those having live births and those which lay eggs) according to their physical characteristics and behaviors.
Feathers video, checked
A Walk in the Park video, checked
Scientific Names video, ClosedCaptions
Review Classify-2 practice
Review Classify-1 practice
Review Classify-3 practice

SC.6.L.15.1 Analyze and describe how and why organisms are classified according to shared characteristics with emphasis on the Linnaean system combined with the concept of Domains.
Scientific Names video, ClosedCaptions
Review Classify-2 practice
Review Classify-1 practice
Review Classify-3 practice

Utah


UT.4.V.3.b Use a simple classification system to classify unfamiliar Utah plants or animals (e.g., fish/amphibians/reptile/bird/mammal, invertebrate/vertebrate, tree/shrub/grass, deciduous/conifers).
A Walk in the Park video, checked
Scientific Names video, ClosedCaptions
Review Classify-2 practice
Review Classify-1 practice
Review Classify-3 practice

UT.7.V.2.c Generalize rules for classification.
Scientific Names video, ClosedCaptions
Review Classify-2 practice
Review Classify-1 practice
Review Classify-3 practice

NGSS

Which planet is closest to the Earth?

  1. The Moon

    No. The Moon is not a planet.
  2. Mars

    Sometimes, but not always.
  3. Venus

    Sometimes, but not always.
  4. It varies with time.

    Yes. As the planets move around the Sun, their distance from the Earth varies. On different dates, the closest planet may be Mars, Venus, or Mercury.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.5.E.5.2 Recognize the major common characteristics of all planets and compare/contrast the properties of inner and outer planets.

>>> Teacher Page: Our Solar System

Making a Scale Model of the Solar System video, ClosedCaptions
Planets and Pennies video, ClosedCaptions
Review Space-4 practice

SC.8.E.5.7 Compare and contrast the properties of objects in the Solar System including the Sun, planets, and moons to those of Earth, such as gravitational force, distance from the Sun, speed, movement, temperature, and atmospheric conditions.
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System video, ClosedCaptions
Global Science video, ClosedCaptions
Planets and Pennies video, ClosedCaptions
Review Space-4 practice
Review Space-11 practice

Utah


UT.6.III.1.c Use models and graphs that accurately depict scale to compare the size and distance between objects in the solar system.

NGSS


MS-ESS1-3 Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System video, ClosedCaptions
Global Science video, ClosedCaptions
Planets and Pennies video, ClosedCaptions
How Far is That Planet? text page
Review Space-3 practice
Review Space-2 practice
Review Space-4 practice

This wasp is hunting the caterpillars that are eating this plant. Which of these is NOT a consumer?

  1. The plant

    Yes! The plant is a producer, not a consumer. Producers make their own food.
  2. The caterpillar

    No. The caterpillar is a consumer because it eats the plant.
  3. The plant and the caterpillar

    No. The caterpillar is a consumer.
  4. The caterpillar and the wasp

    No. Consumers eat other organisms. Both the caterpillar and the wasp consume other living things, making them both consumers.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.4.L.17.3 Trace the flow of energy from the Sun as it is transferred along the food chain through the producers to the consumers.
Scavengers and Decomposers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Food Web Tag text page
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Review Food Web-7 practice
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice
Review Food Web-2 practice
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice

SC.7.L.17.1 Explain and illustrate the roles of and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web.
Scavengers and Decomposers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Measuring Calories video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Food Web Tag text page
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice
Review Food Web-7 practice
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice
Review Food Web-2 practice
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice

Utah


UT.8.II.2.a Categorize the relationships between organisms (i.e., producer/consumer/decomposer, predator/prey, mutualism/parasitism) and provide examples of each.
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Review Food Web-12 practice
Review Food Web-2 practice
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice
Review Food Web-7 practice
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice
Review Food Web-11 practice

NGSS


5-PS3-1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
Scavengers and Decomposers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
Measuring Photosynthesis video, checked
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Measuring Calories video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Calories: Measuring the Energy text page, free
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice
Review Food Web-7 practice
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice
Review Food Web-2 practice

5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
Scavengers and Decomposers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
Secondary Consumers video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
Producers video, free, Updated, checked
Primary Consumers video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked
What is a Food Web? text page, free, checked
Review Food Web-8 practice
Review Food Web-9 practice
Review Food Web-10 practice
Review Food Web-2 practice
Review Food Web-1 practice
Review Food Web-3 practice
Review Food Web-4 practice
Review Food Web-5 practice
Review Food Web-6 practice
Review Food Web-7 practice

How can there be rain if this area is a desert?

Answer:

It is important to understand the difference between climate and weather. Weather is what is happening now. Climate is determined by looking at the weather data over a long period of time, often several decades. To be classified as a desert climate, the area has an average annual rainfall of 7.87 inches of rain or less. That tells us that it does sometimes have rain, just not very often.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.2.L.17.2 Recognize and explain that living things are found all over Earth, but each is only able to live in habitats that meet its basic needs.
Hunting with an Umbrella video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
A Walk in the Park video, checked
Review Weather-9 practice

SC.5.E.7.6 Describe characteristics (temperature and precipitation) of different climate zones as they relate to latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water.

SC.6.E.7.2 Investigate and apply how the cycling of water between the atmosphere and hydrosphere has an effect on weather patterns and climate.
Cloud Types video
Nephoscope video, checked
The Water Cycle video, checked
Weather and Climate video
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-8 practice
Review Weather-9 practice
Review Weather-10 practice

SC.6.E.7.6 Differentiate between weather and climate.

Utah


UT.4.V.1.a Compare the physical characteristics (e.g., precipitation, temperature, and surface terrain) of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts.

UT.4.V.1.c Locate examples of areas that have characteristics of wetlands, forests, or deserts in Utah.

NGSS


MS-ESS2-6 Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
Cloud Formation, part 2 video
Global Science video, ClosedCaptions
Weather and Climate video
Review Weather-9 practice

3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

What do you have to do to replicate an experiment?

  1. You do the same experiment several times.

    No. Doing the same experiment several times is repetition, not replication.
  2. You do the same experiment that someone else did.

    Yes. By replicating an experiment exactly, you should get the same results as the original experiment.
  3. You do an improved version of someone's experiment.

    For replication, you do the experiment exactly as the original scientist did, without making any changes.
  4. You look for errors in someone's experiment.

    The purpose of replication is to verify, not to look for errors.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.2.N.1.4 Explain how particular scientific investigations should yield similar conclusions when repeated.

SC.5.N.2.2 Recognize and explain that when scientific investigations are carried out, the evidence produced by those investigations should be replicable by others.

>>> Teacher Page: Nature of Science and Dissolving


SC.6.N.1.2 Explain why scientific investigations should be replicable.

SC.7.N.1.2 Differentiate replication (by others) from repetition (multiple trials).

SC.8.N.1.2 Design and conduct a study using repeated trials and replication.

Utah

NGSS


The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time you reload the page.