8th Grade Science TCAP Practice

The diagram represents a section of Earth that a paleontologist, a scientist who studies fossils, has been working with for years. Which statement correctly describes this diagram?

• Layer W contains fossils of organisms that existed on Earth after the organisms found in layers U and R.

• Layer U contains fossils of organisms that are older than the organisms found in layer R.

• Layers W and U contain fossils that are animal species.

• . Layers R and W contain fossils that are both types of plant species.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

When the solar system was very young, the sun was just being formed and planets had not yet been made. The solar system was mostly gas and dust. Which statement best explains how planets formed in the early solar system?

• Planets formed from magnetism in space that interacted with light from the stars.

• Planets formed from large asteroids that had broken apart.

• Planets formed from molten metal in volcanic eruptions.

• Planets formed from small amounts of debris that were attracted together because of gravity

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Some scientists compared fossils of the common ancestor of horses with modern horses. The table shows what the scientists found during their analysis. The scientists claim that modern horses are better adapted for survival in the present-day environment than the common ancestor would have been. Which two statements best support this claim?

• Organisms that have hooves are more likely to reproduce.

• Organisms with multiple toes are easily seen by predators, so parents choose not to pass the trait on to their offspring.

• Organisms with four legs will develop a hoof because of the need to balance on four legs.

• Organisms will acquire helpful traits from their surroundings to survive.

• Organisms that have hooves are able to live in a variety of habitats.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Students are using balloons to describe the expanding universe model. The students blow up several balloons and put them on the floor. Each balloon represents a different galaxy. How should the students move or change the balloons to demonstrate how the universe is expanding?

• All of the balloons should be moved to the center of the floor.

• Each balloon should be inflated more so that they are all increasing in size.

• Each balloon should be deflated so that there is more distance between the surface of each balloon.

• All of the balloons should be moved away from each other so there is more distance between them.

Farmers have cultivated five different vegetable crops by artificially selecting for certain traits from the wild mustard plant. This table lists information about five different vegetables that originated from the wild mustard plant. Which statement is correct about the development of these vegetables through artificial selection?

• They resulted from a characteristic of the mustard plant that was changed or enhanced by the selective cultivation.

• They resulted from the exposure to extreme temperatures and ultraviolet sun rays.

• They were created over one generation when crossbreeding took place between two different varieties of vegetables.

• They stopped forming additional varieties at the end of a growth cycle.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

The diagram shows rainwater traveling underground. Depending on how far down the water travels into the ground, it can take centuries (hundreds of years) or even millennia (thousands of years). The pumped well is where groundwater is taken out of the ground. The darker-colored layers underground are layers of permeable rock. The lighter-colored layers underground are sources of groundwater. Using the diagram, which three statements about groundwater are correct?

• The water for the well is provided by underground water from the uppermost layer.

• The water available to the pumped well uses only water stored for days and years.

• If rain falls on the recharge area, it may take centuries or millennia to sink to the lowest storage levels.

• The water pumped from the well will be replaced immediately from the water in all the layers beneath it

• Pumping a large amount of water from the well will have almost no effect on the amount of water available for vegetation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Of the three waves shown, Wave 2 has the greatest

• wave speed, because it has more crests than the other ropes.

• frequency, because it has a larger wavelength than the other ropes.

• wave speed, because the rope is moving up and down faster than the other ropes.

• frequency, because there are more crests in the same length of rope than there are in the other waves.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

A student plots the magnetic field of a bar magnet using a compass. The student centers the bar magnet in the middle of a piece of paper and uses the compass to plot points around the magnet. Which diagram best shows the magnetic field around a bar magnet?

• 
• 
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Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-3

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

Diagram 1 shows dark-shaded areas of three continents that contain similar ancient rock structures. Diagram 2 shows similar fossils that were found on landforms. Both diagrams show the different continents arranged as scientists believe they might have existed before they moved apart because of continental drift.

Which statement is correct based on the information provided in the two diagrams?

• The diagrams both provide support for the theory that the continents have always been fixed in their current positions.

• The diagrams have little relationship to each other, as some of the land areas shown on the diagrams are in different positions.

• The diagrams support each other by offering two separate sources of evidence that support the past shapes and positions of the landforms.

• The diagrams provide support for the conclusion that the process of continental drift ended when the continents reached their current positions.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A student read in a science magazine that magnets can be made by using an iron nail, copper wire, and a battery. These magnets are called “electromagnets” because they use electricity to generate their magnetic effect. The magnetic force of these magnets can be tested according to their ability to pick up metal paper clips. The student read that motors and electromagnets use the same basic principle to operate. The student conducted two investigations to see how these electromagnets work. In the first investigation, the student made an electromagnet and then performed some tests. The materials that were used are listed. The student performed two tests. In the first test, the student taped the ends of the wire to the battery. Several paper clips were moved close to the nail and the student recorded how many paper clips the nail picked up. In the second test, the wire was wrapped around the nail 20 times. The results are shown in the table.

Based on the information given, which part of Investigation #2 is most likely the independent variable?

• the type of wire

• the number of coils

• the size of the battery

• the strength of the magnet

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-3