Middle School Science M-Step Practice

Mark sliced a plant’s stem into various sections and placed them under a microscope. He noticed that each of the sections had identical cell formations, which created tube-like structures in the stem.
A main function of the stem is to:

• absorb minerals from the soil.
• transport food and water.
• protect against diseases.
• capture sunlight for photosynthesis.

• Use many seeds to conduct the experiment.
• Start the samples on different days.
• Use different amounts of water.
• Place the seeds in new locations.

• Layer 4
• Layer 3
• Layer 2
• Layer 1

Which process will produce igneous rocks?

• deposition of sediments
• volcanic action
• earthquake activity
• erosion of surface rocks

Cindy dissected a flowering plant and looked at the stem, roots, leaves, and flower using a microscope. After her observations, Cindy should conclude that all flowering plant structures

• are not living.
• have the same function.
• have cells.
• are green.

Some insects consume nectar from flowering plants and help the plant by spreading pollen Which type of relationship between insects and plants does this demonstrate?

• parasitic
• competitive
• predator-prey
• mutually beneficial

• Sculpin and mosquito larvae populations would both increase.
• Sculpin and mosquito larvae populations would both decrease.
• The plankton population would decrease.
• The sculpin population would increase.

Which action would have the greatest impact on reducing river pollution in a farm area?

• planting crops that absorb less water
• plowing land earlier in the year
• controlling the use of fertilizer
• increasing irrigation of crops

Engineers have recently developed alternative fuels such as ethanol to power vehicles. Ethanol is a fuel that is made from corn or other crops including wheat, barley, and potatoes. E85 is a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.
The greatest environmental advantage to using E85 would be that

• it has gasoline mixed in it.
• it is used to power vehicles.
• it is made up mostly of renewable resources.
• it is made from crops that require powerful fertilizers.

Many lizards that live in Arizona are unable to live in Michigan. Which statement best explains why Arizona lizards have difficulty surviving in Michigan?

• They have the ability to live both on land and in the water.
• They are unable to live where temperatures are lower than 30°F (–1.1°C).
• They have the ability to live where temperatures are above 100°F (37.8°C).
• They are unable to live where there is no water