Mid Year Assessment

Scientists use a system called binomial nomenclature to classify organisms. For example, the goldfish is known as Carassius auratus. Each of the two names has a different significance. Which of the following correctly describes the meaning of the two names?

• Carassius is a distant evolutionary ancestor of the goldfish, while auratus is a more recent species.

• Carassius is a group of organisms with similar behavior, while auratus is a group with similar structures.

• Carassius is a group of organisms with similar external structures, while auratus is a group with similar internal structures.

• Carassius is a group of different organisms with similar structures, while auratus is a smaller group of members that can only breed with another auratus.

Chemists once believed that an atom was made of negative electrons dispersed inside a positive mass like raisins in pudding. An experiment with radiation and gold foil demonstrated that most of an atom was made of empty space. After this experiment, they adopted a new model of the atom that showed the electrons orbiting the nucleus of the atom from a distance. Which of the following statements about the new model is true?

• The new model is perfect and will not change.

• The new model is a wrong model and will not last.

• The new model fits the data worse than the old model.

• The new model fits the data better than the old model.

During the nineteenth century, biologists knew that South America and Africa contained similar fossils. These fossils led them to believe that a temporary land bridge between South America and Africa allowed ancient species to move between both continents. In the twentieth century, evidence showed that South America and Africa were once part of the same larger continent and that there were no land bridges between them. How should biologists respond to the new geological finding?

• Biologists should reject the geological finding, because it is new.

• Biologists should ask physicists what to do, because physics is a more exact science.

• Biologists should reject the belief in ancient species, because there were no land bridges.

• Biologists should update the history of life, because it should include the new geological finding.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Phyllis is calculating the path of a space probe that will travel to Pluto. On the way to Pluto, the probe will pass Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune. Which of those planets exerts the greatest gravitational force?

• Mars

• Saturn

• Jupiter

• Neptune

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

A basketball player jumps straight up to dunk a basketball. The basketball player’s speed increases as she returns to the ground. What is true about the forces acting on the basketball player?

• The upward force is greater than the downward force.

• The downward force is greater than the upward force.

• The rightward force is greater than the leftward force.

• The leftward force is greater than the rightward force.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

A stream carves a channel through soil rock by removing a few small particles of rock at a time. The stream water slows down when it enters a pond, allowing the rock particles to settle at the bottom of the pond. Pressure combines these particles into a solid rock. What is the new rock called?

• quartz rock

• igneous rock

• sedimentary rock

• metamorphic rock

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. Which theory does this pattern of geological phenomena support?

• weathering

• the rock cycle

• plate tectonics

• biological evolution

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

NGSS.HS-ESS2-1

Scientists have found many marine fossils on mountains far from any ocean or sea. What is the best explanation for these fossils?

• Meteors with marine fossils landed on the mountains.

• Wind carried fossils from the seashore to the mountains.

• The mountains were made out of land that was once below the ocean.

• Predators caught marine prey and carried it to the top of the mountains.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Where are most mountains on Earth formed?

• at volcanic chains

• at strike slip faults

• at mid-ocean ridges

• at convergent plate boundaries

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Scientists think that the position of the nostrils gives modern whales an evolutionary advantage. Which of the following most likely describes how this adaptation is advantageous?

• The nostril position allows whales to obtain air more easily at the surface of the water.

• The nostril position allows whales to obtain food more easily at the surface of the water.

• The space left empty by the migrating nostrils has allowed modern whales to develop gills.

• The space left empty by the migrating nostrils has allowed modern whales to develop teeth.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2