NYSTP Grade 8 Science

Last updated 8 months ago

53 questions

NYSTP Grade 8 Science

Last updated 8 months ago

53 questions

Base your answers to questions 1 through 5 on the information below and on your knowledge of science. 

Energy Transfer by Waves
                                          
The electromagnetic spectrum comprises all frequencies of electromagnetic radiation that transmit energy and travel in the form of waves. This spectrum has different portions with different characteristics. The portion of the spectrum that humans can see is called visible light. People use the electromagnetic spectrum every day. Car radios, cell phones, and microwave ovens are just a few examples of devices that use the electromagnetic spectrum.

Required

Base your answers to questions 6 through 11 on the information below and on your knowledge of science. 

Variation and Corn 

Through a variety of different processes, humans have used technology to alter the genetic make-up of wild plants and animals. Some of these altered organisms are used to produce more food. Early farmers observed that some plants had more favorable characteristics than others, such as being better-tasting, having more seeds, or being easier to grow. 

Early farmers collected the seeds from the best plants and used them in an attempt to improve their plants. Slowly, the plants were changed over generations to have more favorable traits. 

One example of a food crop that was altered around 9,000 years ago is corn. Teosinte is the early ancestor of corn. Teosinte is a large plant that has multiple branches with flowers that produce many structures that are not edible. Corn plants have only one main branch that produces flowers, which can develop into one or two large ears of corn that are edible.

Required

Base your answers to questions 12 through 16 on the information below and on your knowledge of science. 

Energy of Skateboarders 

Three skaters, who weighed between 88 pounds (40 kg) and 177 pounds (80 kg), went to a local skate park and each tried the half-pipe. A half-pipe is a U-shaped ramp, as shown below.

Required

Base your answers to questions 17 through 22 on the information provided and on your knowledge of science.

Reservoirs and Town Water Districts 

A town water district provides its residents with drinking water that is safe, plentiful, and able to meet all state and federal health standards. Town water districts obtain water from reservoirs (large bodies of water, such as lakes or ponds), town wells (where groundwater is pumped to the surface), and neighboring towns or cities. The town water district then processes the water received from multiple sources in a treatment plant to ensure it is safe to use. The water is then transported through pipes to homes and businesses. 

In order to maintain an adequate water supply for businesses, household use, and fire protection, a town water district may restrict water usage to ensure that sufficient water is available for residents and emergency services. In any system, some water is lost. Lost water leaves the system due to leaks, water main breaks, the flushing of hydrants, firefighting, theft, and water meter inaccuracy. A water meter measures the amount of water used in a building. 

One town water district located near Albany, New York, reported that approximately 100% of the buildings in this town have water meters. The average percentage of water lost in the United States is 16%. The town has been monitoring this lost water in their district. The data table below shows information about this town’s water usage over a period of five years.

Required

Base your answers to questions 23 through 27 on the information below and on your knowledge of science. 

Evolutionary Relationships 

The chart below shows the embryonic development of four organisms.

Required

Base your answers to questions 28 through 32 on the information below and on your knowledge of science. 

Gravitational Forces 

Students are investigating the factors that affect the strength of the gravitational force that one object exerts on another object. Students collected data using a computer simulation in order to find the strength of the gravitational force that object R exerted on object S. The masses of R and S, as well as the distance between the centers of R and S, were changed in order to find the effect of these changes on the strength of the gravitational force.

Required

Base your answers to questions 33 through 38 on the information below and on your knowledge of science. 

Death Valley 

Death Valley National Park, located on the border of California (CA) and Nevada (NV), is the largest national park in the continental U.S. It has the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below sea level and contains the driest desert in North America. Rock strata in the Death Valley region can provide evidence for the geologic history of the area. The oldest rocks are metamorphic and are approximately 1.7 billion years old. Sedimentary rocks in the valley region are about 500 million years old and are evidence that the area was the site of a warm shallow sea. Igneous rock layers are believed to range from 65.5 to about 2 million years old when volcanic ash and cinder from nearby volcanoes covered the region.

Required

Base your answers to questions 39 through 43 on the information below and on your knowledge of science. 

Respiration 

In order for athletes to run, bike, or hike long distances, more oxygen needs to be delivered to their cells. Athletes also need energy from food. Foods high in carbohydrates, such as sugar, provide this energy when the sugar and oxygen react to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy during cellular respiration. The chemical reaction for this process is modeled below.

Required

Base your answers to questions 44 through 48 on the information below and on your knowledge of science. 

Ecosystem of the Eastern Bluebird 

New York chose the Eastern Bluebird as the state bird in 1970. Bluebirds eat mostly insects and berries. They fly down to the ground or hover in mid-air to catch insects. In winter months when insects are less available, berries are an important food source. 

It is a migratory bird that is found in open woodlands, farmlands, and fruit orchards. In recent decades, the bluebird population has increased due to the conservation efforts of providing more birdhouses for nesting sites. These houses have been intentionally placed along “bluebird trails” that follow their migration. They typically fly to the southeast United States or Mexico in winter.

The model below represents a food web within an ecosystem which includes the bluebird.

Required

The house sparrow is another bird commonly found in New York State. These birds frequently take over the nests and destroy the eggs of other birds. Once a male house sparrow establishes a territory, he remains there year-round and defends that territory, preventing other bird species from building nests in the area. House sparrows eat mostly grains and seeds, but, in summer, will eat insects and feed them to their young.

Required

Base your answers to questions 49 through 53 on the information below and on your knowledge of science. 

The Chemistry of Propane 

Propane (C3H8) is a fl ammable gas at standard temperature and pressure. It can be compressed (put under pressure) and stored in steel containers as a liquid. Propane tanks are often used as the fuel source for barbecue grills, as well as residential (home) heating. A valve on the steel container releases the liquid propane, which vaporizes (turns into gas) when it is returned to standard temperature and pressure.

Required

	Found in Embryo Stage Only	Found in Adult Stage Only	Found in Both Embryo and Adult Stages
Chicken / Gill Pouches
Mouse / Four Limbs
Crocodile / Eyes
Snake / Colored Scales in a Pattern

	Found in Embryo Stage Only	Found in Adult Stage Only	Found in Both Embryo and Adult Stages
Chicken / Gill Pouches
Mouse / Four Limbs
Crocodile / Eyes
Snake / Colored Scales in a Pattern

NYSTP Grade 8 Science

NYSTP Grade 8 Science

Which claim best describes the relationship between the frequency and wavelength of waves in the electromagnetic spectrum?

A student wants to develop a model that demonstrates the transmission of waves. Which concept should the student include in the model to show how the transmission of visible light is different from the transmission of sound waves?

Based on the behavior of these visible light rays, which claim can be made about materials A or B?

Draw one arrow in a box to show the path of the light ray if the ray was reflected from the shiny metal surface at point X.

The model below shows sound waves being emitted from a cell phone.Explain what happens to the sound if the amplitude of the waves increases.

How were two traits altered that resulted in modern day corn plants?

Identify the type of technique (selective breeding or genetic engineering) used to produce corn from teosinte and cite the evidence in the information to support your choice.

Explain, in terms of offspring traits, why sexual reproduction and not asexual reproduction was used to produce corn plants from teosinte plants.

Adding the genetic material from the bacterium to the genetic material of the corn is an example of

Which change would not result in a new trait being seen in future generations of corn?

The graph indicates that the design solution of adding the Bt gene into corn plants helps protect the stability of an ecosystem by

Describe how the kinetic energy of the three skaters was affected as a result of the mass of each skater. Use quantitative information from any one ramp position on the graph to support your answer.

Which table summarizes the relationship between the speed of a skater and the skater’s kinetic energy?

Which statement explains how the model of the ramp shown would need to be modified in order to increase the potential energy of the skater at position 10?

Explain how these monitoring methods have made a positive impact on the total water used by comparing the data of 2014 to the data of 2018.

Which explanation identifies how past geologic processes are responsible for the distribution of water located in this town?

The location of a road next to the reservoir can pose problems for maintaining water quality and usage. Which argument describes a correct relationship between the need to put salt on roads to keep roads safe in winter and its impact on water quality of the nearby reservoir?

Determine the approximate amount of water, in feet, that has been lost from Lake Mead between January 2000 and June 2022, and based on the trend, describe one action that residents in the seven states could take to limit the negative effects of this change in water level.

Scientists have been using both global and local technologies to monitor the amount of water in the Colorado River Basin. The technologies have helped government agencies to conclude that

Which statement can be supported using evidence from the photographs in the Stages of Embryonic Development chart and the embryonic images?

The table below lists the four organisms and structures associated with these organisms. Place checkmarks (✔️) in the appropriate boxes to indicate if the structures are found in the Embryo Stage only, the Adult Stage only, or in both the Embryo and Adult stages.

Scientists have inferred that Baby Yingliang has a strong evolutionary relationship with the chicken. Identify two pieces of evidence that supports this inference.

Identify and explain how one specific behavior is thought to have helped dinosaurs increase the probability of successful reproduction.

Which pair of simulations can be used as evidence to support the claim that changing the masses of R and S, as well as changing the distance between the masses, affect the strength of the gravitational force that R exerts on S?

Which argument about mass, distance, and gravitational force can be made using evidence from the table?

Complete the model below by drawing one arrow, from the four choices given, in a box around each object to indicate the direction of the gravitational force that Earth exerts on GOES-14 and the direction of the gravitational force that GOES-14 exerts on Earth.

The force exerted on Hubble during a collision with space debris does not significantly affect the motion and location of this telescope. Which statement best explains this phenomenon?

Which list identifies the names of the missing processes, numbered 1 through 3, of the rock cycle?

Which two sources of energy are responsible for the cycling of Earth materials and the flow of energy, as shown in the rock cycle model?

Which piece of evidence would support the claim that Death Valley National Park is the result of past tectonic plate motions?

Identify one water cycle process that is directly responsible for the formation of the large mineral salt flats in Death Valley and explain how this process is driven by energy from the Sun.

Using the data as evidence, predict the season (spring, summer, fall, or winter) during which a flood is most likely to occur in Death Valley, California. Also, explain how the data provides evidence for your prediction.

Which statement is a reasonable action that could be taken by Death Valley Park officials to mitigate the effects of flash floods or flooding events for park visitors?

Identify the carbon-based molecule that is formed when a sugar molecule is rearranged during cellular respiration.

Use evidence from the model to explain how two organ systems work together to deliver oxygen to body cells for cellular respiration. Include both organ systems in your explanation.

Which organelle is represented in the model and is correctly paired with its function for the cell as a whole?

Which argument describes how the high altitude environment of the Himalayan region has affected the Sherpa population?

Natural selection has caused a genetic trait of Sherpas to change over a long period of time by

Which table shows a correct interaction that the bluebird has with another organism in this food web?

From the list of interactions below, identify the pattern of interaction that a house sparrow would have with a bluebird in a particular ecosystem. Describe two environmental factors that create this pattern of interaction. Interactions competition mutualism parasitism

Which evidence found on the maps supports the argument that changes to worldwide average temperatures affect the range of the Eastern bluebird?

How does the use of bluebird boxes on farms minimize the impact of pesticides on the environment?

How many different types of atoms make up one molecule of propane?

Provide evidence to support the claim that a chemical reaction has occurred during the combustion of propane.

The reaction for the burning of propane shows a conservation of matter because

The model below represents one molecule of propane.Draw a ball and stick model of one water molecule showing the correct orientation and arrangement of the individual atoms by arranging the symbols in the grid below. Symbols may be used more than once.

Which claim best describes the relationship between the frequency and wavelength of waves in the electromagnetic spectrum?

A student wants to develop a model that demonstrates the transmission of waves. Which concept should the student include in the model to show how the transmission of visible light is different from the transmission of sound waves?

Based on the behavior of these visible light rays, which claim can be made about materials A or B?

Draw one arrow in a box to show the path of the light ray if the ray was reflected from the shiny metal surface at point X.

The model below shows sound waves being emitted from a cell phone.Explain what happens to the sound if the amplitude of the waves increases.

How were two traits altered that resulted in modern day corn plants?

Identify the type of technique (selective breeding or genetic engineering) used to produce corn from teosinte and cite the evidence in the information to support your choice.

Explain, in terms of offspring traits, why sexual reproduction and not asexual reproduction was used to produce corn plants from teosinte plants.

Adding the genetic material from the bacterium to the genetic material of the corn is an example of

Which change would not result in a new trait being seen in future generations of corn?

The graph indicates that the design solution of adding the Bt gene into corn plants helps protect the stability of an ecosystem by

Describe how the kinetic energy of the three skaters was affected as a result of the mass of each skater. Use quantitative information from any one ramp position on the graph to support your answer.

Which table summarizes the relationship between the speed of a skater and the skater’s kinetic energy?

Which statement explains how the model of the ramp shown would need to be modified in order to increase the potential energy of the skater at position 10?

Explain how these monitoring methods have made a positive impact on the total water used by comparing the data of 2014 to the data of 2018.

Which explanation identifies how past geologic processes are responsible for the distribution of water located in this town?

The location of a road next to the reservoir can pose problems for maintaining water quality and usage. Which argument describes a correct relationship between the need to put salt on roads to keep roads safe in winter and its impact on water quality of the nearby reservoir?

Determine the approximate amount of water, in feet, that has been lost from Lake Mead between January 2000 and June 2022, and based on the trend, describe one action that residents in the seven states could take to limit the negative effects of this change in water level.

Scientists have been using both global and local technologies to monitor the amount of water in the Colorado River Basin. The technologies have helped government agencies to conclude that

Which statement can be supported using evidence from the photographs in the Stages of Embryonic Development chart and the embryonic images?

The table below lists the four organisms and structures associated with these organisms. Place checkmarks (✔️) in the appropriate boxes to indicate if the structures are found in the Embryo Stage only, the Adult Stage only, or in both the Embryo and Adult stages.

Scientists have inferred that Baby Yingliang has a strong evolutionary relationship with the chicken. Identify two pieces of evidence that supports this inference.

Identify and explain how one specific behavior is thought to have helped dinosaurs increase the probability of successful reproduction.

Which pair of simulations can be used as evidence to support the claim that changing the masses of R and S, as well as changing the distance between the masses, affect the strength of the gravitational force that R exerts on S?

Which argument about mass, distance, and gravitational force can be made using evidence from the table?

Complete the model below by drawing one arrow, from the four choices given, in a box around each object to indicate the direction of the gravitational force that Earth exerts on GOES-14 and the direction of the gravitational force that GOES-14 exerts on Earth.

The force exerted on Hubble during a collision with space debris does not significantly affect the motion and location of this telescope. Which statement best explains this phenomenon?

Which list identifies the names of the missing processes, numbered 1 through 3, of the rock cycle?

Which two sources of energy are responsible for the cycling of Earth materials and the flow of energy, as shown in the rock cycle model?

Which piece of evidence would support the claim that Death Valley National Park is the result of past tectonic plate motions?

Identify one water cycle process that is directly responsible for the formation of the large mineral salt flats in Death Valley and explain how this process is driven by energy from the Sun.

Using the data as evidence, predict the season (spring, summer, fall, or winter) during which a flood is most likely to occur in Death Valley, California. Also, explain how the data provides evidence for your prediction.

The model below shows sound waves being emitted from a cell phone.

Explain what happens to the sound if the amplitude of the waves increases.

From the list of interactions below, identify the pattern of interaction that a house sparrow would have with a bluebird in a particular ecosystem. Describe two environmental factors that create this pattern of interaction.

Interactions
competition
mutualism
parasitism

The model below represents one molecule of propane.

Draw a ball and stick model of one water molecule showing the correct orientation and arrangement of the individual atoms by arranging the symbols in the grid below. Symbols may be used more than once.

The model below shows sound waves being emitted from a cell phone.

Explain what happens to the sound if the amplitude of the waves increases.

From the list of interactions below, identify the pattern of interaction that a house sparrow would have with a bluebird in a particular ecosystem. Describe two environmental factors that create this pattern of interaction.

Interactions
competition
mutualism
parasitism

The model below represents one molecule of propane.

Draw a ball and stick model of one water molecule showing the correct orientation and arrangement of the individual atoms by arranging the symbols in the grid below. Symbols may be used more than once.