STAAR Science Grade 8 2017 - Past Paper
Quiz by Texas Education Agency
Grade 8
Science (2017)
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
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Measures 17 skills fromGrade 8Science (2017)Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
Measures 17 skills from
Grade 8
Science (2017)
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
8.5c
8.9b
8.8b
8.7b
8.11a
8.5a
8.6a
8.5d
8.6c
8.8a
8.11b
8.9c
8.6b
8.5b
8.7a
8.11c
8.10c
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43 questions
Show answers
- Q1A cook heats a meal in a microwave oven. What energy transformations occur between the microwave oven and the meal?Chemical energy → thermal energy → light energyElectrical energy → electromagnetic energy → thermal energyChemical energy → electromagnetic energy → chemical energyElectrical energy → light energy → chemical energy60sEditDelete
- Q2Students were asked to identify the location of elements in the periodic table based on clues printed on game cards. Based on the data, which periodic table shows the correct location of the four elements?#texas/ebf4b61e-8fbe-4c0b-9c17-489e5d067b7d/A.png#texas/ebf4b61e-8fbe-4c0b-9c17-489e5d067b7d/C.png#texas/ebf4b61e-8fbe-4c0b-9c17-489e5d067b7d/B.png#texas/ebf4b61e-8fbe-4c0b-9c17-489e5d067b7d/D.png60s8.5cEditDelete
- Q3Rift valleys can form when fractures in Earth’s crust widen. The valley walls slowly move at a rate of only a few millimeters a year. Which of these best describes the type of tectonic activity that forms rift valleys?Rift valleys form where two plates move away from each other.Rift valleys form where a continental plate moves under an oceanic plate.Rift valleys form where a plate slides horizontally past another plate.Rift valleys form where an oceanic plate moves under another oceanic plate.60s8.9bEditDelete
- Q4Part of a human body system is pictured. The main function of this system is to —transport oxygenremove wastecontrol reproductionproduce hormones60sEditDelete
- Q5A student learns that the sun is classified as a medium-size star and that many stars are much bigger and brighter. However, the student observes that other stars look very dim, even through a telescope. Why do other stars look much dimmer than the sun?Other stars are made up of different gases than the sun is.The sun appears yellow, which is more visible than other colors.As light from other stars travels through space, it gets reflected.The sun is much closer to Earth than other stars are.60s8.8bEditDelete
- Q6A partial mountain forest food web is shown. Which statement does NOT describe a relationship shown in the food web?Mice are herbivores that consume grasses and are preyed on by snakes.Owls prey on rabbits and frogs.Elk are prey for mountain lions.Rabbits consume shrubs and are parasites of grasses.60sEditDelete
- Q7A bicycle rider is traveling up a hill. When the rider reaches the top of the hill, she stops to rest. Then she travels down the hill. The diagram shows the rider in the three different positions. Which of these correctly describes the potential energy and the kinetic energy of the bicycle rider?As the rider reaches the bottom of the hill, her kinetic energy and her potential energy decrease.When the rider is at the top of the hill, her potential energy is the greatest, and her kinetic energy is the least.When the rider goes down the hill, her potential energy increases, and her kinetic energy decreases.As the rider moves up the hill, her kinetic energy increases, and her potential energy decreases.60sEditDelete
- Q8The diagram below shows four consecutive moon phases. Which of the following diagrams shows the next four moon phases in the correct order?#texas/632248c6-9808-4d50-9821-679b75a3a423/C.png#texas/632248c6-9808-4d50-9821-679b75a3a423/B.png#texas/632248c6-9808-4d50-9821-679b75a3a423/D.png#texas/632248c6-9808-4d50-9821-679b75a3a423/A.png60s8.7bEditDelete
- Q9A scientist added bacteria and a nutrient medium that could support the growth of the bacteria to a sterilized petri dish. No other materials were added. The graph models growth of the bacteria over time. Which of these most likely explains why the bacterial population stopped growing?The bacteria mutated from photosynthetic to carnivorous organisms and consumed one another until all the individuals were dead.The bacteria competed for nutrients and died after all the nutrients were consumed.The bacteria became diseased and were unable to survive in the closed system.The bacteria did not reproduce in the system, and eventually each individual died at the end of its life cycle.60s8.11aEditDelete
- Q10Which statement correctly describes the location and charge of the electrons in an atom?The electrons are inside the nucleus and have a negative charge.The electrons are inside the nucleus and have no charge.The electrons are outside the nucleus and have no charge.The electrons are outside the nucleus and have a negative charge.60s8.5aEditDelete
- Q11Users enter free textType an Answer60s8.6aEditDelete
- Q12A student’s model of an area near a city depicts many activities that affect the quality of the water in the area. How does the agricultural activity most likely affect the surface water of the area?Excess crop material accumulates on the riverbanks, slowing the movement of the river waterCrops absorb pure water from soil, causing the remaining water to contain more salt.Excess crop fertilizer is carried by runoff into the river, causing excess growth of water plants.Crops reduce erosion, increasing the amount of soil entering the river.60sEditDelete
- Q13The table lists some compounds found in foods and their formulas. Based on this information, which of these statements is NOT true?A molecule of lactose contains twice as many carbon atoms as a molecule of sorbitol does.A molecule of fructose contains four more atoms than a molecule of glutamine does.A molecule of lactose contains twice as many atoms as a molecule of fructose does.A molecule of sorbitol contains three more oxygen atoms than a molecule of glutamine does.60s8.5dEditDelete
- Q14The diagram below shows parts of a cell. Which organelle stores the information that determines an individual’s blood type?Organelle 2Organelle 1Organelle 4Organelle 360sEditDelete
- Q15The unusual strength of a glue makes it able to hold a heavy object, or load, as shown in the diagram below. If the load exerts a strong downward force, the glue —causes the load to accelerate upwarddestroys the forceexerts a stronger downward forceexerts an upward force that is equal to the downward force60s8.6cEditDelete
- Q16In November 2013 an object orbiting the sun seemed to disappear behind the sun. When a satellite did not detect the object, astronomers thought that the object had been destroyed when it passed close to the sun. However, when another satellite detected a small, bright object with a fan-shaped tail, astronomers proposed that the object was not destroyed. What type of object were astronomers most likely observing?A cometA nebulaA meteorAn asteroid60s8.8aEditDelete
- Q17A few years ago the population of male blue moon butterflies on the island of Samoa declined. One hypothesis for the decline of the male butterflies is that a parasite infected the cells of female butterflies. The parasite was passed to offspring through the females’ eggs and killed the male butterfly embryos. At one point during the decline, nearly all the butterflies in the population were females, but after five years the number of males in the population increased significantly. Which explanation most likely accounts for the increase in the number of male butterflies in the five years after the initial parasite problem?Male butterflies in the population that survived had a gene that made them resistant to the parasite, and they passed the gene on to their offspring.Female butterflies in the population that survived had a genetic adaptation that allowed them to transform into male butterflies.Female butterflies in the population that survived were able to protect the male eggs from the parasite and provide extra care for the male offspring.Male butterflies in the population that survived were able to prey on the parasites living in the females’ egg cells.60sEditDelete
- Q18Students in a science class made ball-and-stick models of the substances they were studying. The key shows the elements the students used in their models. Which model represents an organic compound?#texas/62c6244f-5fe8-458c-9627-41b7ee665660/C.png#texas/62c6244f-5fe8-458c-9627-41b7ee665660/A.png#texas/62c6244f-5fe8-458c-9627-41b7ee665660/B.png#texas/62c6244f-5fe8-458c-9627-41b7ee665660/D.png60sEditDelete
- Q19DDT is a pesticide that was once widely used to control agricultural pests and mosquitoes. However, this pesticide caused the eggshells of certain birds, including the brown pelican, to become fragile and thin. The adults would then accidentally crush the eggs while trying to incubate them. What happened to brown pelican populations as a result of DDT use by humans?The populations increased as pelicans laid more eggs so that more offspring would survive.The populations increased much more slowly.The populations decreased as fewer eggs survived long enough to hatch.The populations remained stable over time.60s8.11bEditDelete
- Q20The satellite image below shows a portion of the Namib Desert in Africa. This is an ancient, sandy desert with dunes that can be up to 305 m tall. The Namib Desert extends inland from the Atlantic Ocean between 80 km and 200 km and receives only 5 mm to 76 mm of rain each year. A satellite picture of this same area taken weeks before shows that the shape and location of some sand dunes have changed. Which of these most likely caused the changes in the dunes?Blowing windCrustal upliftOcean wavesFlowing rivers60s8.9cEditDelete
