
STAAR Science Grade 8 2023 (tagged to 2021 standards)
Quiz by Grade 8 Science - Texas Education Agency
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Which table correctly compares features of divergent plate boundaries and convergent plate boundaries?
A plastic tube is arranged on a lab tabletop as shown. A small sphere enters one end of the tube with enough speed to come out the other end of the tube.
Which diagram shows where the sphere will go first when it leaves the tube?

Which diagram shows the relative position of Earth’s axis at the beginning of summer in Texas?
Students are investigating the characteristics of different plants. They record the characteristics in a table.
Which plant would best compete for sunlight in a rain forest environment?

Which statement best describes why Texas experiences more hurricanes in August than in January?
Students use a topographic map to study the effects of erosion. The topographic map is shown.
What statement correctly explains where more eroded soil will collect?

Which diagram correctly models the sun, Earth, and the moon during the third quarter of the lunar cycle?
Which of these statements about the mass of subatomic particles is true?
Which question is most relevant to an ecosystem beginning primary succession?
Students push a cart along a smooth floor and collect data to produce the graph shown.
The students use this data to determine and graph the velocity of the cart.
Which graph accurately represents the velocity of the cart?

Gregor Mendel studied the genetics of pea plants. He found that some pea plants produce smooth, round seeds, while other pea plants produce rough, wrinkled seeds.
Which cellular feature determines whether a pea plant produces smooth or wrinkled seeds?
Which is the correct characteristics of stars in each area of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram?
Which action represents a conversion of chemical energy into mechanical energy?
Two students make models of two elements and label them Element X and Element Y.
Part A
Which statement is true of the two elements’ reactivity?

Part B
Which statement serves as evidence to support the answer to Part A?
(Element X is more chemically reactive than Element Y.)

A table that describes four separate geologic locations is shown.
Which location is near a transform plate boundary?

Farmers spray insecticides to protect their crops from herbivorous insects. What is the most likely effect of spraying the same insecticides continuously for many years?

Which table correctly identifies the charges of subatomic particles?
Certain species of yeast can reproduce sexually or asexually. Which answer choice best compares the offspring from sexual reproduction to the offspring from asexual reproduction?

Students examined the properties of five different elements and recorded observations about their properties in the table. Based on the students’ observations, classify each sample as a metal, nonmetal, or metalloid.
Part A
Students make plans to construct an ecosystem in a large aquarium. Four ecosystem plans are listed. All plans include soil and water.
Which ecosystem is MOST LIKELY to be sustainable?
Part B
Which statement supports the answer to Part A?

Which statement best describes the location of the sun in the Milky Way galaxy?

A snowboarder practices sliding down a hill. The diagram shows three positions of the snowboarder.
Which table best compares the amounts of potential energy and kinetic energy of the snowboarder at each position?

Which model of a cell is correct?
Carts of different masses are pulled along a flat surface. The table shows some variables for each cart.
Which two carts experience the same net force?

A student is keeping a moon-phase diary for the month of September. The student checks on the moon every few days and then records the name of the moon phase. The data is shown in the table.
Which moon phase was most likely present on September 9?

Which statement describes an action that most likely resulted in a chemical reaction?
During an investigation in class, a student creates this model.
Which of these statements best compares the locations of point A and point B?

A system in the human body is shown.
The main function of this system is to —

An atom would become a different element if which characteristic changed?
The table shows the motion data for two objects during two trials of an investigation.
Which object travels at the greater average speed?

A forest food web is shown.
Which change would most likely cause a decrease in the frog population?
