Science Review Questions

1. Science Review Questions 2008 TAKS

2. Notes • These questions came from the TAKS grades 5, 8, 10 and 11 tests. Difficulty varies from “easy squeezy” to “gonna have to think”. • There are numerous good questions that simply have too much to put on a slide – large graphics and/or lots of text. To access the test to print: • http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/release/taks_items/index.html

3. Which experimental setup should be used to test this hypothesis? Hypothesis: Bread mold needs moisture in order to grow. • A • B • C • D A. C. B. D.

4. Which word could be used to describe a reptile? LS.5 • Vertebrate • Warm-blooded • Mammal • Amphibian

5. An experiment to determine the effects of cold temperatures on seed germination produced some very unexpected results. If the experimenters want to see whether the results are accurate, they should — • plan a new experiment • change the hypothesis • repeat the experiment • use warm temperatures

6. Which tool can be used to remove iron filings from the mixture? • A • B • C • D C. A. D. B.

7. Horses are herbivores. Their teeth crush and grind plants. Which picture best represents the lower teeth of a horse? LS.5 • A • B • C • D C. A. B. D.

8. Which of the following is the best example of competition between birds? LS.8a • A blue jay eats an insect and is then eaten a hawk. • A blue jay ignores some insects and finds and eats other insects. • A blue jay eats an insect on the ground, and a sparrow eats grass seeds. • A blue jay steals and eats an insect captured by a robin.

9. It would be most difficult to coast downhill on this bicycle if it were missing — • the chain • a pedal • the kickstand • a wheel

10. Which of these examples would best model the behavior of light when light reaches the surface of a mirror? PS.9a • A soap bubble lands on the surface of a wall and bursts. • A piece of clay is thrown at a wall and sticks to the surface. • A moth flies toward a wall and lands on its surface. • A ball is thrown at a wall and bounces away from the surface.

11. The diagram shows part of the water cycle. Which part of the diagram shows precipitation? • W • X • Y • Z

12. Which is a possible condition for an area of the moon that receives no light? 6.8e • Fog • Strong winds • Thunderstorms • Cold temperatures

13. Which step should be taken before the liquid in the flask shown is heated? • Place the flask in a water bath • Remove some of the liquid • Insulate the flask • Remove the stopper

14. After reading the liquid level in the graduated cylinder above, what must a student determine to calculate the density of the liquid? PS.2e • Color • Boiling point • Mass • Temperature

15. Which of the following terms best describes all the white-tailed deer in a particular forest? LS.8 • Community • Ecosystem • Individual • Population

16. Glucose molecules contain stored energy for plants. Glucose is made from carbon dioxide and water molecules during photosynthesis. What kind of energy do plants use to make glucose molecules? LS.6 • Electrical • Sound • Light • Kinetic

17. In the food web shown, which of the following organisms transfer the largest total amount of energy to other organisms? LS.7d • Phytoplankton • Seabirds • Fish • Krill

18. Which of the following is an example of a chemical property? PS.2f • Density • Shape • Color • Flammability

19. The equation above shows the chemical reaction for burning coal. Which of the following best explains the reaction represented by this equation? PS.5c • Carbon dioxide gas breaks down into solid carbon and oxygen gas. • Solid carbon reacts with oxygen gas to produce carbon dioxide gas. • Solid carbon, oxygen gas, and carbon dioxide gas react to form products. • Oxygen gas heats solid carbon, melting the carbon into a liquid.

20. Which of the following correctly lists the particles in a helium atom? PS.2b, PS.3 • 1 proton, 1 neutron, 1 electron • 1 proton, 2 neutrons, 2 electrons • 2 protons, 2 neutrons, 2 electrons • 2 protons, 2 neutrons, 4 electrons

21. What is the total number of electrons in an atom with an atomic number of 13 and a mass number of 25? PS.2b, PS.3 • 12 • 13 • 25 • 38

22. The graph shows the speed of a car traveling east over a 12-second period on a flat surface. In the first 6 seconds shown on the graph, the car is — • increasing its speed • changing direction • heading northeast • gaining potential energy

23. Which of the following is the best example of an object with only potential energy? PS.6a C. A. • A • B • C • D B. D.

24. The diagram shows a modified water cycle. Which of the following best describes the process in whichsurface water becomes water vapor? • Evaporation • Condensation • Precipitation • Percolation

25. At which latitude can the sun be visible for 24 hours straight in June? • Arctic Circle • Tropic of Cancer • Equator • Tropic of Capricorn

26. A student wearing goggles, gloves, and anapron begins a simple activity to determine the pH of corrosive solutions. Before the activity begins, what other safety measure should the student follow? • Identify the locations of eye wash, shower, and fire equipment • Check and set clocks and record the beginning time • Review the proper method of fire-polishing glass tubing • Arrange the equipment in the work area alphabetically

27. Which of the following organelles is involved in storing material in a plant cell? LS.2a • Vacuole • Mitochondrion • Golgi body • Cell membrane

28. The ability to roll the tongue is thought to be controlled by a dominant allele (R). What percent of offspring from two heterozygous (Rr) parents are most likely to have the tongue-rolling trait? LS.13c • 25% • 50% • 75% • 100%

29. Bacteria are present in the digestive tract of some herbivores. The bacteria break down plant cellulose, making it possible for the herbivore to digest plant material. These bacteria live in a stable environment with sufficient food and water. The herbivore andthe bacteria in this relationship — LS.9 • benefit each other • compete for survival • are producers • are secondary consumers

30. Within a certain community, crows actively eat brightly colored beetles. Which interaction is being displayed between the population of crows and the population of beetles? LS.9b • Commensalism • Mutualism • Parasitism • Predation

31. According to this food web, which of the following are omnivores? LS.9 • Snakes • Rabbits • Mice • Grasshoppers

32. Salt is added to a beaker of water and stirred until it is completely dissolved. The salt in this mixture can be separated by — • chromatography • chemical means only • passing the water through filter paper • allowing the water to evaporate slowly

33. All of these represent a change in state of matter except — PS.2c, e • melting an ice block • evaporating alcohol • sublimating dry ice • digesting a sugar cube You may wish to change answer C.

34. In the event of an accident, air bags and seat belts may help reduce injury to a passenger by decreasing the force that stops the passenger’s motion. The force is reduced because the seat belts or air bags decrease the — PS.10a • mass of the passenger • acceleration of the passenger • reaction time of the driver • speed of the vehicle

35. Mud at the bottom of a fishpond has atemperature of 15°C. After a week of colder air temperatures, the mud temperature drops to 12°C. Which of the following methods of heat transfer is most responsible for the change in the mud temperature? PS.7c • Water convection • Air conduction • Water reflection • Ground radiation

36. Removal of which lightbulb will interrupt the circuit and cause all the other lightbulbs to fail to glow? PS.11a • Lightbulb Q • Lightbulb R • Lightbulb S • Lightbulb T

37. Which of these is the best reason to not eat or drink while in the laboratory? PS.1a • Particles of food can contaminate chemical reagents. • Spilled drinks can make cleanup of chemicals difficult. • Some foods produce toxic gases when mixed with acids. • Chemicals spilled on hands can be transferred to food.

38. Which of the following should be used to determine whether pond water is too acidic to support plant life? • Motion detector • pH meter • Geiger counter • Voltmeter

39. During photosynthesis hydrogen combines with carbon dioxide to make — LS.6a • cholesterol • protein • glucose • cellulose

40. According to the table, the gray wolf is least related to the — LS.5 • dog • rattlesnake • salamander • lobster

41. Pollen adheres to bees as they feed on thenectar of flowers. When they move from flower to flower gathering nectar, the bees pollinate the flowers. The bees then use the nectar to make honey. The relationship between bees and flowers is an example of — LS.9 • parasitism • commensalism • mutualism • neutralism

42. An element is discovered that has an atomic number of 118 and 8 valence electrons. The element is most likely — • a noble gas • an alkali metal • a halogen • a transition metal

43. Which diagram best demonstrates the law of conservation of mass? PS.5c A. • A • B • C • D B. C. D.

44. Heat cannot spread through a solid byconvection because — PS.7c • a heated solid turns into a liquid • atoms in a solid possess maximum kinetic energy • heat is rapidly lost from solids through radiation • particles of a solid are fixed in a rigid structure