SSA Review

SSA Practice Test

Multiple Choice

Ethan is observing chemical and physical properties of a substance. He heats a

substance and observes that the substance turns from a brown solid to a black

powder. He refers to several chemistry journals that claim this represents a chemical

reaction. From his observation and research, he concludes that the substance goes

through a chemical change when heated. How can Ethan best defend his conclusion?

• A. by demonstrating that the substance will eventually melt if the temperature

  continues to increase

• B. by verifying that the substance is now made up of different molecules than

  before it was heated

• C. by verifying that the substance is made up of only one type of element

• D. by demonstrating that the substance is less dense after it is heated

The correct answer is B (by verifying that the substance is now made up of different molecules than before it was heated).

Distractor Rationales

A.

Melting is a physical change.

C.

Verifying that the substance is made of a single element is not enough to determine if a chemical change occurred.

D.

Density is a physical property.

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Multiple Choice

Mr. Roberts drives his car away from his house at a constant speed. Which of the

following graphs best shows the relationship between the distance traveled and the

time spent driving?

The correct answer is G.

F.

This graph represents Mr. Roberts’s car when it is stopped.

H.

This graph shows the time spent driving to be zero. The speed on this graph is undefined.

I.

This graph represents Mr. Roberts’s car moving toward the house.

Multiple Choice

Ice forms in the cracks of a basalt rock formation and breaks some rock into

smaller pieces.

At which point in the cycle shown above would the process of breaking down

rocks occur?

• J. from metamorphic to magma

• K. from sedimentary to metamorphic

• L from sediments to sedimentary

• M. from igneous to sediments

The correct answer is D (M).

Distractor Rationales

A.

Heating and melting occur at point J.

B.

Heat and pressure occur at point K.

C.

Layering and pressure occur at point L.

Multiple Choice

An object moves through space with balanced forces acting on it. Which statement

best describes the speed and direction of the object as long as the forces acting on it remain balanced?

• F. The speed and direction of the object will both change.

• G. The speed and direction of the object will remain constant.

• H. The speed will change, but the direction will remain constant.

• I. The speed will remain constant, but the direction will change.

  5 A

The correct answer is G (The speed and direction of the object will remain constant.)

Distractor Rationales

F.

The speed and the direction of the object do not change.

H.

The speed of the object does not change.

I.

The direction of the object does not change.

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Multiple Choice

A scientist performs an experiment and asks other scientists around the

world to replicate it. Why would other scientists most likely try to perform the

same experiment?

• A. to find out if weather of various regions of the world would affect the results

• B. to see if the experiment would be less expensive in another part of the world

• C. to confirm the results of the experiment conducted by the scientist

• D. to verify that the hypothesis of the experiment is a scientific law

The correct answer is C (to confirm the results of the experiment conducted by the scientist).

Distractor Rationales

A.

Weather conditions are not likely the reason scientists replicate an experiment.

B.

Although the ability to replicate an experiment may depend on cost, the importance of replication to the scientific process is not dependent on cost.

D.

Hypotheses are not scientific laws.

Multiple Choice

Students in Ms. Alvarez’s eighth grade science class are investigating how

temperature, in degrees Celsius (°C), affects the solubility of a compound in

100 milliliters (mL) of water. Ms. Alvarez provides the students with a graph that

shows the solubility of a certain compound, as shown below.

She then tells the students that she will demonstrate how many grams (g) of the

compound will dissolve in 100 mL of water at 40˚C. Based on the information in the

graph, which of the following is the best prediction of how many grams of the

compound will dissolve at 40˚C?

• F. 40 g

• G. 65 g

• H. 85 g

• I. 100 g

The correct answer is G (65 g).

Distractor Rationales

F.

Forty grams (40 g)

would be the prediction for how many grams of the compound will dissolve at approximately

25°C.

H.

Eighty-five (85 g)

grams would be the prediction for how many grams of the compound will dissolve at approximately

50°C.

I.

One hundred grams (100 g)

would be the prediction for how many grams of the compound will dissolve at approximately

57°C.

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Multiple Choice

Food webs show feeding relationships among different types of organisms. Those

organisms each have a specific niche. Which of the following best describes a

function of decomposers in food webs?

• A. to recycle nutrients into soil

• B. to convert solar energy into food

• C. to provide food for secondary consumers

• D. to compete with secondary consumers for oxygen

The correct answer is A (to recycle nutrients into soil).

Distractor Rationales

B.

Decomposers do not convert solar energy into food. This is the role of the producer.

C.

Decomposers are not the primary food source for secondary consumers.

D.

Decomposers do not compete with secondary consumers for oxygen.

Multiple Choice

The interaction between the cryosphere and hydrosphere can have an impact on

Earth’s oceans. Which of the following is an example of an interaction between the cryosphere and hydrosphere?

• F. evaporation of water from oceans at the equator

• G. release of fresh water into ocean water as icebergs melt

• H. decomposition of organic matter at the bottom of oceans

• I. release of large amounts of salt from icebergs into the ocean

The correct answer is G (release of fresh water into ocean water as icebergs melt).

Distractor Rationales

F.

Evaporation is an interaction between the hydrosphere and the atmosphere.

H.

The decomposition of organic matter at the bottom of oceans is an interaction between the biosphere and the hydrosphere.

I.

Icebergs contain little or no salt.

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Multiple Choice

Several factors can cause weather patterns in the atmosphere. The diagram below

shows how air movement near the equator can form thunderstorms.

Which process is the main source of this movement?

• A. movement of ocean currents

• B. decrease in relative humidity

• C. heating by energy from the Sun

• D. warming in the upper atmosphere

The correct answer is C (heating by energy from the Sun).

Distractor Rationales

A.

Movement of ocean currents is not the main source of energy for thunderstorms.

B.

A decrease in relative humidity does not provide energy to a thunderstorm.

D.

Warming in the upper atmosphere does not provide energy to a thunderstorm. Thunderstorms are formed in the lower atmosphere.

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Multiple Choice

The graph below compares the density, in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3 ), of

four different substances.

Based on information from the graph, which of the following best compares the

physical properties of two of the substances?

• F. Substance X has less mass than substance Y has.

• G. Substance W has less volume than substance X has.

• H. Substance Y would have less mass than substance Z would have if they had the

  same volume.

• I. Substance Z would have less mass than substance W would have if they had the same volume.

The correct answer is H (Substance Y would have less mass than substance Z

would have if they had the same volume).

Distractor Rationales

F.

The mass of substance X and the mass of substance Y cannot be determined from the graph if the volume of each substance is not known.

G.

The volume of substance W and the volume of substance X cannot be determined from the graph if the mass of each substance is not known.

I.

Substance Z has a greater mass per volume than substance W; therefore, the mass of substance Z would be greater than substance W if they each had equal volumes