8th Grade Evolution & Natural Selection Test
Authored by Alyssa Burkert
Science
8th Grade
NGSS covered
Used 1K+ times
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About
This 8th grade life science quiz comprehensively assesses students' understanding of evolution and natural selection, covering the foundational concepts that form the backbone of biological science education. The questions evaluate students' knowledge of Charles Darwin's contributions to scientific theory, the mechanisms of natural selection including survival of the fittest, and the distinction between natural and artificial selection. Students must demonstrate understanding of key vocabulary such as adaptation, variation, evolution, and extinction while applying these concepts to real-world examples like the peppered moths during the Industrial Revolution, Darwin's finches in the Galapagos, and the adaptive advantages of physical traits like beak shape and camouflage. The quiz requires students to analyze cause-and-effect relationships in evolutionary processes, understand how environmental pressures drive species change over time, and recognize examples of human intervention in breeding practices. Students need strong conceptual reasoning skills to differentiate between inherited and acquired traits, explain why advantageous characteristics increase reproductive success, and identify factors that influence natural selection such as overpopulation, competition, and genetic variation. Created by Alyssa Burkert, a science teacher in the US who teaches grade 8. This assessment serves as an excellent summative evaluation tool following a complete unit on evolutionary biology, though individual questions can be extracted for formative assessment during instruction. The quiz works effectively as a pre-assessment to gauge prior knowledge, a mid-unit check for understanding, or as homework to reinforce classroom learning about evolutionary mechanisms. Teachers can use this as a review activity before standardized testing or as a warm-up exercise by selecting specific questions that align with daily lesson objectives. The comprehensive nature of the questions makes it valuable for identifying student misconceptions about evolution and natural selection that require remediation. This quiz directly supports NGSS standards MS-LS4-1 (analyzing fossil records and anatomical similarities), MS-LS4-4 (constructing explanations for how natural selection leads to species adaptation), and MS-LS4-6 (using mathematical representations to support explanations of factors affecting populations), while also addressing Common Core literacy standards through scientific reasoning and evidence-based explanations.
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15 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
Survival of the Fittest and Evolution were proposed by what scientist?
Tags
NGSS.MS-LS4-4
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
20 sec • 1 pt
Where the better adapted organisms survive to pass traits along to offspring.
Tags
NGSS.MS-LS4-4
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
45 sec • 1 pt
What are the most studied animals in the galapagos?
Tags
NGSS.MS-LS4-4
NGSS.MS-LS4-2
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
What is the advantage of having different shaped beaks?
Tags
NGSS.MS-LS4-4
NGSS.MS-LS2-1
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
The theory of evolution by natural selection means that what is changing over time?
Tags
NGSS.MS-LS4-4
NGSS.MS-LS4-2
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
Why are advantageous traits more likely to be passed onto offspring?
Tags
NGSS.MS-LS4-4
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
1 min • 1 pt
The differences among a species, like different bird beaks, are called
Tags
CCSS.RI.11-12.5
CCSS.RI.6.5
CCSS.RI.7.5
CCSS.RI.8.5
CCSS.RI.9-10.5
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