Earth/Space Science Quarter 1 and 2 Review

A student investigated the accumulation of nitrogen compounds in a fish tank over a period of 50 days. The graph shows the amount of nitrogen in compounds in the tank. At the end of the experiment, part of the water was replaced by fresh water. Which would be the independent variable in this investigation?

• the number of days
• the fish
• the amount of nitrogen

• the water change

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

A weather balloon is about 2 meters wide when it is near the ground. It grows to about 6 meters wide at higher altitudes.

Which change most likely makes the balloon become wider at higher altitudes?

• more gases enter the balloon
• the gas inside the balloon gets much hotter
• the air pressure surrounding the balloon decreases

• sunlight breaks down the material of the balloon

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

A long-standing question in science has been, "What caused the dinosaurs to become extinct?" In the mid-1900s, the idea was proposed that caterpillars ate so many leaves that dinosaurs starved and could not reproduce. Today, the most commonly accepted idea is that a large object from space hit Earth and triggered global events that led to the extinctions.

What does this change in scientific thinking provide evidence of?

• that scientific knowledge is open to change
• that scientific information is universal
• that scientists never change their minds
• that scientists don't know what happened

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-2

NGSS.HS-LS4-5

Hutton's theory of uniformitarianism states that the forces at work on the Earth today are the same as those that were at work in the past. Thus, a cave forms today in the same way that caves formed millions of years ago. The idea stated in the theory of uniformitarianism is so important that it serves as the basis of geology. Why are Hutton's ideas considered a scientific theory and not scientific law?

• because the theory is based on a hypothesis that has been proven and a scientific law is not
• because the theory could be proven wrong and a scientific law cannot be proven wrong
• because the theory is widely accepted and a scientific law is not widely accepted
• because the theory explains how nature works instead of describing an observation of nature

For the Science Fair, Alyssa designs an experiment to learn about erosion as shown in the diagram below. Tray A is flat on the table. One end of tray B is raised 5 cm, and one end of tray C is raised 10 cm. Alyssa then slowly pours 200 mL of water onto the sand in each tray. Finally, she observes and measures how far sand is carried by the water.

What is the independent variable (test variable) in Alyssa's experiment?

• the height of the tray
• the amount of sand
• the speed she pours the water
• the volume of water she pours

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Colin decided to investigate soil erosion by water. He measured rates of erosion on model hills made of soil, rock, and sand.

What was his test variable (independent variable)?

• the rate of erosion on the hills
• the steepness of the model hillsides
• the amount of water sprayed onto the hills

• the type of material used to construct the model hills

Jesse is designing an experiment to find out if objects of different masses fall at different rates, or speeds. She plans to drop four objects having a similar size and shape, but different masses, from the same height of a staircase. Jesse plans to measure how long it takes each object to hit the floor.

What is the dependent variable (outcome variable) in Jesse’s experiment?

• the shape of objects
• the mass of each object
• the time it takes for each object to fall
• the height of the staircase

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Morgan puts some books under a ramp. She rolls a ball down the ramp and measures the distance the ball travels before it stops. She adds more books under the ramp and repeats the investigation.

What is the independent (manipulated) variable in this investigation?

• the angle of the ramp
• the length of the ramp
• the speed the ball rolls
• the distacnce the ball travels

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-1

Students set up an investigation to see if hummingbirds prefer red liquids to clear liquids. They plan to fill hummingbird feeders with mixtures of sugar and water, as shown in the table.

Which is a variable in this investigation?

• the amount of sugar
• the amount of water
• the number of drops of food coloring
• the number of types of hummingbirds

The following map shows the movement of heat throughout the global ocean. Based on the map, which of the following statements best summarizes the movement of heat through the world’s oceans?

• Heat energy is transported from areas near the equator to areas near the poles.
• Warm water moves from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
• Cold water moves away from the equator and picks up heat near the poles.
• Warm water is found near the equator, and cold water is found near the poles.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6