Countdown to Science STAAR 1.7, and 1.8

Students are designing an experiment to

determine the height at which an egg will

break when dropped on a concrete surface.

Their four test groups are shown below.

What should the students do to improve the

experiment?

• All the eggs should be dropped from the

  same height.

• All the eggs should be the same size

  and color.

• The eggs should be dropped onto

  different surfaces to see if it affects how

  many eggs break.

• The experiment design is correct the

  way it is written.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

NGSS.MS-ETS1-2

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

The Gulf Prairies and Marshes region in Southeastern Texas is one of the many different

ecosystems found within the state of Texas. The table below lists some different animals

that live in this region as well as the food they eat. Based on the information in the chart above, which of the following food chains is correct?

• Seagrasses herring gull

  blue crab

  coyote

• Algae

  grass shrimp

  river otter herring gull

  coyote

• Algae

  grass shrimp sheepshead minnow

  blue crab

  herring gull

• Seagrasses

  sheepshead minnow

  blue crab

  grass shrimp herring gull

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

The diagram below shows the four planets

closest to the Sun.

Which planet is

labeled with the

question mark?

• Mars

• Venus

• Jupiter

• Mercury

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

In nature, some animal traits are

inherited and some animal traits are

learned. Which statement below is

correct?

• Baby sea turtles moving toward the

  ocean when they hatch is a learned

  behavior.

• Dogs walking on leashes is an

  inherited behavior.

  Image not to scale

• Bears hibernating in the winter is an

  inherited behavior.

• Bats hanging upside down in a tree

  to sleep is a learned behavior.

The following processes are part of the

water cycle.

Which has an interaction between the solar

energy of the Sun and the ocean?

• Processes 2 and 4

• Processes 1, 2 and 3

• Process 4 only

• All the processes

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

A student is playing a game where the objective is to hit a target with a laser beam. In which set-up below would the laser beam hit the target?

• 
• 
• 
• 

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

In an incandescent lightbulb, electric current travels through the filament which is a wire

running through the lightbulb. The filament is then heated to a temperature that produces

the light you see and the heat you feel. The diagram below shows a working lightbulb and a

broken lightbulb.

Which of the following statements is correct?

• The broken filament stops electric current

  from flowing through the lightbulb.

• The broken filament stops thermal

  current from flowing through the lightbulb.

• The broken filament stops light current

  from flowing through the lightbulb.

• All are correct statements.

A student sitting on a park bench is

observing all the different animals around

her. Which of the following is an example of

an animal interacting with a nonliving part of

its environment?

• A duck swims around in the middle

  of a pond.

• A bird flies overhead and lands in a

  tree.

• A person passes by, walking a dog

  on a leash.

• A squirrel picks up an acorn and

  carries it away.