8th Grade PSSA Prep (2023 Released Test Items)

(Passage 1): How does the section “Slits in Walls” contribute to the overall structure of the passage?

• by describing the process of photon behavior

• by comparing experiments related to photons

• by introducing a problem associated with studying photons

• by explaining what causes photons to behave in a certain way

(Passage 1): Read the sentence from the passage .

“Most of the photons pass through the slit without much deflection, while a few are deflected up or down quite a bit .”

What does the word deflection mean as used in the sentence?

• delay

• detour

• distraction

• difference

(Passage 1): Read the claim from the section “No Peeking .” “When you peek, the weirdness disappears .” How does the author support the claim?

• by describing the path a photon takes to reach a screen

• by explaining that the behavior of light can be predicted

• by describing the way a photon can cancel out another photon

• by explaining the complications that arise when adjusting the number of slits

(Passage 1): Which evidence most suggests that Richard Feynman is a prominent physicist?

• “This idea of interference led to one of Feynman’s great contributions, a way of explaining something he called ‘the two-slit experiment .’ ”

• “For Feynman, this experiment contained all the weirdness of the strange science called quantum mechanics .”

• “When dealing with other problems in quantum mechanics, he would say, ‘You remember the case of the two-slit experiment?’ ”

• “He told us that the photon doesn’t pass through one slit . It passes through both slits .”

(Passage 1): Read the sentence from the section “No Peeking .” “If by now you’re a little dizzy, take heart .”

What is meant by the phrase “take heart”?

• do not make changes

• do not give things away

• do not try to understand

• do not feel discouraged

(Passage 1): Which claim is supported by the section “Answers and Questions”?

• “Rainbows need light  ”

• “To really ‘see’ a photon, you have to absorb it in your eye       ”

• “ . . . you’re never sure just where the photon will go ”

• “ ‘Nobody understands quantum mechanics ’ ”

(Passage 1): PART A - Which central idea about the study of science is developed in the passage?

• Some studies in science deserve more attention than others .

• Some questions in the field of science have answers that are difficult to find .

• Some researchers in the field of science report results that have not been proven .

• Some results from scientific research should not be shared with others .

(Passage 1): PART B - Which evidence from the passage best supports the answer in Part One? Choose one answer .

• “In fact, the color you see in a soap bubble or on an oil slick is just the color left over after some of the photons have canceled each other out .”

• “For the past 100 years, scientists have known that light is made of tiny pieces called photons .”

• “And—here is the key point—as some of those paths interfere with each other, the photon won’t take those paths .”

• “Yet even scientists who work with quantum mechanics admit that they don’t understand why it works that way .”

(Passage 2): A theme of the passage is vanity can be the cause of reckless actions . Write a paragraph analyzing how this theme is revealed by the events throughout the passage . Use evidence from the passage to support your response . (You do have a character limit of 1000 characters, or you may type a response in Microsoft Word and upload it as "show your work".)

Read the paragraph .

(1) It is time to replace the curtains in the school auditorium . (2) Yesterday during play practice, the curtains stopped on their track twice when they were supposed to close the scene . (3) Also, the curtains have tears and holes in them . (4) Someone told us the

curtains were bought by some group a long time ago and cost a lot of money . (5) If needed, students in the drama program could organize fundraisers to help with the expense of new curtains .

Which sentence should be revised to provide more precise information?

• sentence 2

• sentence 3

• sentence 4

• sentence 5