Cast Science High School

There are two schools in a town where earthquakes sometimes happen. The town leaders want to make the school buildings stronger and safer to protect students and teachers during an earthquake. The leaders ask three different construction companies to propose a plan for making the schools safer. Each plan should match three important criteria and constraints.

1. The schools will be made safe within two years.
2. The cost cannot be more than $0.47 per square meter of building space.
3. Both schools will be able to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8.0

The table shows important details for three plans submitted by the construction companies. Select the plan that best matches the criteria and constraints made by the town leaders.

• Plan 1

• Plan 2

• Plan 3

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

NGSS.MS-ETS1-2

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

A biologists wanted to study how certain plant structures, such as colored flowers, might affect how often the plants are pollinated during the day. For one hour on a sunny summer day, the biologists observed bee, butterfly, hummingbird and beetle pollinators of a population of plants with equal numbers of purple, white, and pink flowers. Based on the data collected and shown in the table, the biologists made the claim that plants with purple flowers in this population attract more pollinators than do plants with flowers of other colors.

Which evidence could be used to challenge the biologist's claim that purple flowers in the population of plants attract more pollinators than other flower colors do?

• The purple flowers did not have any butterfly or beetle population.

• Bees pollinated the purple flowers 12 times and the white flowers only 1 time.

• Hummingbirds pollinated the purple flowers 5 times and did not pollinate the white or pink flowers.

• The purple flowers were pollinated 17 times, the white flowers were pollinated 3 times, and the pink flowers were pollinated 2 times.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-4

A student creates the model shown of the water cycle for a class presentation. The student's main goal is to help the class understand how living organisms assist in the movement of water through the system.

Based on the model, what should the student say about the role of living organisms in the water cycle?

• plants help move water from the soil to the atmosphere through transpiration

• animals generate heat that helps evaporate water from the land

• plant movements create wind that helps draw water into the atmosphere

• animals create pathways in the mountains that allow water to flow downhill

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Students are designing a solar oven that can be made from materials found around their homes. Solar ovens take more time to heat food than regular ovens. The students would like to build a solar oven that heats food as quickly as possible.

Which two characteristics should the students consider when addressing the time the oven takes to heat food?

• how often the oven will be used to heat food

• the type of food that will be heated in the oven

• possible ways of preventing or reducing heat loss from the oven

• constructing an oven that is portable and easy to transport from place to place

• designing an oven that will collect as much sunlight and absorb as much heat as possible

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-2

NGSS.MS-ETS1-3

NGSS.MS-ETS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

To create a solar oven that heats more quickly, what design choices might a student need to include in their solar oven?

• covering the interior walls of the oven with a reflective material such as aluminum foil

• allowing outside air to circulate inside the oven

• having a mirrored surface that is adjustable in angle to reflect sunlight into the oven

• using cookware that is uncovered and open to the atmosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

NGSS.MS-ETS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

Measurements of the speed of the train at additional points on the ride indicate that energy is being lost. The students present two claims for the cause of this energy loss.

CLAIM 1: The loss of energy is due to the air pushing back on the train as it moves down the track.

CLAIM 2: The loss of energy is due to the friction of the train wheels with the track.

Which observations support Claim 1?

• The train moves faster after the cars are streamlined.

• The tracks are warmer after the train has passed.

• The train moves faster after oil is applied to the wheels and tracks

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Measurements of the speed of the train at additional points on the ride indicate that energy is being lost. The students present two claims for the cause of this energy loss.

CLAIM 1: The loss of energy is due to the air pushing back on the train as it moves down the track.

CLAIM 2: The loss of energy is due to the friction of the train wheels with the track.

Which observations support Claim 2?

• The train moves faster after the cars are streamlined.

• The tracks are warmer after the train has passed.

• The train moves faster after oil is applied to the wheels and tracks

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

DNA contains a code for synthesizing proteins. Three nucleotides in a row code for a particular amino acid. There are four nucleotides in DNA, which are abbreviated as A, T, C, G. The amino acids are joined to form a protein.

Genetic mutations can occur in the DNA of individuals. Some mutations are harmful, some have no effect, and some might be beneficial to the organism. The table shows the nucleotide sequence of DNA that codes for a protein in one individual and the nucleotide sequence of the same segment of DNA in an individual with a mutation.

Which statement describes the most likely impact of the mutation in the mutated sequence shown in the image?

• There will be no effect because the rest of the DNA is normal.

• The extra nucleotide will be deleted before the protein is formed.

• The protein formed will not be the same as that formed from the original DNA sequence.

• The mutated DNA will code for the same number of amino acids as the original sequence.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

A scientist measures the amplitude and wavelength of waves in the ocean. The scientist also calculates the amount of energy contained in one square meter of water for each wave. The data and calculations for four different waves are shown in the table.

Which wave characteristics, if any, does the energy in the wave depend on?

• the amplitude only

• the wavelength only

• both the amplitude and the wavelength

• neither the amplitude nor the wavelength

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

A tugboat is pushing a large barge loaded with coal up a river to a power plant. The tugboat's computer generates a graph of the boat's speed during each minute of its journey.

At what point on the graph is the tugboat's kinetic energy the greatest.

• Point A

• Point B

• Point C

• Point D

• Point E

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

NGSS.MS-PS3-5