SSA Review 2026

Hannah observes her science teacher testing a sample of an unknown substance. She recorded her observations in the table shown below.

Which test would provide evidence of a chemical change?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

Ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean affect climate and weather patterns in the United States. The map shows some of these ocean currents. Mike researched climate data and determines that the eastern United States usually has higher humidity than the western United States does.

Based on the ocean currents shown, which statement best explains the difference in humidity?

• The air mass in the Atlantic Ocean is warmer than the air mass in the Pacific Ocean is, and a warmer air mass holds more water vapor than a colder air mass does.

• The air mass in the Pacific Ocean is colder than the air mass in the Atlantic Ocean is, and a colder air mass causes more evaporation than a warmer air mass causes.

• The cold ocean current in the Pacific Ocean causes stronger winds than the warm ocean current in the Atlantic Ocean causes, and moisture evaporates from the Pacific Ocean air mass.

• The warm ocean current in the Atlantic Ocean produces denser air masses than the cold ocean current in the Pacific Ocean produces, and the dense air mass in the Atlantic Ocean cannot release precipitation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

A scientist observes six lady beetles of the same species that live in the same location. Each of the lady beetles is a different shade of orange or yellow, and each has a different number of black spots.

Which statement most likely explains how the differences relate to the evolution of the lady beetle species?

• These differences show that the species may learn to adapt to a warmer and drier climate

• These differences show that damage to plants in the habitat has caused the species to develop additional spots

• These differences show that mutations have developed in the population as the species was exposed to pollutants

• These differences show that there is genetic variation in the population that may allow the species to survive changes to its habitat

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Scientists have collected large amounts of evidence that support the idea shown in the illustration.

Which of the following is a scientific theory that is best supported by this evidence?

• evolution

• superposition

• plate tectonics

• universal gravitation

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Two Olympic cyclists rode their bicycles on an oval track. The graph represents the number of 500-meter laps they completed.

Based on the graph, which statement best describes the motion of the cyclists as they rode their bicycles?

• Both cyclists made stops about halfway through their rides

• Both cyclists rode their bicycles at about the same speed

• Cyclist 1 rode about twice as fast as Cyclist 2

• Cyclist 2 made more stops than Cyclist 1

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

A yeast is a single-celled organism that can reproduce sexually or asexually. Which of the following would confirm that a yeast had reproduced asexually?

• offspring with its own unique genetic information unlike that of the parent

• offspring with the same genetic information as each of its two parents

• offspring with half the genetic information from each of the two parents

• offspring with the same genetic information as the parent

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-2

Earth's atmosphere is important to the living organisms of the biosphere. Which of the following describes how the atmosphere best protects living organisms?

• by providing enough carbon dioxide in the ocean to support sea animals

• by changing oxygen into nitrogen, which can be used as a nutrient for animals

• by refracting visible light, allowing certain animals to see and capture their prey

• by trapping electromagnetic radiation, keeping temperatures within a range best suited for animal life

All plants and animals have threadlike structures in the nucleus of each cell. These structures contain a set of instructions in the form of DNA.

Which of the following terms identifies these threadlike structures?

• alleles

• chromosomes

• cytoplasm

• mitochondria

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

A group of students slowly poured 100 milliliters (mL) of vegetable oil, 100 mL of colored water, and 100 mL of corn syrup into a 500 mL beaker. The students observed the beaker after 5 minutes and recorded their observations in their notebooks.

Which of the following are the students most likely trying to compare?

• the volume of the liquids

• the density of the liquids

• the weight of the liquids

• the color of the liquids

The planet Saturn takes 10,747 Earth days to complete one orbit around the Sun.

Why does Saturn take longer to complete one orbit around the Sun than Earth does?

• Saturn has stronger gravity

• Saturn is farther from the Sun

• Saturn has a thicker atmosphere

• Saturn is the only planet with rings

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3