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Mid Term Exam 8th Grade Science

Total questions: 74

Worksheet time: 37mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Plants use water to

a)

release a waste product

b)

keep predators away

c)

make their own food

d)

attract pollinators

2.

Approximately what percentage of Earth’s water is fresh water?

a)

97 percent

b)

71 percent

c)

20 percent

d)

3 percent

3.

The streams and small rivers that feed into a main river are called

a)

watersheds

b)

tributaries

c)

divides

d)

wetlands

4.

The water in ponds and lakes is

a)

moving

b)

deep

c)

still

d)

salty

5.

As water moves slowly through a wetland, some waste materials settle out, some wastes are absorbed by plants, and silt and mud is trapped by plant roots. In this way, wetlands act as natural

a)

filters

b)

habitats

c)

tributaries

d)

artesian wells

6.

Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers is called

a)

saltwater

b)

rainwater

c)

groundwater

d)

water vapor

7.

Water that falls to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail is called

a)

condensation

b)

evaporation

c)

precipitation

d)

transpiration

8.

A lake that stores water for human use is called a(n)

a)

reservoir

b)

dam

c)

oxbow lake

d)

pond

9.

People can obtain groundwater by drilling a well

a)

above the water table

b)

into an aquifer

c)

into the unsaturated zone

d)

into the impermeable layer

10.

Wetlands provide habitats for many living things because of their sheltered waters and

a)

large supply of nutrients

b)

thick layer of mud

c)

lack of insects

d)

ability to prevent floods

11.

A river system is made up of a river and its

a)

sediments

b)

divides

c)

runoff

d)

tributaries

12.

An aquifer is a(n)

a)

an underground layer of rock or sediment that holds water.

b)

well in which water rises because of pressure.

c)

type of hot spring from which the water periodically erupts.

d)

place where groundwater bubbles or flows out of cracks in the rock

13.

A well in which groundwater rises because of pressure is called a(n)

a)

artesian well

b)

geyser well

c)

spring well

d)

dry well

14.

What percent of our atmosphere is made up of gases other than oxygen and nitrogen

a)

5 percent

b)

1 percent

c)

10 percent

d)

2 percent

15.

Which of the following describes an example of the atmosphere acting as a system?

a)

its layered structure

b)

global wind patterns

c)

its composition

d)

deep ocean currents

16.

The less mass in a given volume of air, the

a)

more the air weighs

b)

greater the air pressure

c)

more dense the air

d)

less dense the air

17.

Instruments used to measure air pressure are called

a)

thermometers

b)

hygrometers

c)

hydrometers

d)

barometers

18.

As you rise upwards in the atmosphere, air pressure

a)

increases

b)

decreases

c)

doesn't change

d)

first increases, then decreases

19.

The layer of our atmosphere in which weather occurs is the

a)

troposphere

b)

stratosphere

c)

mesosphere

d)

exosphere

20.

The greenhouse effect is

a)

the absorption of energy by clouds.

b)

a gradual increase in the temperature of the atmosphere.

c)

the reflection of solar energy into the atmosphere.

d)

the process by which gases hold heat in the atmosphere.

21.

Cool air tends to

a)

be less dense and flow over warm air.

b)

be lifted up by more dense warm air.

c)

be more dense and flow under warm air.

d)

mix easily with warm air masses.

22.

Local winds differ from global winds because they

a)

are caused by unequal heating within a small area.

b)

are caused by differences in cloud cover.

c)

are due to unequal rainfall.

d)

are not influenced by air masses.

23.

Earth’s rotation makes global winds curve. This is called the

a)

convection effect

b)

global effect

c)

coriolis effect

d)

rational effect

24.

Ozone is

a)

a form of oxygen with three oxygen atoms in each molecule.

b)

a form of nitrogen with three nitrogen atoms in each molecule.

c)

a form of oxygen with two oxygen atoms in each molecule.

d)

a form of nitrogen with two nitrogen atoms in each molecule.

25.

Density can be determined using the formula

a)

density = mass/volume.

b)

density = volume/mass.

c)

density = mass • volume.

d)

density = mass + volume.

26.

The layers of the atmosphere are classified according to changes in

a)

altitude

b)

density

c)

pressure

d)

temperature

27.

From Earth to space, the main layers in our atmosphere are:

a)

troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.

b)

stratosphere, troposphere, mesosphere, thermosphere.

c)

mesosphere, troposphere, stratosphere, thermosphere.

d)

thermosphere, troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere.

28.

The lowest and shallowest layer of the atmosphere is the

a)

troposphere.

b)

stratosphere

c)

mesosphere.

d)

thermosphere

29.

The ozone layer is found in the

a)

troposphere

b)

stratosphere

c)

mesophere

d)

thermosphere

30.

The ozone layer protects living things on Earth from

a)

visible light

b)

infrared rays

c)

ultraviolet radiation

d)

carbon dioxide

31.

The layer of the atmosphere between the stratosphere and the thermosphere is called the

a)

troposphere

b)

ionosphere

c)

mesosphere

d)

exosphere

32.

Which layer of the atmosphere protects Earth’s surface from being hit by most meteoroids?

a)

troposphere

b)

stratosphere

c)

mesosphere

d)

thermosphere

33.

The prevailing westerlies, the major wind belts over the continental United States, generally push air masses from

a)

east to west.

b)

west to east.

c)

north to south.

d)

south to north.

34.

What is the most abundant salt in sea water?

a)

sodium chloride

b)

magnesium chloride

c)

calcium chloride

d)

potassium chloride

35.

A deep canyon in the ocean floor is called a(n)

a)

abyssal plain

b)

seamount

c)

trench

d)

continental shelf

36.

As you descend through the water column,

a)

temperature decreases.

b)

pressure decreases.

c)

light increases.

d)

density decreases.

37.

As a wave nears shore, the wave height increases and the wavelength

a)

decreases

b)

increases

c)

stays the same

d)

doubles

38.

The lowest point of a wave is the

a)

crest

b)

wavelength

c)

trough

d)

frequency

39.

When a tsunami hits the shore, it can be very destructive because of its large

a)

sandbar

b)

trough

c)

wave height

d)

frequency

40.

Dunes reduce beach erosion because

a)

they cause the tides to go higher.

b)

they cause waves to break offshore.

c)

the roots of dune plants hold sand in place.

d)

they prevent people from walking on the beach.

41.

What causes cold, deep currents to form in the oceans near the poles?

a)

sinking of dense, cold water with high salinity

b)

the Coriolis force

c)

movement of a large mass of warm water across the Pacific

d)

sinking of cold, freshwater from melting icebergs

42.

A large stream of moving water that flows through the oceans is called a(n)

a)

current

b)

tsunami.

c)

tide

d)

undertow

43.

In which zone is ocean temperature most affected by the weather?

a)

transition zone

b)

deep ocean

c)

surface zone

d)

polar zone

44.

A rush of water that flows rapidly back to sea through a narrow opening is called a

a)

longshore drift

b)

breaker

c)

tsunami

d)

rip current

45.

To reduce erosion along a strip of beach, you might build a short wall called a

a)

dune

b)

barrier beach

c)

groin

d)

sandbar

46.

Salinity is a measure of which of the following in water?

a)

carbon dioxide

b)

oxygen

c)

dissolved salts

d)

sand

47.

The densest ocean water is generally found

a)

in the surface zone.

b)

in the transition zone.

c)

in the deep zone.

d)

along the coast.

48.

Which of the following is true of El Niño?

a)

El Niño occurs at the same time as La Niña.

b)

El Niño affects only the ocean, not the land.

c)

El Niño can cause unusual and often severe weather conditions.

d)

El Niño usually occurs twice a year.

49.

Benthos are organisms that live

a)

on the surface of water.

b)

throughout the water column.

c)

on the ocean floor.

d)

in shallow water.

50.

Which of the following organisms is an example of nekton?

a)

lobster

b)

dolphin

c)

crab

d)

sea star

51.

The part of the ocean that extends from the low-tide line to the edge of the continental shelf is the

a)

netric zone

b)

open-ocean zone

c)

intertidal zone

d)

deep zone

52.

The organisms that form the base of most open-ocean food webs are

a)

fish

b)

coral

c)

plankton

d)

kelp

53.

A nearly flat region of the ocean floor, covered with thick layers of mud and silt, is called a(n)

a)

seamount

b)

abyssal plain

c)

continetal slope

d)

mid-ocean ridge

54.

Free-swimming animals that can move throughout the water column are called

a)

algae

b)

nekton

c)

benthos

d)

plankton

55.

The area that stretches from the highest high-tide line on land out to the point on the continental shelf exposed by the lowest low tide is called the

a)

intertidal zone

b)

netric zone

c)

estuary zone

d)

deep zone

56.

What is the name of the process by which water vapor enter the atmosphere during the water cycle?

a)

condensation

b)

evaporation

c)

precipitation

d)

convection

57.

Relative humidity can be measured with a(an)

a)

anemometer

b)

barometer

c)

physchrometer

d)

thermometer

58.

Two conditions are required for cloud formation: cooling of the air and

a)

the absorption of infrared energy.

b)

the unequal heating of Earth’s surface.

c)

the presence of particles in the air.

d)

the influence of the Coriolis effect.

59.

Very high feathery clouds are called

a)

stratus clouds.

b)

cumulonimbus clouds.

c)

cirrus clouds

d)

nimbostratus clouds.

60.

On average, a snowfall of 20 centimeters would equal a rainfall of

a)

1 centimeter

b)

2 centimeter

c)

3 centimeter

d)

4 centimeter

61.

Cold, dry air affecting the northern United States in winter often comes from

a)

maritime polar air masses.

b)

maritime tropical air masses.

c)

continental polar air masses.

d)

continental tropical air masses.

62.

Weather associated with an anticyclone is generally

a)

cloudy but dry.

b)

unpredictable.

c)

wet and cloudy.

d)

dry and clear.

63.

Small lines at the end of the shaft that represents wind direction on a weather map indicate

a)

air temperature.

b)

wind speed.

c)

air pressure.

d)

relative humidity.

64.

The collecting of weather data in the last 40 years has been improved mostly by

a)

balloons and satellites.

b)

more people who study clouds.

c)

military aircraft.

d)

astronaut observations.

65.

The most dangerous aspect of a snowstorm is often the

a)

high winds

b)

depth of snow

c)

brightness

d)

air temperature

66.

Large clouds that often produce thunderstorms are called

a)

stratus clouds.

b)

cumulonimbus clouds.

c)

cirrus clouds.

d)

nimbostratus clouds.

67.

Any form of water that falls from clouds is called

a)

dew

b)

evaporation

c)

condensation

d)

precipitation

68.

When a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet and neither can move the other, the result is a(n)

a)

occluded front

b)

warm front

c)

stationary front

d)

cold front

69.

A major difference between cyclones and anticyclones is

a)

their size

b)

where they occur

c)

the directions of their winds

d)

how often they occur

70.

A funnel-shaped cloud that touches Earth’s surface is called a

a)

hurricane

b)

cyclone

c)

tornado

d)

thunderhead

71.

Isobars are lines on a map joining places that have the same

a)

wind speed.

b)

temperature

c)

humidity

d)

air pressure

72.

What kind of weather would a continental tropical air mass that formed over northern Mexico bring to the southwestern United States?

a)

monsoon rains

b)

warm and moist

c)

cold and moist

d)

hot and dry

73.

When a warm air mass overtakes a cold air mass, it forms a(n)

a)

occluded front

b)

warm front

c)

stationary front

d)

cold front

74.

One example of a safe place to be during a thunderstorm is

a)

riding in a boat.

b)

swimming in a lake

c)

sitting under a tree

d)

crouching in a low area