Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

8th Grade Mid-term (ch#1- Ch#5)

Total questions: 55

Worksheet time: 37mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The current model of our Solar System is called the heliocentric model, which means the Sun is at the center. Before scientists developed the current model, which is best supported by evidence, what was believed to be the center of our solar system?

a)

The Solar System had no center because all of the planets' orbits were random.

b)

A star other than the Sun was the center of the Solar System.

c)

A black hole was the center of the Solar System.

d)

Earth was the center of the Solar System

2.

Which of these choices states Newton’s law of universal gravitation?

a)

As a planet moves around its orbit, the planet sweeps out equal areas in equal amounts of time.

b)

The orbit of a planet, or other body, around the sun is an ellipse, with the sun at one focus of the ellipse.

c)

The square of a planet’s orbital period is proportional to the cube of the planet’s mean distance from the sun.

d)

Gravitational force increases as the mass of an object increases or as the distance between two objects decreases.

3.

The surface of Mercury has many more craters than the surface of Earth has.


Which of the following statements best explains why Mercury has many more craters than Earth has?

a)

Mercury rotates faster than Earth does.

b)

Mercury has a smaller mass than Earth has.

c)

Mercury is much closer to the Sun than Earth is.

d)

Mercury has a thinner atmosphere than Earth has.

4.

Kevin is describing the orbit of Earth.


At what point in Earth’s orbit is Earth closest to the sun?

a)

When Earth reaches aphelion

b)

When Earth reaches its average distance from the sun

c)

When Earth reaches perihelion

d)

When Earth reaches its slowest speed

5.

The distance between objects, along with the masses of the objects, affect the gravitational force between the objects.


Which statement is true according to Newton’s law of universal gravitation?

a)

When the masses of objects increase, gravitational force decreases.

b)

When distance between objects increases, gravitational force decreases.

c)

When distance between objects decreases, gravitational force decreases.

d)

When the masses of objects decrease, the distance between objects decreases.

6.

Eric is creating a timeline of the formation of the solar system.


Which flow chart best describes the formation of the solar system?

a)

Solar nebula → protostellar disk → nuclear fusion → sun → planetesimals →planets

b)

Solar nebula → protostellar disk → nuclear fusion → planetesimals →planets → sun

c)

Protostellar disk → nuclear fusion → sun → solar nebula → planetesimals → planets

d)

Solar nebula →nuclear fusion → sun → planets → planetesimals → protostellar disk

7.

People sometimes talk about seeing shooting stars.


What do they actually see?

a)

A meteoroid traveling through space

b)

A meteor that burns up in the atmosphere close enough to see

c)

A star that is moving through the galaxy

d)

A comet that has come close enough to Earth’s atmosphere to be seen

8.

The terrestrial planets include Mars, Venus, Earth, and which other planet?

a)

Mercury

b)

Jupiter

c)

Saturn

d)

Uranus

9.

Astronomers use cameras on Earth and in orbit to observe the solar system and other objects in space. Suppose that a camera on Earth takes a picture of an astronomical event. The picture shows an object that is large, dark, and has a bright area immediately around it. Which event does this picture most likely show?

a)

Total solar eclipse

b)

Total lunar eclipse

c)

Waning gibbous moon

d)

Waxing crescent moon

10.

Which of the following is a common characteristic of winter compared to summer?

a)

Noon sun lower in the sky

b)

Higher daytime temperatures

c)

More daily hours of sunlight

d)

Longer days and shorter nights

11.

Cassie is writing an equation to show the effect of the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon on tidal range.


Which equation would Cassie use to show the effect of the sun and the moon on spring tides?

a)

Sun + moon = spring tides

b)

Sun + Earth = spring tides

c)

Moon – sun = spring tides

d)

Earth – moon = spring tides

12.

Why does the Earth have seasons?

a)

The tilt of the Earth on its axis

b)

The Earth's shadow being cast on the Moon

c)

The elliptical orbit of the Earth as it orbits around the Sun

d)

The relative positions of the Earth, Moon, & Sun

13.

What causes a solar eclipse to occur?

a)

the Earth, Moon, and Sun line up in a straight line.

b)

the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth

c)

the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon

d)

the Sun moves between the Earth and the Moon

14.
Day and night is caused by the _____________ of earth on its axis.
a)
revolution
b)
orbit
c)
rotation
d)
space
15.
What motion of the Earth takes 365 days?
a)
Rotation
b)
Tilting 
c)
Revolution
d)
Spinning
16.

A lunar eclipse occurs at which moon phase?

a)

quarter moon

b)

new moon

c)

crescent moon

d)

full moon

17.

Neap tides occur when the Earth, Sun and Moon are

a)

At a 90 degree angle

b)

In a straight line

18.

Why does Jupiter have a longer year than Earth?

a)

it is farther away from the sun

b)

it has more gravity

c)

it has more mass

19.

Scientists use the light-year to describe the relationships between objects in space. What does a light-year measure?

a)

the distance that light can travel in one year

b)

the brightness of light that travels through space

c)

the number of years it takes light to travel to Earth

d)

the time it takes light to travel 1 million km

20.

The sun is much larger than the moon. However, as viewed from Earth, the sun and moon appear to be the same size. Why do the sun and moon appear to be the same size when viewed from Earth?

a)

The moon is much hotter than the sun.

b)

The moon is much denser than the sun.

c)

The moon is much brighter than the sun.

d)

The moon is much closer to Earth than the sun.

21.

Which term best describes the shape of the orbits of planets in our solar system?

a)

centripetal

b)

circular

c)

elliptical

d)

spherical

22.

What role did gravity play in the formation of the sun?

a)

Gravity caused the protoplanetary disk to become a planetesimal, which became the sun.

b)

Gravity caused the protoplanetary disk to rotate and form a solar nebula, which became the sun

c)

Gravity caused the solar nebula to collapse toward the center, causing the center to be dense and hot.

d)

Gravity caused small particles to collide to form larger particles called planetesimals, which eventually formed the sun.

23.

Felix examined several photos of stars. To compare their temperatures, he looked at the colors of the stars. He organized the photos in order from coolest to hottest. Which of these answers shows the correct order?

a)

red, yellow, white, blue

b)

white, blue, yellow, red

c)

yellow, white, blue, red

d)

blue, yellow, white, red

24.

Which statement best describes stars?

a)

Large planets that are composed mostly of gases

b)

Celestial bodies made up of gas that give off light

c)

Faint dots of light that can be seen from Earth's surface

d)

Objects that form in the outer parts of the solar system

25.

Two stars have the same apparent magnitude as seen from Earth’s surface. Star A is 33 light-years away. Star B is 346 light-years away. Which of the following claims is supported by the evidence?

a)

Star B is larger than star A

b)

Star B is more luminous than star A

c)

The stars have the same absolute magnitude

d)

Star A has a smaller absolute magnitude

26.

The sun produces large amounts of energy. By what process does the sun produce energy?

a)

radiation

b)

convection

c)

nuclear fusion

d)

electromagnetic radiation

27.

Which of the following pairs of terms directly relates to the actual brightness of a star?

a)

absolute magnitude and luminosity

b)

apparent magnitude and luminosity

c)

size and luminosity

d)

absolute magnitude and apparent magnitude

28.

Which term best describes the movement of matter due to temperature differences in the sun?

a)

conduction

b)

convection

c)

nuclear fusion

d)

radiation

29.

Scientists have determined that the sun will continue to consume hydrogen in its core for another five billion years or so. After the hydrogen is consumed, what will be its primary fuel?

a)

Helium

b)

Magnetism

c)

Nitrogen

d)

Oxygen

30.

Luis is comparing two stars in the Milky Way galaxy. How can Luis tell which star has the greater temperature?

a)

brightness

b)

apparent magnitude

c)

color

d)

absolute magnitude

31.

Which of the following can affect our communications grid?

a)

sunspots

b)

revolution of planets

c)

phases of the moon

d)

apparent magnitude

32.

What is unique about the rotation of the sun?

a)

It spins way faster than the planets.

b)

It spins extremely slow.

c)

The top half spins one direction and the bottom half spins the opposite direction.

d)

Some areas spin faster than others.

33.

What are the layers of the sun's atmosphere?

a)

Core, chromosphere, corona

b)

Photosphere, radiative zone, corona

c)

Radiative zone, chromosphere, core

d)

Photosphere, chromosphere, corona

34.

__________are objects that orbit planets.

a)

Asteroids

b)

Moons

c)

Comets

d)

Planets

35.

Why is Venus so much hotter even though it is further away from the Sun?

a)

Venus doesn’t have an atmosphere which causes the planet to become much hotter than other planets.

b)

Venus’ atmosphere is so dense that heat is trapped and can barely escape, making it hotter than other planets.

c)

Venus has different layers in our atmosphere which causes Venus to be hotter.

d)

Venus atmosphere is so thin that heat is able to pass through and make the planet hotter.

36.

Which of the earlier models of the Solar System, Geocentric or Heliocentric, is most similar to the Solar System as we know it to be today and why?

a)

A. Geocentric, because only the moon is shown orbiting the Earth.

b)

B. Geocentric, which includes all eight planets.

c)

C. Heliocentric, which includes all nine planets.

d)

D. Heliocentric, because the planets are orbiting the Sun.

37.
The planet with the shortest year is
a)
Earth
b)
Neptune
c)
Pluto
d)
Mercury
38.

Shelby filled three empty soda bottles with 5 g of steel wool, a material used for cleaning that also rusts quickly. She added 100 mL of water to each bottle and then resealed the bottle. She placed each bottle in one of three different locations: in a refrigerator at 3 °C, in a room at 25 °C, and in a warm kitchen at 30 °C. She observed the bottles every day for a week and recorded the amount of rust that formed on the steel wool. Which research question does this experiment best investigate?

a)

Does a gas form when steel wool rusts?

b)

Does the temperature in a room vary widely over time?

c)

Does the amount of water effect how quickly steel wool rusts?

d)

Does temperature affect the amount of rust that forms on steel wool?

39.

Kyle wanted to see which gum had the most sugar. He chose four different brands of gum. He weighed each piece. Then he chewed each piece for 10 minutes. After that, he let the gum dry and weighed it again. He recorded his data in the table below. What is the independent variable in Kyle's experiment?

a)

the weight of the final dried gum

b)

the time chewed

c)

the change in weight of the gum

d)

the brand of gum

40.
Which of the following describes an example of a material undergoing a chemical change to become another material with different characteristics?
a)
Iron turns to rust when it is exposed to oxygen
b)
When water boils, it turns into vapor, which is a gas
c)
Oxygen can become liquid at a very low temperature
d)
A.  Gold can be spread out very thin to cover a large area
41.
Nadal is helping prepare a large meal for a family gathering. After cooking for several hours, he notices the windows inside the kitchen are covered in moisture.
Which answer best explains how this happened?
a)
Evaporated moisture is condensing on the windows
b)
Heating up the house will make moisture evaporate from the windows
c)
It is raining outside and hot and dry inside, so water condenses inside the windows.
d)
Having many people in a house causes water to form condensation on the windows
42.
1)  A compost pile is made up of vegetable scraps, grass clippings, and other yard waste. With the help of bacteria that break down matter, the plant material slowly becomes smaller particles that help the soil.  
What would slow down this process of breaking down the plant material in a compost pile?
a)
lowering the surrounding temperature
b)
compacting the material into a smaller space
c)
turning the pile over to introduce more oxygen
d)
introducing worms or other creatures to the pile
43.
Imagine you have a bucket of saltwater.
Which of the following would be the best way to remove the water so that you're left with only salt?
a)
Stir the saltwater for a long time. The salt will form a crystal.
b)
Leave the saltwater to sit for a long time. The salt will settle to the bottom
c)
Boil the saltwater. The water will evaporate and only the salt will remain
d)
Freeze the saltwater. The water will sink to the bottom and the salt will rise to the top
44.

C6H12O6 is the chemical formula for glucose, a type of sugar. Which statement is true about glucose?

a)

Glucose is an element, because it can be separated into smaller components.

b)

Glucose is an element, because it is made up of more than one kind of atom.

c)

Glucose is a compound, because it is made of more than one element.

d)

Glucose is a compound, because it is made of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

45.
Sand floating in water, but most of the sand is settled at the bottom this an example of which type of mixture?
a)
A solution
b)
A colloid
c)
A suspension
d)
A compound
46.
A substance that contains only one type of atom is a(n)
a)
compound
b)
element
c)
heterogeneous mixture
d)
homogeneous mixture
47.
What is matter?
a)

a pure substance

b)

anything that occupies space and possesses mass

c)

an element

d)

a compound

48.
Which one of these is a chemical property?
a)
melting point
b)
boiling point
c)
color
d)
flammability
49.
Which is an example of a physical property?
a)
ability to react with acid
b)
 state of matter
c)
flammability
d)
ability to react with oxygen
50.
What kind of properties can only be observed when a substance changes into a different substance?
a)
physical properties
b)
chemical properties
c)
liquid properties
d)
real properties
51.

In a chemical reaction, the substances that react with each other are called the _____ . The new substances that are formed are called the _____ .

a)

products; reactants

b)

reactants; products

52.

How does the concept of conservation of mass apply to chemical reactions?

a)

The reactants and products have exactly the same atoms.

b)

The reactants and products have exactly the same molecules.

c)

The change in the amount of matter is equal to the change in energy.

d)

The change in the amount of matter is only a small percentage of the total mass.

53.

The amount of matter in an object.

a)

matter

b)

mass

c)

weight

d)

density

54.

Substances that make up mixtures are not held together by __________________.

a)

bonding agents

b)

the strong force

c)

chemical bonds

d)

stocks and bonds

55.

Which property is not a size-dependent property?

a)

mass

b)

volume

c)

density

d)

weight