WorksheetsKinchler - TCAP 8th Grade Science (Part One)
Total questions: 43
Worksheet time: 41mins
A diagram of seven rock layers is shown. The diagram represents a section of Earth that a paleontologist, a scientist who studies fossils, has been working with for years. Which statement correctly describes this diagram?
Layer W contains fossils of organisms that existed on Earth after the organisms found in layers U and R.
Layer U contains fossils of organisms that are older than the organisms found in layer R.
Layers R and W contain fossils that are both types of plant species.
Layers W and U contain fossils that are animal species.
Some scientists compared fossils of the common ancestor of horses with modern horses. The table shows what the scientists found during their analysis.
The scientists claim that modern horses are better adapted for survival in the present-day environment than the common ancestor would have been. Which statement best support this claim?
Organisms with four legs will develop a hoof because of the need to balance on four legs.
Organisms will acquire helpful traits from their surroundings to survive.
Organisms that have hooves are more likely to reproduce.
Organisms with multiple toes are easily seen by predators, so parents choose not to pass the trait on to their offspring.
Government agencies study natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions to make decisions about planning for natural disasters. The triangles on the map show the locations of potentially active volcanoes in the western United States. Which statement is correct regarding the dangers of volcanic eruptions in the western United States?
Colorado should have a stricter volcano emergency plan than Washington State has.
here is more danger of a volcanic eruption in the near future in San Diego, California, than there is in Seattle, Washington.
Utah should have a stricter volcano emergency plan than California has.
There is less danger of a volcanic eruption in the near future in Salt Lake City, Utah, than there is in Bend, Oregon.
A heavy flood washed away over five meters of soil and rock. The layer of rock that was exposed by the flood contained remains of brachiopods, crinoids, and corals that existed in warm, shallow seas 350 million years ago. Some of the fossils that were found are shown.
Which statement is the best explanation for the presence of these marine fossils in an inland area of the United States?
The brachiopods could live in water and on land.
The crinoids and corals grew on terrestrial surfaces.
The fossils were carried to the area by floodwaters.
The area used to be covered by an ocean.
A data table shows a section of a gene from four animals. Based on the partial gene segments, which pair of animals will produce the most similar proteins? (a)
Students develop a simple model to illustrate how the movement of the mantle can predict the movement of plates above the mantle. This same phenomenon that influences plate movement can also influence fault formation. They demonstrated this process by using an aquarium, two foam blocks, water, and a heat source. he students decide to model how the motion of two plates occurs.
Which statement best describes the ability of the model to predict plate movement?
The motion of the plates cannot be modeled on a scale that is much smaller than the plates themselves.
The motion of the plates cannot be modeled by simplifying the factors that contribute to plate movement.
The motion of the plates can be modeled by including only the main factors that contribute to plate movement.
The motion of the plates can be modeled only by including every factor that contributes to plate movement.
Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are found at the same cliff side. Which statement is correct about the rocks at this location?
All three types of rock will become metamorphic if they stay at the surface of Earth.
The metamorphic rock and sedimentary rock were already at this location and magma flowed into the other rocks.
If this location is buried deep underground, only the metamorphic rock will melt because it has already been heated before.
The igneous rock will become metamorphic rock after the rock in the cliff side turns into sediment.
The cladogram shows several animal species. Which adaptations belong with labels U and Y on the cladogram? (a)
The graph shows the changes in the number of animal faunas living on Earth over time and how the faunas were affected by different extinction events. Which statement is correct about the changes in faunas during one of these five major events?
The event at the end of the Devonian (Dev.) resulted in an increase in the number of Cambrian faunas.
The event at the end of the Cretaceous resulted in an increase in the number of Paleozoic faunas.
The event at the end of the Triassic (Tri.) resulted in the extinction of fewer faunas than in any other period.
The event at the end of the Cretaceous resulted in the extinction of more faunas than in any other period.
Which statement about the fossil record is correct?
Extinction is a common event but is rarely seen in the fossil record.
Extinction is a rare event and is rarely seen in the fossil record.
Most species that have lived on Earth are still living.
Most species that have lived on Earth are now extinct.
Scientists find evidence of a large meteor impact on the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. What can the scientists most likely expect to find in the layers of rock that are about the same age as the impact?
evidence of the mass extinction of many species
evidence of a gradual change of one species over time
evidence of a rapid change in one species
evidence of the stability of many species over time
The image shows four locations (A-D) on the island of Japan, which resides on or near four different tectonic plates. Which location and explanation describes where engineers should design buildings that can withstand earthquakes?
location A; earthquakes occur near plate boundaries
location B; earthquakes occur far away from mountains
location C; earthquakes occur along the coast
location D; earthquakes occur in the middle of continents
Which scientific discovery supports the claim that Earth has changed over time?
Plants use sunlight to grow and create sugars.
Oceans cover a majority of the surface of Earth.
Animals can live in different climates on Earth.
Rocks found on different mountains are different ages.
Fossil evidence shows that Archaeopteryx, an ancient bird-like animal, had many reptile-like features including a long tail with many vertebrae and claws. Which conclusion does the fossil evidence support?
Birds and reptiles laid eggs.
Birds and reptiles had similar evolutionary beginnings.
Birds and reptiles had similar behaviors.
Birds and reptiles lived at the same time in the ancient past.
An igneous rock containing large crystals is most likely a(n) (a)
A metamorphic rock in which the grains line up in parallel bands is a (a)
If heat and pressure inside the Earth cause a rock to melt, the material that formed would be (a)
As lava cools and crystallizes, what type of rock will form? (a)
The three groups of rocks are classified by (a)
This rock was another type of rock that was heated and compressed over time. What type of rock is this? (a)
This rock was formed by smaller pieces of rock that settled at the bottom of a lake millions of years ago. What type of rock is this? (a)
The process when rocks break into smaller pieces due to exposure to natural elements is called (a)
Which rock is formed form the cooling of volcanic ash on Earth's surface? (a)
Rocks that form from colling magma inside Earth? (a)
Which of the following lists the steps an igneous rock undergoes in order to become a sedimentary rock, in the correct order?
Deposition, erosion, melting, cooling
Erosion, weathering, eruption, cooling
Dissolving, deposition, cooling, fracture
Weathering, erosion, deposition, cementation
Limestone is a sedimentary rock. During the rock cycle, limestone is changed into marble, a metamorphic rock. The processes that act on limestone and change it into marble are (a)
Where are earthquakes most likely to occur? (a)
Suppose you find fossils of dinosaurs on an island but no fossils of bird or mammal fossils found on the continent it broke off from This information provides evidence of (a) .
How do folded mountains form?
They form when plate boundaries diverge.
They form on the continent side of convergent boundaries.
They form when plates collide or push against each other.
They can form several different ways.
Farmers have cultivated five different vegetable crops by artificially selecting for certain traits from the wild mustard plant. This table lists information about five different vegetables that originated from the wild mustard plant. Which statement is correct about the development of these vegetables through artificial selection?
They resulted from a characteristic of the mustard plant that was changed or enhanced by the selective cultivation.
They resulted from the exposure to extreme temperatures and ultraviolet sun rays.
They were created over one generation when crossbreeding took place between two different varieties of vegetables.
They stopped forming additional varieties at the end of a growth cycle.
Diagram 1 shows dark-shaded areas of three continents that contain similar ancient rock structures. Diagram 2 shows similar fossils that were found on landforms. Both diagrams show the different continents arranged as scientists believe they might have existed before they moved apart because of continental drift. Which statement is correct based on the information provided in the two diagrams?
The diagrams both provide support for the theory that the continents have always been fixed in their current positions.
The diagrams have little relationship to each other, as some of the land areas shown on the diagrams are in different positions.
The diagrams support each other by offering two seperate sources of evidence that support the past shapes and positions of the landforms.
The diagrams provide support for the conclusion that the process of continental drift ended when the continents reached their current positions.
A canyon wall is shown. The rocks that make up the wall are layered. From the evidence in the picture, which statement is most correct about what the fossil record looks like in this location?
The number of fossils would decrease as the layers accumulate.
The types of fossils would be similar but would show gradual structural changes.
The number of fossils would rise and then immediately disappear.
The types of fossils would stay exactly the same in every layer.
Students observe a partial graph of seismic data produced from an earthquake. The graph shows data for two different layers in Earth. The students create a table to identify which layers are shown in the graph. Which table best represents the data in the graph?
Obsidian is a glassy black igneous rock. A sample of obsidian is shown. Which type of rock forms in a similar manner as obsidian but at a slower rate?
Schist, which forms under extreme heat and pressure.
Conglomerate, which forms when different-sized sediments cement together.
Gypsum, which forms when water evaporates and leaves behind minerals.
Granite, which forms as magma cools deep underground.
The diagram shows a cross section of Earth, the location of an earthquake, and three seismographs. Which data set should most likely be expected from the three seismographs?
Government agencies consider the possibilities of earthquakes when they are developing regulations about new construction projects. Regions of the United States are classified as having a low likelihood of earthquakes (lowest hazard), a high likelihood of earthquakes (highest hazard), or somewhere in between. Which two statements should inform the development of building regulations in regard to earthquakes?
The possibility of earthquakes should be considered by government agencies when writing building regulations only in the areas of highest hazard.
In high hazard areas, government agencies should write building regulations that prevent the construction of all new buildings.
In low hazard areas, government agencies should not consider earthquakes because they will never happen.
In low hazard areas, building regulations should always include the possibility of the occurrence of an earthquake.
Building regulations should be strictest in areas of the highest hazard and may be lower in areas of low hazard.
The diagram shows the development of two species, the giraffe and the okapi, through the process of gradualism. During the first stage, shown as "Geographic Isolation", the two branches of the species became separated from each other. During the second stage, shown as "Genetic Isolation", the okapi and the giraffe developed into two distinct species. Which statement best describes the continued existence of the giraffe and the okapi?
The two species will likely interbreed with each other, resulting in young with characteristics of both species.
The two species will likely interbreed and develop a new species with characteristics of their common ancestor.
The two species are no longer able to interbreed and both will continue to exist and reproduce in their separate environments.
The two species will be in competition for resources with each other in a single environment, leading to the extinction of one of the species.
A data table shows a section of a gene from four animals. Based on the partial gene segments, which pair of animals will produce the most similar proteins? (a)
The table identifies the three types of tectonic plate boundaries on Earth's surface and their effect on the lithosphere. Which three statements are correct about the effects of these plate boundaries on Earth's lithosphere?
In Type 1 boundaries, new lithosphere will form because of the plates pulling apart from each other.
In Type 2 boundaries, one plate is forced under the other, causing the lithosphere to form trenches.
In Type 3 boundaries, one plate slides next to the other, creating ocean mountain ranges.
Earthquakes tend to occur at both Type 2 and Type 3 boundaries.
Volcanoes tend to occur at Type 1 and Type 3 boundaries.
A classification key and a diagram of an organism are shown below. The organism shown on the right belongs to what kingdom? (a)
A picture of an organism and a classification key are shown below. Using the classification key, identify the class of the organism. (a)
The most available food source for birds on an island is hard-shelled nuts. Which birds have beaks designed to best survive on a diet of hard-shelled nuts?
The diagram shows layers of sedimentary rock and the types of fossils found in each layer. What layer contains the oldest fossil? (a)
