Tennessee Benchmark Assessment See what they know. Teach what they need. Practice Example: At what point does a substance change from a liquid to a gas? A. boiling point B. freezing point C. melting point D. zero point A B C D Test C Science Items 1-36 *TNRC-SC06CG-401* *TNRC-SC06CG-401* 2014 Discovery Education, Inc. All rights reserved. 6
Questions 1 through 36 are science questions. Read each question carefully. Choose the best answer and then go on to the next question. Do not skip any questions. 1. Baleen whales are the largest animals living in the oceans. How do baleen whales get food? A. They filter plankton, krill, and small fish out of ocean water. B. They hunt penguins and sea lions near the South Pole. C. They work with dolphins to trap and eat sharks. D. They eat coral that die along the edges of tropical reefs. 2. Which of the following would not describe a change in a comet s appearance as it moves toward Earth in its orbit around the Sun? A. The comet appears to become larger. B. The comet appears to become brighter. C. The comet appears to develop a tail. D. The comet appears to become smaller. Use the information below to answer questions 3, 4, and 5. Haley put batteries into her portable video game player. She noticed that both ends of the batteries had to be connected properly or the player would not work. 3. Why did both ends of the batteries need to be connected for the player to work? A. The battery is part of an open circuit and both ends must be connected for energy to flow. B. The battery is part of a closed circuit and both ends must be connected for energy to flow. C. Energy flows out of both ends of the battery into the circuits inside the player. D. Energy flows into both ends of the battery from the circuits inside the player. 4. What kind of energy is contained in the batteries? A. elastic potential energy B. gravitational potential energy C. chemical potential energy D. electrical potential energy 5. How is the energy in the batteries transformed by the game player? A. The energy is completely transformed into the light and sound used in the games. B. The energy is mostly transformed into light and sound, but a small amount is lost as heat. C. The energy is mostly transformed into light and sound, but some potential energy is returned to the batteries. D. The energy is completely destroyed by the light and sound used in the games. 2
6. What causes the differences in atmospheric pressure that produce winds? A. differences in Earth s magnetic field as the magnetic poles reverse B. differences in the amount of water moving through the water cycle C. differences in the position of the Moon as it revolves around Earth D. differences in the amount of solar energy received at different latitudes 7. Light travels 186,282 miles per second through space. The light from the closest star system takes about 4.3 years to reach Earth. Which conclusion is true based on this information? A. The closest star system is over 25 trillion miles away. B. The speed at which light travels is just over 1 million miles per hour. C. Light travels slowly through the vacuum of space. D. Space probes could reach the closest star system in just over 4 years. 9. The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that moves large amounts of water along the eastern coast of North America. The Gulf Stream is a surface current that affects weather patterns in the eastern United States. Which sentence explains why surface currents affect weather on land much more than deep water currents? A. Water close to the surface is cooler and less influenced by forces in Earth s crust than deep water. B. Water close to the surface is warmer and more influenced by currents in the atmosphere than deep water. C. Water close to the surface is disturbed by boats and is more influenced by shipping and fishing than deep water. D. Water close to the surface has more types of life and is more influenced by the energy in food webs than deep water. 10. The diagram below shows the relationship between Earth and the Sun when it is summer in Tennessee. Sun N Earth 8. A lunar eclipse can only occur during a certain phase of the Moon. Tennessee Equator S During which moon phase could a lunar eclipse occur? A. new Moon B. quarter Moon C. full Moon D. crescent Moon What causes Tennessee to experience different seasons? A. changes in the distance between the north and south poles B. the location of Earth s equator C. changes in the distance between the Sun and Earth D. the tilt of Earth s axis 3
Use the information below to answer questions 11, 12, and 13. Ellis planted a dwarf apple seedling that was bioengineered to grow slowly, produce abundant fruit, and attain a maximum height of 72 inches after 15 years. Ellis planted the seedling when it was 3 years old, and measured the height of the tree every three years. A graph that plots the change in the height of the tree is shown below. Inches 72 60 48 36 24 3 6 9 12 15 Years 11. Which of the following could be the measurements Ellis used to make the graph? A. Height at planting: 36.50 inches Height after 6 years: 42.25 inches Height after 9 years: 50.75 inches Height after 12 years: 65.25 inches B. Height at planting: 41.50 inches Height after 6 years: 48.25 inches Height after 9 years: 53.75 inches Height after 12 years: 60.25 inches C. Height at planting: 43.50 inches Height after 6 years: 46.25 inches Height after 9 years: 57.75 inches Height after 12 years: 68.25 inches 12. Which conclusion is most likely to be based on a faulty interpretation of the data in the graph? A. The dwarf apple tree gained the same amount of height each year during the 12 years of its life. B. The dwarf apple tree gained the same amount of height every 3 years during the 9 years plotted in the graph. C. After the first 3 years, the dwarf apple tree gained about 1 foot of height every 6 years. D. The dwarf apple tree gained height at the fastest rate in its first 3 years as a seedling. 13. The dwarf apple tree is a bioengineered product designed to withstand blight and moderate periods of drought in temperate climates. What type of bioengineered product is the dwarf apple tree? A. artificial B. accidental C. adaptive D. assistive 14. Which material is the best conductor of electricity? A. paper B. ceramic C. bronze D. wool D. Height at planting: 47.50 inches Height after 6 years: 49.25 inches Height after 9 years: 58.75 inches Height after 12 years: 69.00 inches 4
Use the information below to answer questions 15 and 16. Wolves were recently reintroduced into the food chain of a temperate forest, as shown below. 17. The time it takes the Moon to make one complete revolution around Earth is one lunar cycle. About how long is one lunar cycle? A. 7 days B. 10 days C. 29 days D. 365 days consumer producer predator scavenger 18. Phytoplankton are producers that form the basis of many marine food webs. Where do phytoplankton get energy to produce food for other organisms? A. from ocean waves B. from dissolved salts C. from water D. from sunlight 15. What is most likely to change in the food chain? A. Ravens will decrease; plants and deer will increase. B. Ravens will increase; plants and deer will decrease. C. Deer will increase; plants and ravens will decrease. D. Deer will decrease; plants and ravens will increase. 16. Which of the following is an abiotic factor in a temperate forest? A. oxygen B. fungi C. bacteria D. lichen 19. Jason held a basketball over his head and then threw it toward the floor. The ball hit the floor and bounced back up into the air. Eventually, the ball stopped bouncing and rested on the floor. When did the ball have the greatest amount of potential energy in this example? A. when it was high in the air, but not moving B. when it was falling through the air towards the floor C. when it moved back into the air after bouncing off the floor D. when it finally rested motionless on the floor 5
20. What type of energy is present in a stretched rubber band? Use the diagram below to answer questions 22 and 23. A. chemical potential energy B. elastic potential energy C. gravitational potential energy D. electrical potential energy 21. Deep water currents are caused, in part, by water moving from the equator toward the poles. When water moves toward the poles, it becomes cooler and begins to sink to lower levels in the oceans. Why does water sink as it moves towards the poles? A. Cold water is denser than warm water. B. Warm water is denser than cold water. C. Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water. D. Warm water holds more oxygen than cold water. 22. Which phase of the Moon occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in the positions shown in the diagram? A. quarter Moon B. new Moon C. full Moon D. blue Moon 23. What type of tides would be most likely to occur when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in this position? A. spring tides where high tides are very high, and low tides are very low B. neap tides where there is not much difference between high and low tides C. circulation tides where high and low tides occur every few minutes D. storm tides where high and low tides occur with changing weather patterns 6
24. Sea breezes are winds that occur in coastal areas when air from the ocean blows across the shore onto land. Which sentence describes the cause of sea breezes? A. Differences in the temperatures of the land and the water produce convection currents in the atmosphere. B. Differences in the densities of the land and the water produce convection currents in the ocean waters. C. Differences in the elevation of the land and the water produce potential energy in the atmosphere. D. Differences in the organisms living on the land and in the water produce kinetic energy in the ocean waters. 25. Astronomers estimate that the Milky Way galaxy contains about 400 billion stars. Which conclusion can be drawn from this data? A. The Milky Way galaxy is located very far from our solar system. B. The Milky Way galaxy has less energy than our solar system. C. The Milky Way galaxy is much bigger than our solar system. D. The Milky Way galaxy is contained within our solar system. 27. In a protected cove along the Tennessee River, algae produce oxygen that supports the animals that live there. Tadpoles and mayfly larvae eat algae and keep it in check. Small mouth bass eat mayfly larvae, tadpoles, and algae. Crayfish live in the rocks and eat mayfly larvae, tadpoles, and algae, along with dead fish, dead insects, and dead plants that settle between the rocks along the bottom of the cove. Which animal in the cove is a scavenger? A. tadpole B. small mouth bass C. crayfish D. mayfly larvae 28. Derrick checked the weather report before he left for school. It contained the information below: Temperature: 39 F Humidity: 100% Winds: WNW at 8 mph Barometric pressure: falling What kind of weather should he expect on his way to school? A. cool and rainy B. warm and rainy C. warm and windy D. cold and snowy 26. Radios play music by changing into sound. A. visible light B. static electricity C. atomic elements D. electromagnetic waves 7
8 Use the information below to answer questions 29 and 30. Mr. Harris used the graph below to show the relationship between time, distance, and the speed of a car traveling on a highway. Miles 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 y x 20 40 60 80 100 120 Minutes 29. Which conclusion is correct based on the information in the graph? A. The car is traveling at a speed of 20 miles per minute. B. The car is traveling at a speed of 20 miles per hour. C. The car is traveling at a speed of 60 miles per minute. D. The car is traveling at a speed of 60 miles per hour. 30. What is the relationship between time, distance, and speed, as shown in the graph? A. As the time that is spent driving increases, the speed of the car increases. B. As the time that is spent driving increases, the distance that is traveled increases. C. As the time that is spent driving increases, the speed of the car decreases. D. As the time that is spent driving increases, the distance that is traveled decreases. 31. Which best describes salt water in an ocean ecosystem? A. a biotic factor B. an abiotic factor C. an electronic factor D. an atmospheric factor 32. Barry showed the class a model he made that demonstrates what happens when Earth completes a revolution in space. Which of the following describes what his classmates observed in his model? A. Earth completed a full spin on its axis. B. Earth completed an orbit around the Sun. C. Earth completed an orbit around the Moon. D. Earth completed an orbit around the Milky Way. 33. Which statement best describes a relationship between potential and kinetic energy? A. Potential energy and kinetic energy are never equal. B. Potential energy and kinetic energy are always equal. C. As potential energy increases, kinetic energy increases. D. As potential energy increases, kinetic energy decreases. 34. Kerry was surprised to see whitetail deer eating some of the acorns that had fallen from the trees in her neighborhood. What type of energy was stored in the acorns eaten by the deer? A. elastic potential energy B. chemical potential energy C. electrical potential energy D. gravitational potential energy
35. What role do mushrooms play in the transfer of energy and materials in an ecosystem? A. Mushrooms use sunlight to make food for other organisms to eat. B. Mushrooms produce oxygen, which many organisms need to survive. C. Mushrooms recycle matter by breaking down dead organisms and wastes. D. Mushrooms limit the populations of small insects by trapping and eating them. 36. Which of the following best describes how temperature differences help to create ocean currents? A. When it is hot, ocean currents speed up, and when it is cold the currents stop. B. When it is cold, ocean currents speed up, and when it is hot the currents stop. C. Areas near the equator receive more heat from the Sun than areas at other latitudes. The differences in temperature create currents that circulate heat throughout the oceans. D. Areas near the equator receive less heat from the Sun than areas at other latitudes. The differences in temperature create currents that circulate heat throughout the oceans. 9