Name Date ID 1. Four cubes are placed into water. Grade 8 - Science Interim Assessment Third Grading Period What property determines whether they will float or sink? number of electrons in the outer shell of the atoms covalent or ionic bonding mass per unit volume of the cube temperature of the water 2. A galaxy. is about twice the size of our sun consists of billions of stars is a star with many planets is a planet with many moons 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 1
3. Why would astronomers use telescopes? to observe chlorophyll in a green plant to inspect red blood cells to see stars and planets clearer to see a play easily 4. Many types of waves exist including light waves and sound waves. What is the function of waves? The waves decrease the harmful effects of sound and light. The waves absorb extra energy from the sun. The waves transport energy from one place to another. The waves increase the power of the sound and the light. 5. Four cubes are immersed in water. Cube #3 floats on the water. What two forces must be balanced for this cube to float? The mass of the cube and the density of the water. The air pressure and the weight of the cube. The weight of the cube and the buoyant force. The force of gravity and the electromagnetic force. 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 2
6. The Milky Way galaxy has a mass of stars at its center surrounded by arms of gas and stars in a disk shape. We cannot clearly see the shape of the Milky Way from Earth, because we are located within the galaxy. What type of galaxy is the Milky Way? irregular galaxy spiral galaxy elliptical galaxy triagonal galaxy 7. According to a widely accepted scientific theory, the universe began with the contents gathering together under extreme pressure, temperature, and density in a tiny spot and then expanding outward rapidly. What is this theory known as? The big bang theory The universal expansion theory The cosmology theory The Kepler theory 8. In which of the following situations are the forces unbalanced? A bicycle coasts down a hill, gaining speed as it moves. A car being pushed at constant speed along a straight path. A wagon lies on its side at the bottom of a steep hill. Two people pulling a rope in opposite directions, but neither person moves. 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 3
9. Types of Stars Class Color Surface Temperature ( C) Elements detected O Blue Above 30,000 Helium B Blue-white 10,000-30,000 Helium and hydrogen A Blue-white 7,500-10,000 Hydrogen F Yellow-white 6,000-7,500 Hydrogen and heavier elements G Yellow 5,000-6,000 Calcium and other metals K Orange 3,500-5,000 Calcium and molecules M Red Less than 3,500 Molecules According to the information in the chart above, which of the following statements is a valid conclusion? The stars with the hottest surface temperature are the largest. The elements helium and/or hydrogen are detected in the hottest stars. All stars are composed of the same elements. Most of the stars in the universe are yellow. 10. Astronomers often use the term "light-year". Which of the following best describes a light-year? A year with an extra day added to the calendar. The unit used to measure distance in space. The time from a star's birth until its death. The comparison of temperature and brightness of a star. 11. According to Bernoulli's principle as the speed of a moving fluid increases, its pressure decreases. Which of the following is an example of Bernoulli's principle? A boat floating on water. A submarine diving underwater. A cart rolling down a hill. An airplane flying in the air. 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 4
12. Sound waves travel through air and water. They are not able to travel through a vacuum. What is the material that sound waves move through called? crest vibration trough medium 13. A pencil in a glass of water appears to be broken, but when you take the pencil out of the water it is in one piece. What wave interaction causes this? reflection refraction diffraction inference 14. Our sun is a relatively young star. It will probably stay stable for billions of years. As it ages and becomes unstable, it might swell into a red giant star. After the sun becomes a red giant star, it may collapse, cool, and become dark. What is this collapsed, cool, dark star called? a galaxy a nebula a white dwarf a super giant 15. Which of the following is a characteristic of stars? Stars are made up of hot, dense gas. Stars are all the same size and shape. Stars blink off and on in a pattern. Stars give off the same color light. 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 5
16. You are walking on the beach on a calm day. You notice the waves are very small. The next day a storm approaches and the waves are much bigger. What characteristic of the wave has changed? Choose One: wavelength frequency amplitude wave speed 17. Which of the following would best model the movement of galaxies farther apart as the universe is expanding? A balloon deflating A bottle breaking A tire rolling Raisin bread baking 18. Light travels about 4 trillion km in one year. Knowing this fact, about how far from Earth is a star that is 3 light years away? 3 trillion km 4 trillion km 7 trillion km 12 trillion km 19. Copernicus was a famous astronomer. Which of these theories did Copernicus develop? that the sun revolved around Earth that Earth revolved around the sun that Earth revolved around the moon that the sun revolved around the moon 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 6
20. When scientists study stars, one thing they look at is the stars' colors. The colors tell the scientists how hot the stars are. Color Type of Stars Surface Temperature ( C) Blue Above 30,000 Blue-white 7,500-30,000 Yellow-white 6,000-7,500 Yellow 5,000-6,000 Orange 3,500-5,000 Red Less than 3,500 Based on the chart, what color would a star be if its surface temperature is 10,000 C? yellow orange yellow-white blue-white 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 7
Read Star Gazing to answer questions 21, 22, 23 and 24. Star Gazing Star gazing is many people's favorite part of astronomy. But, don t rush off to the store to buy a telescope just yet. For much of our star gazing, we don t need much equipment at all. We just need some information and, perhaps, a red flashlight. In order to have the best view of the sky, you should try to find a nice size field, preferably with as little light around as possible to minimize the light pollution. Light pollution is any light around you which prevents your eyes from adjusting to the dark, thereby making star gazing more difficult. Your back yard may work just fine. Now, lie on your back. It doesn t matter which direction your head is pointed as long as you know how you re oriented and orient your sky map accordingly. Next, just like when we travel, we need to find a landmark we can recognize. Since most people can find the Big Dipper, let s look for it first. Great! Now, if you think of the two stars which form the wall of the dipper opposite its handle as a pointer, they aim directly at Polaris, the North Star, which in turn starts the handle of the little dipper. See, now you re star gazing. Orient the sky map with the N pointed towards north. Now, locate the Big Dipper and Little Dipper on the map and you re ready to set off on your exploration. If you can get a red flashlight, or place some red cellophane over the lens of a standard flashlight, when you shine it on the map, your night vision won't be as affected as with a white light. These instructions work fine for the northern hemisphere. If you are located south of the equator, it's possible you'll want a different landmark. Probably the most easily recognizable constellation which can be seen from the southern hemisphere is the Southern Cross. Once you locate this constellation, use it to orient yourself on the sky map. Don't expect to see everything at once, it's a very large universe. When you've had a little experience with star gazing, you can consider buying a telescope. Talk to someone with more experience about the best telescope to buy. Don't worry too much about identifying the objects you are viewing, just enjoy the splendor of the night sky. If curiosity does get the better of you, simply glance at your map and you should be able to recognize many of the stars or planets that are visible. Remember that the Earth is constantly moving, so allow for that movement as you look at the map. Space.about.com 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 8
21. The most likely reason the author wrote this passage was to market the sale of star maps to help you locate the major stars. share information on an easy way to locate and observe stars. explain how the stars were given their names by early man. convince you that stars move differently in each hemisphere. 22. Based on information in the article, when looking at stars you should use a red flashlight in place of a normal flashlight because the red light can not be seen by others standing around you. is the same color as the larger star. is in the middle of the color spectrum. does not affect your night vision as much as white light. 23. The article suggested using a "landmark" to help locate stars. Which of the following was the suggested landmark if you live in the Northern Hemisphere? The Big Dipper The North Star The Southern Cross The Evening Star 24. From what the reader learned about star gazing, which statement would not be reasonable? The less light pollution the better the star gazing will be. When star gazing, allow for the movement of the earth. You should be able to locate most stars on the first try. Not all of the stars will be visible at the same time. 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 9
Name Date ID Grade 8 - Science Interim Assessment Third Grading Period Answer Document 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 8 th Grade Science Interim Assessment (3) 10