Nature of Science

Departmental Test
Grades 6-8
Selected Response
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the
question.

1. Measurements are used for which of the following?

A. Explanation
B. Interpretation
C. Qualitative description
D. Quantitative description

2. Which SI units would you use to describe the width of a flower?

A. moles
B. Grams
C. kiloliters
D. centimeters

3. Which of the following is an example of thinking scientifically about a topic?

A. Finding out how bicycles work.
B. Evaluating the costs of bicycles.
C. Investigating the invention of bicycles.
D. Reading a consumer report about bicycles.

4. In an experiment comparing the growth rate of plants given orange juice to the growth
rate of plants given water, what is the dependent variable?
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8

A. the rate of plant growth

B. the number of plants in each group
C. the type of liquid given to the plants
D. the sizes of the plants at the beginning of the experiment

5. You want to find out how much water an aquarium tank can hold. Which SI
measurement unit would you use?

A. liters
B. grams
C. meters
D. tonnes

6. In science, a hypothesis must be:

A. correct.
B. testable.
C. controlled.
D. manipulated.

7. Which is an explanation for the observation illustrated here?

A. The buoy is triangular and the boat is circular.

B. The fisherman is facing in the direction of the buoy.
C. A water current is pulling the boat away from the buoy, which is anchored in
place.
D. The boat starts out at 0.25 m from the buoy, and ends up at 2.5 m from the buoy.

Use the information below to answer question 8.

Making a Volcano
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8
Students made a model of a volcano using a tray, a small paper cup, clay, baking soda, food coloring,
dish soap and vinegar (acetic acid). First, they placed the paper cup on a large tray and covered the cup
with clay to make it look like a volcano. Then, the students placed 10 grams of baking soda into a cup.
Next, they added five drops of both food coloring and a dish soap to 30 milliliters of vinegar. Finally, the
students poured the vinegar mixture into the cup.

Immediately, bubbles and foam erupted from the model volcano. The students observed the model and
recorded their observations of the changes in the substances that made the model volcano.

A student repeated the investigation. However, nothing happened in the volcano model. The student
concluded that baking soda and vinegar do not react chemically.

8. The student would make a more inform conclusion by performing the investigation
with
A. multiple trials
B. different kinds of vinegar
C. controlled temperature conditions
D. greater amounts of baking soda and vinegar

Scientists use models that show the features of an atom.

9. A scientist should use a model that

A. was the first to be developed

B. was most recently developed
C. shows the arrangement most clearly
D. shows the details needed for a specific purpose

Use the information below to answer question 10.

You are planning to conduct an experiment to determine which disinfectant is best for
killing bacteria often found in kitchens.

10. Which of the following would be the most logical dependent variable for your
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8
experiment?

A. Type of disinfectant
B. Source of bacteria
C. Amount of disinfectant
D. Number of bacteria that survived using the disinfectant

Use the information below to answer question 11.

Karen wants to know where in her garden would a basil plant grow the best. She thinks basil
plant will grow best in the corner of the garden that gets the most sunlight. To test her
hypothesis, she decided to plant several groups of basil in her garden as an experiment.

11.Which of the following variables should Karen change from one group of basil plant to the
next?

A. the type of plants

B. the height of the plants
C. the location of the plants
D. the amount of water she gives the plants

Use the chart to answer question 12.

12. According to the incubation data, what valid conclusion can be made regarding the
relationship between temperature and alligator gender?

A. Male alligators hatched more often at the coolest incubation temperatures

B. More Female alligators hatched at warmer incubation temperature than males
C. The greatest total number of both male and female alligators hatched at 30.6C
D. Females hatched most often at cool temperatures, and males hatched most often at
warm temperatures

Use the information below to answer question 13.

Omar formed a hypothesis that mushrooms grow better in bright light than in dim light.
After he did his experiment, he found out his hypothesis was incorrect.

13. Which of these statements describes Omars hypothesis?

 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8
A. It was useful only because it was true.
B. It was useful even though it was false.
C. It did not have to be testable because it was false
D. It supported the results of Omars original investigation.

Use the information below to answer question 14.

A group of students plans to build a model of a local pond habitat.

14. Which model best represents an environment similar to a pond?

A. a sealed plastic bottle containing insects and algae from a pond

B. a classroom aquarium containing plants and animals bought from a store
C. a classroom aquarium containing freshwater, non-native plants, and non-native
animals
D. a small plastic outdoor pool containing freshwater, native plants, and native
animals

Use the information below to answer question 15.

Dr. Einstein performs an experiment to determine how plants grow in a variety of

temperature and moisture conditions. He runs five trials with five different groups of the
same species of plant. The table below shows the results from his experiment.
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8

After finishing the experiment, Dr. Einstein explained that heat and moisture have no
effect on plant growth.

15. Based on the evidence shown in the table, was his explanation valid?

A. Yes, it is valid because the evidence shows a plant with no growth.

B. Yes, it is valid because the table shows the same level for some groups.
C. No, it is not valid because some of his tested conditions show greater growth than
other conditions.
D. No, it is not valid because he did not test plants in moderate moisture and moderate
temperature conditions.

Use the information below to answer question 16.

Students investigated producing waves on the surface of the water in a container. The
students filled four identical containers with the same amount of water. Five milliliters of
oil was then added to three of the four containers. An electric fan was used to produce
wind across the surface of the water in each container. The fan had four speeds; 1 was
the slowest speed and 4 was the fastest.
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8

16. Which statement best describes an error the students made in this investigation

A.The students did not use a control

B.The students changed more than one variable.
C. The students used the same amount of water.
D. The students used an electric fan instead of natural wind.

Use the information below to answer question 17.

Scientists use models to communicate how objects work.

17. Which illustration would best represent the movement of a persons elbow if a
scientist wanted to explain its movement?
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8

Use the information below to answer question 18.

During an investigation, students were given chemical data for several common
household products, as shown in the data table below. Students were to determine if a
substance was an acid or base by using litmus paper. Litmus paper turns red in an acid
and turns blue in a base.
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8

18. Which conclusion is supported by the data from the investigation?

A. Many cleaning supplies are soluble in water.

B. Cleaning solutions with a weak odor are acids.
C. Water is the main ingredient in many cleaning supplies.
D. A substance changes from a gas to a liquid as the temperature.

The table below shows data collected during an experiment.

Fertilizer to Height of Plants Height of Plants Height of Plants

Water Ratio Week 1 (cm) Week 2 (cm) Week 3
(cm)

Water only 3 6 9
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8

2:1 2 5 8

3:1 3 7 8

4:1 4 8 13

5:1 5 10 11

19. Which plant was longest at Week 2?

A. The plants that only received water
B. The plant that received fertilizer at a 3:1 ratio.
C. The plant that received fertilizer at a 4:1 ratio.
D. The plant that received fertilizer at a 5:1 ratio.

Use the information below to answer question 20.

A group of students investigated physics concepts at an ice-skating rink. The students

skated at different speeds and pushed boxes across the ice. The boxes were exactly
the same except for their mass.
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8

The perimeter of the skating rink is 75 meters. A student skates the perimeter of the rink
4 times in 5 minutes (300 seconds).

20. What is the average speed of the student in meters per second?
A. 1 meter per second
B. 15 meters per second
C. 300 meters per second
D. 375 meters per second

Use the information below to answer question 21.

Students measured the length of a flagpole shadow several times during a day. The
students recorded their data in the table below.

Time of Day Length of Shadow

 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8
(meters)

10 A.M. 4

11 A.M. 2

Noon 0

1 P.M. ?

21. What is the length of the flagpole shadow at 1 P.M.?

A. 0 meters
B. 2 meters
C. 4 meters
D. 6 meters

Use the information below to answer question 22.

Alex wanted to learn which brand of battery lasts longest. He did an experiment to test
three brands of batteries. The table shows how he set up his experiment and what his
results were.

Brand of Battery Device How Often Device How long

was used
 Nature of Science
Departmental Test
Grades 6-8

A CD player 1 hour per day 5 days

A radio 10 min per day 7 weeks

B radio 5 min per day 8 weeks

B flashlight 30 min per day 2 weeks

C flashlight 30 min per day 4 weeks

C Video camera 5 hrs per day 1 day

22. Based on the information in the table, Alex concludes that brand B batteries last the
longest. He supports his conclusion by saying that brand B batteries lasted longer than
brand A batteries in a radio. Is Alexs conclusion justified? In your answer, be sure to

Judge whether Alexs conclusion is justified

Identify a problem with how Alex justified his conclusion
Give a piece of evidence that contradicts Alexs conclusion

23. The essential question for this unit was how do people use science to understand
the world? Using the scientific skills that you have learned during this unit, answer the
essential question in a paragraph (5 sentences minimum).