Download Final Earth Science, Mr

Final Earth Science, Mr. Blackmore
As a student of 8th grade you are to be proficient at the 70% for the following categories.
Do your best. Post answers on i-note, journal or e-mail
Weather/Climate Answer 4 of the following 8 questions
1. Compare the relationship between the measurements of air temperature
and the average speed of the motion of gas molecules in the atmosphere.
2. Explain the movement of air (wind) from areas of higher pressure to areas
of lower pressure.
3. Explain how weather systems typically move across the United States
from west to east.
4. Analyze how energy and water interact in the water cycle.
5. Compare and contrast how climate is affected by elevation, latitude, and
proximity to water and/or mountain ranges.
6. Define how different phases of matter retain or lose heat.
7. Explain how the Earth’s climate can be influenced by natural events or
human activity, including the Earth’s movement in space and the amount
of solar radiation received by the planet.
8. Explain how climate trends may be natural or affected by human activity.
Answer all 12 of the following 12
9. Weather forecast says that a high-pressure area will soon move into your
area. If the skies are currently overcast, what will happen as the high pressure
area moves in?
A. A thunderstorm will begin.
B. The rains will begin.
C. The skies will clear up.
D. Frost will form.
10. In the United States, in which direction do prevailing wind patterns tend to
move?
A. north to south
B. west to east
C. east to west
D. south to north
11. What is the name for the boundary between two air masses of differing
temperature, air pressure, and humidity?
A. front
B. high
C. low
D. mass
12. What is the primary cause of the Earth’s weather systems?
A. heat energy from the thermosphere sinking to the Earth’s surface
B. the condensation of water vapor in the Earth’s atmosphere
C. the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface by the Sun
D. the flow of warm and cold oceanic currents around the Earth’s continents
13. In which of the following phase changes is water absorbing heat energy?
A. frost forms inside a freezer
B. an ice cube melts
C. vapor from a steaming kettle turns into water droplets
D. water in an ice cube tray freezes
14. On a warm day, Sammy poured a glass of ice water. He noticed that beads
of water formed on the outside of the glass almost immediately.
Which part of the water cycle corresponds to what Sammy observed?
A. water seeping through layers of rock and soil
B. steam rising from a pot of boiling water
C. water vapor cooling and forming clouds
D. rainwater striking a glass windshield
15. In the Earth’s oceans, vast currents move water from one place to another.
What is the main cause of these ocean currents?
A. the uneven heating of the water in the oceans
B. the gravity of the Moon tugging on ocean water
C. the rotation of the Earth causing ocean water to spin
D. the drift of continents through ocean water
16. A scientist wants to show how raising the temperature of a gas will increase
its volume. If the scientist wants a reader to see this relationship quickly,
which of the following would be the best choice for representing the data?
A. bar graph
B. circle graph
C. line graph
D. table
17. Rachel has data on the percentage of students in 8th grade that rank horror,
romance, comedy, or drama as their favorite type of movie. What is the
best way to represent Rachel’s data?
A. bar graph
B. circle graph
C. line graph
D. table
18. Which of the following has the greatest influence on the tides of the Earth’s
oceans?
A. the position of the Moon relative to the Earth
B. the alignment of the planets
C. the amount of rainfall on a given day
D. the amount of sunlight striking the Earth
19. What phase of matter has a definite volume but no definite shape?
A. gas
B. liquid
C. plasma
D. solid
20. What process lets you see your breath when the air is cold?
A. boiling
B. condensation
C. melting
D. vaporization
Plate Tectonics Answer 2 of the following 3 questions
21. Compare and contrast the various layers of the Earth, identifying an outer
rigid shell (lithosphere) underlain by a layer of material (asthenosphere)
that is hot and may deform slowly over time.
22. Explain how earthquakes, mountains, and/or volcanoes often occur at the
boundaries between plates.
23. Compare the common fossils, mountain chains, and glacial deposits on
different continents.
Answer all 4 of the following 4 questions
24. Which equipment would be most useful for comparing the densities of a
sample of granite and a sample of limestone?
A. graduated cylinder and digital balance
B. microscope and graduated cylinder
C. beaker and metric ruler
D. digital balance and magnifying glass
25. Fossils of ancient whales have been found in the southern United States.
What does the presence of these fossils indicate about the past of this region?
A. Millions of years ago, a giant tidal wave swept whales from the Gulf of
Mexico onto the land.
B. Millions of years ago, global sea levels were higher and much of the
southeast United States was beneath an ocean.
C. Millions of years ago, the Mississippi River flooded and deposited the
whales onto the land.
D. Millions of years ago, continental glaciers melted and released the bodies
of whales trapped in the ice.
26. In California, a team of researchers claimed that they had made a new
element. Two other teams repeated the experiment but could not reproduce
the results. The original team took back its claim.
What do these events say about the process of scientific inquiry?
A. If one team makes a finding; other teams will try to prove it wrong.
B. It was impolite for the other teams to question the first team’s results.
C. Experimental results must be reproducible to be accepted as valid.
D. Physical laws change over time, so researchers cannot always replicate
results.
27. Which sentence best summarizes why scientific knowledge changes over
time?
A. Science must explain new observations that challenge existing theories.
B. Scientists easily change their minds about natural laws.
C. As natural laws change, scientific knowledge must change with them.
D. Scientific knowledge is a set of opinions, and opinions change over time.
Rocks and Minerals Answer 2 of the following 4
28. Use the rock cycle to analyze and describe the formation and breakdown
of rocks.
29. Explain how the effects of erosion vary with the type of
particle being moved, the speed of the medium (wind or water) moving the
particles, the volume of the medium, the angle at which the medium
contacts the particles, and other factors.
30. Analyze how the effects of erosion vary with they type of particle being
moved, the speed and/or volume of the water moving the particles, the
angle at which the medium contacts the particles, and other factors.
31. Explain that glaciers are sheets of ice that are formed by gradual
accumulation of snow and conversion of that snow into glacier ice as it is
buried and subjected to pressure of the overlying younger layer of snow.
Answer all 11 of the following 11
32. Which piece of equipment would be most useful for a scientist studying the
crystals in a sample of granite?
A. binoculars
B. graduated cylinder
C. microscope
D. optical telescope
33. Which type of rock is formed when heat and pressure changes but does not
melt rock?
A. igneous
B. mafic
C. metamorphic
D. sedimentary
34. Geologists classify rocks as igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic. On what
do geologists base this system of classification?
A. the density of rocks
B. the location of the rocks relative to the Earth’s surface
C. whether the rocks are found in flat layers
D. the method of formation of the rocks
35. Which type of rock is formed when molten rock cools and hardens?
A. igneous
B. metamorphic
C. sedimentary
D. plastic
36. Which of the following can change the Earth’s surface in the shortest amount
of time?
A. a continental glacier
B. an earthquake
C. acid rain
D. soil erosion
37. Landforms result from a combination of constructive and destructive forces.
One destructive force that acts to change the landscape is
A. crustal deformation
B. metamorphic rock formation
C. erosion
D. the deposition of sediment
38. Which of the following accurately compares erosion to weathering?
A. Weathering breaks rocks apart into smaller pieces; erosion moves the
rock fragments from one place to another.
B. Erosion and weathering are forces in which rocks are broken into smaller
pieces.
C. Erosion breaks rocks apart into smaller pieces; weathering moves the
rock fragments from one place to another.
D. Erosion is a physical process; weathering is a chemical process.
39. One day you see a metal bridge that has turned reddish-brown from
exposure
to the air. Which process does this demonstrate?
A. sedimentation
B. chemical weathering
C. physical weathering
D. erosion
40. On a contour map, the contour intervals represent
A. the distance between two points.
B. the difference in elevation between two neighboring contour lines.
C. the boundaries between towns, cities, counties, states, or countries.
D. different heights of hillsides or mountains.
41. Jennifer notices that a large stone in the bed of a stream in the park is very
rounded and smooth. Which process most likely produced the shape of the
stone?
A. erosion
B. weathering
C. metamorphosis
D. melting
42. Which of the following is an example of a chemical change?
A. a chunk of metal being hammered until it is flat
B. a piece of chalk being crushed into a powder
C. a solid rock melting into magma
D. an iron bridge turning brownish-red over the years
Energy Answer 3 of the following 5 questions
43. Explain how energy can change from one form to another, but in the
process, some of the energy may be converted to heat.
44. Analyze data of both renewable and nonrenewable energy resources.
45. Discuss and analyze the dependency of the United States upon petroleum
reserves.
46. Present alternative to using fossil fuels as energy sources.
Include topics of wind, solar energy, water power, nuclear fission, and
geothermal energy.
47. Compare and contrast the different forms of renewable energy, plus
evaluate the accessibility and environmental impact of each.
Answer all 6 of the following 6
48. When a match is lit, there is a transformation of energy. Which statement
best describes the changes in energy?
A. Thermal and light energy increase as chemical energy decreases.
B. Chemical energy increases as thermal and light energy decreases.
C. Chemical, thermal, and light energy all decrease.
D. Chemical, thermal, and light energy all increase.
49. Five molecules of methane contain five carbon atoms and 20 hydrogen
atoms.
What is the chemical formula of methane?
A. CH4
B. C2H8
C. C4H16
D. C5H20
50. Engineers perform risk-benefit analyses of technologies. Which of the
following is a benefit of wind power?
A. It does not emit hydrocarbons.
B. It can be developed anywhere.
C. It is inexpensive to develop.
D. It requires that turbines be built on hills.
51. After a hot day, the temperature cools and John opens windows both upstairs
and downstairs in his house. Cool air enters through the downstairs windows
and hot air exits through the upstairs windows. What sort of heat transfer has
occurred?
A. conduction
B. convection
C. radiation
D. reflection
52. In Iceland, some power plants inject water deep into the Earth. There, the
water heats up and turns into steam. This steam then returns to the power
plant, where it turns a turbine that makes power for lights, televisions, and so
on. Which type of energy transformation occurs within these power plants?
A. chemical to magnetic
B. radiant to geothermal
C. geothermal to electrical
D. mechanical to geothermal
53. Glenn wants to find the average energy of motion of the particles within a
block of steel. What property of the steel is Glenn trying to find?
A. density
B. volume
C. mass
D. temperature