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XVII. Science and Technology/Engineering,Grade 8

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Grade 8 Science and

Technology/Engineering TestThe spring 2008 grade 8 MCAS Science and Technology/Engineering test was based on learning standards

in the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework (2006). The Framework

identifes our major content strands listed below. Page numbers or the grades 68 learning standards

appear in parentheses.

Earth and Space Science (Framework, pages 3233)

Lie Science (Biology) (Framework, pages 5153)

Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) (Framework, pages 6768)

Technology/Engineering (Framework, pages 8789)

The Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework is available on the Department Web siteat www.doe.mass.edu/rameworks/current.html.

In Test Item Analysis Reports and on the Subject Area Subscore pages o the MCAS School Reports

and District Reports, Science and Technology/Engineering test results are reported under our MCAS

reporting categories, which are identical to the our Curriculum Framework content strands listed above.

Test Sessions

The MCAS grade 8 Science and Technology/Engineering test included two separate test sessions. Each

session included multiple-choice and open-response questions.

Reference Materials and Tools

The use o bilingual word-to-word dictionaries was allowed or current and ormer limited English

profcient students only, during both Science and Technology/Engineering test sessions. No other reerence

tools or materials were allowed.

Cross-Reference Information

The table at the conclusion o this chapter indicates each items reporting category and the Framework

learning standard it assesses. The correct answers or multiple-choice questions are also displayed in the

table.

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DIRECTIONS

This session contains seventeen multiple-choice questions and two open-response questions. Mark

your answers to these questions in the spaces provided in your Student Answer Booklet.

ID:246381 B Common

1 Whichotheollowing causes ashipsironanchortosinktotheoceanoor

whenitisreleasedoverboard?

A. chemical orces

B. gravity

C. magnetism

D. nuclear orces

ID:227993 B Common

2 Which otheollowingtoolsis mostuseul ortighteninga small mechanical

astener?

A. chisel

B. pliers

C. saw

D. sander

ID:265264 D Common

3 Whichotheollowingis thebestestimateothenumberostars

inatypicalgalaxy?

A. tens

B. hundreds

C. thousands

D. billions

ID:273677 C Common

4 I aneworganism werediscovered,whicho theollowingwouldmost likelybe

used toclassiy itintothe appropriate

kingdom?

A. the coloro the organism

B. theorganisms natural habitat

C. the structure othe organisms

anatomy

D. the locationwhere the organism

wasound

Science and Technology/EngineeringSeSSion 1

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ID:265227 B Common

5 Which o theollowing is ormed whentwoelementscombinechemically?

A. an atom

B. acompoundC. anelectron

D. a mixture

ID:246371 C Common

6 Ater awindstorm,Nikocalledtheelectriccompanytoreportthathe

had noelectricity. His phone call is

anexampleowhichotheollowing

elementsoauniversalsystemsmodel?

A. designing a process

B. generating output

C. giving eedback

D. settinga goal

ID:265272 1538.tif C Common

7 Theourpicturesbelowshowhowapondenvironmentchangedrom1900to2000.

1900

1933

1966

2000

Which o the ollowing processes

was most directlyresponsibleorthe

changesthatoccurredinthepond

environment?

A. reezing

B. evaporation

C. sedimentdeposition

D. chemical weathering

Science and Technology/Engineering Session 1

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ID:246285 1054.eps D Common

8 Thediagrambelowshows theevolutionary relationship oseveralprimates.

Lemur

Primate ancestor

Spider monkey Baboon Gorilla Chimpanzee

Basedon thediagram,whichotheollowingstatementsistrue?

A. Lemurs were the most recent toevolve.

B. Gorillasevolveddirectly romchimpanzees.

C. Spider monkeys and lemurs evolvedat the same time.

D. Gorillasand baboons evolvedrom a common ancestor.


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ID:229391 3189014_AR1.eps, 3189014_ C Common

10 The diagrams below represent ormsoreproduction.Inwhichormo

reproduction will theospring dier

mostromtheparent?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID:265255 B Common

9 Which o theollowing statements bestexplainswhythetiltoEarthonits

axiscausessummertobewarmerthan

winter in theNorthernHemisphere?

A. Thewarmoceancurrents ow rom

thetropicstotheNorthern

Hemispherein thesummer.

B. The rays o theSunstrike the

Northern Hemisphere more directly

inthesummer.

C. Thegreenhouse eect increases

intheNorthernHemispherein

thesummer.

D. The Northern Hemisphere isclosertotheSuninthe

summer.


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ID:246353 1430.eps, [opt_a01, b01, D Common

11 Which othe ollowingpicturesshowstheappearanceotheMoonwhenasolar

eclipseoccurs?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID:274908 3227044_AR1.eps A Common

12 Thenumbereddrawingsbelowshowtheorganization within a multicellular

organismromsimpletocomplex.

1

2

3

4

Complex

Simple

1

2

3

4

Complex

Simple

Which o these numbered drawings

representsatissue?

A. 1

B. 2C. 3

D. 4


Waning Moon

Quarter Moon

Full Moon

New Moon

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ID:265233 C Common

13 When bedrockinMassachusettsisexamined,itotenappearsscrapedand

polished.Which o the ollowingmost

likely causedthebedrocktoappear

scraped and polished?

A. crustal deormation

B. requent earthquakes

C. glacial movement

D. volcanic eruptions

ID:229379 3189017_AR1.eps A Common

14 Thediagramsbelowillustrate twoblockscomposed odierent materials.

25grams

Block A

25grams

Block B

I Block A is located on the Moon and

BlockBislocatedonEarth,whatproperty

dothesetwoblockshaveincommon?

A. They havethe same mass.B. They havethe same weight.

C. They havethe same volume.

D. They havethe same surace area.


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ID:227985 C Common

15 Ms.Bristolmeasuredthemassoaclosedbeakercontainingseveralicecubes.The

masswas100g.Anhourlater,aterthe

icecubeshadmelted,Ms.Bristol

measuredthemassothebeakeragain.

Whatwasthemassothebeakerowater

thesecondtime?

A. 50g

B. 75g

C. 100g

D. 125g

ID:265250 B Common

16 For atechnology project, Kylecameupwithanideatobuildamodelbridge.

Hewantshisbridgetospan50cmand

tosupporta1kgobject.

According to the engineering design

process, which o the ollowingshould

be Kyles next step?

A. construct prototypes odierent

kindsobridges

B. researchthe dierent designso

bridges

C. gather the materials neededto

build the bridge

D. make a drawingtoshowhow

tobuildthebridge

ID:229434 C Common

17 The complete removalo decomposersromanecosystemwillhavethegreatest

eectonwhichotheollowing?

A. the spreado disease

B. the availability owater

C. the recycling onutrients

D. the distribution oorganisms


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ID:265297 Common

18 Drewwantstoputoakcabinetsinhisnewkitchen.Heisdecidingwhethertoselectcustom-builtcabinetsormass-producedcabinets.

a. Describe one advantageo selectingcustom-built cabinets.

b. Describe one advantageand one disadvantageo selectingmass-produced cabinets.

c. Describeone waythatmass-producedproductsaremadedierentlythancustom-builtproducts.

Questions 18 and 19 are open-response questions.

BE SURE TO ANSWER AND LABEL ALL PARTS OF EACH QUESTION.

Show all your work (diagrams, tables, or computations) in your Student Answer Booklet.

If you do the work in your head, explain in writing how you did the work.

Write your answer to question 18 in the space provided in your Student Answer Booklet.


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ID:246367 0150.eps Common

19 Thepicture below shows a companys design ora nightlight.The nightlightisdesigned topluginto anelectrical outlet.The nightlight isalsodesignedto turn onautomatically

whenitisdarkandtoturnowhenitislight.

Cover

Lightsensor

Base

Plug

Light bulb

a. Name twodierentmaterialsthatcouldbeusedinthenightlight.Identiyapartothe

nightlightthateachmaterialcouldbeusedtomake.

b. Foreach material that you named in part (a), describe onepropertyothatmaterialthat

makesitappropriatetobeusedtomakethepartyouidentifed.



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ID:265277 1472.eps B Common

20 Duringaremodelingproject,homeowners want to removea wall that

separatestwo rooms in their house.The

wallandthetworoomsareshownin

thediagram below.

Room 1 Room 2

WallDoor

According to building codes, the

homeownersmustaddabeaminthe

ceiling whenthey remove theexisting

wall.Whichstatementbestexplainswhy

thehomeownersmustdothis?

A. Thewall providesheat insulation or

therooms.

B. Thewall providesstructural support

orthehouse.

C. Thewall providesa soundbarrier

between the rooms.

D. The wall providesa place to

hangobjectsinthehouse.

ID:229402 B Common

21 Newcarpet is beingmeasured or aroomthatis5.5mby4.6m.Onameasuring

tape,whatisthesmallestunitthatis

necessarytomeasuretheroomaccurately

orthecarpet?

A. millimeters

B. centimeters

C. meters

D. kilometers

ID:265289 C Common

22 Whichotheollowing statements bestdescribesonewaythattheMoonis

dierentromEarth?

A. TheMoon is notsolid.

B. TheMoon hasno gravity.

C. TheMoon hasalmost noatmosphere.

D. The Moon receives almost no

solar light.

DIRECTIONS

This session contains seventeen multiple-choice questions and three open-response questions. Mark

your answers to these questions in the spaces provided in your Student Answer Booklet.

Science and Technology/EngineeringSeSSion 2

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ID:227899 A Common

23 Ashoe manuacturer randomlyselects10%otheproductionromeachshit.

Eachotheseshoesischeckedtoensure

thatitiscorrectlymade.

What is this process called?

A. quality control

B. product distribution

C. production selection

D. researchanddevelopment

ID:265240 1503.tif A Common

24 Thediagram belowshows howa changeintemperatureaectsthephysicalstateoasubstance.Eachothelabeled

points represents the same substance at

a dierent temperature.

TemperatureLow

W X Y Z

Solid

Freezingpoint

Boilingpoint

Liquid Gas

High

Which point represents the substance

inthe physical statewiththe particles

movingthe least?

A. pointW

B. pointX

C. pointY

D. pointZ

ID:274912 3189011_AR1.eps D Common

25 Theorganismsshown belowarebothoundinaquaticenvironments.

Hydra VolvoxHydra Volvox

Which o the ollowing is common to

both o these organisms?

A. They contain blood.

B. They contain nerves.

C. They areboth producerso ood.

D. They are both composedocells.


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ID:265246 C Common

26 Tobiasrode hisbikeon aroad or a2hrperiod. On average,he passed a 1 km

markerevery3minduringthisperiod.

Whichot he ollowingwashisaverage

speedorthis2hrperiod?

A. 10 km/hr

B. 15 km/hr

C. 20 km/hr

D. 25 km/hr

ID:246309 D Common

27 Whichotheollowing organismsproduces energy rom sunlight?

A. worm

B. rabbit

C. hawk

D. grass

ID:265270 B Common

28 Sugaris composed o carbon,hydrogen,andoxygen.Sugarisanexampleo

whichotheollowing?

A. an atom

B. acompound

C. an electron

D. amixture


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ID:226410 D Common

29 Thesuraceoaheatedmetalobjectmeasures120C.Itisdroppedintoa

bucketflled withwater measuring10C.

Which o the ollowing is most likely

tooccur?

A. Boththe waterand metalwill adjustto

the sametemperature below 10C.

B. Thewaterandmetal will adjust to

dierenttemperaturesabove120C.

C. Thewaterwill remain the same

temperature, but the metalwillcool

to10C.

D. The water and metalwill adjustto the

sametemperaturebetween10C and120C.

ID:265224 B Common

30 Thepresenceowhichotheollowinggeologicaleaturesprovidesthebest

evidencethatglaciersoncecovered

anarea?

A. wide riverbeds

B. U-shaped valleys

C. underground caves

D. groundwater springs

ID:265291 A Common

31 Whichotheollowing bestdescribesthepurposeothechromosomesinthe

nucleusoacell?

A. tostorethe genetic instructionsneeded

to speciy traits

B. toreleaseenergy bybreaking down

oodmolecules

C. totransport nutrients into and

outothecell

D. toprotectthe cellrom

microorganisms

ID:265220 B Common

32 Apotocoldwaterwasheatedonastove until thewater boiled.Whicho

theollowingbestexplainswhythe

waterwasabletoboil?

A. The hot stoveabsorbed cold

romthepot.

B. Thecold water absorbed heat

romthepot.

C. Thehotstove gave oheat to the

surrounding air.

D. The cold water gaveocoldtothe

surrounding air.


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ID:227935 C Common

33 A layerosolid brittlerockcomprisesthe outer100 kilometers oEarth.This

layer, which containsboththecrustand

theuppermantle,iscalledthe

A. core.

B. sediment.

C. lithosphere.

D. hemisphere.

ID:246341 B Common

34 Which o the ollowing structuresisnotpresent in animal cells?

A. cell membrane

B. cellwall

C. mitochondrion

D. nucleus

ID:246358 A Common

35 Whatistheprimaryenergysourcethatdrivesallweatherevents,including

precipitation, hurricanes, and tornados?

A. theSun

B. theMoon

C. Earthsgravity

D. Earths rotation

ID:274913 3316993_AR1.eps D Common

36 The drawings below show a turtleembryoandachickenembryo.

Turtle Chicken

Which o the ollowing statements is

supported bythesimilaritiesbetween

theseembryos?

A. The turtle is more advancedthan

thechicken.

B. Thechickenhas more ospring than

theturtle.

C. The turtleand thechickenaresimilar

asadults.D. The chicken and the turtleshare a

common ancestor.


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Questions 37 through 39 are open-response questions.

BE SURE TO ANSWER AND LABEL ALL PARTS OF EACH QUESTION.

Show all your work (diagrams, tables, or computations) in your Student Answer Booklet.

If you do the work in your head, explain in writing how you did the work.


ID:246272 Common

37 Some othe geologiceaturesoundon Earths surace werecaused by the movement oEarths crustal plates.

a. Name two geologiceaturesoundon Earths surace that werecaused by the movement o

crustal plates.

b. Foreachotheeaturesyounamedinpart(a),describehowthemovementocrustal

plates caused the eature to orm on Earths surace.


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ID:246355 1421.eps Common

38 Jorgewasgiventhecubeshownbelowandaskedtodeterminethedensityothecube.Thematerialthatthecubeismaderomisunknown.

a. IdentiythetwopropertiesothecubethatmustbeknowninorderorJorgetodetermine

thedensityothecube.

b. Describe howJorge could measure eachothepropertiesothecubeyouidentifedin

part(a).Be suretoidentiyanytoolsJorge woulduseanddescribe how he would usethem.

c. Explain how the measurementsyoudescribed inpart (b) canbe used todetermine the

densityothecube.

ID:265222 Common

39 Aorest ecosystem in NewHampshire contains alarge areawhere berryplantsgrownaturally.The berry plants help some organisms inthe orest survive andgrow. Otherorganisms inthe

orest help the berry plants survive andgrow.

a. Describe two dierentwaysthat the berry plantshelpsomeorganisms inthe orest survive

and grow.

b. Describe two dierentwaysthatotherorganisms inthe orest help the berry plants survive

and grow.



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Grade 8 Science and Technology/Engineering

Spring 2008 Released Items:

Reporting Categories, Standards, and Correct Answers*

Item No. Page No. Reporting Category StandardCorrect Answer

(MC)*

1 437 Earth and Space Science 8 B

2 437 Technology/Engineering 1.2 B

3 437 Earth and Space Science 12 D4 437 Life Science (Biology) 1 C

5 438 Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) 5 B

6 438 Technology/Engineering 2.6 C

7 438 Earth and Space Science 6 C

8 439 Life Science (Biology) 18 D


10 440 Life Science (Biology) 9 C

11 441 Earth and Space Science 9 D

12 441 Life Science (Biology) 5 A


14 442 Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) 1 A15 443 Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) 4 C


17 443 Life Science (Biology) 15 C

18 444 Technology/Engineering 4.1

19 445 Technology/Engineering 1.1




23 447 Technology/Engineering 4.4 A

24 447 Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) 15 A

25 447 Life Science (Biology) 2 D26 448 Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) 11 C

27 448 Life Science (Biology) 14 D


29 449 Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) 16 D


31 449 Life Science (Biology) 7 A



34 450 Life Science (Biology) 3 B

35 450 Earth and Space Science 4 A

36 450 Life Science (Biology) 11 D37 451 Earth and Space Science 5

38 452 Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) 2

39 452 Life Science (Biology) 13

*Answersareprovidedhereormultiple-choiceitemsonly.Sampleresponsesandscoringguidelinesoropen-responseitems,

whichareindicatedbyshadedcells,willbepostedtotheDepartmentsWebsitelaterthisyear.

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