SSA Test Review Name: SC.6.E.7.51. Over the course of a year, areas near Earth’s equator receive more direct sunlight from the Sun than areas near Earth’s poles. Which of the following correctly describes one result of this heating pattern?A. The poles lose all their heat at night.B. Atmospheric and oceanic currents distribute heat from the tropics to the poles. C. Sunlight overheats the oceans near the equator, making it impossible for sea life to exist there.D. Sunlight evaporates a massive amount of surface water near the tropics, creating flooding in this part of the world.

2. A map of surface ocean currents is shown below.

How does the energy provided by the Sun affect global ocean currents? A. The Sun heats the land, which causes currents to flow close to coasts.B. The Sun heats the world’s oceans evenly, which causes currents to flow around Earth.C. The Sun heats waters near the equator, which then move toward the poles where the waters cool. D. The Sun heats waters near the poles, which causes the waters to move toward the equator to cool.

3. In December, Bill was driving through Florida with his family. As they drove closer to the coast, Bill noticed that the air grew a little warmer. Which of the following statements best explains the temperature difference ?A. Air expands at higher temperatures.

B. Water heats and cools more slowly than the land does. C. Warm air moves toward the coastline from inland areas.D. Cool air moves from coastal areas to inland areas in a sea breeze.

4. The Sun’s energy travels through space to reach Earth. This energy supplies light and heat form the planet. Heat travels in several ways through Earth’s air, water, and land. Which of the following methods of heat transfer is an example of convection?A. Rays of sunlight reach Earth’s surfaceB. Heat moves form the top layer of soil to the lower layersC. Warm air rises and displaces cooler air D. Heat moves from warmed asphalt into the air

5. Augustin visits Panama City, Florida, during the month of May. He feels a shore breeze blowing from the ocean onto the beach. What causes this shore breeze?A. The ocean is colder than the land. B. The ocean is denser than the land.C. The land is colder than the ocean.D. The land is denser than the ocean.

6. On a summer day, Thomas is standing in his driveway waiting for his mother. Energy from the Sun is making Thomas feel hot. This energy is being transmitted by three different methods. Which of the following is an example of convection?A. Energy streaming through space toward ThomasB. Heat being transferred from air particles to the asphaltC. Heat moving through Thomas’s clothes to warm his skinD. Warm air rising from just above the asphalt to reach the level of Thomas’s face

SC.6.L.14.11. Atoms combine to form molecules. Which of the following is another example of organization among living things?A. Tissues combine to form cells.B. Cells combine to form tissues.

2. Organisms can be organized from their smallest functional unit to larger functional units. In

humans, smooth muscle is an example of which of the following levels of organization?A.Cells B. Tissues C. Organs D. Organ systems

3. The body of a person or other mammal is a complex organism. The structure of the body has several levels of organization. Which of the following lists the structural levels of the body from smallest to largest?A. cell tissue organ organ system organism B. cell organ organ system tissue organismC. organ organ system cell tissue organismD. organ organ system tissue cell organism

4. Human beings are composed of progressively larger units of organization. Which unit of organization includes all the others?A. Cells B. Systems C. Organs D. Tissues

5. Organs are directly made up of what lower level of cellular organization?A. Cells B. Organisms C. Tissues

6. The diagram below represents the organizational levels of living things.

Which of the following examples represents the missing organizational level?A. Blood B. Plasma C. Heart D. Vein

SC.6.L.15.11. The system of biological classification used today is based on the Linnaean system, developed by Swedish biologist Carolus Linnaeus. This system distinguishes all plants, animals, and other life forms using a two-name system. Which of the following correctly describes this two-name system?

A. The first name describes the structure of an organism, and the second name describes its life cycle.B. The first name describes the larger group the organism belongs to, and the second name describes a smaller group. C. The first name describes the external structure of the organism, and the second name describes the internal structure.D. The first name describes a group of similar organisms, and the second name describes an organism’s extinct ancestors.

2. Blue-green algae belong to the same Linnaean kingdom as bacteria. Which of the following characteristics do these organisms have in common? A. They cause disease. B. They are prokaryotic. C. They are autotrophs. D. They are multicellular.

3. A scientist claims that birds and insects are closely related. She wants to use the Linnaean classification system to support her claim. Which of the following presents the most convincing evidence that her classification is incorrect according to the Linnaean system?A. Insects and animals look different.B. Birds and insects use their wings to fly.C. Bird wings are stronger than insect wings.D. Bird wings and insect wings have different structures.

4. Scientists use a system called binomial nomenclature to classify organisms. For example, the goldfish is known as Carassius auratus. Each of the two names has a different significance. Which of the following correctly describes the meaning of the two names?A. Carassius is a distant evolutionary ancestor of the goldfish, while auratus is a more recent species.B. Carassius is a group of organisms with similar behavior, while auratus is a group with similar structures.C. Carassius is a group of organisms with similar external structures, while auratus is a group with similar internal structures.

D. Carassius is a group of different organisms with similar structures, while auratus is a smaller group of memebers that can only breed with another auratus.

5. The diagram below shows a single-celled organism with many organelles but no cell wall.

In which of the following categories would the organism most likely be classified?

A. Animalia B. Fungi C. Eubacteria D. Protista SC.7.E.6.2

1. Earth’s rock is continually cycling through different states and locations. The diagram below shows the rock cycle. The labels for two processes are missing.

Which of these processes in the rock cycle could be happening at the stage labeled 2?A. Folding and mountain buildingB. Changes due to heat and pressure C. Compaction and cementation of weathered sedimentsD. Subduction of an oceanic plate beneath a continental plate

2. Limestone caves can develop when limestone rock is weathered. The weathering of the rock leaves an empty space that forms the cave.

Which of the following best explains how the limestone weathered?A. Animals burrowed through the limestone.B. Wind blowing across the surface eroded the limestone.C. Water flowing through the rock dissolved the limestone. D. Moss and plants grew on the rock and broke down the limestone.

3. Human actions can cause significant changes to the plant’s surface. Vegetation has been cleared by humans. If there are any rains in that area, which of the following is most likely to increase?A. Erosion B. EarthquakesC. Volcanic Activity D. Chemical Weathering

4. Rocks change into different types of rocks in a natural process known as the rock cycle.

What process correctly identifies the missing process in the diagram of the rock cycle shown above?A. Cooling C. Weathering and erosionB. Melting D. Compaction and cementation

5. A stream carves a channel through soil rock by removing a few small particles of rock at a time. The stream water slows down when it enters a pond, allowing the rock particles to settle at the bottom of the pond. Pressure combines these particles into a solid rock. What is the new rock called?A. Quartz rock C. Igneous rockB. Sedimentary rock D. Metamorphic rock

6. Granite is a sturdy rock used for monuments. It forms from slowly cooling magma. What type of rock is granite?A. Igneous B. MetamorphicC. Sedimentary D. Weathered

SC.8.P.8.41. The elements iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and mercury (Hg) are classified as metals. Which physical property of metals do they all share?A. They are all magnetic.B. They are all shiny, reddish color.C. They all have the same melting points.D. They all have thermal and electrical conductivity.

2. Mike wants to compare the densities of two types of rock. She knows that the formula for density is D=m/v. Mike finds two rock samples that have the same mass. To find the volume in milliliters (mL) of the samples, she first fills two beakers with equal amounts of water. Then she puts one rock sample in each beaker. The picture below shows how the two samples displaced the water in the beakers.

Based on these results, which of the following is true about the densities of the two rock samples?A. The two rock samples have equal densities.B. It is not possible to compare the densities based on this information.C. The sample in Beaker B has a higher density than the sample in Beaker A.D. The sample in Beaker A has a higher density than the sample in Beaker B.

3. Water has a melting point of 0oC and a boiling point of 100oC. Between these temperatures, it exists as a liquid. Look at the graphs below.

Which of the following is true, based on the data in the graphs above?A. B is a liquid at room temperature. B. B has a higher boiling point than water.C. B does not change states as water does.D. B has a higher melting point than water.

4. The table below shows some of the properties of the elements cobalt and nickel.

A scientist has a sample of metal that could be either cobalt or nickel. Which of the following properties could be tested to classify the metal shape?A. Mass C. Electrical conductivityB. Density D. Reactivity with oxygen

5. Water is sometimes called the universal solvent because it is a polar molecule that dissolves many substances. Which of the following is soluble in water?A. Ice B. Metals C. Oil D. Salts

6. Gabriel is testing the properties of four brands of golf balls. He places them in graduated cylinders containing 100 milliliters (mL) of water and determines that each ball has a volume of 20 cubic centimeters (cm3). He places the balls on a balance and finds that each has a different mass measured in grams (g). The properties of the golf balls are shown in the chart below.

Gabriel uses these numbers to find the density of the golf balls using this formula: density = mass/volume. Water has a density of 1.0 g/cm3. Which ball will float?A. Ball A B. Ball B C. Ball C D.Ball D

7. Which of the following physical characteristics is the same for a particular substance, regardless of the sample size?A. Mass C. VolumeB. Heat content D. Melting point

8. Fresh milk has several parts that a farmer can separate and sell. A farmer removes the top layer of fat from fresh milk. What property does the farmer use to separate the fat from the rest of the milk?A. Density C. MagnetismB. Boiling point D. Electrical conductivity

9. Theresa has a pile of sand grains and salt grains mixed together. She wants to separate the sand from the salt. What method can she use to separate these two substances?

A. Heat the pile to 100oC so that part of the pile boils.B. Place a magnet over the pile to pull out the magnetic parts.C. Sift the pile through a screen with holes that are one centimeter wide.D. Stir the pile into a bowl of water, and then pour the water out of the bowl.

SC.8.P.8.4:

1. Which of the following would be considered a physical property of a new car?A. Shape C. New car smellB. Color D. All of the above

4. Lead is very dense and Styrofoam® is not dense at all. Which of the following is true about lead and Styrofoam?A. If you compare equal volumes of lead and Styrofoam ®, the lead would be heavier (have more mass).B. A small piece of Styrofoam ® would have more mass than a small piece of lead.C. The molecules in lead are not very close together, but they are tightly packed together in Styrofoam.D. Lead will float and Styrofoam will not.

SC.7.E.6.41. The diagram below shows the layers of rock that make up the Grand Canyon.

What does the law of superposition say about how the Grand Canyon has changed over time?A. The Grand Canyon was once underwater because the newest rocks are found at the bottom-most layers.B. The Grand Canyon divided into layers of different rocks because of cracks that arose from volcanic eruptions.C. The Kaibab Limestone used to be underground but was elevated as the layer pushed upward through Earth’s crust.D. The top layer may once have been Redwall Limestone, but over time sediment continued to build up and now Kaibab Limestone is the top layer.

2. Compare the images of the Appalachian Mountains on the left and the Himalayan Mountains on the right. The Appalachian Mountains formed before the Himalayas.

What do these pictures indicate about how Earth’s mountains change over time?A. Mountains erode over time. B. Mountains do not change over time.C. High-mountain lakes form over time.D. Mountains become rougher over time.

3. Paleontologists discovered fish fossils in the arid deserts of western Egypt. What does the fossil evidence most likely indicate about this area’s geologic past?A. The desert was once a vast ocean. B. A giant ocean wave carrying sea life crashed onto the desert.C. Mountains in the region once provided water from snowmelt.D. The area was moved from the ocean to the desert by plate tectonics.

4. Coal, a fossil fuel made from the remains of swamp plants, has been found in Antarctica. Which of the following is the most reasonable explanation for how this is possible when 98% of Antarctica is now covered in ice?A. The coal was transported by animals that ate the swamp plants.B. The climate of Antarctica has become milder due to its closeness to the ocean.C. The climate of Antarctica was probably much warmer in the past than it is today. D. The coal was transported through large convection currents and uplift in the mantle.

5. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. Which

theory does this pattern of geological phenomena support?A. Weathering C. The rock cycleB. Plate tectonics D. Biological evolution

6. Scientists have found many marine fossils on mountains far from any ocean or sea. What is the best explanation for these fossils?A. Meteors with marine fossils landed on the mountains.B. Wind carried fossils from the seashore to the mountains.C. The mountains were made out of land that was once below the ocean. D. Predators caught marine prey and carried it to the top of the mountains.

SC.7.E.6.51. Earth’s surface is made up of tectonic plates that move slowly. The diagram below shows several of Earth’s tectonic plates. The arrows show the direction in which the plates are moving.

Which of the following is the most likely outcome of the interaction between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate?A. The Nazca Plate will slide under the South American Plate and lead to volcano formation. B. The Nazca Plate will slide under the South American Plate and form a rift valley.C. The two plates will slide away from each other and form a mid-ocean ridge.D. The two plates will slide away from each other and lead to earthquakes.

2. Hard-boiled eggs have often been used to model the layers of Earth’s interior. Which choice describes how heat would move through Earth’s layers?A. Within the yolk onlyB. From the shell to the yolkC. From the yolk to the white D. Around the yolk in the white

3. Earth’s crust is made up of tectonic plates. This diagram shows two plates found under the Himalaya Mountains.

Which of the following statements best describes the tectonic plates shown in the diagram?A. Two convergent plates, one continental and one oceanicB. Two convergent continental platesC. Two divergent continental plates D. Two divergent plates, one continental and one oceanic

4. The Great Rift Valley in Africa is a land feature on Earth’s surface caused by the movement of crustal plates. Continued movement of the plates is gradually making the rift deeper. How are the plates around the Great Rift Valley moving?A. The plates are colliding.B. One plate is sliding beneath a less dense plate.C. The plates are grinding against one another along a fault.D. The plates are spreading apart and moving in opposite directions.

5. Different plate boundaries lead to certain events above and below the surface. Where are most mountains on Earth formed?A. At volcanic chainsB. At strike slip faultsC. At mid-ocean ridgesD. At convergent plate boundaries

6. Volcanoes can form when certain plates interact. Which of the following would be the least likely cause of a volcanic eruption?A. Tectonic plates collidingB. Gas pressure within Earth’s crustC. Tectonic plates sliding past each other

SC.7.L.17.21. Eagles are predators, meaning they hunt animals for food. Vultures are scavengers, meaning they

eat they remains of animals. Which of the following statements correctly describes how predators and scavengers affect their environments?A. Both scavengers and predators remove energy from the environment.B. Both scavengers and predators transfer energy within the environment. C. Scavengers transfer energy, while predators remove energy from the environment.D. Predators gain energy from their prey, and scavengers lose energy lose energy by feeding on remains.

2. A fox preys upon a rabbit, and the rabbit feeds on grass. The grass grows through the process of photosynthesis, so it requires sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. One summer, the Sun shone every day, but there was no rain. How would these weather conditions most likely influence the rabbit and fox populations?A. There will be an increase in rabbits and an increase in foxes.B. There will be an increase in rabbits and a decrease in foxes.C. There will be a decrease in rabbits and an increase in foxes.D. There will be a decrease in rabbits and a decrease in foxes.

3. Some animals live on or inside of other animals at different times in their life cycles. The diagram below shows the life cycle of a certain species of worm.

This diagram exemplifies which of the following relationships?

a. commensalism c. parasitism b. mutualism d. predation

4. Monarch butterfly larvae eat milkweed, which is toxic to other insects. The toxin from the milkweed makes the butterflies poisonous to predators. Monarchs do not kill the milkweed plant when they eat from it. This relationship between the butterflies and milkweed is an example of which of the following?A. Commensalism C. MutualismB. Parasitism D. Predation

5. What is different about parasitism compared to the other biological relationships such as mutualism, predation, competition, and commensalism?A. A parasitic organism causes harm to other organisms as a result of the symbiotic relationship.B. The parasite must utilize a host organism that may or may not die as a result of the relationship. C. The host is neither helped nor hurt by the relationship and interaction with the parasitic organism.D. Both the parasite and the host are helped by the relationship and interaction with the parasitic organism.

6. Bees and butterflies have a mutualistic relationship with flowering plants. Which statement describes this mutualism?A. Bees and butterflies receive food while pollinating the flowers. B. Bees and the butterflies take nutrients away from the flowering plants.C. Bees and butterflies compete for the limited food available from the flowering plants.D. Bees and butterflies pollinate the flowers by flying from one to another without any harm to themselves.

SC.7.P.10.31. While attending a baseball game of his favorite major league team, John notices that he can see the batter hit the ball before he hears the crack of the bat. Which of the following statements best explains why there is a time lapse between seeing the baseball hit and hearing it?A. Eyes reacting to stimuli faster than ears do.B. Light waves travel in a more direct path than sound waves.C. Sound waves travel more slowly in the air than light waves do.

2. Longitudinal waves move through different media at different rates. Which of the following lists the three states of matter according to how fast longitudinal waves move through matter, from slowest to fastest?A. solid, liquid, gas C. solid, gas, liquidB. gas, liquid, solid D. liquid, gas, solid

3. When Shereen stood in front of one funny mirror at the amusement park, it made her look very tall and skinny. The next mirror made her look really short and wide. Which statement best explains why Shereen looked so different from one mirror to the next?A. The mirrors refracted light waves differently.B. The mirrors absorbed different amounts of light.C. The mirrors absorbed different types of light waves.D. The mirror surfaces reflected light waves differently.

4. A pelican hunts fish in the water. As the pelican flies above the water’s surface, why must it aim for the fish in a slightly different place than where the fish appears to be located?A. Light reflects off the fish, except for light of the wavelength the fish absorbs, making the fish hard to see.B. Water absorbs most of the light, so not much light reaches the pelican’s eyes.C. Energy from the ocean waves is transferred to the light waves.D. Light waves are refracted as they travel from air to water.

5. Because sound is energy created by vibrations, through which medium will it move the fastest?A. Gas B. Liquid C. Solid D. Vacuum

6. Radars can help meteorologists detect clouds and sailors detect submarines. Radars send out radio waves and record their echoes after the radio waves reflect off an object. Two radars send out radio waves with the same frequency. The first radar sends radio waves through the air. The second radar sends radio waves through the ocean. What is true about these radio waves?A. They are visibleB. They have different speeds.

C. They are audibleD. They have the same wavelength.

SC.8.E.5.31. Astronomers have divided the planets into two groups. The inner, “terrestrial,” planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The outer, “Jovian,” planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Which statement best compares the differences between the inner and outer planets?A. The outer planets are warmer and larger than the inner planets.B. The inner planets have rings and are cooler than the outer planets.C. The inner planets are warmer and relatively small compared to the outer planets. D. The outer planets have rings and are larger and warmer than all of the inner planets.

2. Look at the graph below.

What can determine about the speed at which the planets orbit the Sun?A. All the planets travel at the same speed.B. The smaller planets travel at slower speeds as they travel around the Sun.C. The planets closer to the Sun travel more slowly than those farther from the Sun.D. The planets closer to the Sun travel more quickly than those farther from the Sun.

3. Before Neptune was discovered, its position was predicted because of the way it was changing the motion of Uranus. This change was occurring because of the gravitational pull between Uranus and Neptune. If a gravitational pull exists between Neptune and Uranus, why is Uranus a planet and NOT a moon of Neptune?A. Uranus is orbiting the Sun.

B. Uranus has moons of its own.C. Uranus is too far from Neptune.4. The light from many stars can be seen from Earth. But there is a time delay between the time the light is emitted from the star and when we see it here on Earth. Which of the following statements best explains why there is a delay?1. Stars twinkle, so they give off light at regular intervals.2. The stars’ light is not bright enough to reach Earth immediately.3. Stars are light-years away from Earth, so light takes time to reach our planet. 4. Earth’s atmosphere is too thick for light to reach the surface as soon as it is emitted.

5. Scientists study the planets of our Solar System from Earth and from space, and are continually learning more about them. The chart below lists key properties of the planets.

Based on the information in the chart, which of the following statements is true?A. The farther a planet is from the Sun, the less oxygen it has.B. The least massive planet has an atmosphere that would support life.C. The most massive planets have lower densities than the rocky planets. D. Some outer planets have similar atmospheres to those of the inner planets.

6. Jesse draws the diagram below (not to scale) to show the relative sizes of several parts of the universe.

Which of these is larger than a solar system, but smaller than the universe?A. Comet B. Galaxy C. Moon D. Star

7. Which of the following astronomical bodies is largest?A. Jupiter C. The SunB. The Moon D. The Milky Way

8. Modern telescopes make it possible for astronomers to detect planets around distant stars. Why couldn’t astronomers detect these planets before?A. The planets are much closer than the stars they orbit.B. The planets are much larger than the stars they orbit.C. The planets are much farther than the stars they orbit.D. The planets are much smaller than the stars they orbit. 9. A science fiction movie shows a spaceship traveling past Pluto, Saturn, the Moon, and the Andromeda galaxy. Which of these celestial objects is farthest from the Sun?A. Pluto C. SaturnB. The Moon D. The Andromeda galaxy

SC.8.E.5.91. Not all planets experience a chance of seasons. What causes the seasons on Earth?A. The changing position of the Moon in relation to Earth’s hemispheresB. The angle of Earth’s hemispheres in relation to the Sun C. Differing quantities of light coming from the MoonD. Changes in the distance between Earth and the Sun

2. The diagram below describes the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and the Moon.

When the Sun, Earth, and the Moon are in these positions, what phase of the Moon do we observe?A. full moon C. third quarterB. new moon D. first quarter moon

3. A new planet is discovered in a different solar system. The new planet is much like Earth. One difference is that the planet does not have tides. What does the planet lack that Earth has?A. A star C. a geosphereB. A moon D. a rotational period

4. In the diagram below, the Sun, Earth, and the Moon are all aligned, and only part of the Moon falls in Earth’s shadow.

What does this diagram illustrate?A. A full solar eclipse C. A partial solar eclipse B. A full lunar eclipse D. A partial lunar eclipse

5. Earth’s seasons are caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis, which is shown in the diagram below. The diagram also shows how the relationship between Earth and the Sun changes as Earth orbits. Earth’s Northern and Southern hemispheres take turns receiving more direct rays from the Sun.Each image of Earth in the diagram above shows different seasons. Which of the following seasons is taking place on Earth when it is at position 3 shown below?

A. It is winter in the Southern Hemisphere.B. It is spring in the Northern Hemisphere.C. It is winter in the Northern Hemisphere. D. It is spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

5. One phase of the Moon, as seen from Earth, is shown below.

Which of the following represents the relative position of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth during this moon phase? (Diagrams are not drawn to scale.)

6. How does Earth’s position relative to the Sun cause the four seasons?A. Earth orbits the Sun once a year and is in a different position with respect to the Sun every three months, resulting in four seasons.B. The tilt of Earth’s axis with respect to its orbit changes back and forth approximately 46o every six months, resulting in four seasons.

C. Earth’s axis is tilted with respect to its orbit, so, as it revolves around the Sun its tilt with respect to the Sun changes, resulting in four seasons. D. Earth rotates on its axis every twenty-four hours, and, since the axis is tilted with respect to the Sun, different parts of Earth experience different day-lengths, resulting in four seasons.

7. The diagram below describes the relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and the Moon.

When the Sun, Earth, and the Moon are in these positions, what phase of the Moon do we observe?A. Full moon C. First quarter B. New moon D. Third quarter

8. The following diagram shows the alignment of the Sun, Earth, and the Moon during an astronomical event.

On the night of this astronomical event, the Moon starts fully lit. Then the Moon is dark for about three hours. Finally, the Moon is fully lit again. What is this astronomical event called?A. A solar eclipse C. a first-quarter moonB. A lunar eclipse D. a third-quarter moon