Science Review Questions

2008 TAKS

Notes

• These questions came from the TAKS grades 5, 8, 10 and 11 tests. Difficulty varies from “easy squeezy” to “gonna have to think”.

• There are numerous good questions that simply have too much to put on a slide – large graphics and/or lots of text. To access the test to print:– http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/re

sources/release/taks_items/index.html

Which experimental setup should be used to test this hypothesis?

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Hypothesis: Bread mold needs moisture in order to grow.

A. AB. BC. CD. D

A.

B.

C.

D.

Which word could be used to describe a reptile? LS.5

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A. VertebrateB. Warm-bloodedC. MammalD. Amphibian

An experiment to determine the effects of cold temperatures on seed germination produced some

very unexpected results. If the experimenters want to see whether the results are accurate, they should —

plan a new experim

ent

change th

e hypothesis

repeat t

he experim

ent

use w

arm te

mperature

s

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A. plan a new experimentB. change the hypothesisC. repeat the experimentD. use warm temperatures

Which tool can be used to remove iron filings from the mixture?

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A. AB. BC. CD. D

A.

B.

C.

D.

Horses are herbivores. Their teeth crush and grind plants. Which picture best represents the lower teeth of a horse? LS.5

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A. AB. BC. CD. D

A.

B.

C.

D.

Which of the following is the best example of competition between birds? LS.8a

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A. A blue jay eats an insect and is then eaten a hawk.

B. A blue jay ignores some insects and finds and eats other insects.

C. A blue jay eats an insect on the ground, and a sparrow eats grass seeds.

D. A blue jay steals and eats an insect captured by a robin.

It would be most difficult to coast downhill on this bicycle if it were missing —

the ch

ain

a pedal

the kick

stand

a wheel

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A. the chainB. a pedalC. the kickstandD. a wheel

Which of these examples would best model the behavior of light when light reaches the surface of a mirror? PS.9a

A soap bubble ...

A piece of c

la...

A moth

flies t...

A ball is

thro

...

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A. A soap bubble lands on the surface of a wall and bursts.

B. A piece of clay is thrown at a wall and sticks to the surface.

C. A moth flies toward a wall and lands on its surface.

D. A ball is thrown at a wall and bounces away from the surface.

The diagram shows part of the water cycle. Which part of the diagram shows precipitation?

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A. WB. XC. YD. Z

Which is a possible condition for an area of the moon that receives no light? 6.8e

Fog

Stro

ng winds

Thunderstorm

s

Cold tempera

tu...

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A. FogB. Strong windsC. ThunderstormsD. Cold temperatures

Which step should be taken before the liquid in the flask shown is heated?

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A. Place the flask in a water bath

B. Remove some of the liquid

C. Insulate the flaskD. Remove the

stopper

After reading the liquid level in the graduated cylinder above, what must a student determine

to calculate the density of the liquid? PS.2e

Color

Boiling p

oint M

ass

Temperatu

re

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A. ColorB. Boiling pointC. MassD. Temperature

Which of the following terms best describes all the white-tailed deer in a particular forest? LS.8

Community

Ecosy

stem

Individual

Population

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A. CommunityB. EcosystemC. IndividualD. Population

Glucose molecules contain stored energy for plants. Glucose is made from carbon dioxide and water molecules during photosynthesis. What kind of energy do plants use to make

glucose molecules? LS.6

Electr

ical

Sound

Light

Kinetic

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A. ElectricalB. SoundC. LightD. Kinetic

In the food web shown, which of the following organisms transfer the largest total amount of energy

to other organisms? LS.7d

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A. PhytoplanktonB. SeabirdsC. FishD. Krill

Which of the following is an example of a chemical property? PS.2f

Densit

y

Shape

Color

Flammabilit

y

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A. DensityB. ShapeC. ColorD. Flammability

The equation above shows the chemical reaction for burning coal. Which of the following best explains the

reaction represented by this equation? PS.5c

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A. Carbon dioxide gas breaks down into solid carbon and oxygen gas.

B. Solid carbon reacts with oxygen gas to produce carbon dioxide gas.

C. Solid carbon, oxygen gas, and carbon dioxide gas react to form products.

D. Oxygen gas heats solid carbon, melting the carbon into a liquid.

Which of the following correctly lists the particles in a helium atom? PS.2b, PS.3

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A. 1 proton, 1 neutron, 1 electron

B. 1 proton, 2 neutrons, 2 electrons

C. 2 protons, 2 neutrons, 2 electrons

D. 2 protons, 2 neutrons, 4 electrons

What is the total number of electrons in an atom with an atomic number of 13 and a mass number of 25? PS.2b,

PS.3

12 13 25 38

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A. 12B. 13C. 25D. 38

The graph shows the speed of a car traveling east over a 12-second period on a flat surface. In the first

6 seconds shown on the graph, the car is —

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A. increasing its speed

B. changing direction

C. heading northeast

D. gaining potential energy

Which of the following is the best example of an object with only potential energy? PS.6a

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A. AB. BC. CD. D

A.

B.

C.

D.

The diagram shows a modified water cycle. Which of the following best describes the process in which

surface water becomes water vapor?

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A. EvaporationB. CondensationC. PrecipitationD. Percolation

At which latitude can the sun be visible for 24 hours straight in June?

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A. Arctic CircleB. Tropic of CancerC. EquatorD. Tropic of Capricorn

A student wearing goggles, gloves, and anapron begins a simple activity to determine the pH of corrosive solutions. Before the activity begins, what

other safety measure should the student follow?

Identify

the l..

.

Check and se

t ...

Review th

e pro...

Arrange th

e eq...

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A. Identify the locations of eye wash, shower, and fire equipment

B. Check and set clocks and record the beginning time

C. Review the proper method of fire-polishing glass tubing

D. Arrange the equipment in the work area alphabetically

Which of the following organelles is involved in storing material in a plant cell? LS.2a

Vacuole

Mito

chondrio

n

Golgi b

ody

Cell membra

ne

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A. VacuoleB. MitochondrionC. Golgi bodyD. Cell membrane

The ability to roll the tongue is thought to be controlled by a dominant allele (R). What percent of offspring from two heterozygous (Rr) parents

are most likely to have the tongue-rolling trait? LS.13c

25%50%

75%100%

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A. 25%B. 50%C. 75%D. 100%

Bacteria are present in the digestive tract of some herbivores. The bacteria break down plant cellulose, making it possible for the herbivore to digest plant

material. These bacteria live in a stable environment with sufficient food and water. The herbivore and

the bacteria in this relationship — LS.9

benefit each

o...

compete fo

r su...

are produce

rs

are seco

ndary ...

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A. benefit each otherB. compete for survivalC. are producersD. are secondary consumers

Within a certain community, crows actively eat brightly colored beetles. Which interaction is being displayed between the population of crows

and the population of beetles? LS.9b

Commensalis

m

Mutu

alism

Parasiti

sm

Predation

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A. CommensalismB. MutualismC. ParasitismD. Predation

According to this food web, which of the following are omnivores? LS.9

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A. SnakesB. RabbitsC. MiceD. Grasshoppers

Salt is added to a beaker of water and stirred until it is completely dissolved. The salt in this mixture can be separated by —

chro

matograp

hy

chemica

l means o

nly

passing th

e wate

r thro

ug...

allowing th

e wate

r to e...

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A. chromatographyB. chemical means onlyC. passing the water through

filter paperD. allowing the water to

evaporate slowly

All of these represent a change in state of matter except — PS.2c, e

melting a

n ice...

evapora

ting al...

sublim

ating dr...

digesting a su

...

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A. melting an ice blockB. evaporating alcoholC. sublimating dry iceD. digesting a sugar cube

You may wish to change answer C.

In the event of an accident, air bags and seat belts may help reduce injury to a passenger by decreasing

the force that stops the passenger’s motion. The force is reduced because the seat belts or air bags decrease

the — PS.10a

mass

of the pa..

.

accelera

tion o...

reacti

on time ...

speed of t

he v...

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A. mass of the passengerB. acceleration of the passengerC. reaction time of the driverD. speed of the vehicle

Mud at the bottom of a fishpond has atemperature of 15°C. After a week of colder air

temperatures, the mud temperature drops to 12°C. Which of the following methods of heat transfer is

most responsible for the change in the mud temperature? PS.7c

Wate

r conve

ction

Air co

nduction

Wate

r reflecti

on

Gro

und radiati

on

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A. Water convectionB. Air conductionC. Water reflectionD. Ground radiation

Removal of which lightbulb will interrupt the circuit and cause all the other lightbulbs to fail

to glow? PS.11a

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A. Lightbulb QB. Lightbulb RC. Lightbulb SD. Lightbulb T

Which of these is the best reason to not eat or drink while in the laboratory? PS.1a

Particle

s of fo

od can co

...

Spille

d drinks

can m

ake ...

Some fo

ods pro

duce to

xi...

Chemicals

spille

d on han..

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A. Particles of food can contaminate chemical reagents.

B. Spilled drinks can make cleanup of chemicals difficult.

C. Some foods produce toxic gases when mixed with acids.

D. Chemicals spilled on hands can be transferred to food.

Which of the following should be used to determine whether pond water is too acidic to support plant life?

Motion dete

cto...

pH mete

r

Geige

r counte

r

Voltmete

r

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A. Motion detectorB. pH meterC. Geiger counterD. Voltmeter

During photosynthesis hydrogen combines with carbon dioxide to make — LS.6a

choleste

rol

protein

gluco

se

cellu

lose

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A. cholesterolB. proteinC. glucoseD. cellulose

According to the table, the gray wolf is least related to the — LS.5

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A. dogB. rattlesnakeC. salamanderD. lobster

Pollen adheres to bees as they feed on thenectar of flowers. When they move from flower to

flower gathering nectar, the bees pollinate the flowers. The bees then use the nectar to make honey.

The relationship between bees and flowers is an example of — LS.9

parasiti

sm

commensa

lism

mutu

alism

neutralis

m

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A. parasitismB. commensalismC. mutualismD. neutralism

An element is discovered that has an atomic number of 118 and 8 valence electrons. The element is most likely —

a noble gas

an alkali m

eta...

a halogen

a transiti

on m...

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A. a noble gasB. an alkali metalC. a halogenD. a transition metal

Which diagram best demonstrates the law of conservation of mass? PS.5c

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A. AB. BC. CD. D

A.

B.

C.

D.

Heat cannot spread through a solid byconvection because — PS.7c

a heated solid

...

atoms i

n a sol...

heat is ra

pidl...

particle

s of a

...

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A. a heated solid turns into a liquid

B. atoms in a solid possess maximum kinetic energy

C. heat is rapidly lost from solids through radiation

D. particles of a solid are fixed in a rigid structure