Sample Science Test questions-2 Grade 12

1. Household appliances convert electricity into one or more different forms of energy. An electric fan can best be described as converting electricity into

A. heat energy only

B. heat energy and sound energy only

C. heat energy, sound energy, and mechanical energy only

D. heat energy, sound energy, mechanical energy, and chemical energy

Key

2. Which zones in the map above are most likely to have a temperate climate (warm summers and cold winters) ?

A. 1 and 6

B. 2 and 5

C. 3 and 4

D. 1, 2, and 3

Key

3. An unusual type of fossil clam is found in rock layers high in the Swiss Alps. The same type of fossil clam is also found in the Rocky Mountains of North America. From this, scientists conclude that

A. glaciers carried the fossils up the mountains

B. the Rocky Mountains and the Swiss Alps are both volcanic in origin

C. clams once lived in mountains, but have since evolved into sea-dwelling creatures

D. the layers of rocks in which the fossils were found are from the same geologic age

Key

4. Each figure below shows a force measured in newtons pushing on a block. If there are no other forces pushing on the block, in which case is the acceleration of the block greatest?

Key

5. The picture above shows the positions of two runners at one-second intervals as they move from left to right. For each runner, indicate whether the runner’s speed seems to be constant, increasing, or decreasing.

Explain how you can tell this from the pictures.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student correctly indicates that Runner 1 has a constant speed (or moves at a steady pace) because equal distances are covered each second, and that Runner 2′s speed is increasing because increasing distances are covered in each successive second (spacing increases).

Essential

Student correctly indicates the speed of Runner 1 (constant or moves at a steady pace) and Runner 2 (increasing), and gives a correct explanation for one of the runners.

Partial

Student correctly indicates the speed of Runner 1 (constant or moves at a steady pace), and Runner 2 (increasing) but gives no explanation.

Student response correctly indicates speed of one runner with explanation.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student indicates no or only one correct speed.

6. Recent studies indicate that ozone in the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere is being depleted. What effect does the depletion of ozone have, and how is this effect harmful to humans?

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student explains 1) that a depletion of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere allows more ultraviolet radiation from the Sun to penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere and reach the Earth’s surface and 2) if human skin absorbs these increased amounts of ultraviolet radiation, an increased incidence of skin cancer can result.

Partial

Student explains that decreased ozone leads to increased UV radiation or that decreased ozone leads to increased skin cancer.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student demonstrates little or no understanding of the relationship between ozone depletion, UV radiation, and skin cancer.

7. Tom’s younger brother is learning how to read a thermometer and asks, "Why does the red stuff in the thermometer go up when it gets hot outside?" What is a correct explanation that Tom can give to his brother?

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student explains that heat from the air causes the liquid in the thermometer to heat up and expand (or get less dense), which in turn causes the liquid to move up the thermometer.

Partial

Student provides a partially correct explanation, but does not mention that the liquid expands (e.g., "the liquid in the thermometer heats up," "the liquid is sensitive to heat") or just says "it expands" with no reference to temperature or heat.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student does not provide a correct explanation based on the expansion of the heated liquid (e.g., cites "air pressure," or "heat pressure"), or only mentions the thermometer as a whole (e.g., "the thermometer gets hot"), or only describes the function of a thermometer (e.g., "when the weather is hot, the red stuff goes up").

8. The diagram above shows a food web in a large park. Each circle represents a different species in the food web. Which of the organisms in the food web could be referred to as primary consumers?

A. 7 only

B. 5 and 6 only

C. 2, 3, and 4 only

D. 2, 5, and 7 only

Key

9. What two gases make up most of the Earth’s atmosphere?

A. Hydrogen and oxygen

B. Hydrogen and nitrogen

C. Oxygen and carbon dioxide

D. Oxygen and nitrogen

Key

10. Each diagram below shows the same front view of a human heart. Which diagram has arrows that correctly show the path of blood flow through the heart and the blood vessels leading to and from the heart?

Key

11. A person produces two sound waves with a flute, one immediately after the other. Both sound waves have the same pitch, but the second one is louder. Which of the following properties is greater for the second sound wave?

A. Frequency

B. Amplitude

C. Wavelength

D. Speed in air

Key

12. Explain how you can find out the volume of a solid object, such as a small rock, using only water and either a measuring cup or a graduated cylinder.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student correctly describes how to determine the volume of a solid object using water and a measuring cup or graduated cylinder. Comparison or change in volume of water should be explicit.

Method A:

Pour some water into the graduated cylinder

Record the water level

Then put the rock in the graduated cylinder

�� Record the water level again

The difference between the first and second volume measurements is the volume of the rock

Method B:

Spillage Responses = Fill cup (to the top), add rock, catch the water that overflows in separate container, and measure the overflow. Overflow = volume of the rock.

Partial

Student gives the first four of the steps involved in measuring the volume of a solid object, but does not compare the change in water level or mentions three or fewer of the steps but does discuss the change in water level.

Method A:

Procedure (steps a-d above) or volume calculation (step e)

Method B:

Procedure, including measuring the overflow or stating the overflow equals the volume of the rock

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student demonstrates no understanding of how to use water and a graduated cylinder to measure volume.

13. When you exercise strenuously, your body produces excess heat. Describe what your body does to help prevent your temperature from rising excessively, and explain why the body’s response is effective.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student indicates that the body keeps its temperature from rising through sweating or by blood vessels dilating and states how these are effective.

Partial

Student indicates that the body keeps its temperature from rising but does not explain fully how the mechanism works.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student provides little or no evidence of knowledge of any mechanism for losing heat during exercise.

14. Based on the information in the table above, which is a reasonable hypothesis regarding elements and their compounds?

A. An element retains its physical and chemical properties when it is combined into a compound.

B. When an element reacts to form a compound, its chemical properties are changed but its physical properties are not.

C. When an element reacts to form a compound, its physical properties are changed but its chemical properties are not.

D. Both the chemical and physical properties of a compound are different from the properties of the elements of which it is composed.

Key

15. A radio transmitter broadcasts a signal at a given frequency. If the broadcast frequency is increased, what happens to the speed and the wavelength of the radio waves?

Speed Wavelength

Increases

Decreases

Increases

Remains the same

Decreases

Remains the same

Increases

Key

16. The figure above shows some ocean waves. Which of the labeled distances represents the wavelength?

A. A

B. B

C. C

D. D

Key

17. The two most abundant elements in the Solar System are

A. hydrogen and helium

B. hydrogen and calcium

C. calcium and iron

D. helium and iron

Key

18. Which is a function of a neuron?

A. It carries oxygen to other cells.

B. It secretes digestive enzymes.

C. It removes foreign particles from the bloodstream.

D. It receives signals from the internal and external environments.

Key

19. A newspaper article reported that a fossil was found that was 200,000 years old according to generally accepted radioactive dating procedures. A letter to the editor of the newspaper disputed the accuracy of the age determination because the fossil was found closer to the Earth’s surface than were previously discovered fossils of the same age.

Which of the following would be an appropriate argument against the letter writer’s claim?

A. Older rock layers commonly lie deeper underground than younger ones.

B. Older rock layers may be pushed closer to the surface by geologic processes.

C. The age of a rock layer can often help in determining the age of the fossils it contains.

D. Fossils form only under certain conditions.

Key

20. Electric shocks can be very dangerous to humans. Describe two ways of avoiding electric shocks in the home.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response indicates two potential methods of avoiding electric shocks in the home.

Partial

Student response indicates one potential method of avoiding electric shocks in the home.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response does not indicate any practical method of avoiding electric shocks in the home.

21. You want to cook an egg in boiling water at the top of a mountain that is much higher than where you normally live. What, if anything, would you change in your normal cooking procedures in order to cook the egg to the same hardness?

__________________________________________________________________

Explain why.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response states correct changes in the cooking protocol and explains why a new protocol must be adopted.

Partial

Student response states correct changes in the cooking protocol and gives an incorrect, incomplete or no explanation.

Student states that the cooking time should be changed and gives a complete or partially correct explanation without specifying longer or shorter cooking time.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response to the question about the change in cooking procedures is incorrect or irrelevant, and there are no correct statements about the relation of boiling temperature to air pressure or altitude.

22. The bird shown above would be most likely to eat

A. insects from the ground

B. nectar from tube-shaped flowers

C. fish from the ocean

D. amphibians from a pond

Key

23. Which pair of systems regulate and coordinate body functions?

A. Excretory and digestive

B. Nervous and endocrine

C. Skeletal and muscular

D. Immune and respiratory

Key

24. In the Doppler effect, light reaching the Earth from a distant galaxy in an expanding universe is shifted to

A. longer wavelengths

B. higher frequencies

C. greater velocities

D. greater amplitudes

Key

25. A single seismograph can determine how far away an earthquake has occurred but not exactly where. Explain, with the aid of a diagram, why it is necessary to obtain information from three different seismograph sites to locate the epicenter of an earthquake.

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response recognizes that both distance and direction are needed to locate an earthquake. A sketch is drawn showing a circle, or circular arc around three points that represent the locations of the seismograph sites. The radius of each circle represents the distance to the epicenter for each site. At least two of the circles should intersect in two places showing the need for a third seismograph to distinguish between the two. The epicenter will be located where the three circles intersect. Arcs are acceptable. Student’s sketch shows 3 lines with measured distances meeting at the epicenter.

Partial

Student response recognizes that both distance and direction are needed to locate an earthquake. They (may) talk about the intersection or meeting of the three distances. No diagram or diagram may be close [flawed in some way, e.g., uses area instead of distance, circles not linked to position of seismograph, concentric circles around seismographs].

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response shows no understanding of the triangulation method for locating earthquake epicenters, or cannot explain that distance and direction are both needed for location purposes, or draws an incorrect or irrelevant diagram.

26. Oil is spilled onto the water from an oceangoing tanker. Investigators want to know whether wave motion will help disperse the oil. Design an experiment that they can carry out in a laboratory to find out whether wave motion will help disperse the oil. Describe the equipment they should use and the procedure they should follow.

Equipment:

__________________________________________________________________

Procedure:

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response outlines a suitable method and includes a control.

Essential

Student response outlines a suitable method but fails to mention a control.

Partial

Student response contains aspects of a correct experiment but fails to follow it through or has correct equipment with minimal but correct methodology.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response describes no experiment or an inaccurate experiment.

27. NASA has developed a lightweight space suit with a compact breathing system for astronauts to wear when they leave a spacecraft. The material does not crack in the presence of heat or cold. Name one profession that might consider adapting this system for use on Earth and give two reasons why this adaptation could be useful for this profession.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response names a reasonable profession and indicates two valid reasons why the adaptation could be useful. Valid reasons must relate to properties of the suits.

Partial

Student response indicates a reasonable profession and gives one valid reason why the adaptation could be useful.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response indicates no reasonable profession or names a profession but does not provide any justification for the choice.

28. List two factors that contribute to hunger in a developing country. Choose one of these factors and discuss a long-term solution for it. The discussion should include both an advantage and a disadvantage of this solution.

Factor 1:

__________________________________________________________________

Factor 2:

__________________________________________________________________

Long-term solution:

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response lists two factors that contribute to hunger, and discusses at least one long-term solution that includes an advantage and a disadvantage (5 elements).

Essential

Student response lists 3 or 4 of the above elements.

Partial

Student response lists 1 or 2 of the above elements.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response demonstrates no understanding of the factors that lead to hunger.

29. When sulfuric acid, H SO , is broken down into separate elements, how many different elements result?

A. Two

B. Three

C. Six

D. Seven

Key

30. Which of the following observations about a certain pure solid would indicate most strongly that the solid is ionic?

A. Its water solution is a good conductor of electricity.

B. It is composed of small white crystals.

C. It has a density greater than 1.0 gram/cm .

D. It has a high melting point.

Key

31. According to the theory of plate tectonics, the movement of plates can form mountain ranges and valleys. Within the next 100 million years, the Great Rift Valley in Africa will most likely become a

A. folded mountain range

B. flat eroded plain

C. desert covered with lava

D. wider and deeper valley

Key

The following question refers to the following investigation.

A student took a sample of water from a pond and examined it under a microscope. She identified several species of protozoans, including two species of Paramecium that are known to eat the same food. The student decided to examine the water sample every day for a week. She added food for the Paramecia each day and counted the number of each species. Her findings are summarized in the table below.

NUMBER OF PARAMECIA IN POND WATER SAMPLE

Day	Species S	Species T
1	50	50
2	60	80
3	100	90
4	150	60
5	160	50
6	160	30
7	160	20

32. Using the axes below, construct a graph showing the number of each species of Paramecium the student found each day. Be sure to label the axes.

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student scales, plots, and labels the graph correctly.

Essential

Student scales and plots S and T correctly; one or both axis labels or plot labels are missing (or incorrect).

Partial

Student scales and plots either S or T correctly or scales and plots S and T combined (for example, adds data for each into one data point). No labels on graph.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student fails to plot data for either S or T correctly or produces an illogical graph.

The following question refers to the following investigation.

NUMBER OF PARAMECIA IN POND WATER SAMPLE

Day	Species S	Species T
1	50	50
2	60	80
3	100	90
4	150	60
5	160	50
6	160	30
7	160	20

33. Which of the following can be correctly concluded from the data?

A. Species S is the food for species T.

B. Species T is more common than species S.

C. Species S is a more successful competitor than species T.

D. Species T is a more successful competitor than species S.

Key

34. Magma flowing out of an erupting volcano cools and solidifies to form igneous rock. Explain how the newly formed igneous rock can be transformed into sedimentary rock.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response includes some aspects of all three of the essential steps:

Weathering to break up the solid rock

Transportation and deposition of the products of the weathering

Consolidation of the products into rock

Partial

Student response mentions one or two of the three essential steps in the process. Response may mention consolidation into rock without reference to weathering or deposition.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response gives an incorrect or irrelevant response, or mentions none of the three essential steps in the process.

… C H + … O … CO + … H O

35. When the equation above is balanced and all coefficients are reduced to their lowest whole-number values, the coefficient for H O is

A. 2

B. 3

C. 4

D. 6

Key

36. Which of the following is the chemical formula for an element?

A. H O

B. NaCl

C. Cl

D. NH

Key

37. When propane gas reacts with oxygen in the air to form carbon dioxide and water, heat is released. What is the source of this heat energy?

A. The kinetic energy of the oxygen

B. The kinetic energy of the propane

C. The nuclear energy stored in the oxygen and propane

D. The chemical energy stored in the oxygen and propane

Key

38. Which of the following is true for chemical compounds that have been detected elsewhere in the universe?

A. They have a greater average density than the same compounds found on Earth.

B. They are composed of the same elements that are found on Earth.

C. They are less reactive chemically than the same compounds found on Earth.

D. Those with the greatest molar masses are found furthest away from our solar system.

Key

39. A research project is described below.

A fishery scientist questioned the ability of fish raised in a hatchery to survive in a wild environment. She believed the fish raised in captivity had lost their fear of predators. To test her idea, she placed 15 hatchery salmon and 15 river salmon of the same age into two separate but identical tanks. She then placed a clear piece of Plexiglas into each tank. In each tank, she placed the salmon on one side of the Plexiglas and a large predatory fish, the cod, on the other side of the Plexiglas. She then recorded the amount of time it took the young salmon to move to the back of the tank away from the cod. She found that the hatchery fish were much slower in moving away. This led her to believe the hatchery fish have less fear of predators than do river fish.

Identify each of the following using a sentence or a phrase.

The control

__________________________________________________________________

The variable

__________________________________________________________________

The hypothesis

__________________________________________________________________

The data collected

__________________________________________________________________

The conclusion

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response demonstrates a firm grasp of the steps of a scientific investigation by identifying 5 factors.

Essential

Student response demonstrates understanding of the process of scientific investigation by identifying 4 of the factors.

Adequate

Student response demonstrates understanding of the process of scientific investigation by identifying 3 of the factors.

Partial

Student response demonstrates some understanding of the of the process of scientific investigation by identifying 1 or 2 of the factors.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response does not demonstrate a grasp of the nature of scientific investigation, or defines the terms but does not relate them to the paragraph.

40. Food can be preserved by adding salt or sugar. Explain how adding salt or sugar prevents foods from spoiling.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response indicates that increasing salt or sugar in food causes water to be drawn out of the cells of bacteria (microorganisms) that would otherwise proliferate and spoil the food. Some students may correctly identify this process as osmosis. Or salt/sugar absorbs moisture (water) from food and prevents (inhibits) the growth of organisms that remain.

Partial

Student response indicates that adding sugar or salt absorbs moisture from food

Student response indicates that adding sugar or salt prevents organisms from growing.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response does not show an understanding of the presence of bacteria, or the process of osmosis as it relates to food spoilage.

41. Explain what usually happens to cause a woman to stop menstruating while she is pregnant.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response demonstrates a general understanding by explaining that implantation and growth of the embryo produce the stimulus for a series of hormonal events that suppress the shedding of the uterine lining.

Partial

Student response demonstrates some understanding of the processes that occur by indicating that pregnancy cannot continue if the uterine lining is shed, or that the regular shedding of the uterine lining does not occur during pregnancy, or talks about hormones controlling the process, without mention of the uterine lining.

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response demonstrates no understanding of the processes that prevent the uterine lining from being shed.

42. Mechanical weathering is the physical breakdown or disintegration of rocks without a change in composition. Briefly explain two ways that rocks can undergo mechanical weathering.

__________________________________________________________________

Scoring Guide

Score & Description

Complete

Student response correctly identifies two conditions that cause rocks to undergo physical weathering and explains their action.

Student response correctly identifies two conditions but explains only one of them adequately.

Partial

Student response correctly identifies one condition that causes rocks to undergo physical weathering and explains its action.

Student response correctly identifies one or more conditions with incorrect or no explanation(s).

Unsatisfactory/Incorrect

Student response shows no understanding of what processes cause the physical deterioration of rocks.

SCIENCE ON FREE TUITION

Sample Science Test questions-2 Grade 12

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