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Sample Questions

What questions are used in the NAEP science assessment?

Explore sample questions from the science assessment, and see how the NAEP science questions relate to student performance.

 

Test Yourself in Science

Try out questions from the 2011 NAEP science assessment below. After answering all the questions, compare your score with that of students nationally.

Grade 8

 

Question 1

 

What atoms combine to make up a molecule of water?

A. 1 hydrogen, 1 oxygen
 B. 1 hydrogen, 2 oxygen
 C. 2 hydrogen, 1 oxygen
 D. 2 hydrogen, 2 oxygen

 

Question 2

 

Which characteristic is shared by all cells?

 A. They need energy.
 B. They reproduce sexually.
 C. They make their own food.
 D. They move from place to place.

 

Question 3

 

The diagram below shows the collision of two tectonic plates in Asia.

Diagram showing the collision of two tectonic plates in Asia. A rectangular shape is divided in half by a drawing of mountains labeled �Himalayas. To the left of the mountains is an open area with no label; underneath this area are the words �Indian Plate� with an arrow pointing to the right. To the right of the mountains is an open area labeled �Tibetan Plateau.� Under this plateau are the words �Eurasian Plate� with an arrow pointing to the left.

What is a result of this collision?

 A. Volcanoes erupt periodically.
 B. The Tibetan Plateau slowly sinks.
 C. The Himalayas increase in height each year.
 D. Glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau melt.

 

Question 4

 

The next question refers to the following investigation.

Some students were studying the life cycle of mosquitoes. They learned that mosquito larvae and pupae spend part of their time at the surface of water.

The students wanted to find out how a larva and pupa behaved when the jars they were in were disturbed. They put one larva and one pupa in identical tall jars of water at 20�C as shown below.

Diagram showing two jars. The first jar is 50 cm in height and contains air, larva at the surface, and water. The second jar is also 50 cm in height and contains air, pupa at the surface, and water.

The students tapped on the jars when the larva and pupa were at the surface of the water. The larva and pupa dove down into the jars, and then slowly came to the surface.

The students measured the depth each larva and pupa reached and the amount of time each stayed underwater. The students repeated this step five times and calculated the average of each of their measurements.

Their results are summarized in the table below.


Data table. Number of trials = 5. Larva average depth reached (centimeters) = 22. Pupa average depth reached (centimeters) = 22. Larva average length of time underwater (seconds) = 90. Pupa average length of time underwater (seconds) = 120.

 

Which statement(s) is (are) supported by these data? You may fill in more than one oval.

 A. The larva dives deeper than the pupa.
 B. The larva stays underwater longer than the pupa.
 C. The length of the larva affects the depth of its dive.
 D. The pupa dives deeper than the larva.
 E. The pupa stays underwater longer than the larva.
 F. The shape of the pupa helps it dive deeper than the larva.

Explain why you selected the statement(s) you did, using the data in the table.

 

Question 5

 

Water evaporates and falls back to Earth as rain or snow. What is the primary energy source that drives this cycle?

 A. The wind
 B. The Sun
 C. Air pressure
 D. Ocean currents

 

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