School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Science, Grade 8

Skills and Processes | Earth/Space | Life | Chemistry | Physics | Environmental

Public Release Items: Public release items have appeared on MSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the content standards are assessed on the MSA.

Standard 1.0 Skills and Processes

Topic C. Communicating Scientific Information

Indicator 1. Develop explanations that explicitly link data from investigations conducted, selected readings and, when appropriate, contributions from historical discoveries.

Objective b. Interpret tables and graphs produced by others and describe in words the relationships they show.

Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Item

Question Image

Compare the properties of oil to the properties of the elements in oil. In your comparison, be sure to include

  • the properties of oil
  • the properties of the elements in oil
  • the motion of the molecules in oil, carbon, and hydrogen

Write your answer in the space provided.

/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_8_016.xml

View Scoring Information

Selected Response Item

Bald eagles are found in and near desert, mountain, freshwater, and marine environments throughout the United States. Bald eagles build huge nests that are usually in treetops, near areas of water. The main food source for bald eagles is fish, but the birds sometimes eat other small animals. In 1967, the bald eagle was listed as an endangered species by the Environmental Protection Agency. The widespread use of DDT was responsible for the decline in the number of eagles. DDT, a chemical commonly used to control mosquitoes, caused thinning of the eagle egg shells.

The data table below shows how the population of breeding pairs of bald eagles has changed over a 12-year period in several states.

Question Image

In which year did all states show an increase in the number of breeding pairs?

  1. Year 3
  2. Year 6
  3. Year 9
  4. Year 12
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_8_033.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item

During an investigation, students were given chemical data for several common household products, as shown in the data table below. Students were to determine if a substance was an acid or base by using litmus paper. Litmus paper turns red in an acid and turns blue in a base.

Question Image

Which conclusion is supported by the data from the investigation?

  1. Many cleaning supplies are soluble in water.
  2. Cleaning solutions with a weak odor are acids.
  3. Water is the main ingredient in many cleaning supplies.
  4. A substance changes from a gas to a liquid as the temperature of the substance increases.
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_8_031.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item

Use The Periodic Table of the Elements and the information below to answer the following.

In class, students investigated patterns of elements in The Periodic Table of the Elements. Their teacher pointed out a few properties of some common elements. Helium is the lightest inert gas in air. Magnesium burns with a bright white flame. Gold and silver are dense metals.Table salt (sodium chloride) is a combination of two reactive elements. Some properties of common elements are shown in the data table below.

PROPERTIES OF SOME COMMON ELEMENTS

Element Symbol Atomic Number State of Matter at Room Temperature
Helium He 2 Gas
Chlorine Cl 17 Gas
Gold Au 79 Solid
Magnesium Mg 12 Solid
Silver Ag 47 Solid
Sodium Na 11 Solid

Which statement correctly describes a pattern in the data table, based on the state of matter of the elements at room temperature?

  1. Gases are usually nonmetals.
  2. Reactive elements are usually gases.
  3. Solids always have large atomic numbers.
  4. Metals always have large atomic numbers.
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_8_039.xml

Correct Answer:
A