Iowa practice, Grade 8

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Scholar Tests · Set 2

Iowa practice test, Grade 8

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Reading

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 13 minutes.

  1. The Night Before Regionals

    CHARACTERS: JADA and MATEO, seventh graders and co-captains of the Westfield Middle School robotics team

    (The robotics lab, late afternoon, the day before the regional competition. A robot sits on the workbench, its lifting arm hanging loose. MATEO is alone. He spots a cracked plastic gear on the floor, picks it up, studies it, and slides it into his pocket just as JADA rushes in with a sketchbook.)

    JADA: I was up half the night drawing, and I've figured it out. We rebuild the whole arm, longer this time, so it can reach the top shelf and score double.

    MATEO: Jada, the competition is tomorrow morning, and we've never once tested a longer arm.

    JADA: Then we test it tonight. Every other team will play it safe, which is exactly why we shouldn't.

    MATEO: Or we fix the arm we have, since it worked perfectly all season. Something small probably just slipped.

    JADA: "Probably." (She flips the sketchbook open to a drawing.) It fell apart in the middle of your practice run, Mateo, in front of the whole team, so that's not small. Judges remember teams that take risks.

    MATEO: Judges remember robots that move. If a new arm jams on the field, we score zero.

    JADA: You always say that. You said it about the new wheels in October, and the wheels turned out to be the best thing we built all year.

    MATEO: (His hand goes to his pocket and stays there.) This is different.

    JADA: How?

    (A long pause. MATEO looks at the robot, then at the floor.)

    MATEO: It just is.

    JADA: (closing the sketchbook) That's not a reason. Give me a real one in the next ten minutes, or I start taking the old arm apart.

    (She crosses to the workbench and begins loosening bolts. MATEO pulls the gear out of his pocket, turns it over in his fingers, and opens his mouth to speak. Then he closes it and puts the gear away. The lights fade.)

    1.

    How do Jada's and Mateo's points of view about the broken arm differ?

    1. AJada wants to keep the old arm, while Mateo has drawn a new design.
    2. BJada sees a chance to take a bold risk, while Mateo wants to repair the design they trust.
    3. CJada blames the judges for the problem, while Mateo blames the team.
    4. DBoth want a longer arm, but they disagree about when to build it.
  2. 2.

    What do the stage directions reveal that Mateo keeps from Jada?

    1. AHe has a cracked gear that probably made the arm fail.
    2. BHe has secretly built a longer arm of his own at home last night.
    3. CHe has lost the sketchbook with Jada's design.
    4. DHe has already told the judges about the arm.

  3. Two Accounts of the Great Chicago Fire

    Text 1: The Cow That Burned Chicago

    On the night of October 8, 1871, Catherine O'Leary went out to the barn behind her small house on DeKoven Street to milk her cow. She set a kerosene lantern down in the straw. The cow, restless at the late hour, kicked over the lantern, and the dry straw burst into flames. Within minutes the barn was burning, and a strong wind carried sparks to the sheds and houses nearby, nearly all of them built of wood. For more than a day, the fire raced across Chicago. When it was finally over, about 300 people were dead and about 100,000 had lost their homes. All of it began with one cow and one careless kick.

    Text 2: What Really Started the Fire?

    Historians agree that the Great Chicago Fire began on the evening of October 8, 1871, in or near the barn behind the O'Leary home. What they cannot agree on is the cause, because no one has ever proved the story about the cow.

    Weeks after the fire, city officials held an inquiry and questioned dozens of witnesses. Catherine O'Leary told them she had been in bed when the fire started. In the end, the officials could not say how it began.

    The cow story first spread through the newspapers. In 1893, a reporter named Michael Ahern admitted that he and other reporters had made it up because it made a lively story. By then, many people had already blamed Mrs. O'Leary for the disaster, partly because she was a poor Irish immigrant, and the story followed her for the rest of her life.

    In 1997, the Chicago City Council passed a resolution officially clearing Mrs. O'Leary and her cow.

    3.

    On which point do Text 1 and Text 2 disagree?

    1. AWhether the fire began in or near the O'Leary family's barn
    2. BWhether the fire caused great destruction
    3. CThe date on which the fire began
    4. DWhether a cow kicking over a lantern started the fire
  4. 4.

    According to Text 2, what did Catherine O'Leary tell the officials who looked into the fire?

    1. AShe had left a lantern in the barn.
    2. BA neighbor had started it on purpose.
    3. CShe had been in bed when it started.
    4. DHer cow had kicked over a lantern.

  5. Make a Red Cabbage Color Indicator

    Is lemon juice an acid or a base? What about baking soda? Chemists answer questions like these using the pH scale, which runs from 0 to 14: a substance with a pH below 7 is acidic, a substance with a pH above 7 is basic, and pure water, at 7, is neutral. A red cabbage indicator lets you test kitchen liquids yourself.

    Materials
    half a head of red cabbage
    a knife and a cutting board
    a pot, a strainer, and a large bowl
    4 cups of water
    4 clear plastic cups and a sheet of white paper
    white vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda
    safety goggles

    Steps

    1. With an adult's help, chop the cabbage into small pieces and place them in the pot with the water.

    2. Have an adult boil the water, then simmer it for about ten minutes, until it turns deep purple.

    3. After the liquid has cooled completely, pour it through the strainer into the bowl and discard the cooked cabbage.

    4. Pour about half an inch of the purple liquid into each cup, and set the cups on the white paper.

    5. Leave the first cup as it is. Add a spoonful of vinegar to the second cup, a spoonful of lemon juice to the third, and a spoonful of baking soda dissolved in a little water to the fourth.

    6. Stir each cup, and record the color you observe.

    What Happened? Red cabbage contains natural pigments called anthocyanins, whose molecules change shape slightly depending on how acidic or basic their surroundings are. Because each shape absorbs light differently, each one displays a different color. In acids such as vinegar and lemon juice, the indicator turns pink or red, while in a base such as baking soda solution, it turns blue or green. The untouched purple cup shows the color of a nearly neutral liquid.

    Safety Note: Wear goggles, and never taste or drink your samples. Never test bleach, drain cleaner, or other strong cleaners.

    5.

    What should you do right before you pour the purple liquid into the clear cups?

    1. AStir each cup and record the color that you observe.
    2. BChop the cabbage into small pieces.
    3. CStrain out the cabbage once the liquid has cooled.
    4. DAdd a spoonful of white vinegar to the second cup.
  6. 6.

    Why does the procedure have you leave the first cup as it is?

    1. ATo show what happens when cabbage juice is heated
    2. BTo find out whether vinegar is an acid or a base
    3. CTo give a color to compare the other cups against
    4. DTo keep the experiment safe for younger children
  7. 7.

    How does the section titled "What Happened?" help the reader?

    1. AIt explains the science behind the color changes.
    2. BIt gives the exact pH number of every liquid tested.
    3. CIt warns which chemicals are unsafe to test.
    4. DIt tells how long to boil the cabbage.

  8. Sunday Night, Monday Morning

    Each Sunday night I call across the sea to where my grandmother's new day has begun. She asks the things she always asks of me: Am I eating? Am I warm? Is school still fun? I answer fast, one eye upon my screen, and half-hear stories I have heard before: the mango tree, the hen, the old machine that stitched her first school dress beside the door. Last week she asked me twice if I'd been fed, then laughed and blamed the hour and the line; and in that pause I heard what she had said beneath the words each Sunday, every time. So now I set my screen aside to tell her what I ate, then ask, "And are you well?"

    8.

    How do the last two lines relate to the rest of the sonnet?

    1. AThey introduce a new person who joins the phone call.
    2. BThey explain why the phone line was poor that week.
    3. CThey describe the speaker's hurry, which continues to the end of the poem.
    4. DThey show how the speaker acts after the realization in the third stanza.
  9. 9.

    In the second stanza, the speaker says, "I answer fast" and "half-hear stories." What does the word "half-hear" suggest?

    1. AThe speaker is hearing the stories for the first time.
    2. BThe grandmother is speaking much too softly to be understood.
    3. CThe phone line is too noisy to hear clearly.
    4. DThe speaker is only partly paying attention.
  10. 10.

    How does the speaker's view of the grandmother's questions change during the poem?

    1. AThey seem rude at first, but later the speaker asks her to stop.
    2. BThey seem too personal at first, but later they seem polite.
    3. CThey seem like a chore at first, but later they sound like love.
    4. DThey seem confusing at first, but later they start to sound funny.

Written Expression

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 8 minutes.

  1. 1.

    After the bridge washed out, the road was closed ______.

    Which word best completes the sentence?

    1. Aaltogather
    2. Baltogether
    3. Calltogether
    4. Dall together
  2. 2.

    Members of the city council, our city should build a skate park for the young people in our community. A survey by the city's parks department found that skating is one of the top sports for local teens. Right now, many skaters practice in parking lots and on sidewalks, where they get in the way of drivers and walkers. Some residents worry that a skate park would be noisy and lead to more injuries. However, a park built away from homes, with rules that require helmets, would be quieter and safer than the streets. Please vote to build a skate park and give the young skaters of our city a safe place of their own.

    Which sentence in the paragraph states a counterclaim, an argument for the other side?

    1. AA survey by the city's parks department found that skating is one of the top sports for local teens.
    2. BPlease vote to build a skate park and give the young skaters of our city a safe place of their own.
    3. CMembers of the city council, our city should build a skate park for the young people in our community.
    4. DSome residents worry that a skate park would be noisy and lead to more injuries.
  3. 3.

    It rained for three straight days the creek behind the school rose over its banks.

    This is a run-on sentence. Which choice fixes it correctly?

    1. AIt rained for three straight days so, the creek behind the school rose over its banks.
    2. BIt rained for three straight days, so the creek behind the school rose over its banks.
    3. CIt rained for three straight days, the creek behind the school rose over its banks.
    4. DIt rained for three straight days. the creek behind the school rose over its banks.
  4. 4.

    In which sentence should the words in bold NOT be set off with commas?

    1. AClara Barton a nurse during the Civil War founded the American Red Cross.
    2. BStudents who play in the band will march in the Fourth of July parade.
    3. CGeorge Washington Carver who was a scientist and teacher found hundreds of uses for peanuts.
    4. DThe National Air and Space Museum which is part of the Smithsonian is free to visit.
  5. 5.

    Which word is spelled correctly?

    1. Aplawsible
    2. Bplausibel
    3. Cplausable
    4. Dplausible
  6. 6.

    The Dust Bowl of the 1930s was a disaster caused by drought and poor farming, and it changed how Americans care for their soil. In the years before the disaster, farmers had plowed up millions of acres of prairie grass whose deep roots held the soil in place. When a severe drought struck the Great Plains in the early 1930s, crops died and the bare soil dried out. As a result, strong winds lifted the loose dirt into enormous dust storms that darkened the sky for hours. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the government created the Soil Conservation Service in 1935 to teach farmers how to protect their land. The hard lessons of the Dust Bowl taught the nation that protecting its soil is essential to protecting its farms.

    What is the writer's main purpose in this paragraph?

    1. Ato explain how to do something, step by step
    2. Bto tell a story about something that happened
    3. Cto give facts about a topic
    4. Dto argue for a claim and support it with reasons and evidence
  7. 7.

    Which sentence is written correctly?

    1. AReading the last chapter of the novel, tears filled Mei's eyes.
    2. BMateo bought a used guitar from a music store with six new strings.
    3. CBecause Amara studied late every night, her grade in history improved.
    4. DWritten in 1787, many Americans still study the United States Constitution today.
  8. 8.

    Which sentence is a compound sentence?

    1. AThe students who finished the reading early helped the younger kids at the library with their book reports.
    2. BPriya wanted to join the robotics club, but the meetings were on Tuesdays, when she had piano lessons.
    3. CMei finished her math homework in the cafeteria before lunch, and her friend Omar helped her check the last three problems.
    4. DExcited about the field trip, the sixth graders lined up early outside the gym with their permission slips in hand.
  9. 9.

    Which sentence uses capital letters correctly?

    1. AOur family moved from the Midwest to a town near the Atlantic Ocean.
    2. BOur Family moved from the Midwest to a town near the Atlantic Ocean.
    3. COur family moved from the Midwest to a town near the Atlantic ocean.
    4. Dour family moved from the Midwest to a town near the Atlantic Ocean.
  10. 10.

    Paintings and photographs helped turn Yellowstone into the first national park in the United States. In 1871, the painter Thomas Moran and the photographer William Henry Jackson joined a government trip to record the region's wonders. As a result, members of Congress could see those wonders without traveling there. According to the National Park Service, Moran's paintings and Jackson's photographs helped persuade Congress to create Yellowstone National Park in 1872. ______

    Which sentence would be the best concluding sentence for this paragraph?

    1. AOur cafeteria started serving a new vegetable soup on cold Mondays this month.
    2. BMy uncle drives a snowplow for the city during the long Minnesota winters.
    3. CIn this way, a painter and a photographer helped protect one of the nation's greatest natural treasures.
    4. DEarly reports of Yellowstone's boiling springs and spouting geysers were often dismissed in the East as tall tales.

Mathematics

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 8 minutes.

  1. 1.

    300 students said how they get to school. The circle graph shows the results. How many students come by car?

    1. A20
    2. B75
    3. C60
    4. D240
  2. 2.

    A photo 8 inches wide and 5 inches tall sits in the middle of a mat 10 inches wide and 11 inches tall. What is the area of the mat that shows around the photo?

    1. A12 square inches
    2. B70 square inches
    3. C16 square inches
    4. D110 square inches
  3. 3.

    Is the relationship between x and y in the table proportional? Choose the answer with the correct reason.

    1. ANo, because y ÷ x is not the same for every pair.
    2. BNo, because the table does not show x = 0.
    3. CYes, because both x and y go up.
    4. DYes, because y ÷ x is 9 for every pair.
  4. 4.

    The formula A = (1/2)bh gives the area of a triangle. A triangle has an area of 66 square inches and a base of 11 inches. What is its height, in inches?

    1. A3
    2. B55
    3. C12
    4. D6
  5. 5.

    How many solutions does the equation 2(x − 2) = 4x − 8 have?

    1. ANo solution
    2. BInfinitely many solutions
    3. CExactly two solutions
    4. DExactly one solution
  6. 6.

    When 3/7 is written as a decimal, what is the 49th digit after the decimal point?

    1. A1
    2. B5
    3. C4
    4. D2
  7. 7.

    Some students were asked, "Do you have a part in the school play?" The two-way table shows the results. Of the students who answered yes, what fraction are in Grade 6?

    1. A8/25
    2. B9/17
    3. C4/5
    4. D8/17
  8. 8.

    In triangle ABC, angle A measures 83° and angle B measures 33°. Side BC is extended to point D. What is the measure of the exterior angle marked with a question mark?

    1. A97°
    2. B116°
    3. C147°
    4. D64°
  9. 9.

    A gym charges a $46 sign-up fee plus $25 each month. Which equation gives the total cost c, in dollars, after m months?

    1. Ac = 71m
    2. Bc = 25m + 46
    3. Cc = −25m + 46
    4. Dc = 46m + 25
  10. 10.

    Which expression has a rational value?

    1. A√5 × √5
    2. B√5 × √6
    3. C√5 + √5
    4. D2 × π

Vocabulary

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 5 minutes.

  1. 1.

    Ben told everyone he would win the art contest and planned how to spend the prize. The next day, another student's painting won.

    Which saying best fits this story?

    1. AMany hands make light work
    2. BThe early bird catches the worm
    3. CDon't count your chickens before they hatch
    4. DA penny saved is a penny earned
  2. 2.

    Every atom has a nucleus with protons and neutrons at its center.

    This sentence is from a science book. What does atom mean?

    1. Aa tool for measuring heat
    2. Bthe smallest unit of an element that still has its properties
    3. Ca group of planets
    4. Da kind of weather pattern
  3. 3.

    The prefix mid- means "middle." What does the word midnight mean?

    1. Athe start of the night
    2. Bthe middle of the day
    3. Cthe middle of the night
    4. Dthe end of the night
  4. 4.

    Which sentence uses a pun?

    1. AThe farmer won an award because he was outstanding in his field.
    2. BMy hands were freezing after building the snowman.
    3. CThe lifeguard closed the beach for a storm just as we arrived.
    4. DNew trash washed up on the beach every day.
  5. 5.

    e·ven
    1. adj. flat and smooth
    2. adj. able to be divided by two with nothing left over
    3. adj. equal, with neither side ahead
    4. adv. used to show that something is surprising

    After the last basket, the two teams were even at 50 points each.

    Which meaning of even is used in the sentence?

    1. AMeaning 1
    2. BMeaning 2
    3. CMeaning 3
    4. DMeaning 4
  6. 6.

    Which word is a stronger way to say funny?

    1. Adistraught
    2. Bbreathtaking
    3. Camusing
    4. Dhilarious
  7. 7.

    A grain of sand got stuck in my shoe.

    Which meaning of grain is used in this sentence?

    1. Athe seeds of plants such as wheat and rice
    2. Ba tiny, hard bit of something
    3. Cthe pattern of lines in wood
    4. Da loud cracking sound
  8. 8.

    The monks lived in austere rooms with only a bed and a wooden chair.

    What does the word austere mean in this sentence?

    1. Awarm and cozy
    2. Bsticky and wet
    3. Cfancy and richly decorated
    4. Dplain and simple, without comfort or decoration
  9. 9.

    Placid is to agitated as innocuous is to ______.

    Which word completes the analogy?

    1. Acontinuous
    2. Bingenious
    3. Charmless
    4. Dharmful
  10. 10.

    The compact car fit easily into the tiny parking space.

    Which meaning of compact is used in this sentence?

    1. Aa loud argument
    2. Bpress something firmly together
    3. Ca formal agreement between groups or states
    4. Dsmall and tightly packed

Computation

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 6 minutes.

  1. 1.

    Find the value of x.
    5x + 8 = 2x + 26

    1. A6
    2. B5
    3. C8
    4. D7
  2. 2.

    The formula P = 2l + 2w gives the perimeter of a rectangle. A garden has a perimeter of 66 feet and a length of 27 feet. What is its width, in feet?

    1. A16.5
    2. B19.5
    3. C6
    4. D12
  3. 3.

    Find the value of x.
    8x + 9 = 6x + 13

    1. A1
    2. B4
    3. C11
    4. D2
  4. 4.

    The formula A = (1/2)bh gives the area of a triangle. Which equation is the formula solved for b?

    1. Ab = 2Ah
    2. Bb = A ÷ h
    3. Cb = 2A ÷ h
    4. Db = A ÷ (2h)
  5. 5.

    Ben works as a baby-sitter and earns $19.60 for every hour. This week Ben worked for 1.5 hours. How much did Ben earn?

    1. A$294.00
    2. B$39.20
    3. C$29.40
    4. D$19.60
  6. 6.

    What is 4.2 × 10⁷ written in standard form?

    1. A0.00000042
    2. B420,000,000
    3. C42,000,000
    4. D4,200,000
  7. 7.

    √12 is closest to which of these?

    1. A4.25
    2. B3.75
    3. C4
    4. D3.5
  8. 8.

    What is the value of −26 − (−5) × 7?

    1. A61
    2. B−14
    3. C9
    4. D−61
  9. 9.

    Work out 0.6 ÷ 0.6.

    1. A10
    2. B0.01
    3. C1
    4. D0.36
  10. 10.

    Which of these is equal to 4⁶?

    1. A4 × 6
    2. B16 × 16
    3. C64 × 64
    4. D12 × 12

Written by Scholar Tests in the style of the published Iowa question types. Not a real Iowa test, and a practice score is not a real score.