Iowa practice, Grade 8

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Scholar Tests · Set 3

Iowa practice test, Grade 8

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Reading

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

  1. 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.

    1.

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

    1. AStrain out the cabbage once the liquid has cooled.
    2. BAdd a spoonful of white vinegar to the second cup.
    3. CSet the four cups on the sheet of white paper.
    4. DChop the cabbage into small pieces.
  2. 2.

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

    1. ATo save extra indicator for a second test later
    2. BTo keep the experiment safe for younger children
    3. CTo give a color to compare the other cups against
    4. DTo show what happens when cabbage juice is heated
  3. 3.

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

    1. AIt gives the exact pH number of every liquid tested.
    2. BIt lists what to gather before starting.
    3. CIt tells how long to boil the cabbage.
    4. DIt explains the science behind the color changes.

  4. 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.

    4.

    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 Catherine O'Leary owned a cow
    3. CWhether a cow kicking over a lantern started the fire
    4. DThe date on which the fire began
  5. 5.

    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. BShe had watched it start from her window.
    3. CA neighbor had started it on purpose.
    4. DShe had been in bed when it started.

  6. 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.)

    6.

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

    1. AHe has already told the judges about the arm.
    2. BHe has a cracked gear that probably made the arm fail.
    3. CHe has lost the sketchbook with Jada's design.
    4. DHe is planning to skip the competition.
  7. 7.

    Why does Mateo most likely refuse to explain why "This is different"?

    1. AHe has not looked at the robot since practice.
    2. BHe has forgotten why the arm stopped working.
    3. CHe thinks the judges are listening at the door.
    4. DShowing the gear might mean admitting the arm broke during his own run.

  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 repeat the grandmother's questions from the first stanza word for word.
    2. BThey introduce a new person who joins the phone call.
    3. CThey show how the speaker acts after the realization in the third stanza.
    4. DThey describe the speaker's hurry, which continues to the end of the poem.
  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 grandmother is speaking much too softly to be understood.
    2. BThe speaker is only partly paying attention.
    3. CThe speaker is hearing the stories for the first time.
    4. DThe phone line is too noisy to hear clearly.
  10. 10.

    What does the speaker most likely hear "beneath the words" of the grandmother's questions?

    1. AHer worry that the speaker is failing at school this year
    2. BHer annoyance that the speaker calls so late
    3. CHer plan to move in with the speaker's family
    4. DHer love and her wish to stay close across the distance

Written Expression

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

  1. 1.

    Which sentence is a compound-complex sentence?

    1. AThe old covered bridge over the river was closed for repairs, so the school bus took a longer route through town.
    2. BOur science class measured the temperature of the pond water every morning for two weeks and recorded the results in a chart.
    3. CThe cafeteria started a composting program, and the food scraps that students throw away now help fertilize the school garden.
    4. DThe bridge that connects the two halves of our town was closed for repairs for most of the summer.
  2. 2.

    Isaac is writing a report about the Erie Canal for his history class.

    Which sentence best keeps the formal style of this writing?

    1. AThe Erie Canal, which opened in 1825, connected the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
    2. BThe Erie Canal was a really big deal, like, the biggest thing in 1825, and it linked the Hudson to Lake Erie.
    3. CGuess what? In 1825, they dug this giant ditch from the Hudson River to Lake Erie!
    4. DThe Erie Canal opened in 1825 and hooked up the Hudson River with Lake Erie, which was awesome.
  3. 3.

    Which sentence uses capital letters correctly?

    1. AMany families traveled west on the Oregon Trail in covered Wagons.
    2. BMany families traveled west on the Oregon Trail in covered wagons.
    3. CMany families traveled west on the Oregon trail in covered wagons.
    4. Dmany families traveled west on the Oregon Trail in covered wagons.
  4. 4.

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

    1. AThe Pacific Ocean the largest ocean in the world covers more area than all the land on the planet put together.
    2. BClara Barton a nurse during the Civil War founded the American Red Cross.
    3. CPlants that get plenty of sunlight usually grow faster than plants kept in the dark.
    4. DThe Erie Canal which opened in 1825 connected the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
  5. 5.

    Every eighth grader should be required to take a semester-long class on managing personal finances. A survey by our school's math department found that fewer than one in four eighth graders could explain how interest on a loan works. Learning to create a budget and save regularly helps young people avoid serious debt as adults. Critics argue that families, not schools, should be responsible for teaching children about money. ______, many parents never learned these skills themselves, so a class would give every student the same strong foundation. A required personal finance class would prepare all students to make wise decisions about money for the rest of their lives.

    Which word or phrase best fills the blank?

    1. AHowever
    2. BSimilarly
    3. CFor example
    4. DFor instance
  6. 6.

    Paddling down the Mississippi River, a bald eagle caught Hannah's eye.

    This sentence has a dangling modifier. Which revision corrects it?

    1. AHannah paddling down the Mississippi River when a bald eagle caught her eye.
    2. BAs Hannah paddled down the Mississippi River, a bald eagle caught her eye.
    3. CPaddling down the Mississippi River, Hannah's eye was caught by a bald eagle.
    4. DAs Hannah paddled down the Mississippi River, a great blue heron caught her eye.
  7. 7.

    Under the bleachers ______ two lost backpacks and a jacket.

    Which word or words best complete the sentence?

    1. Ais
    2. Bwas
    3. Cwere
    4. Dhas been
  8. 8.

    ______ According to the US Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the dam, the curved concrete wall is more than 700 feet tall. As water from the lake rushes through the dam, it spins giant turbines that generate electricity. Consequently, the dam's power plant can supply electricity to homes and businesses in Nevada, Arizona, and California. In these ways, the Hoover Dam both controls a mighty river and powers towns and cities across the Southwest.

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

    1. AOur English class is reading a mystery novel set at a ski lodge in Vermont.
    2. BWater held back by the dam formed Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States when it is full.
    3. CMy cousin just adopted a parrot that can whistle the first notes of a famous song.
    4. DFinished in 1936, the Hoover Dam tamed the Colorado River and became a major source of power for the Southwest.
  9. 9.

    Which sentence uses commas correctly?

    1. AThe coach gave a short, cheerful speech before the big game.
    2. BThe coach, gave a short cheerful speech before the big game.
    3. CThe coach gave a short, cheerful, speech before the big game.
    4. DThe coach gave a short cheerful speech before the big game.
  10. 10.

    By the time we got to the theater, the movie had ______ started.

    Which word best completes the sentence?

    1. Aalready
    2. Balredy
    3. Call ready
    4. Dallready

Mathematics

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

  1. 1.

    The formula A = (1/2)bh gives the area of a triangle. A triangle has an area of 77 square inches and a base of 14 inches. What is its height, in inches?

    1. A2.75
    2. B63
    3. C5.5
    4. D11
  2. 2.

    A fair number cube, numbered 1 to 6, is rolled 300 times. About how many times would you expect to roll a number greater than 1?

    1. A50
    2. B150
    3. C5/6
    4. D250
  3. 3.

    As a decimal, 1/39 = 0.025641025641..., where the digits 025641 repeat forever. What is the 60th digit after the decimal point?

    1. A4
    2. B0
    3. C6
    4. D1
  4. 4.

    A right rectangular pyramid has a base that is 11 feet by 5 feet. A plane slices it perpendicular to its base, but not through its top point. What shape is the cross section?

    1. ATrapezoid
    2. BCircle
    3. CTriangle
    4. DRectangle
  5. 5.

    How many different 3-digit numbers can be made from the digits 4, 5, 6 and 9 if no digit is used more than once?

    1. A24
    2. B64
    3. C4
    4. D12
  6. 6.

    A guitar costs $200. It is marked down 40%. Then the sale price is marked down another 50%. What is the final price?

    1. A$20
    2. B$120
    3. C$60
    4. D$100
  7. 7.

    Which rule maps triangle ABC onto triangle A′B′C′?

    1. A(x, y) → (−x, y)
    2. B(x, y) → (−x, −y)
    3. C(x, y) → (x, −y)
    4. D(x, y) → (y, x)
  8. 8.

    Two points on the line are marked. What is the slope of the line?

    1. A−4
    2. B−3/4
    3. C−4/3
    4. D4/3
  9. 9.

    The table shows the total cost c, in dollars, after m months. It is a linear function. What is the rate of change, in dollars per month?

    1. A35
    2. B−7/2
    3. C7/2
    4. D17 1/2
  10. 10.

    Which fraction is equal to 0.8555555..., where the 5 repeats forever?

    1. A17/20
    2. B77/90
    3. C85/99
    4. D5/9

Vocabulary

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

  1. 1.

    Which word means the opposite of despondent?

    1. Aindependent
    2. Bdependent
    3. Chopeless
    4. Dhopeful
  2. 2.

    Which sentence uses a simile?

    1. ADad is a broken record about cleaning our rooms.
    2. BSuddenly, my old friend called me after five years.
    3. CThe free game secretly loaded a virus onto the computer.
    4. DMy cousins fought like cats and dogs over the last cookie.
  3. 3.

    fair
    1. adj. treating people equally
    2. n. an outdoor event with rides, games, and contests
    3. adj. light in color
    4. adj. neither very good nor very bad

    The referee was fair to both teams.

    Which meaning of fair is used in the sentence?

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

    When the exponent is 2, we say the number is squared.

    This sentence is from a math book. What does exponent mean?

    1. Athe bottom number in a fraction
    2. Bthe answer to a division problem
    3. Ca number that has exactly two factors
    4. Da small raised number that tells how many times to multiply a base by itself
  5. 5.

    Usually quiet, Ben became loquacious when the topic turned to sharks.

    What does the word loquacious mean in this sentence?

    1. Avery hungry
    2. Bsilent and shy
    3. Cliking to talk a great deal
    4. Dvery sleepy
  6. 6.

    With all that practice, you are bound to win a medal.

    Which meaning of bound is used in this sentence?

    1. Asure to happen
    2. Btied together
    3. Cleap forward with big jumps
    4. Don the way to a place
  7. 7.

    Thanks to heredity, Mia has her father's dimples and her mother's red hair.

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

    1. Athe passing of traits from parents to their young
    2. Bthe way plants make food
    3. Cthe study of rocks
    4. Dthe movement of the tides
  8. 8.

    These words are in order from mildest to strongest: moisten, ______, saturate.

    Which word belongs in the blank?

    1. Awet
    2. Bdespair
    3. Cglow
    4. Dincinerate
  9. 9.

    Which word has a root that means "all"?

    1. Aphilosophy
    2. Brecycle
    3. Comnipresent
    4. Dvacant
  10. 10.

    Firefighters worked all night to quell the flames.

    What does the word quell mean in this sentence?

    1. Awatch from far away
    2. Bstart or stir up
    3. Cput an end to something, often by force
    4. Drecord or film

Computation

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

  1. 1.

    Find the value of x.
    5x − 3 = 3x + 5

    1. A3
    2. B1
    3. C4
    4. D5
  2. 2.

    The formula V = lwh gives the volume of a box. Which equation is the formula solved for h?

    1. Ah = Vlw
    2. Bh = lw ÷ V
    3. Ch = V ÷ (lw)
    4. Dh = V − lw
  3. 3.

    What is 4.3 × 10³?

    1. A4,300
    2. B12.9
    3. C430
    4. D43,000
  4. 4.

    What is the value of 46 + (6 × 3² − 14)?

    1. A16
    2. B356
    3. C86
    4. D454
  5. 5.

    Work out 10.95 ÷ 1.5.

    1. A0.073
    2. B7.3
    3. C16.425
    4. D0.73
  6. 6.

    What is (2.5 × 10³)(2 × 10⁵), written in scientific notation?

    1. A5 × 10⁸
    2. B5 × 10¹⁵
    3. C5 × 10⁻²
    4. D5 × 10⁹
  7. 7.

    The formula P = 2l + 2w gives the perimeter of a rectangle. Which equation is the formula solved for w?

    1. Aw = P ÷ 2 − 2l
    2. Bw = P − 2l
    3. Cw = (P − l) ÷ 2
    4. Dw = (P − 2l) ÷ 2
  8. 8.

    About 9 × 10¹¹ is the population of a large country, and about 1 × 10⁶ is the population of a small town. About how many times as large is the first number as the second?

    1. A800,000
    2. B9,000,000
    3. C900,000
    4. D90,000
  9. 9.

    √198 is closest to which of these?

    1. A14
    2. B13.75
    3. C13.5
    4. D13
  10. 10.

    Work out 0.35 ÷ 0.05.

    1. A0.7
    2. B700
    3. C7
    4. D70

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.