Free printable PSAT practice test for Grade 8

Reading and Writing

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 12 minutes.

1. Hawaiian Islands

   The Hawaiian Islands formed as the Pacific Plate moved slowly over a hot spot in Earth's mantle. Each island was built by lava that ______ from the seafloor over hundreds of thousands of years, piling higher until it rose above the waves.

   1.

   Which choice gives the most logical and precise word or phrase for the blank?

   1. Adrained
   2. Bretreated
   3. Cvanished
   4. Derupted

2. Orchestra tuning

   Before a concert, the oboist plays a single note, and the rest of the orchestra adjusts their instruments to ______ it. Because the oboe's pitch is steady and its tone carries clearly, it gives every player the same reference point.

   2.

   Which choice gives the most logical and precise word or phrase for the blank?

   1. Amatch
   2. Bdrown out
   3. Creplace
   4. Dignore

3. City parks

   In the mid-1800s, American cities were growing quickly, and many residents lived in crowded neighborhoods with little open space. City leaders began to set aside land for large public parks, where people of every background could walk, rest, and breathe fresh air. These parks remain some of the most visited places in their cities today.

   3.

   Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?

   1. ATo explain how park designers chose which trees to plant
   2. BTo describe why cities created large public parks in the 1800s
   3. CTo argue that modern cities need more public parks
   4. DTo compare parks in different American cities

4. Hook-making crows

   A team of animal behavior researchers studied a species of crow known for using twigs to pull insects from holes in trees. They raised several young crows in an aviary with no adult crows present, so the young birds could not watch others use tools. Even so, the young crows began picking up twigs and probing crevices with them within a few months, though their technique improved slowly with practice.

   4.

   Based on the text, what did the researchers observe?

   1. AYoung crows used twigs skillfully on their very first attempts.
   2. BYoung crows started using twigs as tools without watching adult crows.
   3. CYoung crows refused to handle twigs until adult crows were added.
   4. DAdult crows taught young crows to probe crevices for insects.

5. Desert rainfall

   Many deserts receive little rain overall, but that rain does not always fall evenly through the year. Records from the weather station in one desert town show that the town received most of its yearly rain in a single season. In the year shown, for example, ______

   5.

   Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the example?

   1. Afall brought more rain than winter and spring did together.
   2. Bwinter brought 3 inches of rain, three times as much as spring did.
   3. Cspring and fall together brought a total of 3 inches of rain.
   4. Dsummer brought 7 inches of rain, more than the other three seasons combined.

6. Reversible repairs

   Art conservators who repair damaged paintings generally use materials that can later be removed without harming the original paint. They do this because methods improve over time, and a repair that seems ideal today may one day be replaced by a better one. By choosing reversible materials, conservators make sure that ______

   6.

   Which choice best completes the text?

   1. Apaintings will never need to be repaired again.
   2. Bfuture experts can undo today's repairs safely.
   3. Cevery repair will look exactly like the original paint.
   4. Dthe original paint can be fully replaced over time.

7. Old bridges repaired

   The city's two oldest bridges were closed to traffic last summer so that engineers could repair ______ crumbling stone foundations. Both reopened in the fall, stronger than they had been in decades.

   7.

   Which choice completes the text so that it follows the conventions of Standard English?

   1. Atheir
   2. Bit's
   3. Cits
   4. Dthey're

8. Coral spawning

   On just a few nights each year, shortly after a full moon, the corals of a single ______ millions of tiny bundles of eggs and sperm into the water at almost the same moment. Divers describe the sight as an underwater snowstorm.

   8.

   Which choice completes the text so that it follows the conventions of Standard English?

   1. Areef; release
   2. Breef: release
   3. Creef, release
   4. Dreef release

9. Paper money

   Paper money was in wide use in China by the 11th century, when merchants found it far lighter to carry than strings of metal coins. ______, Europe did not adopt paper money on a large scale until the 1600s.

   9.

   Which choice gives the most logical transition for the blank?

   1. ASimilarly
   2. BHowever
   3. CAs a result
   4. DFor example

10. Library of Alexandria

    While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
    • The Library of Alexandria was founded in Egypt in the third century BCE.
    • It stood in the city of Alexandria, near the Mediterranean coast.
    • Scholars there worked to collect texts from across the known world.
    • They copied and studied these texts.
    • Historians still debate how and when the library was destroyed.

    10.

    The student wants to explain what the library's scholars did. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

    1. AThe Library of Alexandria was founded in Egypt in the third century BCE.
    2. BThe Library of Alexandria stood in the city of Alexandria, near the Mediterranean coast.
    3. CScholars at the Library of Alexandria collected, copied, and studied texts from across the known world.
    4. DHistorians still debate exactly how and when the Library of Alexandria, founded in the third century BCE, was destroyed.