Free printable TACHS practice test for Grade 8

Reading

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

1. 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.

   1.

   How does Text 2 make Text 1 less reliable?

   1. AIt shows that the fire started in a different city.
   2. BIt proves that Mrs. O'Leary started the fire in the barn on purpose.
   3. CIt reveals that a reporter admitted making up the cow story.
   4. DIt gives a much lower count of the people who died.
2. 2.

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

   1. AA neighbor had started it on purpose.
   2. BShe had been in bed when it started.
   3. CHer cow had kicked over a lantern.
   4. DShe had watched it start from her window.

3. 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.)

   3.

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

   1. AJada sees a chance to take a bold risk, while Mateo wants to repair the design they trust.
   2. BJada blames the judges for the problem, while Mateo blames the team.
   3. CJada wants to drop out of the competition, while Mateo wants to enter it.
   4. DBoth want a longer arm, but they disagree about when to build it.
4. 4.

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

   1. AHe has forgotten why the arm stopped working.
   2. BShowing the gear might mean admitting the arm broke during his own run.
   3. CHe secretly wants Jada to win the argument.
   4. DHe thinks the judges are listening at the door.

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. AStrain out the cabbage once the liquid has cooled.
   2. BSet the four cups on the sheet of white paper.
   3. CChop the cabbage into small pieces.
   4. DStir each cup and record the color that you observe.
6. 6.

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

   1. ATo keep the experiment safe for younger children
   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 show what happens when cabbage juice is heated
7. 7.

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

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

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.

   Which statement best expresses the theme of the sonnet?

   1. ADifferent time zones make it impossible to share a day.
   2. BYoung people today care more about screens than about family.
   3. CLong-distance phone calls are a poor way for families to stay close.
   4. DSimple, repeated questions can carry a love that is easy to overlook.
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 only partly paying attention.
   2. BThe speaker is hearing the stories for the first time.
   3. CThe speaker is listening closely to every detail.
   4. DThe phone line is too noisy to hear clearly.
10. 10.

    Which line best shows that the speaker was not fully listening before the turn in the poem?

    1. AI answer fast, one eye upon my screen,
    2. BShe asks the things she always asks of me:
    3. CSo now I set my screen aside to tell
    4. DEach Sunday night I call across the sea