Skip to main content
Sign in Create a free account
Varsity Tutors
Sign in Sign up

Practice Test 12 - Middle School Earth and Space Science

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

  1. Two maps show the same desert edge at two different times. The later map shows that a field of sand dunes has shifted so the dunes are now partly covering a road that was clear in the earlier map. What change is most likely next if the same process continues? (More than one process can change Earth's surface over time.)​
  2. Model: Two identical carts roll at the same speed along two different tracks. Track 1 is on a small moon (weaker gravity). Track 2 is on Earth (stronger gravity). In both diagrams, the carts' motion arrows point forward along the track, while gravity force arrows point downward. The cart on Earth shows a bigger change in motion (it drops/curves downward more over the same time). What would happen to the cart's motion if gravity increased from the moon's gravity to Earth's gravity, based on the model?
  3. A class creates a simple timeline using three evidence types: - Human activity data: global CO2_2 emissions rise sharply from 1950–2000 and continue rising after 2000. - Climate indicators: global temperature rises overall from 1950–2000 and continues rising after 2000; Arctic sea ice extent declines strongly after 1979. - Temporal alignment: emissions rise before and during the period of strong warming and ice loss. Which conclusion overstates what these data can support?
  4. A cross-section diagram shows a river carrying sand and mud into the ocean, building layered sediment on the seafloor. The lowest layers are labeled "older," and a bracket shows "burial and compaction over tens of millions of years." A dark layer is labeled "oil and natural gas trapped beneath cap rock." According to the diagram, which process formed the oil and natural gas resource shown?
  5. In the space-view diagram (not to scale), sunlight arrows point from the Sun toward Earth. The Moon is between the Sun and Earth, and a shadow cone extends away from the Sun. Which statement correctly describes the direction of the Moon's shadow in this model?
  6. A simplified pressure model shows: - Desert Plateau: H (High Pressure), labeled "cooler, denser air" - Nearby Lake Area: L (Low Pressure), labeled "warmer, less dense air" Arrows should show air movement. Which claim is unsupported by this model?
  7. A before/after representation shows a lava flow cooling over time: Before: liquid lava on the ground ↓ (arrow labeled crystallization) After: solid rock with visible crystals Which process caused the change shown?
  8. Human activity: A power plant in a region burns coal and natural gas to generate electricity. Claim: Burning fossil fuels has contributed to a long-term increase in average global temperature. Evidence: Atmospheric CO₂ concentration and global temperature anomaly (relative to 1951–1980 average) are shown. Which statement is NOT supported by the data?​
  9. Two maps show the South Atlantic. Map 1 shows only the coastlines of South America and Africa. Map 2 shows the coastlines plus continental shelf edges and a symmetric seafloor age pattern around a mid-ocean ridge. Which map better supports the idea that present-day shapes reflect past plate motion, and why?
  10. Two observations were made at the same coastline. Observation 1: Over many years, a sea cliff has become shorter and more rounded, and the beach has more sand. Observation 2: During one storm, several meters of the cliff collapsed, leaving jagged broken rock at the base. Which classification best matches the rate of change for each observation? (Both slow and fast changes shape Earth.)
  11. Model: Two pictures of the same galaxy taken far apart in time (labeled "separated by billions of years") show that the bright central bulge is still in the middle, and the spiral arms are still wrapped around it. Arrows in both pictures show stars moving around the center in the same general direction. Which explanation best uses the model as evidence for how gravity shapes structure over long times?
  12. A student reads a labeled water-cycle model: "evaporation" is shown as liquid water changing to water vapor (gas) above a warm field, with a heating icon. The student claims: "Evaporation only happens when water is boiling." Which claim is supported by the model? State changes are physical changes, not chemical changes.
  13. Pattern recognition: Based on the table, which resource is more unevenly distributed across the regions? Table: Number of zones (out of 12) with the resource present in each region - Region 1: Freshwater zones = 10, Fossil-fuel zones = 2 - Region 2: Freshwater zones = 9, Fossil-fuel zones = 1 - Region 3: Freshwater zones = 8, Fossil-fuel zones = 3 - Region 4: Freshwater zones = 11, Fossil-fuel zones = 2 The pattern reflects natural processes that concentrate fossil fuels in fewer places than water.
  14. A model shows sediment moving from a mountain to the ocean over a long time: Mountain rock → (weathering) → loose sediment on the slope → (erosion by a river) → sediment in the river → deposited at the river mouth Which outcome would most likely happen if erosion by the river stopped but weathering continued on the mountain?
  15. A model shows a comet (smaller mass) passing near the Sun (larger mass). The comet has a long velocity arrow showing fast forward motion, and the gravity arrows point toward the Sun, showing attraction at a distance. Which claim about the comet's motion is best supported by the model?
  16. A science class is trying to reduce energy-related air pollution from electricity use in their classroom. Evidence: a simple log shows lights and a projector are often left on during lunch, about 30 minutes per day. Constraints: the class cannot change the building's wiring, and the custodian needs the lights on for 10 minutes after school for cleaning. The class agrees trade-offs are required (saving energy vs. keeping the room usable and safe). Which claim ignores the limits in this situation?
  17. Map 7 shows an ocean ridge with arrows pointing away from the ridge. Earthquake dots (●) form a narrow line along the ridge, but volcano triangles (▲) are not shown. Colored seafloor-age bands are youngest at the ridge and older farther away. Plates move slowly and continuously. Which claim about plate motion is supported by the evidence on the map?
  18. A company mines a mineral deposit. The deposit is large, and the company has enough mineral to last many more years at the current mining rate. However, geologists explain that new deposits like this form extremely slowly through geologic processes. Which statement is supported by the evidence?
  19. A geology class plotted locations of recent volcano eruptions and earthquakes on the same regional map. The points form a curved band rather than being spread evenly. What does this pattern suggest about risk, based on the evidence that hazards are clustered and not random?
  20. The map shows four coastal cities at different latitudes along the same continent's west coast: City 1 (10°N), City 2 (25°N), City 3 (40°N), and City 4 (55°N). All are at low elevation and right next to the ocean. Climate refers to long-term patterns. Which city is most likely to have the lowest average temperatures overall, mainly due to latitude?

Practice tests