Practice Test 7 - Middle School Earth and Space Science

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

Start practice test

1. A city is deciding between two streetlighting plans. Plan A keeps current bulbs and electricity use stays near 12 GWh/month. Plan B adds many new lights and electricity use is predicted to rise to 18 GWh/month. The city's electricity mostly comes from a power plant that burns fuel and releases gases into the air. Which statement best compares the likely impacts of Plan A vs Plan B on Earth systems, using the evidence and the idea that impacts depend on amount and rate of use?
2. A teacher says: "Because the model is simplified, it is meant to show general wind patterns, not exact winds for a specific day." The model shows equatorial winds east → west, mid-latitude winds west → east, and polar winds east → west. Which claim is not supported by the model?
3. A river floods parts of a city after heavy rain. The city adds an early warning system that sends alerts to phones when river levels rise quickly. Which statement about this technology and flood risk is supported?
4. A cross-section diagram shows an ocean margin where layers of sand and mud build up (sedimentation) on the seafloor. Deeper layers are labeled "older," and a dark, lens-shaped layer labeled "oil and natural gas" is trapped beneath a curved "cap rock." The diagram also shows "burial + heat over millions of years" acting on buried organic-rich mud. Based on the diagram, which statement is supported by the evidence about why oil and natural gas occur in this location?
5. A news post claims: "A single very cold winter in 2014 proves global warming stopped, so human emissions do not matter." A class checks multiple evidence sources: - Human activity: global CO$_2$ emissions continue increasing from 2000–2020. - Climate indicator 1: global average temperature trend from 2000–2020 increases overall despite year-to-year variation. - Climate indicator 2: sea level continues rising from 2000–2020. Which statement best identifies the error in the news post using the evidence?
6. A simplified timeline (oldest to youngest) from one region includes: • Stage 1: tree trunk fossils; thick soil layer; river deposits (wet, forested land) • Stage 2: fewer tree fossils; more grass pollen; charcoal pieces in sediment (more frequent fires) • Stage 3: mostly grass pollen; bones of grazing animals; dusty sediments (drier grassland) Which claim is best supported by the evidence about life and environment changing over time? (The evidence shows correlation over time, not direct observation.)​
7. A model shows a planet (smaller mass) orbiting the Sun (larger mass). Gravity arrows point from the planet toward the Sun across empty space. The planet also has a velocity arrow along the orbit. Which statement about the arrows is supported by the model?
8. A student says: "When water evaporates from a lake, it is boiling into the air." The lake water is not bubbling, and the temperature is far below $100^\circ\text{C}$. Which statement best corrects the student using water-cycle processes and energy ideas? (State changes are physical, not chemical.) Choose ONE supported claim.
9. A town expanded its use of natural gas for home heating. Evidence (annual totals): - Natural gas used: 1.2 million m$^3$ (2012) → 2.0 million m$^3$ (2022) - CO$_2$ measured at a local air station (average): 395 ppm (2012) → 418 ppm (2022) - Notes: The town population grew slowly, but gas use per home also increased. Which explanation best links the consumption change to an Earth system impact, based on the evidence? (Impacts depend on the amount and rate of use.)
10. Two hazards affect the same state. Hazard 1 (Wildfire): After 3 weeks of very dry weather, the fire danger level rises from Moderate to Extreme. Low humidity and strong winds are forecast 2 days ahead. A fire starts from a lightning strike and spreads quickly. Hazard 2 (Aftershock earthquake): Two days after a major earthquake, a strong aftershock happens suddenly at 1:18 a.m. People know aftershocks are possible but receive no exact-time alert. Which statement about warning signs is supported by the evidence?
11. The aligned graph shows CO$_2$ (ppm) and global temperature anomaly (°C) from 1880–2020 on the same time axis. CO$_2$ rises steadily, while temperature rises overall but has ups and downs. Which ONE unsupported claim goes beyond what these two data sets alone can show (keep in mind: correlation alone does not prove causation)?
12. Use the space-view model below (not to scale). Sunlight travels from left to right. Each Moon position shows the illuminated half facing the Sun. A student claims: "The Moon's phases happen because Earth's shadow covers different parts of the Moon each night." Which statement is best supported by the model? Diagram (space-view): Sun ☉ on left →→→ sunlight →→→ Earth ⊕ center; Moon shown at 4 positions around Earth, and at every position the half facing the Sun is illuminated.
13. Use the simplified rock-cycle model. The cycle does not have a fixed starting point, and rocks can change types over time. Model pathways: - Metamorphic rock can melt → magma - Magma can cool → igneous rock - Igneous rock can weather & erode → sediments - Sediments can compact/cement → sedimentary rock - Sedimentary rock can experience heat & pressure → metamorphic rock Which choice shows ONE correct pathway for how metamorphic rock could eventually become sedimentary rock?
14. A model uses icons to represent mass: one star icon = "small mass," three star icons = "large mass." It compares two interactions: Jupiter–a small comet (local/solar system) and the Milky Way–the Sun (galaxy). Jupiter is labeled with three icons, the comet with one, the Sun with one, and the Milky Way with three. Which interaction should have the stronger gravitational influence on the smaller object, based on the model?
15. A neighborhood wants to reduce habitat loss for frogs in a small wetland next to a new walking trail. Evidence: last year, volunteers heard frog calls at 6 locations around the wetland; this year they heard calls at only 3 locations, mostly away from the trail. Constraints: the trail must remain open, and the group can only work on Saturdays for the next 4 weeks. Trade-offs are required because protecting habitat may mean limiting where people can walk or adding barriers that change how the area looks. Which statement about trade-offs is supported by this situation?
16. A model compares an astronaut jumping on Earth and on a small asteroid. In both places, the astronaut starts with an upward motion arrow, while gravity-force arrows point downward. The model shows the astronaut's upward motion slowing, stopping, then reversing downward in both places, but the change happens more slowly on the asteroid. Which statement is supported by the model?​
17. A repeating seasonal model shows Earth orbiting the Sun counterclockwise (arrow). The model is not to scale but keeps the order of seasons. A student labels the Northern Hemisphere seasons at three points along the orbit: Time markers along the orbit: - Position 1: Northern Hemisphere winter - Position 2: Northern Hemisphere spring - Position 3: Northern Hemisphere summer If the orbit continues and the pattern repeats, what season comes next for the Northern Hemisphere?
18. The map model shows surface ocean currents with red arrows (warm currents carrying heat) and blue arrows (cold currents carrying less heat). The arrows indicate direction of flow, which explains heat transfer over time (not an instant temperature change everywhere). Which statement is best supported by the model?
19. A park has a stream cutting a deeper channel little by little, and it also has occasional flash floods that can rip up plants and move large branches in a single afternoon. If you visit the park again very soon after one heavy rainstorm, which process is likely to be more noticeable over that short time? Both slow and fast changes shape Earth's surface.
20. A region recorded gasoline consumption and lake water clarity. From 2018 to 2023, gasoline use increased by 25%. Over the same years, the lake had more days with an oily sheen near storm drains after rain. What change is most likely if gasoline consumption continues to increase at a similar rate? (Impacts depend on the amount and rate of use.)

Practice tests