Environmental
Test Questions
Grades 7and 8
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Environmental
Test Questions
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| Below are sample questions from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) achievement tests in Science administered to twenty-six countries. TIMSS is a research project sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). These questions may be used in the classroom, as a tool for evaluation, or to provide examples of test-question writing. | ||
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| Grades 3 and 4 | ||
| 1. Write down one example of how computers help people do their work. | ||
| Answer: Should refer to writing or editing text, for example: "With a computer you can write faster and neater." | ||
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| 2. To find out whether seeds grow better in the light or dark, you could put some seeds on a piece of paper and | ||
| A. keep them in a warm, dark place | ||
| B. keep one group in a light place and another in a dark place | ||
| C. keep them in a warm, light place | ||
| D. put them in a light or dark place that is cool | ||
| Answer: B | ||
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| 3. Four children can feel and smell an object inside a bag, but they cannot see it. Which of the following is NOT an observation about the object? | ||
| A. "It is flat at one end and round at the other." | ||
| B. "It smells like a peppermint." | ||
| C. "It has a bump on it." | ||
| D. "I hope it is candy." | ||
| Answer: D | ||
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| 4. Some children were trying to find out which of three lightbulbs was the brightest. Which one of these gives the best START towards finding the answer? | ||
| A. "One bulb looks bright to me, so I already know the answer." | ||
| B. "All the bulbs look bright to me, so there cannot be an answer." | ||
| C. "It would help if we had a way to measure the brightness of a lightbulb." | ||
| D. "We can take a vote and each person will vote for the bulb he or she thinks is the brightest." | ||
| Answer: C | ||
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| 5. Write down two different things that people can do to help reduce air pollution. | ||
| Answer: Could include reduced use of airplanes, cars and motor boats or more walking, hiking, and public transportation. | ||
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| 6. Write as completely as possible why oil spills in rivers and seas are harmful to the environment. | ||
| Answer: Could include oil kills living things, water gets polluted, air and/or beaches get polluted. | ||
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Grades 7and 8 |
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| 1. Maria collected the glass given off by a glowing peice of charcoal. The gas was then bubbled through a small amount of colorless limewater. Part of Maria's report stated, "After the glass was put into the jar, the limewater gradually changed to a milky white color." This statement is | ||
| A. an observation | ||
| B. a conclusion | ||
| C. a generalization | ||
| D. an assumption of the investigation | ||
| E. a hypothesis | ||
| Answer: A | ||
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| 2. Juanita did several experiments to germinate corn. She summed up her results as follows: | ||
| 1. Moist grains of corn germinate in the light. | ||
| 2. Moist grains of corn germinate in the dark. | ||
| What can you conclude from her results? | ||
| Answer: Should include that light is not required for moist corn to germinate. | ||
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| 3. Write down one example of how computers help people do their work. | ||
| Answer: Should refer to writing or editing text. | ||
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| 4. A cupful of water and a similar cupful of gasoling were placed on a table near a window on a hot sunny day. A few hours later it was observed that both the cups had less liquid in them but that there was less gasoline left than water. What does this experiment show? | ||
| A. All liquids evaporate | ||
| B. Gasoline gets hotter than water | ||
| C. Some liquids evaporate faster than others. | ||
| D. Liquids will only evaporate in sunshine. | ||
| E. Water gets hotter than gasoline. | ||
| Answer: C | ||
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| 5. One of the principal causes of acid rain is | ||
| A. waste acid from chemical factories being pumped into rivers | ||
| B. acid from chemical laboratories being pumped into rivers | ||
| C. gases from burning coal and oil dissolving in water in the atmosphere | ||
| D. gases from air conditioners and refrigerators escaping into the atmosphere | ||
| Answer: C | ||
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| 6. Whenever scientists carefully measure any quantity many times, they expect that | ||
| A. all of the measurments will be exactly the same | ||
| B. only two of the measurments will be exactly the same | ||
| C. all but one of the measurments will be exactly the same | ||
| D. most of the measurments will be close, but not exactly the same | ||
| Answer: D | ||
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| 7. Since water is a renewable resource and so much of it falls each year, theoretically there should be enough water fro everyone on Earth. Write down TWO reasons why not everyone has enough water. | ||
| Answer: Should mention the uneven distribution of rain or other sources of water. | ||