SPM Post-Test Review

C. Plantae

A scientist on a field trip discovered a new organism. She examined its cells under a microscope and observed several different structures, including a nucleus, a cell wall, and some chloroplasts. This organism would correctly be classified in which of the following kingdoms? A. Animalia B. Fungi C. Plantae D. Monera

B. mechanical energy to electrical energy

A wind turbine is used for what kind of energy transformation? A. potential energy to kinetic energy B. mechanical energy to electrical energy C. chemical energy to electrical energy D. sound energy to heat energy

Boiling the milk

After doing investigations, what were some possible solutions to the spoiling milk problem?

a. People should think about how things they do affect the bay.

Assess which of the following is not directly stated in the passage but can be inferred? a. People should think about how things they do affect the bay. b. Wastewater treatment plants should pay to clean up the bay. c. Farmers are causing the most pollution in the bay. d. Pesticides should not be used by states that border the bay.

This is Passage 4. You need to annotate this on the Post Test (write in the margins). You will need to answer 3 Questions about this passage on the SPM Post Test. They are on the following flash cards.

Canyon Rock Tours South Rim Drive (555) 602-7548 "A unique look at the Grand Canyon from a geologist's perspective." Let our professional geologists give you the most informative Grand Canyon tour available. The Rocks Learn about the amazing history of the Grand Canyon by looking at its many layers of rock. See trace fossils of animals and plants that lived millions of years ago. Touch Precambrian rocks that are 2 billion years old. Find out which minerals give the rock layers their colors of red, yellow, and green. The Formations Visit different rock formations and witness how erosion and weathering have shaped one of the world's most beautiful canyons. The Views Enjoy your lunch break at Yavapai Observation Station. The station overlooks the canyon with a view that is breathtaking and unforgettable. • Tours depart every day, except Sunday, at 9 A.M. from the Grand Canyon Village Visitor Center. Tours return around 5 P.M. • Cost is $30 per person. • Be sure to pack a sack lunch and bring plenty of drinking water. • This tour involves extensive hiking and requires some rock-climbing experience. Please dress in layers and wear appropriate shoes. Note: Reservations are required at least two days in advance for groups of six or more.

This is Passage 3. You need to annotate this on the Post Test (write in the margins). You will need to answer 5 Questions about this passage on the SPM Post Test. They are on the following flash cards.

Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. An estuary is a body of water along a coast in which river and seawater mix. More than 100,000 streams and rivers drain into the Chesapeake Bay from Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Its watershed, or drainage basin, covers 26 hectares. More than 15 million people live in the watershed. This huge population has had a great impact on the bay and its plants and animals. Everything that happens in the watershed affects the bay. The same rivers and streams that drain into the bay also add pollutants. Some pollutants take a very indirect route. For example, a farmer might spray a pesticide on his field. A thunderstorm then could wash some of that pesticide into a creek. The creek could flow into a river and the river into the bay, carrying the pesticide pollutants with it. Pollutants also can take a direct route to the bay. Many wastewater treatment plants release effluent into the bay. Effluent is water with waste material in it. Effluent contains an excess of two nutrients—nitrogen and phosphorus. Although these nutrients are necessary for life, they can be very harmful to the bay. They cause algae in the water to grow out of control. This sudden explosion of algae is called an algal bloom. Algal blooms block the sun and cause underwater plants to die. This has a ripple effect on the animals in the estuary that depend on the underwater plants for food. When the algae dies and begins to decompose, it also uses up precious oxygen supplies, causing fish and other living things to die. The good news for the bay is that people are trying to save it. In 1983, the states in the watershed, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, signed an agreement to protect the bay. They signed a similar agreement in 1987 and again in 2000. As part of the agreement, effluent entering Chesapeake Bay is treated before it's released. This is one way of reducing the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that enters the bay. More people also are becoming aware of how their actions directly affect the bay. Cleanup efforts and environmental awareness are having a positive effect on the bay.

This has been proven with infants from families who speak different languages. In an experiment, these babies could tell the difference between sounds even if the babies' parents never used them. This means that these babies were born with the ability to tell the two sounds apart.

Cite (point out) the evidence that the passage gives that babies are born with the ability to tell the difference between sounds at the age of one month?

d. hiking boots

Compare the following shoes and decide which would be the most appropriate for this tour. a. sneakers b. sandals c. dress shoes d. hiking boots

c. waste material.

Compare the synonyms below and decide which would best suit the term effluent a. algal bloom. b. watershed. c. waste material. d. estuary.

b. All babies can tell differences between words at one month old.

Determine which of the following statements is NOT presented as a fact in the passage? a. Children know about 270 words by the age of two. b. All babies can tell differences between words at one month old. c. Children start forming words by their first birthday. d. Babies start babbling in syllables between seven and eight months old.

Limit their use of pollutants and pesticides or use more environmentally friendly forms of pesticides.

Explain what people living in the Chesapeake Bay watershed can do to help protect the bay.

Ran multiple test of boiled vs. unboiled milk to see what spoiled faster

How did he test his hypothesis?

Answers will vary (open-ended, just don't leave blank)

How would you summarize this passage? Write your answer in two or three sentences.

This is Passage 2. You need to annotate this on the Post Test (write in the margins). You will need to answer 4 Questions about this passage on the SPM Post Test. They are on the following flash cards.

Humans have the amazing ability to communicate with each other through language. Human babies can learn any one of thousands of languages. Normally, the first language they learn is the one spoken by their parents. There is good evidence that babies' brains are already programmed to learn language. For example, they are able to notice the difference between sounds at the age of one month. This has been proven with infants from families who speak different languages. In an experiment, these babies could tell the difference between sounds even if the babies' parents never used them. This means that these babies were born with the ability to tell the two sounds apart. Babies also babble in the same language around the world. It doesn't matter whether they are Ethiopian, Japanese, or American, their early sounds are the same. Between seven and eight months of age, babies start babbling in syllables. They take the sound "ba" and turn it into "ba-ba-ba." The babbling sounds they make are common to most languages. Children usually begin forming words by their first birthday. Most babies' first words are for objects familiar to them, such as clothes, foods, toys, animals, and people. When children reach the age of two, they use about 270 different words. By the time they are six, they use about 2,600 words. Although much research is left to be done in the language field, it seems that learning language is a natural function of the brain. As long as a baby is exposed to a language, the baby will learn it.

b. Let our professional geologists give you the most informative Grand Canyon tour available.

Hypothesize which of the following statements from this brochure is a form of bias (personal opinion)? a. Find out which minerals give the rock layers their colors of red, yellow, and green. b. Let our professional geologists give you the most informative Grand Canyon tour available. c. Touch Precambrian rocks that are 2 billion years old. d. Cost is $30 per person.

a. to inform

Interpret which of the following best describes the author's reason for writing this article? a. to inform b. to entertain c. to persuade d. to express a personal opinion

b. excess nitrogen and phosphorus

Interpret which of the following best describes the main cause of algal blooms? a. untreated wastewater b. excess nitrogen and phosphorus c. runoff water from thunderstorms d. too little oxygen in the water

This is Passage 1. You need to annotate this on the Post Test (write in the margins). You will need to answer 5 Questions about this passage on the SPM Post Test. They are on the following flash cards.

Louis Pasteur was a famous scientist. He often wondered why milk spoiled so quickly. He thought it might be the breed of cow that caused the problem. He also thought it might be microscopic bacteria or germs that were causing the premature spoiling of the milk. He tested the second idea by boiling milk to kill the germs. He compared it to an identical sample that was not boiled. He repeated the experiment several times, and had other scientists do the same. The results were all the same: the boiled milk spoiled at a much slower rate than the other milk. This process carries his name, "pasteurization".

Pollutants from 300 km away could get to the Chesapeake Bay by the large number of rivers/tributaries that feed into the bay.

Predict how a pollutant from 300 km away might get into the Chesapeake Bay.

B. Full Moon

The Moon revolves around the Earth. As it revolves, the Moon's appearance changes because different amounts of the illuminated side of the Moon are visible from Earth. These visual changes are known as the phases of the Moon. Which Moon phase is shown in the picture? A. first quarter Moon B. full Moon C. new Moon D. waxing crescent Moon

C. is determined by both the biotic and the abiotic factors of the ecosystem.

The number of organisms that an ecosystem can support A. is determined by the biotic factors of the ecosystem only. B. is not related to the biotic and abiotic factors of the ecosystem. C. is determined by both the biotic and the abiotic factors of the ecosystem. D. is determined by the abiotic factors of the ecosystem only.

Boiled milk will not spoil as fast as unboiled milk.

What was the "best solution" or hypothesis that Pasteur decided to test?

Pasteur's question was, "Why is milk spoiling so quickly?"

What was the question or problem that Pasteur was trying to answer?

The boiled milk spoiled at a much slower rate than the other milk.

What were Pasteur's results, and did they support or reject his hypothesis?

B. Objects in motion will stay in motion and objects at rest will stay at rest unless the objects are acted on by an outside force.

Which of the following describes inertia? A. Objects in motion will slow down and objects at rest will stay at rest unless the objects are acted on by an outside force. B. Objects in motion will stay in motion and objects at rest will stay at rest unless the objects are acted on by an outside force. C. Objects in motion will stay in motion and objects at rest will begin moving unless the objects are acted on by an outside force. D. Objects in motion will speed up and objects at rest will stay at rest unless the objects are acted on by an outside force.

D. the energy of flowing water in a mountain stream

Which of the following is an example of kinetic energy in nature? A. the energy that builds up when friction prevents rocks from moving along a fault B. the stored energy of a boulder at the top of a cliff C. the energy contained in the bonds of a sugar molecule D. the energy of flowing water in a mountain stream

B. An electric current can exert a force on a magnet, and a magnet can exert a force on an electric current.

Which of the following is true about electric currents and magnets? A. An electric current cannot exert a force on a magnet, but a magnet can exert a force on an electric current. B. An electric current can exert a force on a magnet, and a magnet can exert a force on an electric current. C. An electric current cannot exert a force on a magnet, and a magnet cannot exert a force on an electric current. D. An electric current can exert a force on a magnet, but a magnet cannot exert a force on an electric current.

A. Jupiter (9 hours, 55 minutes to rotate once - Period of Rotation)

Which of these planets has the shortest day? A. Jupiter B. Mars C. Mercury D. Venus

Response should mention that it is not a good idea due to: 1. Cost being $30, more than he wanted to spend. 2. Him not being physically able to do extensive hiking needed since he's in a wheelchair.

Your 70-year-old grandfather, who uses a wheelchair, did not get a chance to see this brochure. He's interested in geology and thinks he'd like to go on the tour Sunday at 11 A.M. He's willing to spend up to $25. He asked you if the tour is a good choice for him. What do you tell him? Explain your answer using details from the brochure.