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Sample Questions

What questions are used in the NAEP science assessment?

Explore sample questions from the science assessment, and see how the NAEP science questions relate to student performance.

 

Test Yourself in Science

Select one of the grade tabs below to try out questions from the 2009 NAEP science assessment. After answering all the questions, compare your score with that of students nationally.

Grade 4
Grade 8
Grade 12
Question 1 of 5 :

Scientists determine what elements a star is made of by studying the light it emits. They compare the spectrum of the starlight to reference spectra of known elements.

The diagram below shows the characteristic spectral line patterns of four elements. Also shown is the spectrum of a star that contains two of these elements.

Image of two Emission Spectra charts. One chart shows a Reference Spectra of Elements labeled from top to bottom as Li, H, He, and Na. Second chart shows a Star Spectrum that contains two of the elements.

Which two of these elements are present in the star?

  1.     Lithium and helium
  2.     Lithium and sodium
  3.     Hydrogen and helium
  4.     Hydrogen and sodium
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The correct answer is: C
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Question 2 of 5 :

Which statement about the offspring that result from sexual reproduction is generally true?

  1.    The offspring show genetic variation from the parents.
  2.    The offspring have genetic material identical to that of one another.
  3.     The offspring have genetic material identical to that of one of the parents.
  4.     The offspring have twice as much genetic material as each parent.
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The correct answer is: A
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Question 3 of 5 :

The following question refers to the following information.

Scientists are studying the evolutionary history of a group of plants in the United States, and they develop an evolutionary tree, as shown below.

Diagram of an evolutionary tree showing species groupings.

Which statement can be inferred from the evolutionary tree?

  1.    Species 1 is most closely related to Species 8.
  2.    Species 2 is most closely related to Species 3.
  3.    Species 3 is most closely related to Species 7.
  4.    Species 5 is most closely related to Species 6.
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The correct answer is: D
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Question 4 of 5 :

Which particle is a negatively charged ion?

  1.    Hydrogen (H) with 1 proton, 0 neutrons, and 1 electron
  2.    Sodium (Na) with 11 protons, 12 neutrons, and 10 electrons
  3.    Chlorine (Cl) with 17 protons, 18 neutrons, and 18 electrons
  4.    Magnesium (Mg) with 12 protons, 12 neutrons, and 12 electrons
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The correct answer is: C
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Question 5 of 5 :

If the Sun were twice as far away from Earth as it is now, what would happen to the strength of the gravitational force between the Sun and Earth?

  1.    It would be the same strength as it is now.
  2.   It would be two times as strong as it is now.
  3.    It would be one-half as strong as it is now.
  4.    It would be one-fourth as strong as it is now.
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The correct answer is: D
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The chart below shows the percentage of questions that you answered correctly, as well as how students at each of the achievement levels performed on this set of questions. For instance, twelfth-grade students at Proficient had a percentage correct of 77% on average.

[Overall|55],[Below Basic|39],[Basic|59],[Proficient|77] Twelfth-grade percentage correct on selected science questions: 2009
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Note: No bar for Advanced appears on the graph because reporting standards were not met.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Science Assessment.

View this set of questions in the NAEP Questions Tool to see student performance.