These questions derive from two standardized tests administered to both American students and students around the world. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is developed and implemented by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement in order to assess the mathematics and science acheivement of students around the world, including the United States. The TIMSS assessment has been given in 1995, 1999, and 2003 to students in Grades 4 and 8. Acheivement benchmarks are broken down by country and as a total international average. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), asesseses the achievement of American students in Grades 4, 8, and 12, across several content areas, including science (all items reproduced here are from the Grade 8 Science assessment). NAEP is administered periodically, through the National Center for Education Statistics, in the U.S. Department of Education. In this quiz, the achievement statistics for each item are given in terms of what percentage of students taking the test answered the item correctly. A comparison study done by this project administered these same test items to several undergraduate students at Carnegie Mellon University, a leading science and techonology university. Each item is taken from a Grade 8 assessment.

1. Which of the following is an important factor in explaining why seasons occur on Earth?
Earth rotates on its axis
The Sun rotates on its axis
Earth's axis is tilted
The Sun's axis is tilted

Reproduced from TIMSS Population 2 Item Pool. Copyright © 1999 by IEA, The Hague

International: 26%
United States: 37%
CMU: 86%

2. The two most common elements in the Earth's crust are
oxygen and silicon
oxygen and hydrogen
carbon and iron
carbon and sulfur

Reproduced from U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1996 Science Assessment.

United States: 9%
CMU: 20%

3. What does a mitochondrion do in a cell?
It controls the transport of substances leaving and entering the cell
It contains the information to control the cell
It produces a form of energy the cell can use
It breaks down waste products in the cell

Reproduced from U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1996 Science Assessment.

4. One of the principal causes of acid rain is
waste acid from chemical factories being pumped into rivers
acid from chemical laboratories evaporating into the air
gases from burning coal and oil dissolving in water in the atmosphere
gases from air conditioners and refrigerators escaping into the atmosphere

Reproduced from TIMSS Population 2 Item Pool. Copyright © 2003 by IEA, The Hague

5. Air is made up of many gases. Which gas is found in the greatest amount?
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Hydrogen

Reproduced from TIMSS Population 2 Item Pool. Copyright © 1994 by IEA, The Hague

6. When white light shines on Peter's shirt, the shirt looks blue. Why does the shirt look blue?
It absorbs all the white light and turns most of it into blue light.
It reflects the blue part of the light and absorbs most of the rest.
It absorbs only the blue part of the light.
It gives off its own blue light.

Reproduced from TIMSS Population 2 Item Pool. Copyright © 1994 by IEA, The Hague

7. The diagrams show different trials Abdul carried out with carts having different-sized wheels. He started them from different heights and the blocks he put in them were of equal mass.

He wants to test this idea: The heavier the cart is, the greater its speed at the bottom of a ramp. Which three trials should he compare?
G, T, and X.
O, T and Z.
R, U and Z.
S, T and U.

Reproduced from TIMSS Population 2 Item Pool. Copyright © 1994 by IEA, The Hague

8. A girl had an idea that plants needed minerals from the soil for healthy growth. She placed a plant in the Sun, as shown in the diagram below.

In order to check her idea she also needed to use another plant. Which of the following should she use?
Dark cupboard, sand, minerals and water
Dark cupboard, sand and water
Sunlight and sand only
Sunlight, sand and water

Reproduced from TIMSS Population 2 Item Pool. Copyright © 1994 by IEA, The Hague

Score =
Correct answers: