These are MSTAR-style questions written for this curriculum to rehearse the format. They are not official Maryland assessment items. MSTAR — Maryland's new state test, first given in spring 2027 — uses the same kinds of questions you see here: selected response, select-all, two-part evidence questions, and written responses.
Part A — Skills Check
Warm up with the lesson's core skills — one best answer each.
Question 1Selected response · 1 point
Akela chooses how many hours of sunlight each tray gets. Which is the INDEPENDENT variable?
- APlant height
- BHours of sunlight
- CNumber of trays
- DNumber of seeds
Question 2Selected response · 1 point
In Akela's experiment, which is the DEPENDENT variable?
- AHours of sunlight
- BThe kind of seed
- CThe size of the tray
- DPlant height
Question 3Selected response · 1 point
Claire burned 123 Calories on a 30-minute jog. Which quantity is subject to choice?
- ACalories she burns
- BHer heart rate
- CMinutes she jogs
- DThe weather
Question 4Selected response · 1 point
Which sentence is written in the correct order?
- AMinutes jogged depends on Calories burned.
- BCalories burned depends on Calories burned.
- CNeither quantity depends on the other.
- DCalories burned depends on minutes jogged.
Question 5Selected response · 1 point
A tray that got 2 hours of sun grew to 4 cm. A tray that got 6 hours grew to 12 cm. As sunlight increases, plant height…
- Adecreases
- Bstays the same
- Cincreases
- Dcannot be determined
Question 6Selected response · 1 point
You buy tickets at $45 each. Which quantity depends on the other?
- ATotal cost depends on number of tickets
- BNumber of tickets depends on total cost
- CThe price per ticket depends on the total cost
- DNothing depends on anything here
Part B — Test-Format Questions
These match the state test's formats: two-part questions, select-all, and written responses.
Question 7Two-part question
Part A
Devon adds a different number of scoops of plant food to each tray of seedlings. Two weeks later he counts the new leaves on every tray. Which pair correctly names the variables?
Fill in the bubble next to the one best answer.
- AIndependent: new leaves counted; Dependent: scoops of plant food
- BIndependent: scoops of plant food; Dependent: new leaves counted
- CIndependent: the number of trays; Dependent: scoops of plant food
- DIndependent: new leaves counted; Dependent: the two weeks of growing time
Part B
Answer Part A before Part B — Part B asks about your reasoning.
Which sentence shows why the pair chosen in Part A is correct?
- AThe scoops of plant food depend on the number of new leaves, because Devon counts the leaves last.
- BThe scoops are independent because the number of scoops is the larger number.
- CThe number of new leaves depends on the scoops of plant food, because Devon chooses the scoops and the leaves respond.
- DThe number of new leaves is independent because it is the quantity the question asks about.
Question 8Select all that apply
Select ALL statements that name the independent variable correctly for their own situation.
Mark the box next to EVERY answer that is true. More than one is correct.
- AA gardener chooses how many minutes to run the sprinkler, so the minutes the sprinkler runs is the independent variable.
- BA student hangs different numbers of weights on a spring, so the stretch of the spring is the independent variable.
- CClaire decides how long to jog, so the minutes she jogs is the independent variable.
- DThe total cost of the tickets is the independent variable, because the cost is the amount the problem asks for.
- EA tray receives a set number of hours of sunlight each day, so the hours of sunlight is the independent variable and the plant height depends on it.