Nebraska NSCAS ELA — Grade 8

Read the passage. Mara pressed her forehead against the cold window of the bus as it climbed the switchback road. Below, the valley she had called home for twelve years shrank to a cluster of toy houses. She clutched the worn letter from her aunt in both hands, though she had already memorized every line. "A new start," she whispered to the glass, not quite believing it yet. What is the main idea of the passage?

• AMara is leaving her childhood home for a new life with her aunt.
• BMara is afraid the bus will not make it up the mountain.
• CMara has lost the letter her aunt sent her.
• DMara is returning home after a long trip away.

Read the passage. Every evening, Old Mr. Calhoun sat on the same bench beneath the elm and fed the same sparrows. When the town paved the lot and cut the elm down, he still came, scattering crumbs on the bare concrete. The sparrows came too, though there was no longer any shade to sit in. Which sentence best expresses the theme of the passage?

• AHabit and devotion can outlast the things that first inspired them.
• BProgress always improves a community for the better.
• CSparrows are unusually loyal birds compared to other animals.
• DOld people resist change because they do not understand it.

Read the passage. The cottage sat at the edge of a loch so still that the mountains painted themselves upside down in its water. Inside, peat smoldered on a hearth older than the village below. Grandmother said the stones remembered every storm that had ever crossed the glen, and that a body could almost hear them if she listened long enough. What effect does the setting most clearly create?

• AA quiet, ancient atmosphere that suggests deep history and reflection.
• BA threatening mood that hints at an approaching storm.
• CA cheerful, busy mood centered on village life.
• DA modern, futuristic tone built on technology.

Read the passage. Devin watched the other runners stretch near the starting line, each one leaner and quicker-looking than he was. "You don't belong here," a voice in his head kept saying. But when the gun cracked, his legs did what months of dark-morning training had taught them, and the voice went quiet at last. How does Devin most change over the passage?

• AHe moves from self-doubt to confidence earned through preparation.
• BHe changes from eager excitement to disappointment after losing.
• CHe becomes more jealous of the other runners over time.
• DHe learns to cheat in order to keep up with faster runners.

Read the passage. The story "The Girl Who Wove the Stars" tells of a weaver so skilled that the night sky itself asked her for help, and her tapestry became the constellation map sailors used to find their way home. In a modern novel, a young cartographer discovers the ancient tapestry and realizes her own maps are descended from that same star-weaving tradition. Which statement best explains how the modern novel draws on the traditional story?

• AIt reuses the pattern of a craftsperson whose work guides travelers, connecting past and…
• BIt copies the old story word-for-word into a new setting without changes.
• CIt contradicts the original myth by saying the weaver never existed.
• DIt borrows only the title but none of the plot or themes.

Read the passage. Told in first person, the story follows Aiko, a recent immigrant, as she navigates her first week in a new school. She notices that her classmates smile often but keep their distance, while back home, neighbors rarely smiled yet shared meals every night. She wonders which kind of welcome is warmer. What does the point of view most reveal?

• AAiko's inner reflections let readers compare two cultural experiences of welcome.
• BAn outside narrator judges Aiko for preferring one culture over the other.
• CThe narrator knows what every classmate is thinking at all times.
• DThe point of view hides Aiko's feelings so readers guess them from action.

Read the passage. The river had been the town's pride for a century, its boats and fisheries feeding three generations. Now a factory upstream leaked something blue-green into the current, and the herons no longer came. "It's just a little color," the plant manager said on the news, smiling like a man who had never gone hungry. Which phrase best identifies the figurative language in the plant manager's description?

• AA simile that criticizes his indifference by comparing his smile to a stranger's lack of…
• BA metaphor that says he is literally starving.
• CPersonification that gives the river human emotions.
• DHyperbole that exaggerates the size of the factory.

Read the passage. The Nebraska Sandhills cover about a quarter of the state, yet most Nebraskans have never driven through them. Unlike typical deserts, these dunes are held in place by prairie grasses whose roots can stretch twenty feet underground. Because the grasses keep the sand from shifting, the region supports cattle ranching and a surprising number of wetlands between the dunes. What is the central idea of the passage?

• APrairie grasses stabilize the Nebraska Sandhills and make the region livable and useful.
• BThe Sandhills are a barren desert with no value to people.
• CNebraska has more wetlands than any other state.
• DCattle ranching is the only industry in the Sandhills.

Read the passage. Platte River cranes stage one of North America's great wildlife spectacles each March. Over half a million sandhill cranes gather along a seventy-mile stretch of river, resting on sandbars at night and feeding in nearby fields by day. Biologists believe the shallow, braided channels give the birds protection from predators and easy access to food. Which detail best supports the idea that the Platte River is crucial to the cranes' migration?

• AThe shallow, braided channels provide protection and food for over half a million cranes.
• BThe cranes are gray birds with long legs and red crowns.
• CMarch is the third month of the year.
• DWildlife spectacles are popular with tourists.

Read the passage. First, groundwater seeps into cracks in limestone bedrock. Over centuries, the mildly acidic water widens those cracks into tunnels and caves. Eventually, a cave ceiling may grow thin enough to collapse, creating a sinkhole at the surface. For this reason, regions with limestone often see new sinkholes after heavy rains. Which text structure does the passage primarily use?

• ACause and effect, explaining how groundwater leads to sinkholes.
• BChronological order of a person's life events.
• CProblem and solution, proposing how to fill sinkholes.
• DCompare and contrast two types of rock.

Read the passage. The author argues that cities should convert vacant lots into community gardens. She cites studies showing gardens increase neighborhood vegetable consumption and reduce crime. She also notes that garden plots cost far less to maintain than mowed vacant lots. Which statement best evaluates the author's reasoning?

• AThe reasoning is fairly strong because it supports each claim with evidence about benefit…
• BThe reasoning is weak because it relies only on personal feelings about gardening.
• CThe reasoning is strong because any opinion about cities is automatically valid.
• DThe reasoning is weak because community gardens do not exist in real cities.

Read the passage. Source A states that wind turbines killed large numbers of birds in one California canyon. Source B reports that, nationwide, domestic cats kill far more birds than wind turbines do. Source C notes that carefully sited turbines away from migration routes greatly reduce bird deaths. What is the most accurate conclusion a reader can draw by integrating all three sources?

• ATurbines can harm birds, but proper siting matters, and other causes like cats are larger…
• BWind turbines are the single greatest threat to birds in the United States.
• CDomestic cats should be removed from all homes to protect wildlife.
• DAll wind turbines are perfectly safe for birds no matter where they are built.

Read the passage. The new bridge was hailed as an engineering marvel, but within ten years its cables had rusted and its roadway had cracked. Investigators found that the original engineers had used a cheaper steel alloy to cut costs. The lesson, the report concluded, was that durability must be weighed alongside price in public projects. What is the author's most likely purpose in the passage?

• ATo persuade readers that public projects should weigh durability, not only cost.
• BTo entertain readers with a fictional adventure about bridge builders.
• CTo instruct readers on how to build a bridge step by step.
• DTo describe the history of steel manufacturing in detail.

Read the passage. Drought gripped the region for three straight years. Reservoir levels fell to record lows, and farmers were allotted only a fraction of their usual water. Town councils debated whether to limit lawn watering to one day a week or ban it outright. In context, what does the phrase "gripped the region" most nearly mean?

• AAffected the area severely and persistently.
• BPhysically grabbed the land with hands.
• CImproved the region's economy.
• DWas briefly mentioned in passing.

Read the passage. The editorial argues that the city should fund after-school tutoring. Its main evidence is a survey of forty students at one high school who said tutoring helped them. The editorial makes no mention of students who did not improve or of other schools in the district. Which statement best identifies the weakness in the editorial's argument?

• AIt relies on a small, narrow sample that may not represent all students.
• BIt uses too many statistics from too many schools.
• CIt argues against tutoring entirely.
• DIt provides no opinions from any students.

Read the passage. A chemistry textbook explains that adding salt to water raises its boiling point, a phenomenon called boiling-point elevation. A food blog claims salted water boils "much faster" than unsalted water for cooking pasta. The textbook notes that the effect is tiny unless large amounts of salt are used. Which statement best reconciles the two sources?

• AThe blog likely overstates the effect for typical cooking, since the textbook says the ch…
• BThe textbook and blog completely agree on all points.
• CThe blog is more scientific than the chemistry textbook.
• DBoiling-point elevation only happens with sugar, not salt.

Read the sentence. The scientist's explanation of the eclipse was so clear that even the youngest students grasped it instantly. Which word best matches the meaning of "grasped" as used in the sentence?

• AUnderstood
• BHeld tightly
• CReached for
• DIgnored

Read the sentence. After weeks of practice, the choir's performance was polished, while the band's was still rough and uneven. The word "polished" most nearly means which of the following in context?

• ARefined and smooth in execution
• BLiterally shiny like a waxed floor
• CRecently rehearsed for the first time
• DLoud enough to hurt the ears

Read the sentence. The class president's speech was verbose, wandering from point to point until most of the audience stopped listening. Which word is closest in meaning to "verbose" as used here?

• AWordy
• BBrief
• CAngry
• DQuiet

Read the sentence. The root word "spect" comes from the Latin specere, meaning "to look or see." Which word most clearly derives from this root and matches its meaning?

• AInspect, meaning to look at closely or examine.
• BTransport, meaning to carry across.
• CPredict, meaning to say before.
• DAccept, meaning to receive willingly.

Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct.

• AEach of the students submitted their essay on time.
• BEach of the students submitted his or her essay on time.
• CEach of the students submit their essay on time.
• DEach of the students submitted they essay on time.

Which sentence uses correct capitalization?

• AMy aunt lives in the Midwest but visits the East coast each summer.
• BMy aunt lives in the midwest but visits the east coast each summer.
• CMy Aunt lives in the Midwest but visits the East Coast each summer.
• Dmy aunt lives in the Midwest but visits the East Coast each summer.

Read the paragraph. First, honeybees gather nectar from flowers using their long tongues. Then, they store the nectar in a special stomach where enzymes begin breaking it down. Back at the hive, worker bees repeat the process and seal the honey in wax cells. Which transition word best begins the final sentence to show sequence?

• AFinally
• BHowever
• CAlthough
• DInstead

Which sentence uses parallel structure correctly?

• AShe likes hiking, swimming, and riding bikes.
• BShe likes hiking, swimming, and to ride bikes.
• CShe likes to hike, swimming, and ride bikes.
• DShe likes hiking, to swim, and riding bikes.

Read the draft sentence. The book was interesting and it had a lot of facts and I learned new things from it and I would recommend it to others. Which revision best improves the sentence by avoiding a run-on and adding sentence variety?

• AThe book was interesting and full of facts; I learned new things and would recommend it t…
• BThe book was interesting it had a lot of facts I learned new things from it I would recom…
• CThe book was interesting and it had a lot of facts and I learned new things from it and I…
• DInteresting and facts and learned new things and recommend it.

Read the passage. The lighthouse keeper recorded every storm in a leather journal, each entry shorter than the last as the years wore on. His daughter found the journal after he died and read the final page: "Light still burning. Tired now. Goodnight." She understood then that the keeper had known his last night was coming. Which line from the passage best supports the idea that the keeper understood his end was near?

• A"Light still burning. Tired now. Goodnight."
• B"His daughter found the journal after he died"
• Ceach entry shorter than the last as the years wore on
• Drecorded every storm in a leather journal

Read the passage. In the myth of the Rain-Bringer, a child weeps for a parched village, and the sky, moved by honest grief, opens. In a contemporary story, a young scientist pleads with officials to fund a cloud-seeding project, and only her honest presentation of data sways them. How does the modern story most clearly echo the pattern of the myth?

• ABoth show honest feeling moving others to act, one sky and one board of officials.
• BThe modern story is set in a village exactly like the myth.
• CBoth feature a child as the main character.
• DBoth end with a sudden magical rainstorm.

Read the passage. The old dog walked three-legged, favoring the paw that had once been caught in a trap. Still, every morning he limped to the fence to greet the boy who delivered newspapers, tail sweeping the dust. When the boy missed a day, the dog waited until the streetlamps flickered on before turning back to the porch. What does the dog's behavior most reveal about his character?

• AHe is loyal and patient, waiting faithfully for someone he cares about.
• BHe is angry at the boy for being late.
• CHe is too weak to walk back to the porch.
• DHe is afraid of the streetlamps.

Read the passage. The narrator says, "Aunt Rosa's kitchen smelled like every language she had ever spoken, garlic and cumin and something green I never learned the name of." The narrator later admits she stopped asking about the unnamed spice because the mystery felt like part of the recipe. What does the unnamed spice most symbolize in the passage?

• AThe parts of family heritage that remain mysterious and treasured as they are.
• BA spice the narrator dislikes and refuses to eat.
• CA spice Aunt Rosa forgot the name of.
• DA mistake Aunt Rosa made while cooking.

Read the passage. The story opens with Jonas finding a brass key in the attic. Midway, he meets an old locksmith who mentions a forgotten chest. Near the end, Jonas unlocks the chest and finds letters from a grandfather he never knew. Which statement best describes how the plot is structured?

• AThe plot uses foreshadowing, where early clues build toward a later discovery.
• BThe plot uses flashback only, with no forward-moving action.
• CThe plot has no connection between the opening and the ending.
• DThe plot is told in reverse chronological order from end to start.

Read the passage. The narrator describes a school dance where no one asked her to dance and the gym felt enormous. She writes, "The bleachers stretched up like a wall no one would climb, and the music kept playing for someone else's story." What is the effect of the figurative language in the quoted sentence?

• AIt emphasizes her feelings of isolation by making the gym and music feel distant and unre…
• BIt suggests the bleachers were literally impossible to climb for safety reasons.
• CIt shows that the music had stopped playing altogether.
• DIt reveals that she was the star of the dance.

Read the passage. Readers often assume the poem "The Quiet Field" praises rural silence. Yet the field is quiet because the farmers have all left, and the final line, "Nothing grows here but wind," reveals that the silence is not peace but abandonment. How does the final line most change the reader's understanding of the poem?

• AIt shifts the meaning from peaceful quiet to loss and abandonment.
• BIt confirms that the field is a healthy, prosperous farm.
• CIt reveals the poem is actually about the weather.
• DIt shows the farmers are returning soon.

Read the passage. Nebraska's Ogallala Aquifer is one of the world's largest underground water sources, supplying irrigation for millions of acres of farmland. However, water levels in parts of the aquifer have dropped significantly over the past fifty years because withdrawals have outpaced natural recharge. Farmers and policymakers are now testing ways to reduce water use without hurting crop yields. What is the central idea of the passage?

• AThe Ogallala Aquifer is being depleted faster than it refills, prompting efforts to reduc…
• BThe Ogallala Aquifer is an unlimited water source for farmers.
• CNebraska farmers have completely stopped irrigating their crops.
• DThe Ogallala Aquifer is too deep underground to ever be used.

Read the passage. Historians debate when the first humans arrived in the Americas. One theory holds that people crossed a land bridge from Asia roughly 15,000 years ago. Another, newer theory suggests arrivals by boat along the Pacific coast may have occurred even earlier. Each theory relies on different kinds of evidence, from stone tools to ancient campsite remains. Which statement best describes the text structure?

• ACompare and contrast, presenting two theories and their evidence.
• BChronological order, telling a single history in date order.
• CCause and effect, showing one event causing the next.
• DProblem and solution, proposing how to fix a debate.

Read the passage. The author argues that schools should start later because teens need more sleep. She cites a study showing later start times improved student grades. She also references a pediatric association's recommendation that middle and high schools begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Which statement best evaluates the author's use of evidence?

• AThe evidence is relevant because it directly connects later start times to improved acade…
• BThe evidence is irrelevant because it discusses only teachers, not students.
• CThe evidence is weak because it uses only one personal anecdote.
• DThe evidence is irrelevant because start times have no connection to sleep.

Read the passage. A park brochure states that native prairie grasses require less water and fertilizer than lawns and support more wildlife. A city report finds that converting one park to prairie grass would save the city thousands of dollars a year in maintenance costs. What conclusion is best supported by combining both sources?

• APrairie grass conversion can save money and benefit the environment at the same time.
• BPrairie grasses are more expensive to maintain than lawns.
• CNative prairie grasses harm local wildlife compared to lawns.
• DConverting parks to prairie grass has no effect on maintenance costs.

Read the passage. When introducing a new word, a textbook often defines it and then gives an example. Watch for the word "for example" or "such as" as a signal that an illustration is coming. In the following sentence, what does the phrase "for example" signal? "Many raptors hunt during the day; for example, the red-tailed hawk soars over open fields searching for rodents."

• AIt introduces an example illustrating the previous claim.
• BIt signals a contradiction to what came before.
• CIt marks the end of the passage.
• DIt introduces a definition of the word raptor.

Read the passage. A science article claims a newly discovered plant species can grow in total darkness. However, the article does not explain how the plant obtains energy, and no other scientists have confirmed the finding. A follow-up study could not reproduce the result. Which statement best evaluates the article's claim?

• AThe claim is not well supported because it lacks a mechanism and independent confirmation.
• BThe claim is fully proven because it appeared in a science article.
• CThe claim is reliable because unconfirmed findings are always correct.
• DThe claim is strong because darkness is common for all plants.

Read the passage. A journalist reports that a town's drinking water contains a harmful chemical and blames a nearby factory. The factory's owner replies that the chemical occurs naturally in the region's soil and that tests show levels within legal limits. Which approach best helps a reader evaluate the competing claims?

• ASeek independent test results comparing water samples to legal safety limits.
• BTrust only the factory owner because businesses always tell the truth.
• CTrust only the journalist because reporters are never wrong.
• DIgnore both claims and drink the water without concern.

Read the passage. The author's tone in describing the closing of the town's only library is somber. She writes, "When the doors locked for the last time, it was not only books the town lost, but a place where strangers became neighbors over shared stories." What is the author's most likely purpose in the passage?

• ATo persuade readers that libraries matter as community spaces, not just book repositories.
• BTo entertain readers with a humorous story about a library.
• CTo instruct readers on how to shelve books correctly.
• DTo advertise a new bookstore opening nearby.

Read the passage. A proposal to ban plastic bags in a town cites the harm plastic does to rivers and wildlife. An opponent argues that paper bags cost more energy to produce and transport. The proposal's author responds that reusable bags avoid the drawbacks of both plastic and paper. Which statement most fairly summarizes the debate?

• AThe debate centers on comparing environmental costs of bag types, with reusables offered…
• BThe debate is only about the price of plastic bags at stores.
• CAll sides agree that plastic bags are the best option.
• DThe debate has nothing to do with the environment.

Read the sentence. After the long drought, even a few drops of rain felt like a blessing to the withered garden. The phrase "a blessing" in context most nearly means which of the following?

• AA welcome and relieving gift
• BA religious ceremony
• CA type of storm
• DA kind of plant

Read the sentence. The debater's claims were so vague that her opponent could not pin them down or argue against them effectively. Which word is closest in meaning to "vague" as used in the sentence?

• AUnclear
• BLoud
• CAngry
• DDetailed

Read the sentence. Unlike her gregarious sister, who chatted with everyone at the party, Lila sat quietly in the corner reading a book. What does "gregarious" most nearly mean as used in the sentence?

• ASociable and outgoing
• BShy and withdrawn
• CAngry and rude
• DTall and strong

Read the sentence. The root "port" comes from the Latin portare, meaning "to carry." Which word both contains the root "port" and matches the meaning "to carry or send across"?

• ATransport
• BPortable
• CImportant
• DPortfolio

Which sentence avoids plagiarism by correctly paraphrasing and citing the source?

• AAccording to a 2023 NDE report, roughly 59% of Nebraska students scored proficient in ELA.
• BAbout 59% of Nebraska students were proficient in ELA.
• CNebraska students did well on the ELA test recently.
• DThe NDE report said a lot of kids passed the test.

Which sentence uses the correct form of the verb in the past perfect tense?

• ABy the time we arrived, the concert had already started.
• BBy the time we arrived, the concert has already started.
• CBy the time we arrived, the concert already starts.
• DBy the time we arrived, the concert will have already started.

Read the paragraph. Recycling helps the environment in several ways. It reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills. It also conserves natural resources by reusing materials instead of mining or harvesting new ones. Finally, recycling saves energy compared to making products from raw materials. Which sentence best states the central claim of the paragraph?

• ARecycling helps the environment in several ways.
• BRecycling reduces waste sent to landfills.
• CRecycling conserves natural resources.
• DRecycling saves energy compared to making products from raw materials.