NYS Grade 8 Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: B

Family members should always watch out for each other.: Keisha does warn Lamar, but the story centers on her own move from fear to confidence; "always" overstates it.

Understanding a danger can turn fear into confidence.: Correct. After the lifeguard explains rip currents, the ocean seems "a little less like a monster" (paragraph 8), Keisha swims happily and spots the rip that saves Lamar.

The ocean is too dangerous for inexperienced swimmers.: Contradicted when Keisha, a first-time ocean swimmer, enjoys the waves safely.

Young people should listen to adults instead of friends.: Overgeneralizes; the story does not set adults against friends.

A theme should explain the main character's change; check it against the turning point and the ending.

Answer: B

The story shows the dangers of a blackout; the article shows that blackouts are rarely dangerous.: Neither text makes this contrast; the article never says blackouts are rarely dangerous.

The story follows one boy meeting his neighbors; the article describes strangers helping across a city.: Correct. The story develops the idea through Dominic's single night carrying water and joining neighbors on the roof; the article develops it through many examples from the city (paragraph 4) and states it as a lesson (paragraph 7).

The story explains what caused the blackout; the article describes how one family lived through it.: Reverses the texts: the article explains the cause, and the story follows one boy.

The story suggests people grow close only in emergencies; the article argues the grid must never fail.: Both halves overstate: the story does not say "only," and the article reports a rule change rather than arguing that failure must never happen.

For a cross-text question, check each half of the answer against the right text: a story usually develops an idea through one character; an article through facts and examples.

Answer: B

The speaker feels shut out of an adult conversation.: Reads the room image literally; no one is talking, and the speaker is the one who understands the silence.

The silence seems to be hiding something dangerous.: Correct. A room of people "holding a secret" is quiet because something is being kept back; stanza 3 warned that "the quiet" marks thin ice, so the hush hides danger.

The lake has grown calm after its earlier noise.: Treats the hush as peaceful; the poem's grandfather calls the quiet the thing "you should worry about."

The speaker and the speaker's mother are keeping a secret.: Applies the "secret" to the people in the truck instead of to the silent ice.

Interpret a simile in light of earlier lines; here the grandfather's lesson in stanza 3 tells readers what the quiet means.

Answer: A

Staying calm in a crisis can reveal what a person has truly learned.: Correct. Hiram, who was "only half listening" to Gideon (paragraph 8), recalls the lesson and calms the mules (paragraphs 12–13); the captain's "he taught you right" (paragraph 21) confirms that the crisis showed what Hiram knew.

Older siblings are the most important teachers a young person has.: Overstates one detail; Gideon's lessons matter, but the story does not claim siblings matter most.

People who doubt others are usually proven wrong in the end.: Too broad; the story shows one doubt answered by one good night's work, not a general rule about doubters.

Following custom matters more than trusting one's own instincts.: Hiram follows the custom, but his success also depends on his own calm judgment with Jubilee; the story does not rank custom above instinct.

Eliminate theme choices that overgeneralize ("always," "usually," "most important") or that fit only part of the story.

Answer: B

Following an expert's instructions exactly is the surest path to success.: Too narrow: Abuelo's "quarter turn" rule matters, but the story focuses on how Inés's patience and attention change her, not on obedience.

Patient, careful effort can make ordinary work feel meaningful.: Correct. Inés moves from counting the days (paragraph 1) to losing track of time in quarter turns (paragraph 15) and hurrying back for another wheel (paragraph 21); slow, careful work gives the summer meaning.

Time away from screens helps people discover what they truly enjoy.: The phone is a symbol of her boredom, but the story is about the work that absorbs her, not about giving up screens.

A few words of praise can matter more than a long explanation.: True of paragraphs 17–18, but it fits only one moment; the theme has to account for the whole day of work and her return in the morning.

A theme is a message the whole story develops; test each choice against the beginning, middle and end, not just one striking moment.

Answer: B

The first shows Carnegie buying books for working boys; the second shows libraries buying hotspots for students.: Anderson, not Carnegie, lent his books to working boys, so the first half misreads the article.

The first shows borrowed books changing a poor boy's life; the second shows libraries lending costly objects.: Correct. Carnegie, who had "no money for books," was transformed by Anderson's library (paragraph 2); the second article describes free loans of expensive, rarely needed objects and hotspots (paragraphs 2–3).

The first explains why critics opposed Carnegie's gifts; the second explains why critics oppose makerspaces.: Both texts mention critics, but criticism is not how either develops the idea of affordable access.

The first focuses on library buildings; the second argues that buildings no longer matter to libraries.: The second article never says buildings no longer matter; its collections are housed in libraries.

A cross-text answer should name how each author develops the shared idea: through one person's story, through examples, or through argument.

Answer: D

John B. Jervis was the most skilled American engineer of the 1800s.: Overgeneralizes; the article praises his design but never compares him with other engineers.

The Great Fire of 1835 was the main reason New York decided to build the aqueduct.: Voters approved the plan in the spring of 1835, before the fire; the fire "showed why the plan mattered."

The aqueduct's opening was celebrated with a parade and fountains.: A detail from paragraph 9, not the central idea.

Dirty water and disasters led New York to build an aqueduct that reshaped it.: Correct. The article moves from the water crisis (paragraphs 1–4) through the gravity-powered design (paragraphs 5–8) to the changes in daily life and its lasting influence (paragraphs 10–11).

Check the timeline before accepting a cause; the central idea must fit the beginning, middle and end of the article.

Answer: C

Foley artists rely mainly on unusual props to create sound effects.: Props are described in paragraph 10, but Kirkwood says footsteps, not props, are "most of what we do" (paragraph 14).

Modern movies depend less on sound than early sound films did.: Nothing in the interview compares how much films depend on sound.

Foley artists use timing and creativity to make on-screen action believable.: Correct. From "You just believe what you see" (paragraph 2) to choosing sounds that "make the audience believe it" (paragraph 10) and matching an actor's mood (paragraph 14), Kirkwood stresses timing and invention in service of belief.

Recording clean dialogue is the most important task on a film set.: A detail from paragraph 4 that explains why Foley is needed; it is not the interview's focus.

A central idea runs through most of the answers; a choice that fits only one answer is a supporting detail.

Answer: B

He copied other draftsmen's drawings without permission.: Reads "borrowed" as taking something improperly; the article never suggests he copied anyone's drawings.

He learned by watching skilled workers do their jobs.: Correct. The phrase looks back to paragraph 4, where he "watched them whenever he could" and studied how the draftsmen worked.

He borrowed his first drafting tools from the law firm.: Takes "borrowed" literally; paragraph 4 says he bought a secondhand set of tools.

He studied inventions that belonged to his employers.: Partly plausible, since the firm handled inventions, but the "view" in paragraph 4 is of the draftsmen at work, not of inventions.

When a concluding paragraph uses a figurative phrase, look back to the earlier paragraph it refers to.

Answer: A

$3(x+2)=3x+5$: Correct. The left side is $3x+6$, so $3x+6=3x+5$; subtracting $3x$ leaves $6=5$, which is never true.

$3(x+2)-1=3x+5$: Looks mismatched, but the left side simplifies to $3x+5$, so every value of $x$ works (infinitely many solutions).

$3(x+2)=2x+6$: Gives $x=0$. A solution of 0 is still one solution, not "no solution".

$3(x+2)=-3x-6$: The coefficients 3 and −3 are different, so there is exactly one solution: $6x=-12$, $x=-2$.

After simplifying, equal $x$-coefficients with different constants mean no solution; equal coefficients and equal constants mean infinitely many.

Answer: A

1. Northgate: the point (4, 6) means 4 posters cost $6, so the unit rate is $6÷4=1.50$ dollars per poster.
2. Pinecrest: $y=1.75x$ has a unit rate of 1.75 dollars per poster.
3. $1.75-1.50=0.25$, so Northgate charges $0.25 less per poster.

Northgate Print charges $0.25 less per poster than Pinecrest Copy.: Correct. The graph passes through (4, 6), so Northgate charges $6÷4=\$1.50$ per poster; Pinecrest charges $1.75, which is $0.25 more.

Northgate Print charges $0.25 more per poster than Pinecrest Copy.: Finds the right difference but reverses which company is cheaper; $1.50 is less than $1.75.

Northgate Print charges $1.00 less per poster than Pinecrest Copy.: Compares the cost of 4 posters ($6.00 vs. $7.00) instead of the cost of one poster.

Northgate Print charges $1.00 more per poster than Pinecrest Copy.: Compares the cost of 4 posters instead of one, and also reverses which company is cheaper.

In a proportional relationship the unit rate is the slope: read a point $(x,y)$ on the graph and find $y÷x$, then compare it with the coefficient in $y=kx$.

Answer: A

1. $3^{-2}=\frac{1}{9}\approx 0.111$
2. $2^{-3}=\frac{1}{8}=0.125$
3. $(-3{)}^0=1$
4. ${\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)}^{-1}=3$
5. Order: $\frac{1}{9},\frac{1}{8},1,3$

$3^{-2},2^{-3},(-3{)}^0,{\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)}^{-1}$: Correct. $3^{-2}=\frac{1}{9}$, $2^{-3}=\frac{1}{8}$, $(-3{)}^0=1$ and ${\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)}^{-1}=3$, and $\frac{1}{9}<\frac{1}{8}<1<3$.

$2^{-3},3^{-2},(-3{)}^0,{\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)}^{-1}$: Assumes the more negative exponent gives the smaller value, but $2^{-3}=\frac{1}{8}$ is greater than $3^{-2}=\frac{1}{9}$.

$(-3{)}^0,3^{-2},2^{-3},{\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)}^{-1}$: Treats $(-3{)}^0$ as 0 (or as a negative number); any nonzero base to the zero power equals 1.

${\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)}^{-1},3^{-2},2^{-3},(-3{)}^0$: Reads ${\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)}^{-1}$ as $-\frac{1}{3}$; a negative exponent takes the reciprocal, giving 3, not a negative number.

A negative exponent means a reciprocal, not a negative number: $a^{-n}=\frac{1}{a^n}$, and $a^0=1$ for any nonzero $a$.

Answer: B

Table A: The $y$-values go up by 3 in each row, but the $x$-values go up by 2, then 1, then 3, so the rate of change is $\frac{3}{2}$, then 3, then 1, which is not constant.

Table B: Correct. The rate of change is $\frac{5-(-1)}{2-0}=3$, $\frac{8-5}{3-2}=3$ and $\frac{17-8}{6-3}=3$; it is constant, so the function is linear ($y=3x-1$).

Table C: These are the squares of $x$ ($y=x^2$); the rate of change grows from 2 to 5 to 9.

Table D: These are powers of 2 ($y=2^x$); the rate of change grows quickly.

A table is linear when $\Delta y÷\Delta x$ is the same for every pair of rows; when the $x$-steps are uneven, equal $y$-steps do not mean linear.

Answer: A

1. Function P: from (0, 6) to (3, 0), the rate of change is $\frac{0-6}{3-0}=-2$; initial value 6.
2. Function Q: rate of change −3; initial value 4.
3. Both functions decrease. Q drops 3 units per unit of $x$ and P drops 2, so Q decreases faster (|−3| > |−2|).
4. 6 > 4, so P has the greater initial value.

Function Q decreases faster, and Function P has the greater initial value.: Correct. Function P passes through (0, 6) and (3, 0), so it falls 2 units for each unit of $x$ (rate of change −2) and starts at 6. Function Q falls 3 units for each unit of $x$ and starts at 4. Q decreases faster, and 6 > 4.

Function Q decreases faster, and Function Q has the greater initial value.: Compares the rates correctly but reads the $x$-intercept, 3, as Function P's initial value; P crosses the $y$-axis at 6.

Function P decreases faster, and Function P has the greater initial value.: Treats the greater signed rate (−2 > −3) as the faster decrease; a rate of −3 means Q loses 3 units per unit of $x$, more than P loses.

Function P decreases faster, and Function Q has the greater initial value.: Treats −2 > −3 as a faster decrease and also reads P's $x$-intercept, 3, as its initial value.

When two functions both decrease, the one whose rate of change has the greater absolute value decreases faster; the initial value is where the graph crosses the $y$-axis, not the $x$-axis.

Answer: C

1. $2\pi r=40$, so $r=\frac{20}{\pi }\approx 6.366$ ft.
2. $A=\pi r^2=\pi {\left(\frac{20}{\pi }\right)}^2=\frac{400}{\pi }\approx 127.32$.
3. Rounded: 127 square feet.

20 square feet: Finds the radius but then multiplies by π once ($\pi r$) instead of using $\pi r^2$.

41 square feet: Squares the radius but forgets to multiply by π.

127 square feet: Correct. $C=2\pi r=40$, so $r=\frac{40}{2\pi }\approx 6.366$ ft, and $A=\pi r^2\approx 127.3$, about 127 square feet.

509 square feet: Uses $\frac{40}{\pi }\approx 12.7$, the diameter, as the radius.

From a circumference, solve $C=2\pi r$ for the radius first, then use $A=\pi r^2$ with the π key.

Answer: 51 degrees

1. DE ∥ BC, and AC is a transversal, so ∠AED and ∠ACB are corresponding angles: m∠AED = 71°.
2. In triangle ADE: m∠BAC + 58° + 71° = 180°.
3. m∠BAC = 180° − 129° = 51°.

Use parallel lines to move a known angle into the triangle you need, then apply the 180° angle sum. A 1-credit response usually gives 51 without naming the corresponding angles, or uses ∠ADE and ∠ACB as if both were in triangle ABC without justifying it.

Answer: A

a dilation by a scale factor of $\frac{1}{2}$ centered at the origin, then a reflection over the $x$-axis: Correct. The dilation gives (1, 1), (2, 1), (1, 3); reflecting over the $x$-axis gives A′(1, −1), B′(2, −1), C′(1, −3).

a dilation by a scale factor of 2 centered at the origin, then a reflection over the $x$-axis: Inverts the scale factor: the image is smaller (AB = 2, A′B′ = 1), so the scale factor is $\frac{1}{2}$, not 2.

a dilation by a scale factor of $\frac{1}{2}$ centered at the origin, then a reflection over the $y$-axis: Reflects over the wrong axis: the image would be at (−1, 1), (−2, 1), (−1, 3), in Quadrant II.

a dilation by a scale factor of $\frac{1}{2}$ centered at the origin, then a rotation 90° clockwise about the origin: The rotation sends (2, 1) to (1, −2), so B′ would be below A′ instead of to its right.

A similarity sequence may combine a dilation (scale factor = image length ÷ original length) with rigid motions; check every vertex.

Answer: D

It is a good fit, because it passes through exactly two of the data points.: Passing through data points is not the goal; a line of fit should have the points spread fairly evenly on both sides.

It is a good fit, because it slants upward like the data.: The direction is right, but the line sits too low to represent the data.

It is a poor fit, because a line of fit must pass through the origin.: A line of fit does not have to pass through (0, 0); its $y$-intercept depends on the data.

It is a poor fit, because most of the data points lie above the line.: Correct. Every point except the two the line passes through, (2, 13) and (8, 29), lies above the line, so it underestimates the data; a good line of fit has points roughly balanced above and below.

Judge a line of fit by closeness: it should follow the trend with about as many points above it as below it.