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Item PT019001: Earth's plates move several inches each year.

Which of the following describes the movement of earth’s plates?

  1. The plates move several inches per year.
  2. The plates move several feet per year.
  3. The plates move several miles per year.
  4. The plates do not move.
Distribution of Responses
Chart showing distrubtion of responses for Item 019001
Students Responding Correctly
Group Correct Total Percent
Overall 2031 3168 64%
Grades
  6–8 1263 2041 62%
  9–12 760 1114 68%
Gender
  Male989150866%
  Female1013161763%
Primary Language
  English1868288365%
  Other12121856%

View data table

Notes
The rate of plate motion is not specified in NGSS, although an evidence statement for performance expectation MS-ESS2-3 says that students should "identify relationships (including relationships that can be used to infer numerical rates of change, such as patterns of age of seafloor) in the datasets about Earth features."