5th Grade Science

Physical Science Benchmark A 8; Benchmark B 9, 16; Benchmark C 10, 24; Benchmark D 11; Benchmark E 22; Benchmark F 1,18

Earth and Space Science Benchmark A 6, 13, 14, 23, 28; Benchmark B 31; Benchmark C 29, 30; Benchmark D 27;

Life Science Benchmark A 5, 12, 25; Benchmark B 4; Benchmark C 2, 3,15, 32

Science and Technology Benchmark B 7, 21

Scientific Ways of Knowing Benchmark A 17, 26

Scientific Inquiry Benchmark C 19, 20

1. An air hose extends above and below the surface of the water. Which statement explains why the air hose looks broken at the surface of

the water?

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25%

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25% 1. Light is refracted as it moves from air to water

2. Light is reflected as it moves from air to water

3. Light is absorbed as it moves from air to water

4. Light is destroyed as it moves from air to water

Use the following information to answer questions 2 - 5

Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6

2. One year the pond dried up. Which organism in the pond ecosystem was still able to take in oxygen?

diagram

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Turtle Trout Sunfish Tadpole

1. Turtle

2. Trout

3. Sunfish

4. Tadpole

3. In the winter the pond starts to freeze. The ducks leave the pond. They migrate to warmer climates.

Which statement explains why ducks might migrate?

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25%

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25% 1. The ducks have too many enemies.

2. The ducks have difficulty finding food.

3. The ducks have to lay eggs near water.

4. The ducks have too few places to hibernate.

4. Look at the picture of the pond ecosystem. Which organism uses sunlight to produce food that others eat?

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Snail Sunfish Butterfly Green algae

1. Snail

2. Sunfish

3. Butterfly

4. Green algae

5. Which organism in the pond ecosystem completely changes its physical features

and food source when it becomes an adult?

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Duck Turtle Trout Butterfly

1. Duck

2. Turtle

3. Trout

4. Butterfly

6. The diagram shows the position of Earth (E) now Where will Earth be in six months?

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25%

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25% 1. Near position 1

2. Near position 2

3. Near position 3

4. Near position 4

7. Which is the first step in a design process?

Rev

ise

the

solu

tion

Des

crib

e th

e pro

blem

Tes

t poss

ible

solu

tions

Iden

tify

poss

ible

sol

...

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1. Revise the solution

2. Describe the problem

3. Test possible solutions

4. Identify possible solutions

8. Sharpening a pencil and tearing paper are examples of physical changes. Which statement describes why these are physical changes?

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There is a change... There is a change...

There is a change... There is a change...

1. There is a change in how the objects are used.

2. There is a change in the appearance of the object.

3. There is a change in the materials from which the objects are made.

4. There is a change in both appearance of the objects and the materials from which they are made.

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9. Two juice containers are in a cooler. One is plastic and one is metal. The metal can feels colder than the plastic bottle. Students place a thermometer in each container. They find that the juices in the bottle feel colder than the and in the can are the same temperature

Why does the can bottle?

1. The metal can holds colder juice than the plastic bottle.2. Plastic is a better conductor of thermal energy than metal.3. Metal is a better conductor of thermal energy than plastic4. The outside of the metal can is drier than the plastic bottle.

10. A student places a ball on the ground and kicks it. The ball moves along the ground. Why does the ball move?

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0%

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0%1. The kick decreases the weight of the ball.

2. The kick applies a contact force to the ball.

3. The kick decreases the force of gravity on the ball.

4. The kick removes friction between the ball and the ground.

11. A student has a glass of water as shown. She takes an ice cube from the freezer. She puts the ice

cube into the water.  Which explains the change that

happens?

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The ice cube melt... The ice cube does...

The ice cube melt... The ice cube does...

1. The ice cube melts because cold flows out of the ice cube to the water.

2. The ice cube does not melt because cold flows into the ice cube from the water.

3. The ice cube melts because thermal energy transfers to the ice cube from the water.

4. The ice cube does not melt because thermal energy transfers from the ice cube to the water.

12. Which seed has structures that allow animals to transport the seed on their fur?

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1. A

2. B

3. C

4. D

13. A class was learning about the pattern of day and night on Earth. What part of Earth

experiences night at the same time?

Les

s th

an ¼

About

½

About

¾

Alm

ost a

ll

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1. Less than ¼

2. About ½

3. About ¾

4. Almost all

14. About how much of Earth’s surface is covered by oceans?

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Less than 20% About 50%

About 70% More than 90%

1. Less than 20%

2. About 50%

3. About 70%

4. More than 90%

15. In a forest, how do decomposers help other organisms survive?

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0% 1. They release oxygen into the air that animals breath.

2. They put nutrients into the soil that plants use to grow.

3. They provide shelter in forests where animals can hide.

4. They use sunlight to make food for plants and animals

16. A teacher put a beaker of water on a hot plate. The beaker is shown before and after the hot

plate is turned on. What is the evidence that water is changing

state?

1. The hotplate is turned on.

2. The temperature increases;

3. The water bubbles and steam is visible.

4. The mass of water in the beaker increases

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The hotplate is t... The temperature i...

The water bubbles... The mass of water...

17. Millions of years ago, the insect shown was trapped in

sticky tree sap. The dried tree sap is now called amber.

Amber looks like a clear gold or brown stone. Which

statement is an opinion about the amber? 0%0%0%0%

Amber is h... Ancient in... Amber was ... All insect...

1. Amber is hardened tree sap.2. Ancient insects can be

found in amber.3. Amber was formed millions

of years ago.4. All insects prefer tree sap as

a food source.

Use the following investigation to answer questions 18 - 21

Question 18

Question 19

Question 20

Question 21

18. The sound in setup 3 was clearer than the sound in setup 1. Which statement explains why?

Stri

ng cre

ates

an e

cho.

Stri

ng vib

rate

s m

ore ..

.

Wire

is u

sed fo

r rea

l t...

Wire

tran

smits

soun

d...

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1. String creates an echo.

2. String vibrates more than wire.

3. Wire is used for real telephones.

4. Wire transmits sound better than string.

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19. The two students want classmates to repeat the investigation so that they can compare results. What should the students communicate so that results may be compared?

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1. Materials and steps used in the investigation

2. Conclusions about the results from the investigation

3. Where they got the idea for making model telephones

4. Where to purchase the materials for model telephones

20. Which variable changed between setup 1 and setup 2?

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The types of cups... The number of cup...

The tightness of ... The thickness of ...

1. The types of cups used

2. The number of cups used

3. The tightness of the string

4. The thickness of the string

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21. Two other students investigate model telephones made with paper and plastic cups. They find that sound is transmitted better using plastic cups. The class wants to make a model telephone that makes the best sound possible. They use the results of both investigations. Which setup should they use?

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Plastic cu... Paper cups... Plastic cu... Paper cups...

1. Plastic cups and tight string

2. Paper cups and tight string

3. Plastic cups and tight wire

4. Paper cups and tight wire

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22. Electric energy flows through the wire filament in a light bulb. The energy flow causes the wire to glow and give off

light. Which type of energy produces this light?

1. Sound

2. Gravity

3. Thermal

4. magnetic

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23. From Earth, we see the sun in the day sky and other stars in the night sky. Nighttime stars look like tiny points of light. Which statement explains why nighttime stars appear so much smaller than the sun?

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1. The stars are much smaller.

2. The sky is much darker at night.

3. The stars are much farther away.

4. The moon blocks out most sunlight.

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0% 1. The force of gravity on the chair

2. The force of her pull on the chair

3. Friction between her hand and the chair

4. Friction between the wheels of and the floor

24. The principal’s chair has wheels. It sits on her office floor next to her desk. She pulls the chair away from her desk. What

makes the chair move?

Use the following information for questions 25 and 26.

Question 25 Question 26

25. Which animals give birth to live young?

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Hawk and black bear Beaver and black ...

Hawk and potato b... Beaver and potato...

1. Hawk and black bear

2. Beaver and black bear

3. Hawk and potato beetle

4. Beaver and potato beetle

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26. Student A studies the potato beetle. He concludes that all animals that lay eggs only live in crop fields. Student B notes that the red-tailed hawk lays eggs. It lives in both grasslands and crop fields. What should student A do with his own conclusion?

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Keep the conclusi... Keep the conclusi...

Revise the conclu... Revise the conclu...

1. Keep the conclusion. The new data support it.

2. Keep the conclusion. The new data are not related to it.

3. Revise the conclusion. Collect more data about animals that live in a crop field

4. Revise the conclusion. Collect more data about habitats of animals that lay eggs.

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27. The weather forecast says a heavy snowstorm is coming later today. Which weather observation is likely just before the snow?

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1. Clear sky

2. Thick gray clouds

3. Small white clouds

4. Warm temperature

28. What causes day and night on Earth?

Tilt

ing

of Ear

th’s

axi

s

Rota

tion o

f Ear

th o

n i..

Move

men

t of E

arth

a...

Move

men

t of t

he s

un...

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1. Tilting of Earth’s axis

2. Rotation of Earth on its axis

3. Movement of Earth around the sun

4. Movement of the sun around Earth

29. Sedimentary rocks have visible layers of small pieces of other rocks. Based on the information in

the rock sample table, which is a sedimentary rock?

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0% 1. Pumice

2. Granite

3. Obsidian

4. Limestone

30. How is conglomerate different from the other rock samples?

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0% 1. It contains pebbles

2. It has visible layers

3. It has a rough texture

4. It is all the same color

31. Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota. This statue was carved more than 60 years ago. The faces on this granite statue are slowly wearing away. Which natural process causes

this wearing away?

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0% 1. Earthquakes

2. Water from floods

3. Blowing wind and rain

4. Lava falling from volcanoes

32. The limestone sample was found in an area of Wyoming that is now a desert. Which statement describes what scientists

can learn from the rock?

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0% 1. There once was a lake in that area2. There once was a glacier in that area3. There once were a lot of plants and trees in that area4. There once were fish that lived in dry land in that area