5th Grade STAAR RC 1 QUIZ

Animals and plants use substances that cycle through the environment. Which substance is needed by plants to survive and is released into the environment by animals?

• Carbon dioxide
• Salt
• Sugar
• Oxygen

Which of these organisms is best suited for the terrarium?

• Blue jay
• Lobster
• Snail
• Water lily

The roots of the prickly pear cactus spread out in a wide underground network. How does this type of root system benefit a prickly pear cactus?

• By producing fruit and storing water
• By capturing sunlight and getting rid of waste materials
• By absorbing water and supporting the plant in loose, sandy soil
• By releasing nutrients into the sandy soil and taking in oxygen

Prairie dogs eat plants and dig underground tunnels. Prairie dog tunnels help breakup hard prairie soils, and the animals’ waste adds nutrients to the soil. In the past,large groups of prairie dogs lived in many parts of the U.S. Great Plains, but people have destroyed most of these colonies.  Which of these will most likely happen when prairie dogs are removed from an area?

• The population of predators that eat prairie dogs will decrease.
• The population of plants that prairie dogs eat will decrease.
• The nutrients in the soil will increase.
• The number of underground tunnels will increase.

In a food chain, energy does NOT flow directly from —

• Producer to decomposer
• Producer to consumer
• Consumer to decomposer
• Consumer to producer

A group of students built the circuit shown below. The light bulb does not glow. Which statement explains this observation?

• The bell uses most of the energy from the battery.
• The light bulb is not part of a complete circuit.
• The battery is not charged.
• The circuit does not have a switch.

Two wires carrying electricity can create a spark if they come too close together. This spark can start a fire. Wires carrying electricity are usuallly covered  with plastic to keep them from starting a fire. Why does the plastic keep electricity from starting a fire?

• Plastic is a good insulator.
• Plastic can melt when heated.
• Plastic is softer than wire.
• Plastic conducts electricity.

A student observing birds in a park records some ways that birds interact with living and nonliving parts of their environment. All the following  observations are was that a bird interacts with nonliving parts of its environment except______

• reacting to morning sunlight by singing
• drinking and taking a bath in a puddle of water
• responding to cold temperatures by fluffing its feathers
• feeding insects to its chicks

A student made a list of activities that involve energy.  
-
1. Sharks chasing a school of fish
2. A toaster heating bread
3. A cell phone charging
4. A tree limb falling to the ground
5. Tomato plants absorbing sunlight
6. A canoe floating down a river
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Which activities on the list are examples of the use of mechanical energy? 

• Activities 1, 4, and 6 
• Activities 2, 4, and 5
• Activities 1 and 2 
• Activities 3, 5, and 6 

Tropical climates have warm temperatures and abundant sunlight all year. What must be available for plants in these climates to make their own food throughout the year?

• Bacteria 
• Birds  
• Shade
• Water