Science STAAR Grade 5 2016

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

• Plastic is a good insulator.

• Plastic can melt when heated.

• Plastic is softer than wire.

• Plastic conducts electricity.

Answer explanation

A student draws a model showing the movements of Earth, the moon, and the sun. Which arrow shows the movement that causes day and night on Earth?

• Arrow 1, because it shows the rotation of the sun

• Arrow 2, because it shows the orbit of the Earth around the sun

• Arrow 3, because it shows the orbit of the moon around Earth

• Arrow 4, because it shows the rotation of the earth

Answer explanation

Lasers produce a beam of light that can be focused on a small area. A teacher uses two mirrors to shine a beam of light from the laser onto a box. Which diagram shows how the teacher should position the two mirrors?

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Here is a partial food web of a pond ecosystem. Which type of organism is missing from this food web?

• Decomposers

• Producers

• Predators

• Consumers

Which list best describes a landslide?

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For a science assignment a student was asked to observe some organisms and then make a table to classify the organisms' traits as inherited or learned. This the student's table.

How many of these observations describe learned behaviors and how many describe inherited traits?

• 1 learned behavior, 7 inherited traits

• 2 learned behaviors, 6 inherited traits

• 3 learned behaviors, 5 inherited traits

• 4 learned behaviors, 4 inherited traits

All the lightbulbs in this circuit are lit. Which change would cause all the bulbs to go out?

• Removing Wire 1

• Removing Wires 2 and 4

• Removing Wires 2 and 5

• Removing Wires 3 and 4

Erosion is one of the processes involved in the formation of sedimentary rock. Which of these best describes the process of erosion?

• Rocks are broken into smaller pieces that remain in the same location.

• Pressure compacts layers of sediment and turns them into rock.

• Pieces of rock or soil are carried from one place to another

• Sediment grains fall to the bottom of a lake to form sedimentary layers.

A student conducts an investigation using caramel candy, paper plates, and a stopwatch. The student places a piece of the caramel candy on each of three plats. The student puts the plates in different locations around the school. The student will record the time it takes for each piece of caramel candy to change state and other observations in this table .

• In which location does the caramel candy change state the fastest?

• What causes the caramel candy to keep its shape?

• Why does the caramel candy change state?

• At what temperature does the caramel candy melt?

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 ways 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