Physical Science Benchmark Practice

In which medium does sound travel the fastest?

• steel

• air

• water

• The speed is the same in all three mediums.

Scientists do many types of work. Which description characterizes one type of scientific work, an experiment?

• Observation of plants or animals in their natural environment

• Physical or mathematical representation of an object or process

• An organized procedure to study something under controlled conditions

• Collection of data from the unregulated world for comparative purposes

A weather station reports that the wind is moving northeast at 12 km/hr. Which of the following best describes that measurement?

• Speed, because it is given in km/hr

• Velocity, because it includes a direction

• Speed, because it indicates motion

• Velocity, because it includes a number

On the Moon, an object weighs about one-sixth what it weighs on Earth. How is the mass of an object different on the Moon than on Earth?

• Its mass is six times greater on Earth.

• Its mass is the same as it is on Earth.

• Its mass is one-sixth its mass on Earth.

• Its mass changes proportionally with its weight.

The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum consists of the colors that we see in a rainbow. Each color that we see corresponds to a different wavelength of light. Which color of visible light has the shortest wavelength?

• Red

• Green

• Violet

• Yellow

A motorcycle, car, van, and bus are traveling at the same speed on a highway. What do we know about the kinetic energy of the vehicles?

• The motorcycle has the most kinetic energy because it has the least mass

• All of the vehicles have the same kinetic energy because they are moving at the same speed

• The bus has the greatest kinetic energy because its mass is greater than the other vehicles

• The van has the least kinetic energy because it has the most air resistance

Penny says that dust particles in space cannot be pulled together by gravity because they have very little mass. Emma says that as long as the dust particles have any mass at all, gravity can pull them together. Who has the better argument and why?

• Penny, because objects with only a little mass are not affected by gravity

• Penny, because dust particles in space are far from Earth so there is no gravity

• Emma, because any two objects exert a gravitational force on each other

• Emma, because objects with smaller mass have more gravity acting on them

Which of these has the longest wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum?

• radio waves

• microwaves

• x-rays

• gamma rays

Measuring speed requires the appropriate units. Which of the following is the SI unit for speed?

• meters (m)

• grams/cubic centimeter (g/cm 3 )

• meters/second (m/s)

• newtons (N)

Dr. Suri works at a veterinary clinic and part of her job is to make sure pets are eating properly. She places a dog on the digital scale and gets a reading of 16 Newtons (N). Which of these explains this measurement?

• The dog's mass is 16 N

• The dog has an average density of 16 N

• The volume of the dog is 16 N

• The weight of the dog is 16 N