STAAR 5th Grade Science

Which circuit shown will produce light when the switch is closed?

• Circuit A

• Circuit B

• Circuit C

• Circuit D

Which statement best explains why the sun appears to move across the sky during the day?

• The Earth is closest to the sun in the winter.

• The Earth is revolving around the sun.

• The Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees.

• The Earth is rotating on its axis.

A student is looking directly at a lit nightlight through two different cardboard tubes as shown. Through which tube, if any, will the light be seen and why?

• The bent tube only because the light bounces off the sides of the tube and travels through the tube to the student’s eye

• The straight tube only because the light travels in a straight line directly to the student’s eye

• Both tubes because light travels equally well along straight and curved paths

• Neither tube because both tubes absorb all of the light

A student places objects in a bucket of water to determine if they will float. Which set of items is less dense than water?

• Plastic paper clip, penny, and cork

• Toothpick, metal spoon, and plastic paper clip

• Metal spoon, vegetable oil, and penny

• Toothpick, cork, and vegetable oil

A food chain is shown. Which role do the grasses have in the food chain?

• They decompose small organisms to produce energy.

• They prevent the food chain from containing too many carnivores.

• They capture the energy from the sun and are food for consumers.

• They break down dead organisms into simpler substances

A diagram of different sections of land is shown. Which action is most likely happening in Section Y in the diagram?

• Wind and rain compacting rock into larger pieces

• Water carrying rocky material to a new location

• Chemicals in water gluing sediments to each other

• Pressure causing layers of sediment to form over time

A student uses the setup shown to investigate ways to speed up evaporation. Which forms of energy are being compared in the student’s investigation?

• Light energy and electrical energy

• Mechanical energy and electrical energy

• Light energy and thermal energy

• Mechanical energy and thermal energy

A gardener plants seeds in the garden. After the flower stage, the fruits and vegetables grow. A table of how many days are needed for some plants to be ready for harvest is shown. Which statement is supported by the data shown in the table?

• Pumpkins take the most time to sprout and to be ready for harvesting.

• Green bean seeds sprout faster because they are smaller than other seeds.

• Cucumbers are ready for harvest in less time than watermelons.

• Watermelon seeds take longer to sprout because watermelon plants produce large fruits.

Students make a solar system model on the playground. The school building represents the sun. They label round objects for each planet. Which planet should they place at the greatest distance from the school building?

• Jupiter

• Neptune

• Mercury

• Saturn

Students observe a gerbil in a cage and write their observations as follows: It twitches its whiskers, it burrows in the bedding, it drinks water from a metal tube, and it walks on four legs. Which of these observations is most likely a learned behavior?

• Twitching its whiskers

• Burrowing in the bedding

• Drinking water from a metal tube

• Walking on four legs