Who knows science best?

• Air Spaces

• Mass

• Size

• Texture

Students designed and made a model car to investigate the effect of forces. The car was released from a ramp at the same height, and the students measured how far the car traveled from the bottom of the ramp until stopping. Each trial, the students placed the ramp on a different surface. The table shows their results.

Which pattern explains the data the students collected?

• The force of gravity caused the car’s distance to increase on the carpet.

• The force of friction caused the car’s distance to decrease on the carpet.

• The force of magnetism caused the car’s distance to decrease on the foil.

• 
  The force of friction caused the car’s distance to decrease on the foil.

A student makes a model of a food web to describe the flow of matter and energy in a forest ecosystem.

The food web has earthworms but needs arrows to show how matter and energy move.

Where should the arrows be added in this food web to show how earthworms get energy AND how can the student describe the role of earthworms in the cycling of matter through this food web?

Look at the picture carefully. Then enter your answer and explanation in the box provided.

A student examines this graph that shows the different types of energy used in the United States. 

The data shows that more nonrenewable types of energy are used than renewable types of energy.

What is the MOST LIKELY disadvantage of using nonrenewable energy resources? 

• They are expensive and difficult to find. 

• 
  There are not as many types to choose from. 

• The resources are not replaced as fast as they are used.

• They are less powerful than renewable energy resources. 

Answer explanation

A student observed a plant in a school garden. Their observations are shown below.

1. 1. broken stem

2. 2. red flowers

3. 3. one leaf has a hole in it

4. 4. leaves are shaped like hearts

5. 5. most of the leaves are wilted and brown

Which of these observations are inherited physical traits?

• Observation 1 and observation 3

• Observation 2 and observation 4

• Observation 1, observation 3, and observation 5

• Observation 2, observation 3, and observation 4

What is the effect of conservation, proper disposal, and recycling of materials?

• 
  Resources with a limited supply can be preserved for future use.

• More resources from the environment will be used.

• More waste will be produced and end up in landfills.

• 
  The environment will become more polluted.

A student has a model of how plants make food. The model is labeled with numbers 1 to 5.

The student sets up an investigation with two identical tomato plants to see what happens to them in different environments.

 

• Plant 1 is placed next to a window and given plenty of water.

• Plant 2 is placed in a closet and given plenty of water.

 

After 60 days, the student observed that only Plant 1 had a healthy stem and roots and produced buds and tomatoes.

 

Using the student’s observations and model, which conclusion can the student make?

• 
  At Label 2, the plant used water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to make food that is stored at Label 5.

• At Label 1, the plant took in carbon dioxide, water, and food and used them to produce oxygen at Label 5.

• The plant took in water at Label 3, carbon dioxide at Label 5, sunlight at Label 2, and food at Label 1.

• The plant took in carbon dioxide at Label 4, water at Label 1, and sunlight at Label 2 to make food at Label 3.

A student made a model to explain how structures and functions of plants enable them to survive in their environment.

Their model shows two plants in the desert, a mesquite tree and a saguaro cactus.

Which statement BEST explains how the deep roots help the mesquite tree survive?

• They enable the plant to reach water stored deep underground.

• They enable the plant to capture sunlight for photosynthesis.

• They enable the plant to expand and store water.

• They enable the plant to quickly absorb rainfall.

Scientists use fossils to describe how environments on Earth have changed over time. Which fossil discovery represents a change in the environment where the fossil was found?

• Petrified wood in a forest

• Seashells in the sand at the beach

• Trilobite fossils in rocks in a desert

• Horse bones in soil in the grasslands

A student illustrates the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle. 

Which statement BEST describes condensation in the water cycle?

• As water vapor rises in the atmosphere, it heats up and may form clouds made of water vapor.

• As water vapor rises in the atmosphere, it heats up and may form clouds made of liquid water droplets.

• As water vapor rises in the atmosphere, it cools and may form clouds made of water vapor.

• 
  As water vapor rises in the atmosphere, it cools and may form clouds made of liquid water droplets.