Patterns of Earth and Sky Benchmark

Two students do a demonstration for their class. They stand side by side. One student holds a small yellow ball meant to represent a star. The student holding the larger ball takes 100 steps back, away from the class. The rest of the students sketch what they see. Three of these statements describe possible outcomes of this demonstration. Which result is not possible?

• The two balls look the same size.

• The larger ball looks smaller than it did at first.

• The smaller ball looks even smaller than it did at first.

• The smaller ball looks bigger than the larger ball.

The table below gives examples of different forces and the effects they can have on everyday objects. Select the example below that accurately completes the table.

• A tree limb breaks in a storm and lands on the ground.

• A group of friends fly a large paper kite on a windy day.

• A rocket flies through outer space.

• A plant absorbs energy from the sun to perform photosynthesis.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Based on the data below, what is the most likely explanation of why Sirius is brighter than other stars in our night sky?

• Sirius A is the hottest star in our solar system that is in our night sky.

• Sirius A is the fastest moving star in our night sky.

• Sirius A is the largest star in our night sky.

• Sirius A is closer to Earth than other stars in our night sky.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

Despite the differences in the strength of their gravitational force, all planets have what in common when it comes to gravity?

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

Maisy created a graph of the times of sunrise and sunset on the first day of every month for a year. What pattern does Maisy's graph demonstrate?

• There is more daylight in January than in June.

• There is more daylight in June than in January.

• There is more nighttime in June than in January.

• The amount of daylight is the same in all months.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

According to the data table, what was the length of the shadow at 12:00 p.m.?

• 0 m

• 1 m

• 2 m

• 3 m

At what time did the shadow point to the west?

• 9:00 a.m.

• 12:00 p.m.

• 3:00 p.m.

• 6:00 p.m

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

What was the direction of the shadow at 3:00 p.m.?

• east

• west

• north

• south

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

True or False: The length of the shadow was the same at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.5-ESS1-2

Which of the following best explains why the shadow was shortest at 12:00 p.m.?

• A) The Sun was directly overhead.

• B) The Sun was rising in the east.

• C) The Sun was setting in the west.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1