5th Grade Science practice questions and exam guide

In any physical or chemical change, matter is:

1. Lost when a gas bubbles away
2. Created when a new substance forms
3. Doubled when two substances combine
4. Conserved

Answer: D — Conserved

D) Correct — Matter is not created or destroyed; the total mass stays the same. A) The gas still has mass; in a closed container the total does not change. B) The new substance is made from matter that was already there. C) The total is the sum of the parts, not double.

Why don't we feel Earth moving through space?

1. Earth is not moving
2. We move along with Earth at the same speed
3. Gravity holds us too tightly to notice
4. Earth moves too slowly

Answer: B — We move along with Earth at the same speed

B) Correct — Everything around us moves with Earth, so nothing seems to move. A) Earth spins and orbits the Sun. C) Gravity holds us on Earth, but it does not explain why the motion feels still. D) Earth moves very fast, but steadily, and we move with it.

A board is cut in half. Which property of each piece is the same as the original board?

1. Its length from end to end
2. Its mass on a scale
3. What it is made of
4. Its volume (the space it fills)

Answer: C — What it is made of

C) Correct — Cutting is a physical change, so each piece is still wood. A) Each piece is shorter than the whole board. B) Each piece has only part of the mass (together, the mass is the same). D) Each piece takes up less space than the whole board.

Earth's atmosphere is made mostly of:

1. Oxygen
2. Water vapor
3. Carbon dioxide
4. Nitrogen

Answer: D — Nitrogen

D) Correct — Air is about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. A) Is the second largest part, about 21%. B) Is only a small, changing part. C) Is a very small part of the air.

When water freezes, it changes from:

1. Liquid to gas
2. Gas to liquid
3. Liquid to solid
4. Solid to gas

Answer: C — Liquid to solid

C) Correct — Freezing turns liquid water into solid ice. A) Is evaporation (or boiling). B) Is condensation. D) Skips the liquid state; freezing does not do that.

Objects fall because:

1. Air pushes down on them from above
2. The wind blows them toward the ground
3. They want to fall
4. Gravity pulls them toward Earth

Answer: D — Gravity pulls them toward Earth

D) Correct — Falling is caused by gravity's pull. A) Air actually pushes up against falling objects and slows them. B) Objects fall even when there is no wind. C) Objects do not have wants; this is not a scientific reason.

A 'producer' in an ecosystem:

1. Makes its own food
2. Eats animals
3. Breaks down dead things
4. Is always an animal

Answer: A — Makes its own food

A) Correct — Producers, such as plants and algae, use sunlight to make food. B) Describes a consumer. C) Describes a decomposer. D) Producers are plants and algae, not animals.

Most of Earth's water is found in:

1. Lakes
2. Oceans
3. Rivers
4. Glaciers

Answer: B — Oceans

B) Correct — About 97% of Earth's water is in the oceans. A) Hold only a tiny part of Earth's water. C) Hold only a tiny part of Earth's water. D) Hold most of the fresh water, but not most of all water.

What are the three common states of matter?

1. Solid, liquid, and gas
2. Solid, liquid, and powder
3. Ice, water, and air
4. Solid, liquid, and heat

Answer: A — Solid, liquid, and gas

A) Correct — Matter is commonly found in three states: solid, liquid, and gas. B) A powder is a solid made of tiny grains, not a separate state. C) These are examples of materials, not the names of the states. D) Heat is energy, not a state of matter.

Most of Earth's fresh water is locked in:

1. Rivers and streams
2. Lakes and ponds
3. Ice and glaciers
4. Underground

Answer: C — Ice and glaciers

C) Correct — Most fresh water is frozen in glaciers and ice caps. A) Hold only a tiny part of fresh water. B) Hold only a small part of fresh water. D) Groundwater is the second largest store, after ice.

In a food chain, an arrow points from:

1. The food to the eater
2. The eater to the food
3. Big animals to small animals
4. The decomposer to the producer

Answer: A — The food to the eater

A) Correct — The arrow shows the energy moving into the organism that eats. B) Reverses the direction of energy flow. C) Size does not decide the arrow; feeding does. D) Decomposers return nutrients, but food-chain arrows show energy from food to eater.

Where does almost all energy in ecosystems start?

1. Soil
2. The Moon
3. Wind
4. The Sun

Answer: D — The Sun

D) Correct — Plants capture sunlight, and that energy passes to the animals that eat them. A) Soil gives plants water and minerals, not energy. B) The Moon only reflects sunlight. C) Wind energy itself comes from the Sun heating the air.

Where does the energy in food come from?

Originally from the sun. Plants capture sunlight; animals get energy by eating plants or other animals.

What happens to objects in orbit (like satellites)?

They're falling around Earth — gravity pulls them in, but their forward motion keeps them missing.

What is a 'carnivore'?

An animal that eats only meat. Like lions, hawks, sharks.

What is the sun?

A star — the closest one to Earth. About 93 million miles away.

How does matter cycle in an ecosystem?

Plants take from soil/air, animals eat plants, decomposers return matter to soil — it cycles around.

How do stars compare to each other?

They differ in size, color (which shows temperature), and brightness. Some are bigger than our sun, some smaller.