4th Grade TCAP Science Review

Energy and Ecosystems

Fossils

Waves and Technology

Energy

Weathering and Erosion

Earth and Human Activity

Organisms Affect the Environment

Vocabulary vs. Vocabulary

100

Below is an example of a food chain.

Sun → black walnut tree → squirrel → raccoon → bobcat

Which way does the energy flow?

A) from the bobcat to the squirrel

B) from the raccoon to the black walnut tree

C) from the black walnut tree to the squirrel

D) from the squirrel to the Sun

C) from the black walnut tree to the squirrel

100

Mike and his dad went fossil hunting on a mountain. They found these fossils:

1) a shark tooth

2) a snail shell

3) a clam shell

Based on these fossils, how had the area changed?

A) It used to be warmer.

B) It used to be colder.

C) It used to be in an ocean.

D) It used to be in a desert.

C) It used to be in an ocean.

100

A student is looking at insects using a magnifying lens. What about the insects can best be seen with the magnifying lens?

A) different colors of insect bodies

B) how insects protect themselves

C) type of eyes insects have

D) size of the insects

C) type of eyes insects have

100

Campers use a flashlight outside their tent at night for light.

In addition to light, what other type of energy is given off by the flashlight?

A) heat

B) chemical

C) electrical

D) magnetic

A) heat

100

Which process makes sediment?

A) water breaking rocks into smaller pieces

B) plants using nutrients in the soil to grow

C) minerals forming crystals underground

D) wind carrying particles of sand down the side of a mountain

A) water breaking rocks into smaller pieces

100

Which is a nonrenewable resource?

A) oil

B) trees

C) solar energy

D) food crops

A) oil

100

Which three animal actions will change the area where they live?

A) monkeys sitting in the shade from a tree

B) beavers building a dam across a river

C) herd of cattle eating all the grass in a field

D) dolphins swimming in groups in the ocean

E) octopuses gathering pebbles into a pile

B) beavers building a dam across a river

C) herd of cattle eating all the grass in a field

E) octopuses gathering pebbles into a pile

100

What is the difference between Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy?

Kinetic Energy is the energy of motion.

Potential Energy is the energy something stores.

200

Max took a field trip to a pond. He observed some of the organisms that live around the pond.

Which organism living in the pond uses the energy from sunlight to make food?

A) sunfish

B) bullfrog

C) water lily

D) wood duck

C) water lily

200

Fossilized plants give scientists information about the types of plants that lived long ago. What other information can fossilized plants provide?

A) what kind of environment existed long ago

B) what kinds of animals were alive long ago

C) what color the plants were long ago

D) what dinosaurs looked like long ago

A) what kind of environment existed long ago

200

A coin is placed in a half-filled glass of water, as shown.

When a student looks down into the glass, the coin appears higher than its real position. Why does the coin appear to change position when seen from above?

A) Light shines from the coin when it is at the bottom of the glass.

B) Light soaks into the coin when it is at the bottom of the glass.

C) Light separates into other colors when it travels from the air to the water in the glass.

D) Light bends when it travels from the air to the water in the glass.

200

Which picture represents an object that can convert light to electrical energy?

A) B)

C) D)

200

The image shows the high sides of a canyon and a river flowing through it.

Which processes formed the canyon?

A) earthquakes and erosion

B) deposition and weathering

C) deposition and landslides

D) weathering and erosion

200

Sydney is learning about the sources of energy that can run out. Which energy source will run out the fastest?

A) flowing water

B) natural gas

C) sunlight

D) wind

B) natural gas

200

Which statement about elephants supports the idea that animals can change their physical environments?

A) Elephants use their trunks to help them breathe, smell, and drink.

B) Elephants uproot and knock down trees and other plants.

C) Elephants use trumpets and other sounds to keep in touch with family groups.

D) Elephants use their ears to help keep them cool in their warm habitats.

B) Elephants uproot and knock down trees and other plants.

200

What is the difference between a food web and a food chain?

Food Chains show the transfer of energy from one organism to the next.

Food Webs show multiple food chains within an environment.

300

Which change would most likely cause deer to die or leave a woodland?

A) a forest fire

B) a rainstorm

C) a snowstorm

D) a sinkhole

A) a forest fire

300

The shaded parts on the map show where fossils of an extinct plant have been found.

The plant lived over 250 million years ago. What can best be concluded based on the location of the fossils?

A) Fossils are easy to find in Antarctica.

B) Fossils of every plant are found on every continent.

C) At one time, all of the shaded areas had similar climates.

D) The seeds were spread from ships traveling around the world.

C) At one time, all of the shaded areas had similar climates.

300

A machine turns a voice into a digital signal. The digital signal can be transmitted over a distance. To get the original message, the person receiving the digital signal needs technology as well.

Which technology will be most helpful for the person receiving the digital signal?

A) a power source with more energy than the machine that sends the digital signal

B) a device that can change the digital signal back into sound

C) an amplifier to increase the amplitude of the digital signal

D) a keyboard to type the digital signal into a message to be read

B) a device that can change the digital signal back into sound

300

Two balls are rolling in the directions of the arrows.

What will happen if both balls reach the circle at the same time?

A) The energy of the balls will make them roll in different directions.

B) The energy will be used up when the balls bump together so they will stop rolling.

C) All of the energy will go into one ball and the other ball will stop rolling.

D) Most of the energy will keep the balls rolling in the same directions but slower.

A) The energy of the balls will make them roll in different directions.

300

he diagrams show different landforms.

Which landform is most likely formed as a river erodes its banks, and which landform is most likely formed by deposits of the eroded material at the mouth of the river?

A) Delta: from river erosion
Mountain: from deposits of eroded material

B) Canyon: from river erosion
Sea Stack: from deposits of eroded material

C) Canyon: from river erosion
Delta: from deposits of eroded material

D) Sea Stack: from river erosion
Mountain: from deposits of eroded material

C) Canyon: from river erosion
Delta: from deposits of eroded material

300

A car has a small gasoline engine combined with a battery-powered electric motor. When the car stops at a red light, the gasoline engine stops running and the electric motor begins working. How does this type of car most likely benefit people?

A) reduces traffic

B) uses less gasoline

C) accelerates faster

D) carries more passengers

B) uses less gasoline

300

Soil is made of tiny rock particles. These particles have small spaces between them. Bacteria live in these spaces.

How could an increase of bacteria in the soil affect the area?

A) An increase in bacteria growth will decrease the amount of soil in the area.

B) An increase in bacteria growth will break up the soil.

C) An increase in bacteria growth will direct the flow of water in the soil to the roots of plants.

D) An increase in bacteria growth will slow the flow of water in the soil.

300

What is the difference between Amplitude and Wavelength?

Amplitude is the height of the wave.

Wavelength is the length of the wave (distance from one crest/trough to the next)

400

What advantage do some plants have over animals in a drought?

A) Plants can use underground water.

B) Plants can live without water.

C) Plants release oxygen.

D) Plants cannot move.

A) Plants can use underground water.

400

A geologist found several types of seashell fossils in a rock layer. Which is the best conclusion about the rock layer?

A) The rock was once buried under a swamp.

B) Water from a river washed across the rock.

C) The rock was once sediment at the bottom of an ocean.

D) Migrating animals dropped the seashell into the rock.

C) The rock was once sediment at the bottom of an ocean.

400

Eli did an experiment. He looked at some colored wooden blocks in three different places and he recorded his observations. First, he looked at the blocks in sunlight. The blocks had bright colors. Then he looked at the same blocks under a lamp in a dark room. The blocks still had bright colors. Next, he placed the blocks in a cardboard box that had a small hole that he could look through. Eli recorded that he could not see any of the blocks inside the box. Why could Eli not see the blocks inside the box?

A) The cardboard of the box absorbed all of the light that the blocks made so none could go through the hole.

B) The hole in the box was too small for light from the blocks to pass through.

C) The cardboard of the box absorbed all of the outside light so the blocks could not reflect light to his eye.

D) The box reflected darkness to his eye that was stronger than the light.

C) The cardboard of the box absorbed all of the outside light so the blocks could not reflect light to his eye.

400

Charlene went to see a fireworks display. She asked how the fireworks made the bright colors. She learned that fireworks are made up of four parts: the fuse, the shell, the powder, and the stars. The picture below shows how the parts go together.

First the fuse is lit, and the firework is sent up in the air. The fuse burns. When the burning part of the fuse reaches the inside of the shell, the powder explodes. The powder sends the stars in many directions. When the stars explode, colorful lights fill the sky.

Which of these best describes how energy changes during a fireworks display?

A) light energy to sound energy

B) chemical energy to light energy

C) thermal energy to electrical energy

D) magnetic energy to mechanical energy

B) chemical energy to light energy

400

The maps show the locations of some earthquakes, volcanoes, and ocean trenches around Japan.

Students write patterns in a chart.

Volcanoes form near where plates come together.
An ocean trench is located along the Pacific Plate.
Earthquakes happen around areas where plates come together.
Strong earthquakes happen on land far away from where plates meet.
There are more volcanoes on the Eurasian Plate compared to the Okhotsk Plate

Which patterns from the chart are supported by the information on the maps?

A) 1, 3, and 5

B) 1, 2, and 3

C) 2, 3, and 4

D) 2, 4, and 5

B) 1, 2, and 3

400

Which of these is most likely a result of using pesticides on farm crops?

A) Rainfall levels could decrease

B) air temperatures could increase

C) water sources could become polluted

D) caterpillars could become extinct

C) water sources could become polluted

400

A scientist collects information about two locations in a table.

LocationPlantsAmount of Rain Each YearSoil Lost Each Year1no500 millimeters101 millimeters2yes500 millimeters2 millimeters

Which claim is supported by the information?

A) Plants grow better in locations where a large amount of soil is lost each year.

B) The amount of soil lost is higher in locations that get more rain.

C) Having plants in a location can slow down the amount of soil lost.

D) The amount of soil lost depends on the type of plant present in the location.

C) Having plants in a location can slow down the amount of soil lost.

400

What is the difference between Erosion, Weathering, and Deposition?

Erosion: The movement of sediments from one place to the next.

Weathering: The breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces.

Deposition: The dropping of sediments.

500

The table shows three food chains in Lake Erie. Some organisms are in more than one of these food chains.

Three Food Chains in Lake Erie

Food Chain 1:

green algae → water flea → white perch → rainbow trout

2: green algae → water flea → amphipod → lake trout

3: green algae → amphipod → white perch → lake trout

Which organism is an omnivore?

A) amphipod

B) water flea

C) white perch

D) lake trout

A) amphipod

500

A scientist says, "This area was covered by water two different times in the past." Which evidence from Table 1 best supports this claim?

A) Layer 1 has fish bones and snail shells, and Layer 2 has fern leaves and dinosaur footprints.

B) Layer 3 has shark teeth and clam shells, which proves water covered the area.

C) Layers have different fossils, which show that many changes happened over time.

D) Layers 1 and 3 both have fossils from ocean animals, with land layers between them.

500

The graph shows a wave traveling along the x-axis. The student needs to measure the amplitude of the wave.

Which two procedures best represent measuring the amplitude of the wave?

A) Measure the distance of the entire wave from start to finish.

B) Measure the trough of the wave to the x-axis.

C) Record the distance of the crest of the wave to the x-axis.

D) Record the lowest point of the wave to the highest point of the wave.

E) Measure from one crest of a wave to the next crest of the next wave.

B) Measure the trough of the wave to the x-axis.

C) Record the distance of the crest of the wave to the x-axis.

500

Katie stretched out her hand and dropped a rubber ball. The ball fell to the floor, and Katie’s hand stayed where it was. What happened next?

A) The ball gained energy from the floor and bounced above Katie’s hand.

B) The ball bounced back to Katie’s hand because it gained energy from the air.

C) The ball bounced back to Katie’s hand because the amount of energy did not change.

D) The ball bounced lower than Katie’s hand because some energy transferred to the floor.

500

A student performs an experiment by rubbing different types of minerals with sandpaper. The table shows the results.

Which question can the student answer from the results of the experiment?

A) How does the rubbing time change the hardness of the mineral?

B) How fast are weathered mineral pieces transported by the wind?

C) How can rocks form out of different minerals

D) How does the hardness of the mineral determine the amount of weathering?

500

The graph shows the human population and the number of forests cut down to make room for farming in 1950 and 2010.

Which statement correctly explains how a change in the human population harmed the environment?

A) A decrease in human population caused the removal of important plants in the forest.

B) A decrease in human population created more room for farming crops for food.

C) An increase in human population created a change in the types of crops grown on farms.

D) An increase in human population caused a decrease in places for forest animals to live.

500

Soil organisms, like worms, create tunnels through soil, creating spaces and breaking down materials in the soil. A student claims that soil organisms play an important role for healthy soil that helps plants grow. The student lists information to support the claim in a chart.

1. Soil organisms make it easier for water to move through the soil.
2. Soil organisms change materials into nutrients.
3. Soil organisms help with the removal of soil by water and wind.
4. Soil organisms allow roots to move deep into the soil.

Which information from the chart correctly supports the student’s claim?

A) 1 and 3 only

B) 2 and 3 only

C) 2, 3, and 4

D) 1, 2, and 4

500

What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources and give me 2 examples of each.

Renewable resources are resources that are always available.

Ex: sunlight, wind, water, plants

Nonrenewable resources are resources that will eventually run out.

Ex: Coal, oil, natural gas