Science PSSA Review

Nature of Science

100

Which tool would you use to measure the volume of apple juice?

A-clock

B- graduated cylinder

C- Scale 

D- Balance 

B- graduated cylinder

200

Which statement correctly describes models? 

A- Models are always larger than what they represent

B- Models are always made of the same materials as they represent 

C- Models are always made of plastic

D- Models represent real objects or events 

D- Models represent real objects or events

300

Which statement best describes why your school is a system? 

A- The students learn in classrooms 

B- The students and staff affect each other 

C- The students pass one grade to the next

D- The students receive grades for their work 

B- The students and staff affect each other 

400

Which example is a system? 

A- mineral

B- forest

C- sunlight 

D-vase 

B- forest

500

Which statement most accurately describes a physical property of nickel? 

A- nickel is yellow in color 

B- nickel does not conduct heat well 

C- nickel is attracted by a magnet 

D- nickel is always in the liquid state 

A- nickel is yellow in color 

Earth Science

100

In Pennsylvania, you can find many bodies of freshwater surrounded by land. What term is the name for this kind of land form? 

A- river 

B- valley

C-glacier

D- lake 

D- lake 

200

Which example is the term for sheets of gray clouds that cover the sky? 

A-stratus clouds

B- cirrus clouds 

C- high clouds 

D- cumulus clouds 

A-stratus clouds

300

Which of these are the phases of the moon an example of? 

A- prediction

B-pattern

C- system 

D- model 

B-pattern

400

Clouds form when water vapor in the atmosphere cools to form tiny liquid water drops. Which process takes place when clouds form? 

A- evaporation 

B- condensation 

C- sublimation 

D- melting 

B- condensation 

500

Which natural resource do people use for food? 

A- natural gas 

B- rubber 

C- animals 

D-cotton 

C- animals 

Life Science

100

What adaptation helps a frog escape from predators? 

A- webbed feet 

B- long tongue 

C- wide mouth 

D- thin skin 

A- webbed feet 

200

Which example correctly describes an interaction between living and a nonliving part of a forest ecosystem? 

A- a cricket eats grass

B- A chipmunk digs a shelter in soil 

C- A woodpecker takes shelter in a hole in a cactus 

D- a snake eats a robin 

B- A chipmunk digs a shelter in soil 

300

Which statement best describes the muscular system? 

A- It is a system within the circulatory system 

B- It is not really a system since it has no parts 

C- It is a system within the system of the human body 

D- It is not a system within a system 

C- It is a system within the system of the human body 

400

Which part of a bat's ecosystem does it rely on for shelter? 

A- water

B- soil 

C- log 

D- cave 

D- cave 

500

Which statement correctly describes why a child is able to roll her tongue? 

A- One of her parents taught her how to roll her tongue 

B- Both of her parents taught her how to roll her tongue 

C- One or both of her parents was able t roll their tongue 

D- She once injures her tongue 

C- One or both of her parents was able t roll their tongue

Physical Science

100

Which statement correctly describes the evaporation of water? 

A- water vapor turns into ice 

B- Liquid water turns into water vapor 

C- Ice turns into liquid vapor 

D- Water vapor turns into liquid water 

B- Liquid water turns into water vapor 

200

Annette is making a model of a landform. Which material would be the best for her to represent a glacier? 

A- rock 

B- soil 

C- block of wood 

D- block of ice 

D- block of ice 

300

Which substance is usually in the solid state? 

A- lemon juice 

B- air 

C- sand 

D- bleach 

C- sand 

400

Which type of energy is produces when you pluck a guitar string so that it vibrates? 

A- electrical energy 

B- sound 

C- light 

D- heat 

B- sound 

500

Which school bus will move fastest when pushed with the same force? 

A- a bus fully loaded with 86 children 

B- a bus that is half loaded with 43 children 

C- a bus that is completely empty 

D- a bus that only has six children in it 

C- a bus that is completely empty 

Misc.

100

Which example is a change in technology that increased our knowledge about stars and other planets?

A- Invention of the telescope

B- invention of the telephone

C- discovery of the cell

D- improvements made to the microscope 

A- Invention of the telescope

200

Which example would you most likely use a terrarium to represent? 

A- mouse 

B- human heart 

C- forest ecosystem 

D- weather in Pittsburgh 

C- forest ecosystem 

300

Which example is best measured with a beaker? 

A- volume of oil 

B- mass of bricks 

C- height of chair 

D- weight of wood block 

A- volume of oil 

400

Which kind of information is a scale used to measure? 

A- mass

B- volume 

C- weight

D- length 

C- weight

500

Which tool is the best one to use t record how a worm moves? 

A- thermometer 

B-microscope 

C- video camera 

D- hand lens 

D- hand lens