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Benchmark 1
Benchmark 2
Benchmark 3
Mixed
PSSA Sampler
100
Scientific Explanations are based on... A. Facts B. Instructions C. Models D. Opinions
What is A. Facts
100
Through which process do animals get energy from food? A. digestion B. circulation C. evaporation D. reproduction
What is A. digestion
100
Which of the following rapidly changes Earth's surface? A. erosion B. deposition C. weathering D. landslides
What is D. landslides
100
Which tool is best used to study the parts of a flower? A. telescope B. binoculars C. flat mirror D. hand lens
What is D. hand lens
100
Which sense can best be used to describe the texture of an object? A. taste B. sight C. smell D. touch
What is D. touch
200
What is a procedure? A. an observation that leads to a hypothesis B. an idea for an experiment C. a set of detailed records D. a set of step-by-step instructions
What is D. a set of step-by-step instructions
200
Which characteristic most helps animals that live in the desert? A. thick fur B. bright colors C. live birth D. large ears
What is D. large ears
200
Which action can form mountains? A. land blocking streams B. land pushing against land C. water flooding a field D. water rising above
What is B. land pushing against land
200
Which system is human-made? A. ocean system B. nervous system C. weather system D. computer system
What is D. computer system
200
Which statement describes the movement of objects in the Sun-Earth-Moon system? A. Earth travels around the Moon and the Sun. B. The Sun travels around Earth and the Moon. C. Earth travels around the Sun, and the Moon travels around Earth. D. The Sun travels around Earth, and the Moon travels around Earth.
What is C. Earth travels around the Sun, and the Moon travels around Earth.
300
Which best describes the inquiry process? A. Making a list of questions B. Explaining answers to questions C. Asking questions and searching for answers D. Doing activities
What is C. Asking questions and searching for answers
300
Which is not a characteristic that has been passed from parent to offspring? A. the pattern on a monarch butterfly's wings B. the shape of an eagle's beak C. the trick a dog has learned D. the length of a giraffe's neck
What is C. the trick a dog has learned
300
What keeps Earth in orbit around the Sun? A. the Earth's rotation on its axis B. the sun's rotation on its axis C. the gravity between Earth and the sun D. the gravity between the Earth and the moon
What is C. the gravity between Earth and the sun
300
Which part of the ecosystem is alive and provides oxygen for animals? A. soil B. plant C. water D. mushroom
What is B. plant
300
Which feature of a grasshopper has the same purpose as the rib cage of a person? A compoundeye B hard outer covering C doublewings D jointed hind legs
What is B hard outer covering A The compound eye is for seeing, rather than protecting, the soft organs inside the insect. B Key: The hard outer covering of the insect protects its internal organs, just as the rib cage protects the heart and lungs of a person. C The wings are mainly used for flying. D The jointed hind legs are for movement. In a person, the rib cage does move slightly, but it does not carry the person anywhere.
400
Which tools could you use to observe the details of a plant leaf? A. a hand lens and a telescope B. a telescope and a computer C. a hand lens and a microscope D. a telescope and a thermometer
What is C. a hand lens and a microscope
400
Which forms of energy are produced by the sun? A. light and heat B. light and chemical C. electrical and heat D. electrical and chemical
What is A. light and heat
400
Why are shadows longer in the morning than at noon? A. The sun is lower in the sky in the morning B. The sun is higher in the sky in the morning C. The sun is cooler in the morning D. The sky is cloudier in the morning
What is A. The sun is lower in the sky in the morning
400
A sea is larger than a pond. Which of these is smaller than a sea but larger than a pond? A. puddle B. ocean C. pool D. lake
What is D. lake
400
How might an increase in water pollution change part of an environment? A Skies are clearer. B Streets are cleaner. C Lakes grow more algae. D Animals grow more quickly.
What is C Lakes grow more algae. A Water pollution does not clear the skies. B Polluted water would not likely make streets any cleaner than non-polluted water. C Key: Pollutants, like nitrates from fertilizers, increase algae growth. D Pollutants are generally not promoters of animal growth. They are more likely to harm animals, thus negatively affecting growth.
500
You've been asked to give a report on the planet Jupiter. What would best allow you to compare the sizes of Earth and Jupiter? A. a graph B. a sketch C. a three-dimensional model D. a written description
What is C. a three-dimensional model
500
Lizards sit on rocks to warm their bodies. Where does heat to warm a lizard come from? A. The rock conducts heat into air around the lizard. B. The rock absorbs heat from the lizard. C. Air conducts heat into the rock. D. Air absorbs heat from the lizard.
What is A. The rock conducts heat into air around the lizard.
500
What would you expect to happen if the Earth did not tilt on its axis? A. There would be darkness all the time B. There would be shorter daylight hours in the winter C. There would be similar hours of daylight and darkness all year D. There would be longer hours of daylight in the summer.
What is C. There would be similar hours of daylight and darkness all year
500
Which of these is an example of chemical weathering? A. Acid rain reacts with rocks, creating a new substance that slowly breaks apart the rocks. B. Water repeatedly freezes and thaws in the cracks of a rock, eventually splitting the rock into pieces. C. A glacier grinds rock into pieces. D. A tree's roots grow in the cracks of a rock, slowly breaking it apart.
What is A. Acid rain reacts with rocks, creating a new substance that slowly breaks apart the rocks.
500
A song is playing on a radio. Which statement describes the change in the flow of energy? A Electrical energy is changed to light energy. B Electrical energy is changed to sound energy. C Sound energy is changed to light energy. D Sound energy is changed to electrical energy.
What is B Electrical energy is changed to sound energy. A. Electrical energy can be transformed into light energy, but sound must be produced for a song to be heard. B Key: Electrical energy is converted into sound waves by causing vibrations within the radio’s speakers. C Sound energy is produced by the radio, rather than transformed into light energy. D Sound energy is transformed into electrical energy by microphones rather than by the radio.