Column 1
Which statement best explains why the sun appears to move across the sky during the day?
F) The Earth is closest to the sun in the winter.
G) The Earth is revolving around the sun.
H) The Earth is tilted at 23.5 degrees.
J) The Earth is rotating on its axis.
J) The Earth is rotating on its axis.
A group of students at a park used a collecting net to capture several insects. The teacher transferred the insects to small terrariums that allowed the students to observe the insects before releasing them outside.
Each of the following characteristics is likely an inherited trait EXCEPT —
A) a fly’s missing antenna
B) a butterfly’s black-and-yellow stripes
C) a dragonfly’s two sets of wings
D) a beetle’s green spots
A) a fly’s missing antenna
A student plans to make a chart that describes each process in the water cycle.
Which sentence should the student use to describe the process of condensation?
A) Water flows downhill.
B) Liquid water turns into water vapor.
C) Polar ice turns into liquid water.
D) Water vapor collects to form droplets.
D) Water vapor collects to form droplets.
In the early 1600s, the astronomer Galileo used a telescope to make observations of Mercury and Venus. What are the positions of these planets in relation to the sun?
F) Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, and Venus is the second planet from the sun.
G) Mercury is the second planet from the sun, and Venus is the third planet from the sun.
H) Venus is the planet closest to the sun, and Mercury is the second planet from the sun.
J) Mercury is the third planet from the sun, and Venus is the planet closest to the sun.
F) Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, and Venus is the second planet from the sun.
Students make a solar system model on the playground. The school building represents the sun. They label round objects for each planet.
Which planet should they place at the greatest distance from the school building?
A) Jupiter
B) Neptune
C) Mercury
D) Saturn
B) Neptune
Students conduct an investigation with breakfast cereal. The first four steps of the students’ investigation are in the table shown.
Breakfast Cereal Investigation
1. Grind 50 grams of cereal into a fine powder.
2. Stir the cereal powder into 500 milliliters of warm water.
3. Hold a magnet against the side of the beaker at the 250-milliliter mark.
4. Stir the mixture for three minutes.
The students are trying to determine the presence of which substance in the cereal?
A) Sugar
B) Iron
C) Salt
D) Wheat
B) Iron
Students observe a gerbil in a cage. They write their observations as shown.
• It twitches its whiskers.
• It burrows in the bedding.
• It drinks water from a metal tube.
• It walks on four legs.
Which of these observations is most likely a learned behavior?
F) Twitching its whiskers
G) Burrowing in the bedding
H) Drinking water from a metal tube
J) Walking on four legs
H) Drinking water from a metal tube
Which process will happen when the sun interacts with the ocean?
F) Rain will fall only on the land.
G) Water will not evaporate at nighttime.
H) Salt water will become fresh water vapor.
J) Precipitation will happen less often.
H) Salt water will become fresh water vapor.
A student pours 14 grams of sugar into a jar filled with 500 milliliters of water. The student thoroughly stirs the sugar and water to make a solution.
Which change most likely occurs to the sugar when it is added to the water?
F) The sugar breaks down to form a new substance in the solution.
G) The sugar changes water into a new substance in the solution.
H) The sugar floats on the surface of the water in the solution.
J) The sugar completely dissolves in the solution.
J) The sugar completely dissolves in the solution.
A student lists resources that can be used to produce electricity.
The list is shown.
• Wind • Coal • Natural gas • Water power • Petroleum
Which of the resources are renewable resources?
F) Wind, water power
G) Wind, coal, and natural gas
H) Coal, water power, and petroleum
J) Coal, natural gas, water power, and petroleum
F) Wind, water power
A student places objects in a bucket of water to determine if they will float.
Object:
Toothpick
Plastic paper clip
Penny
Cork
Metal spoon
Vegetable oil
Which set of items is less dense than water?
F) Plastic paper clip, penny, and cork
G) Toothpick, metal spoon, and plastic paper clip
H) Metal spoon, vegetable oil, and penny
J) Toothpick, cork, and vegetable oil
J) Toothpick, cork, and vegetable oil
A student prepared a snack that consisted of grapes, pecans, and strawberries sprinkled with white powdered sugar. The student stored the snack in a refrigerator. An hour later the student observed that the powdered sugar could no longer be seen but the fruit and nuts had not changed in appearance. What most likely happened to the sugar in the mixture?
A) The sugar evaporated at the lower temperature in the refrigerator without causing any changes to the fruit and nuts.
B) The sugar was more dense than the other foods in the mixture, so it settled to the bottom of the container.
C) The sugar dissolved in the moisture on the fruit.
D) The sugar absorbed energy from the nuts and melted into a colorless liquid.
C) The sugar dissolved in the moisture on the fruit.
Which Texas land formation is correctly paired with the force that made the land formation?
F) A canyon at Palo Duro Canyon State Park was formed by a river.
G) A sand dune at Monahans Sandhills State Park was formed by an earthquake.
H) A delta at the end of the Guadalupe River was formed by wind.
J) A rock formation with layers on Mustang Island was formed by ice.
F) A canyon at Palo Duro Canyon State Park was formed by a river.
Two box turtles live in an area in a zoo’s reptile house. Zoo visitors made a list of observations of the turtles.
The list is shown.
1. Sliding into a small pond
2. Eating a strawberry
3. Digging a hole in the sandy soil
4. Climbing onto a flat rock
5. Holding an earthworm in its mouth
6. Walking across the area
Which observations best describe how box turtles interact with living parts of their environment?
A) Observation 4 and observation 6
B) Observation 2 and observation 5
C) Observation 1 and observation 5
D) Observation 3 and observation 4
B) Observation 2 and observation 5
Canyons and mesas are two landforms found in the western part of the United States.
Which statement best describes how canyons and mesas are similar?
A) Both were formed by slow-moving glaciers.
B) Both were formed by erosion by wind and water.
C) Both were part of a mountain that was weathered by ice.
D) Both were part of a desert that was reshaped by a flood.
B) Both were formed by erosion by wind and water.
Which effect would most likely occur if a six-lane highway were built through an ecosystem?
F) Competition for resources would be reduced.
G) Habitats available to animals would be reduced.
H) Air pollution would decrease.
J) Water pollution would decrease.
G) Habitats available to animals would be reduced.
Crested floating heart is a non-native plant that now grows in Texas. This plant grows very fast and can spread over the entire surface of a pond or lake.
Which effect will most likely occur when crested floating heart covers a lake?
A) Small fish will have fewer places to hide from predators.
B) Less sunlight will reach the plants that grow underwater.
C) Several new trees will grow along the lake shore.
D) Deer will have to find another source of water.
B) Less sunlight will reach the plants that grow underwater.
A student is classifying objects. Answering which question will provide the best evidence that an object is a metal?
F) What is its mass?
G) What is its physical state?
H) Does it conduct thermal energy?
J) How quickly does it dissolve in water?
H) Does it conduct thermal energy?
Students observe a glass of ice and water. The glass is dry on the outside. After ten minutes students see drops of water on the outside of the glass. Which statement best explains the students’ observations?
A) The water vapor in the air changes to a liquid when it touches the cold glass.
B) The cold water inside the glass rises and then slides down the outside of the glass.
C) The ice in the glass melted and caused the water to overflow the glass.
D) The water moved to the outside surface through tiny holes in the glass.
A) The water vapor in the air changes to a liquid when it touches the cold glass.
Deltas are large landforms found along coastlines. What process forms deltas?
F) Cementation of sediments by rivers
G) Deposition of sediments by rivers
H) Erosion of sediments by ocean waves
J) Deposition of sediments by ocean waves
G) Deposition of sediments by rivers