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1 Which of the following would be safe to do during a lab activity? 
   
 
A Running in the classroom 
B Leaving a water spill on the floor 
C Touching hot surfaces 
D Following lab rules 
2 The wires connecting the battery and the lightbulb create a closed circuit. What would happen if one of these wires were cut? 
   
 
 wires connecting a battery and a lightbulb
   
 
F The battery would lose its charge. 
G The glass would crack. 
H The light would go out. 
J The wire would become hot. 

3 A student wants to find out which type of soil holds the most water. He uses four identical pots with holes in the bottom. He fills each pot with a different type of soil and waters the pots with the same amount of water. How can he find out how much water stays in the soil in each pot? 
   
 
A By planting seeds and measuring plant growth in each pot 
B By measuring the amount of water that drains from each pot 
C By observing which soil looks wettest after the water has been added to the pots 
D By feeling the soil before and after adding water to each pot 
 

4 What tool is used to find the temperature at which water boils? 
   
 
F
a graduated cylinder
     
G
compass
     
H
stop watch
     
J
thermometer

  Q: calories-170, fat-1g, sodium-200mg; R: calories-210, fat-3g, sodium-220mg; S: calories-200, fat-1g, sodium-23mg; T: calories-290, fat-4g, sodium-200mg 
   
5 Which of these foods would be the best choice for someone on a low-fat, low-sodium diet? 
       
  A
  B
  C
  D

6 Some salamanders have a sticky tongue and a wide mouth lined with teeth. These animals most likely feed on — 
   
 
F insects and other tiny animals 
G leaves and other plant structures 
H algae and other microorganisms 
J dead and decaying materials 
 
dime
   
7
What is the approximate diameter of this coin? 
 
 
A 2 millimeters 
B 2 centimeters 
C 2 meters 
D 2 kilometers 

 
solid becoming liquid
   
8 The picture shows the process of —
   
  F melting 
  G boiling 
  H condensing 
  J freezing 
 

 
boxes
   
9 Which tools are needed to find how mass affects the distance these boxes will slide? 
   
 
A Ramp, thermometer 
B Balance, ruler 
C Stopwatch, ruler 
D Balance, string 

Use the picture and what you know about plants and animals to answer questions 10 - 12.
 
Prairie Animals
large herds of grazing animals and other herbivores (plant eaters)
 
The prairie region of North America was once home to large herds of grazing animals and other herbivores (plant eaters).

10 Which part of a jackrabbit most helps it escape predators? 
   
 
F Long legs 
G Thick fur 
H Short tail 
J Small head 
11 On the prairie the herbivores would compete most for — 
   
 
A oxygen 
B space 
C grass 
D soil 

12 The prairie is ideal for the growth of grasses because it has rich topsoil. All of these processes help form topsoil EXCEPT -- 
   
 
F decay of trees 
G weathering of rocks 
H erosion of hills 
J movement of oceans 
13 Which two planets are closest to Earth? 
   
 
A Mercury and Saturn 
B Mars and Jupiter 
C Mercury and Venus 
D Venus and Mars 

  a beaker containing a paper towel and beans with a drop of tap water falling into it; a beaker containing a paper towel and beans with an drop of seawater falling into it 
   
14 Which of these questions can be answered from the results of this experiment? 
       
  F Do beans need light in order to grow? 
  G Can beans grow faster in groups of eight? 
  H Does seawater affect bean growth? 
  J How much water is needed for beans to grow? 

  food web 
   
15 If all of the fish are removed from this food web, which animal population will most likely decrease first? 
       
  A Turtles 
  B Mosquito larvae 
  C Dragonfly larvae 
  D Pelicans 

16 Light traveling though a pair of eyeglasses is — 
   
 
F refracted 
G transmitted 
H absorbed 
J reflected 
 
water in a container
   
17 This diagram represents water in a container. What process is taking place? 
   
 
A Freezing 
B Condensation 
C Melting 
D Evaporation 

18 Plants can survive in a clear, closed container without animals. Animals cannot survive in a closed container without plants. Why can't animals survive in a closed container without plants? 
   
 
F Plants and animals need water to survive. 
G Plants produce oxygen, which animals need. 
H Plants take in and give off water; animals only take in water. 
J Plants are stationary; most animals roam freely. 
19 Which gas in the air would increase if a large number of trees were cut down? 
   
 
A Carbon dioxide 
B Nitrogen 
C Oxygen 
D Water vapor 

 
two plastic rain guages 
   
20 This plastic rain gauge is shown before and after a rainstorm. About how much rain in centimeters fell in the rain gauge during the storm?
Record your answer below. 
   
 
   (Please round your answer to the nearest whole number.)
21 In an experiment salt and sand are mixed together. Which of these procedures could be used to most easily separate the salt from the sand?  
   
 
A stir the mixture into a glass of water; pour the mixture in the glass through a filter; evaporate the water
     
B pour the mixture onto a piece of paper; brush the mixture into a pile; drag a magnet through the pile
     
C put the mixture in a pan; heat the pan for 10 minutes; let the hot mixture cool slowly
     
D spread the mixture into a thin layer; look at the mixture through a magnifying glass; separate the crystals with a pin

 
sunspots on the sun's surface
   
22 Sunspots appear to be darker than the rest of the sun's surface because they are — 
   
 
F partially hidden from view 
G in the shadow of the sun's corona 
H cooler than the rest of the sun's surface 
J made of dark-colored minerals 
23 Raccoons living in cities have learned to open lids of garbage cans. This is an example of an animal —  
   
 
A adapting to its environment 
B inheriting the ability to change its diet 
C being tamed by humans 
D becoming a plant eater 

24 Which experiment would best show how different methods of plowing fields on a hill affect erosion? 
   
 
F two hills with vertical lines, with rain pouring over the left hill
     
G one hill with vertical lines and rain pouring down on it; and one hill with horizontal lines with rain pouring down on it 
     
H two hills with horizontal lines, both with rain pouring down on them 
     
J one hill with vertical lines; and one hill with horizontal lines and rain pouring down on it 

25 Which of these would be the best way to find whether a softball will roll down a hill faster than a basketball? 
   
 
A Determining which of the balls has the greater mass 
B Observing the balls rolling down the same section of a hill at the same time 
C Throwing the balls into the air at the same time to see which goes higher 
D Dropping the balls from the same height and observing which hits the ground first 
 

 
a model of the solar system, left to right: Sun, Q, R, Earth, S, T
   
26 Which of these best represents Mars? 
   
 
F
G
H
J

27 A car will skid more on a wet road than on a dry road. This happens because between the tires and the dry road, there is more — 
   
 
A gravity 
B magnetism 
C friction 
D heat
28 The African baobab tree has a huge trunk that can store as much as 100 kiloliters of water. This adaptation would be an advantage in a climate that is very — 
   
 
F cold 
G dry 
H windy 
J sunny 

29 An uncovered bowl of water was placed in the refrigerator. Each day the amount of water left in the bowl was recorded. Which graph probably shows the results? 
       
  A graph    C graph 
  B graph    D graph 

30 Which of these would best model how the sun's energy warms the Earth? 
   
 
F A pot of water boiling 
G A heat lamp keeping food hot 
H An oven baking bread 
J A spoon getting hot when stirring soup 
 
food production (photosynthesis)
   
31 In the diagram above, the label Z represents —
   
 
A sugar 
B carbon dioxide 
C nitrogen 
D water vapor 

32 Which of the following characteristics would NOT give animals an advantage in the ocean? 
   
 
F Long body hair 
G A smooth body 
H Structures that sense movement 
J A strong sense of smell 
 
a bar graph that shows the percent of water in common foods
   
33 What conclusion can be drawn from this graph? 
   
 
A A peach contains a lower percent of water than lettuce. 
B Lettuce contains a lower percent of water than bread. 
C A melon contains a higher percent of water than the other foods. 
D Bread contains the highest percent of water. 

34 Which of these is a good conductor of electricity? 
   
 
F Glass 
G Metal 
H Rubber 
J Plastic 
35 About how long does it take Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis? 
   
 
A One day 
B One week 
C One month 
D One year 

 
drum
   
36 Sound is made when a drumstick hits the drum. This happens because the force of the drumstick on the drum causes — 
   
 
F vibrations 
G electrical currents 
H heat energy 
J a magnetic charge 
 
an experiment that has ants in an uncovered tunnel that ends with a box that is partially covered and has a lightbulb hanging over it
   
37 This experiment was probably set up to answer which of the following questions? 
   
 
A What is the mass of the ants? 
B Will ants go to a dark or light area? 
C How many kinds of ants are there? 
D Where do ants get food? 

38 Which of the following can be attracted to a magnet? 
   
 
F Gold ring 
G Glass marble 
H Iron needle 
J Wool sock 
 
scale
   
39 What is the mass of these rocks? 
   
 
A 10 grams 
B 17 grams 
C 19 grams 
D 22 grams 

40 Which of the following thermometers shows the boiling point of water in a pan? 
 
  F
thermometer 
  H
thermometer 
 
  G
 thermometer
  J
thermometer 

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