5th grade Science practice sheet
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
Question 1
Kenji has a dry mix of iron filings, sand and salt. Put his separation steps in order.
- 🧲Run a magnet through the dry mix to pull out the iron
- ☕Pour it through a filter to catch the sand
- 🥄Add water and stir until the salt dissolves
- ☀️Let the water evaporate to leave the salt
Run a magnet through the dry mix to pull out the iron → Add water and stir until the salt dissolves → Pour it through a filter to catch the sand → Let the water evaporate to leave the salt
Hint: Use the magnet while the mix is still dry. Then dissolve the salt, filter out the sand, and evaporate the water to get the salt back.
Question 2
In a liquid, the particles…
💧- stay locked in place
- do not move
- are very far apart
- slide past each other and have small spaces between them
slide past each other and have small spaces between them
Hint: Liquid particles are close but can slide, so a liquid pours.
Question 3
Bicycle tires are filled with air. Which property of a gas makes this useful?
- A gas can be squeezed, so the tire cushions bumps
- A gas is much heavier than a solid
- A gas keeps a fixed shape
A gas can be squeezed, so the tire cushions bumps
Hint: Gas particles are far apart, so a gas can be compressed.
Question 4
A flagpole rope uses which simple machine?
- pulley
- wedge
- ramp
pulley
Hint: A pulley changes the direction of a pull.
Question 5
A light bulb is 10% efficient and wastes most energy as heat. What does that mean?
- All of the energy becomes light
- The bulb makes more energy than it uses
- Only a little of the electrical energy becomes light
Only a little of the electrical energy becomes light
Hint: Efficiency compares useful energy to total energy used.
Question 6
Which surface absorbed the most light energy?
Temperature after 10 minutes in the Sun (°C) - white paper
- black paper
- foil
black paper
Hint: It got the warmest.
Question 7
Which is a sign of a coming storm?
- a calm lake
- a falling barometer reading
- a perfectly clear sky
a falling barometer reading
Hint: Falling air pressure often comes before storms.
Question 8
Put the steps that make sedimentary rock in order.
- 🌧️Weathering breaks rock into small pieces
- 🟫The sediment settles in layers
- 🪨Layers are pressed and cemented into rock
- 🌊Erosion carries the pieces away
Weathering breaks rock into small pieces → Erosion carries the pieces away → The sediment settles in layers → Layers are pressed and cemented into rock
Hint: First rock breaks down (weathering), then the pieces are moved (erosion), dropped in layers (deposition), and finally pressed and cemented together.
Question 9
A beaver dam floods a meadow and creates a pond. How does this affect the community?
🦫- no species are affected
- every species loses
- every species gains
- some species lose habitat and others gain a new one
some species lose habitat and others gain a new one
Hint: Changes can help some species and harm others.
Question 10
Which adaptation helps a duck swim?
- thick fur
- webbed feet
- long claws
webbed feet
Hint: Webbed feet push water.
Answer key
- 1. Run a magnet through the dry mix to pull out the iron → Add water and stir until the salt dissolves → Pour it through a filter to catch the sand → Let the water evaporate to leave the salt (Solutions & Mixtures)
- 2. slide past each other and have small spaces between them (Measuring Matter)
- 3. A gas can be squeezed, so the tire cushions bumps (Solid, Liquid, Gas)
- 4. pulley (Forces, Friction and Machines)
- 5. Only a little of the electrical energy becomes light (Forms of Energy)
- 6. black paper (Light)
- 7. a falling barometer reading (Weather and the Water Cycle)
- 8. Weathering breaks rock into small pieces → Erosion carries the pieces away → The sediment settles in layers → Layers are pressed and cemented into rock (The Rock Cycle)
- 9. some species lose habitat and others gain a new one (Habitats & Communities)
- 10. webbed feet (Adaptations & Habitats)
Want more than 10 questions?
In Gradelings the questions change every time and adjust to your child, with hints and kind feedback. See all science units.