7th grade Science practice sheet
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
Question 1
What is the chemical symbol for aluminum?
⚛️aluminum- Am
- Al
- A
- Au
Al
Hint: Most symbols are the first one or two letters of the name (O for oxygen, Ca for calcium). Some come from Latin names: Na (natrium) for sodium, Fe (ferrum) for iron, Au (aurum) for gold, Ag (argentum) for silver, K (kalium) for potassium, Pb (plumbum) for lead, Hg (hydrargyrum) for mercury, Sn (stannum) for tin.
Question 2
Sugar is stirred into tea and seems to disappear. This is a…
- change of state to a gas
- chemical change
- physical change
physical change
Hint: The sugar is still there, and you could taste it. No new substance formed.
Question 3
Mining leaves 'tailings', waste rock and water kept in ponds after the valuable minerals are separated. Why must tailings ponds be monitored?
- They remove all pollutants from water
- They can leak harmful substances into water and soil
- They make the ground magnetic
- They turn into fuel
They can leak harmful substances into water and soil
Hint: Chemicals used to separate minerals can stay in the waste.
Question 4
What is the difference between mass and weight?
- they are the same
- weight is the amount of matter
- mass is a force
- mass is the amount of matter, and weight is the force of gravity on it
mass is the amount of matter, and weight is the force of gravity on it
Hint: Your mass is the same on the Moon, but your weight is less.
Question 5
Light-colored roof coatings keep buildings cooler in summer. How?
- They reflect more of the Sun's radiation
- They absorb more of the Sun's heat
- They make heat
- They add more insulation inside
They reflect more of the Sun's radiation
Hint: Reflected radiation does not become heat in the building.
Question 6
What happens to the particles of a substance when it is heated?
- They move faster
- They disappear
- They turn into a different substance
- They stop moving
They move faster
Hint: Heat is energy that makes particles move faster.
Question 7
Put these in order, starting with the one closest to the Sun.
- Neptune
- Mercury
- Earth
- Mars
- Saturn
Mercury → Earth → Mars → Saturn → Neptune
Hint: Try: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter.
Question 8
A giraffe stretches its neck to reach leaves all its life. Will its calves be born with longer necks because of the stretching?
🦒- No. Changes gained during life are not passed on in the genes
- Only the male calves will
- Only if the parent stretches every single day
- Yes. Calves inherit the stretched neck
No. Changes gained during life are not passed on in the genes
Hint: Long necks became common because giraffes born with longer necks reached more food and had more calves.
Question 9
What is a food web?
- A spider's web full of insects
- Many food chains linked together
- A food chain with only one organism
- A list of producers
Many food chains linked together
Hint: Most organisms eat more than one thing and are eaten by more than one thing.
Question 10
Put the path of food through the digestive system in order.
- 👄Mouth
- 🌀Small intestine
- ⬇️Esophagus
- 💧Large intestine
Mouth → Esophagus → Small intestine → Large intestine
Hint: Food is chewed in the mouth, travels down the esophagus, is mixed in the stomach, has nutrients absorbed in the small intestine and has water absorbed in the large intestine.
Answer key
- 1. Al (Atoms & Elements)
- 2. physical change (Physical or Chemical?)
- 3. They can leak harmful substances into water and soil (Solutions & Separating)
- 4. mass is the amount of matter, and weight is the force of gravity on it (Motion, Forces & Newton’s Laws)
- 5. They reflect more of the Sun's radiation (Moving Heat)
- 6. They move faster (Heat & Particles)
- 7. Mercury → Earth → Mars → Saturn → Neptune (Our Solar System)
- 8. No. Changes gained during life are not passed on in the genes (Natural Selection)
- 9. Many food chains linked together (Food Chains & Energy)
- 10. Mouth → Esophagus → Small intestine → Large intestine (Human Body Systems)
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.