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MCAS Grade 5 Science study materials
MCAS Grade 5 Science study resources

MCAS Grade 5 Science practice questions

One question at a time. Build your MCAS Grade 5 Science understanding.

First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.

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Question 1Science

A student places a glass of cold water on a table. After a few minutes, small drops of water appear on the outside of the glass. What process explains how these drops formed?

  1. The cold water inside the glass boiled and escaped as vapor.
  2. Water vapor in the air cooled and condensed into liquid water. Correct answer.
  3. Liquid water soaked through the glass from the inside.
  4. Water in the glass froze and expanded through the sides.

Explanation

Water vapor is a gas present in the air. When that vapor touches the cold surface of the glass, it loses thermal energy and changes into liquid droplets, a change of state called condensation.

Question 2Science

Which statement correctly describes what happens to the particles of a solid as it is heated until it melts?

  1. The particles move faster and spread farther apart. Correct answer.
  2. The particles change into a different element.
  3. The particles become smaller and lighter.
  4. The particles stop moving completely.

Explanation

Heating adds thermal energy to the particles, so they vibrate and move more quickly. In melting, the added energy lets particles break free from fixed positions and move past one another as a liquid.

Question 3Science

A magnet will attract a paper clip but not a plastic straw. Which conclusion is best supported by this observation?

  1. Plastic is heavier than metal.
  2. All metals are attracted to magnets.
  3. Some materials are magnetic and others are not. Correct answer.
  4. Magnets lose strength when near plastic.

Explanation

Magnetic attraction depends on the material, not on weight or size. The paper clip is made of a magnetic metal, while plastic is not attracted, showing that only certain materials respond to magnets.

Question 4Science

A flashlight is switched on and its bulb glows. In which order does energy move through the flashlight?

  1. Chemical energy to electrical energy to light energy Correct answer.
  2. Light energy to electrical energy to chemical energy
  3. Light energy to chemical energy to electrical energy
  4. Electrical energy to chemical energy to light energy

Explanation

The battery stores chemical energy. The circuit changes that stored energy into electrical energy, and the bulb changes electrical energy into light (and some heat) energy.

Question 5Science

Which structure in a plant is mainly responsible for absorbing water and minerals from the soil?

  1. The stem
  2. The flower
  3. The roots Correct answer.
  4. The leaves

Explanation

Roots anchor the plant and take in water and dissolved minerals from the soil. These materials then travel up through the stem to the rest of the plant.

Question 6Science

A student observes a tadpole in a pond. Over several weeks it grows legs and loses its tail, becoming a frog. Which life process does this best illustrate?

  1. Metamorphosis Correct answer.
  2. Photosynthesis
  3. Reproduction
  4. Hibernation

Explanation

Metamorphosis is a series of body changes that some animals undergo as they develop from young to adult. The tadpole's change into a frog is a classic example of this process.

Question 7Science

Which of these is the best example of a renewable energy resource?

  1. Petroleum
  2. Natural gas
  3. Wind Correct answer.
  4. Coal

Explanation

Renewable resources are naturally replaced faster than people use them. Wind is continuously produced by the atmosphere, so it is not used up the way fuels are.

Question 8Science

A ball is dropped from the top of a ramp and rolls down to the bottom. Which statement best describes the energy change as the ball moves down?

  1. Kinetic energy changes into sound energy only.
  2. Both kinetic and potential energy stay the same.
  3. Kinetic energy decreases and potential energy increases.
  4. Potential energy changes into kinetic energy. Correct answer.

Explanation

A ball high on a ramp has stored gravitational potential energy. As it rolls down, that stored energy changes into the energy of motion, kinetic energy, which is why the ball speeds up.

Question 9Science

Which statement best explains why a metal spoon left in a cup of hot soup becomes warm?

  1. Warm air above the soup pushes heat down into the spoon.
  2. The metal makes new heat energy inside itself.
  3. Cold from the spoon moves into the soup until both are warm.
  4. Heat is carried through the metal by particles transferring energy to nearby particles. Correct answer.

Explanation

In a solid metal, particles that gain energy vibrate and bump into neighboring particles, passing energy along. This transfer of thermal energy through a material is conduction.

Question 10Science

A student mixes baking soda and vinegar in a cup. The mixture bubbles, and the cup becomes cooler. Which observation shows that a chemical change has occurred?

  1. The liquid becomes clear.
  2. A new gas is produced as bubbles form. Correct answer.
  3. The liquid is stirred with a spoon.
  4. The cup's outside gets wet.

Explanation

A chemical change produces new substances with different properties. The bubbles show that a new gas is being formed, which is evidence of a chemical reaction rather than a physical change.

Question 11Science

A student wants to separate a mixture of iron filings, sand, and salt. Which sequence of steps would best separate all three materials?

  1. Add water, stir, and evaporate; then use a magnet.
  2. Evaporate the mixture first, then filter, then use a magnet.
  3. Filter the mixture first, then use a magnet, then add water.
  4. Use a magnet to remove iron, add water to dissolve salt, filter out sand, then evaporate the water. Correct answer.

Explanation

Each method targets one property difference. A magnet removes the iron, water dissolves the salt but not the sand, filtering catches the sand, and evaporating the water leaves the salt behind.

Question 12Science

Which statement best describes how a food chain shows the movement of energy in an ecosystem?

  1. Energy moves in a cycle from animals back to the sun.
  2. Energy stays only in the top predator.
  3. Energy is created by consumers as they eat producers.
  4. Energy moves from producers to consumers and is partly lost as heat at each step. Correct answer.

Explanation

Producers capture energy from sunlight, and consumers gain energy by eating other organisms. At each transfer, some energy is used for life activities and released as heat, so less energy reaches higher levels.

Question 13Science

A bird has a beak shaped for cracking hard seeds, while a nearby bird has a long thin beak for reaching nectar. What does this difference best illustrate?

  1. The birds cannot survive in the same area.
  2. The birds are the same species.
  3. Structures are adapted to the food each bird eats. Correct answer.
  4. Both birds eat exactly the same food.

Explanation

Body structures that help an organism get food are adaptations shaped by its environment and diet. Different beak shapes allow each bird to use a different food source effectively.

Question 14Science

A student builds a simple series circuit with a battery, a wire, and a bulb. The bulb does not light. Which change is most likely to make the bulb light?

  1. Remove the bulb from the circuit.
  2. Close the circuit by connecting the wire firmly to both ends of the battery. Correct answer.
  3. Add a second bulb in the same loop.
  4. Replace the battery with a piece of string.

Explanation

A bulb lights only when electric current can flow in a complete, closed path. A loose or broken connection stops the flow, so firmly connecting the wire completes the circuit.

Question 15Science

The Moon appears to change shape over about a month. What causes these changes, called phases?

  1. Clouds block parts of the Moon in a repeating pattern.
  2. The Moon changes its actual shape from a disk to a crescent.
  3. We see different amounts of the Moon's sunlit half as it orbits Earth. Correct answer.
  4. Earth's shadow covers different parts of the Moon each night.

Explanation

Half of the Moon is always lit by the Sun. As the Moon orbits Earth, we view that lit half from changing angles, so the visible sunlit portion changes in a regular cycle.

Question 16Science

A rock sample contains layers, and the lowest layer holds fossils of simple sea creatures while a higher layer holds fossils of more complex animals. What can a scientist reasonably conclude?

  1. The sea creatures lived on land.
  2. The lower layer was deposited before the higher layer. Correct answer.
  3. Both layers formed at exactly the same time.
  4. The higher layer is older than the lower layer.

Explanation

In undisturbed sedimentary rock, layers build up over time, so lower layers are older than layers above them. Fossils in each layer record the kinds of organisms alive when that layer formed.

Question 17Science

Which statement best explains why a beach may look different after a strong storm?

  1. Waves and wind can move sand and reshape the shoreline. Correct answer.
  2. Storms turn sand into water and carry it away.
  3. Beaches never change because sand is solid rock.
  4. Sand is a living thing that grows and moves on its own.

Explanation

Wind, waves, and moving water carry sand and other sediment from place to place. A storm increases wave energy, so more sand is eroded and deposited, changing the shoreline.

Question 18Science

A student places a plant in a dark closet for a week while an identical plant stays near a sunny window. Both are watered equally. What is the student most likely testing?

  1. Whether soil type affects plant growth
  2. How much water a plant needs
  3. How often plants should be repotted
  4. Whether light affects plant growth Correct answer.

Explanation

The two plants differ mainly in the amount of light they receive, while water and other conditions stay the same. This controlled setup tests whether light affects growth.

Question 19Science

Water droplets form on the inside of a covered container of warm water. Which statement best explains this?

  1. Water vapor in the air touches a cooler lid and condenses into droplets. Correct answer.
  2. The lid absorbs water from the air and squeezes it out.
  3. The droplets are made of a new gas formed by the water.
  4. The water inside freezes and cracks the lid.

Explanation

Warm water adds water vapor to the air inside the container. When that vapor meets the cooler lid, it loses energy and condenses into liquid droplets.

Question 20Science

A student uses a hand lens to observe a rock and finds that it is made of several different colored crystals. What does this observation best suggest?

  1. The rock is a fossil of a plant.
  2. The rock formed from melted material that cooled slowly. Correct answer.
  3. The rock is a single crystal of one mineral.
  4. The rock was made by plants.

Explanation

Igneous rocks that cool slowly underground allow crystals to grow large and interlock. Seeing several distinct mineral crystals suggests slow cooling from melted material.

Question 21Science

Two identical balloons are rubbed with wool. One is hung near a wall and sticks to it. Which explanation best fits this observation?

  1. The balloon became magnetic and attracted the wall.
  2. The wool added extra weight to the balloon.
  3. The balloon lost all its particles and became empty.
  4. The balloon gained an electric charge that attracted it to the wall. Correct answer.

Explanation

Rubbing transfers tiny charged particles between materials, giving the balloon a static electric charge. A charged object can attract a neutral surface such as a wall.

Question 22Science

A food web includes grass, grasshoppers, mice, snakes, and hawks. If a disease greatly reduces the grasshopper population, what is the most likely short-term effect?

  1. The snake population will immediately disappear.
  2. The hawk population will immediately increase.
  3. The mice may face more competition for other food sources. Correct answer.
  4. The grass population will probably decrease.

Explanation

Grasshoppers are prey and also compete with mice for plant food. If grasshoppers decline, mice may have more plant food available, but other changes in the web can also affect competition and food supply.

Question 23Science

A student claims that a heavier object always falls faster than a lighter object with the same shape. Which test would best check this claim?

  1. Drop a heavy ball and a light ball of the same size from the same height at the same time and observe which lands first. Correct answer.
  2. Weigh both balls on a balance and compare their masses.
  3. Roll both balls down a ramp one at a time without measuring.
  4. Drop only the heavy ball and time how long it falls.

Explanation

A fair test must compare objects that differ only in the factor being tested, here mass, while keeping shape and drop height the same. Dropping both at once lets the student directly compare landing times.

Question 24Science

A potted plant is placed in a sealed clear container with a small amount of water in the soil. Over a sunny day, droplets form on the inside of the container. Which process best explains the droplets?

  1. The plant absorbs water and turns it into oxygen inside the container.
  2. Transpiration from the plant's leaves adds water vapor that condenses on the container. Correct answer.
  3. The soil creates new water molecules during the day.
  4. The container pulls water through its plastic walls.

Explanation

Plants release water vapor through small openings in their leaves, a process called transpiration. In a sealed container, that vapor can condense on the cooler inner surface as droplets.

Question 25Science

A student observes that a clear liquid left in an open dish slowly disappears over several days. Which explanation best fits this observation?

  1. The liquid is freezing into a solid.
  2. The liquid is being created by the air.
  3. The liquid is condensing from gas to liquid.
  4. The liquid is evaporating, changing from liquid to gas. Correct answer.

Explanation

Evaporation is the change from liquid to gas at the surface of a liquid. In an open dish, molecules escape into the air, so the amount of liquid decreases over time.

Question 26Science

A student places a magnet near a pile of small objects. The magnet picks up paper clips and iron nails but leaves plastic beads and aluminum foil behind. Which property of matter does this demonstration best show?

  1. Objects that are shiny are always attracted to magnets.
  2. All metals are attracted to magnets in the same way.
  3. Magnetism increases when objects are made smaller.
  4. Some materials are attracted to magnets, while others are not. Correct answer.

Explanation

Magnetism is a property that only some materials have. Iron and steel are strongly attracted to magnets, while plastic and aluminum are not, so the magnet sorts the pile by this property.

Question 27Science

A class measures the mass of a closed jar containing a small piece of steel wool. They shake the jar for a week until the steel wool turns reddish-brown and crumbly. The jar stays sealed the whole time. What should the class expect about the mass of the sealed jar afterward?

  1. It will be less because some steel wool disappeared.
  2. It will be about the same because matter was not added or lost. Correct answer.
  3. It will be greater because rust adds new matter.
  4. It will be less because shaking wears matter away.

Explanation

In a closed system, matter is conserved: the atoms in the steel wool combine with oxygen already inside the jar to form rust, but no matter enters or leaves. The total mass therefore stays the same even though the material looks different.

Question 28Science

A student builds a model of Earth with a small lamp standing for the Sun. She slowly spins a globe on its tilted axis while the lamp stays still. Which pattern on Earth does this model best help explain?

  1. The changing distance between Earth and the Sun
  2. The cycle of day and night Correct answer.
  3. The phases of the Moon
  4. The four seasons of the year

Explanation

Spinning the globe on its axis while a fixed light shines on one side shows that different parts of Earth face the light at different times. This rotation produces the repeating cycle of daytime and nighttime.

Question 29Science

A student places a clear glass of water in a sunny window and holds a sheet of white paper on the other side. A bright band of colors appears on the paper. Which statement best explains what happened to the white light?

  1. The water separated the light into the colors that make it up. Correct answer.
  2. The paper created new colors of light.
  3. The glass turned the light into heat energy.
  4. The water absorbed all the colors except white.

Explanation

White light is a mixture of many colors. When it passes from water into air at an angle, the colors bend by different amounts and separate, producing a rainbow-like band.

Question 30Science

A small pond has green algae, water fleas that eat the algae, small fish that eat the water fleas, and herons that eat the fish. A chemical kills most of the algae. Which change is most likely to happen first?

  1. The heron population will increase.
  2. The algae will grow back faster than before.
  3. The small fish population will increase.
  4. The water flea population will decrease. Correct answer.

Explanation

Algae are the producers at the base of this food chain, so they supply energy to everything above them. With far less algae, the water fleas lose their main food source and their numbers fall first.

Question 31Science

A student wants to know whether warm water dissolves sugar faster than cold water. She puts one spoon of sugar into a cup of warm water and one spoon into a cup of cold water, then stirs both the same way. What is the manipulated (independent) variable in this test?

  1. How much sugar dissolves
  2. How long she stirs each cup
  3. The amount of sugar added
  4. The temperature of the water Correct answer.

Explanation

The manipulated variable is the one the student deliberately changes, which is the water temperature. Everything else, such as sugar amount and stirring, is kept the same so the comparison is fair.

Question 32Science

A river carries sand and small pebbles downstream. Where the river slows as it enters a wide lake, the sand settles to the bottom. Which process does this describe?

  1. Evaporation
  2. Condensation
  3. Erosion
  4. Deposition Correct answer.

Explanation

Deposition happens when moving water loses energy and can no longer carry its load, so particles drop out and build up. The sand settling in the slower lake water is a clear example of deposition.

Question 33Science

A student connects a battery, two bulbs, and wires so the bulbs are in a series circuit. One bulb is then unscrewed from its socket. What happens to the other bulb?

  1. It keeps glowing at the same brightness.
  2. It glows more brightly than before.
  3. It goes out because the circuit is broken. Correct answer.
  4. It flickers but stays fully lit.

Explanation

In a series circuit, electric current has only one path to follow. Removing one bulb breaks that single path, so current cannot flow and the other bulb stops glowing.

Question 34Science

A student notices that a metal pot handle gets very hot while soup cooks, but a wooden spoon resting in the pot stays cool enough to hold. Which statement best explains this difference?

  1. Wood is a better conductor of heat than metal.
  2. Metal creates heat, while wood creates cold.
  3. Metal conducts heat better than wood does. Correct answer.
  4. Wood absorbs all the heat from the soup.

Explanation

Heat moves through a material by conduction, and metals conduct heat quickly while wood conducts it poorly. The metal handle carries heat from the soup to the hand, but the wooden spoon does not.

Question 35Science

A student observes a clear liquid in an open cup. After a few days, the liquid level drops and a white solid remains at the bottom. Which explanation best fits these observations?

  1. The solid evaporated and left the liquid behind.
  2. The liquid froze and then melted away.
  3. The liquid changed into a gas that became the solid.
  4. The water evaporated, leaving dissolved solid behind. Correct answer.

Explanation

When a solution is left open, water evaporates into the air as a gas. Any solid that was dissolved stays behind, which explains both the lower liquid level and the white solid.

Question 36Science

A student builds a small hill out of damp sand and pours water slowly onto the top. The water carves a small channel and carries sand to the bottom of the tray. Which Earth process does this model imitate?

  1. Deposition by wind
  2. Melting of rock underground
  3. Formation of clouds
  4. Erosion by flowing water Correct answer.

Explanation

Flowing water can pick up and move soil and sand, which is erosion. The channel carved in the sand hill shows how running water wears away and transports material.

Question 37Science

A student reads that a certain animal has thick fur, a layer of fat under its skin, and small ears. These features are most useful for surviving in which environment?

  1. A warm, shallow ocean
  2. A hot, dry desert
  3. A cold, snowy region Correct answer.
  4. A rainy tropical forest

Explanation

Thick fur and a fat layer help trap body heat, and small ears reduce heat loss, so these traits suit a cold climate. Animals in hot places usually have features that help them lose heat instead.

Question 38Science

Two students each drop an identical marble from the same height onto trays. One tray holds a soft cloth and the other holds a hard tile. The marble on the cloth bounces only a little, while the one on the tile bounces high. Which statement best explains the difference?

  1. The cloth absorbed more of the marble's energy. Correct answer.
  2. The cloth made gravity stronger under the marble.
  3. The marble on the cloth had more mass.
  4. The tile added energy to the marble as it bounced.

Explanation

A falling marble carries energy of motion, and how much it bounces back depends on how much energy the surface takes in. The soft cloth absorbs much of that energy, leaving less for the bounce.

Question 39Science

A student shines a flashlight on a mirror and sees a bright spot on the opposite wall. Which statement best explains why the spot appears on the wall?

  1. Light passes through the mirror to the wall.
  2. The mirror soaks up light and glows later.
  3. Light bounces off the mirror in a new direction. Correct answer.
  4. The mirror bends light like a lens does.

Explanation

Smooth, shiny surfaces reflect light, meaning light bounces off them and travels in a new direction. The mirror reflects the flashlight beam across the room onto the wall.

Question 40Science

A student has a beaker of water at room temperature and adds an ice cube. After several minutes the ice has melted and the water is cooler than before. Which statement best describes the energy flow?

  1. Energy moved from the water to the ice. Correct answer.
  2. Energy moved from the air into the ice only.
  3. No energy moved because the ice melted on its own.
  4. Energy moved from the ice to the water.

Explanation

Heat always flows from a warmer object to a cooler one. The room-temperature water was warmer than the ice, so energy moved from the water into the ice, cooling the water as the ice melted.

Question 41Science

A student observes that a caterpillar wraps itself in a covering and later comes out as a butterfly with wings. Which statement best describes what happened?

  1. The caterpillar grew wings gradually without changing form.
  2. The caterpillar changed form during a life cycle stage. Correct answer.
  3. The caterpillar split into two smaller caterpillars.
  4. The butterfly is a different animal that ate the caterpillar.

Explanation

Butterflies go through complete metamorphosis: the caterpillar forms a pupa and reorganizes into an adult with wings. This is a change of form within one organism's life cycle.

Question 42Science

A class plants the same kind of seeds in four pots. All pots get the same soil and the same amount of water, but they are placed in different light conditions. After three weeks, the students measure plant height. What is the best reason to use several plants in each light condition instead of just one?

  1. To make the plants grow taller in each pot
  2. To reduce the effect of natural differences among individual plants Correct answer.
  3. To prove that light does not affect plant growth
  4. To change the amount of light each plant receives

Explanation

Individual plants vary naturally, so a single plant might give a misleading result. Testing several plants in each condition and averaging the results makes the comparison more reliable.

Question 43Science

A student reads that a certain kind of cactus has a thick stem that stores water and leaves shaped like thin spines. These features most likely help the cactus survive in which condition?

  1. Very cold winters with heavy snow
  2. Long periods with very little rain Correct answer.
  3. Constant shade under tall trees
  4. Frequent flooding with deep water

Explanation

A thick water-storing stem helps a plant survive long dry spells, and thin spines lose far less water than broad leaves. These adaptations suit a dry environment with little rainfall.

Question 44Science

A student observes that the same side of the Moon always faces Earth, yet the Moon's shape in the sky changes over a month. Which statement best explains this?

  1. The Moon spins much faster than Earth does.
  2. Earth's shadow covers a different part of the Moon each night.
  3. We see different amounts of the Moon's sunlit half as it orbits Earth. Correct answer.
  4. The Moon makes its own light that changes in brightness.

Explanation

Half of the Moon is always lit by the Sun, but as the Moon orbits Earth we see different portions of that lit half. These changing views are the phases we observe.

Question 45Science

A student writes that a certain rock formed when melted rock cooled and hardened deep underground. The rock is made of large crystals that fit tightly together. Which type of rock does this describe?

  1. Fossil-rich limestone
  2. Sedimentary rock
  3. Metamorphic rock
  4. Igneous rock Correct answer.

Explanation

Igneous rock forms when melted rock cools and solidifies. Slow cooling deep underground allows large crystals to grow, which matches the student's description.

Question 46Science

A student rubs a balloon on her hair and then holds it near a thin stream of water from a faucet. The stream bends toward the balloon. Which statement best explains the bending?

  1. The balloon has an electric charge that attracts the water. Correct answer.
  2. The balloon is magnetized and pulls the water.
  3. The water is repelled by the balloon's heat.
  4. The balloon pushes air that moves the water.

Explanation

Rubbing transfers tiny charged particles between the balloon and hair, giving the balloon a static electric charge. That charge attracts neutral water molecules, so the stream bends toward the balloon.

Question 47Science

A student pushes a toy car across a smooth floor and then across a rough carpet using the same push. The car travels much farther on the smooth floor. Which statement best explains this?

  1. Gravity is weaker on the smooth floor.
  2. The push is stronger on the smooth floor.
  3. The rough carpet exerts more friction on the car. Correct answer.
  4. The car has less mass on the smooth floor.

Explanation

Friction is a force that opposes motion between surfaces. The rough carpet creates more friction than the smooth floor, so it slows the car sooner and shortens the distance traveled.

Question 48Science

A student claims that plants get their food from the soil. Which observation would best challenge this claim?

  1. Soil contains many tiny living organisms.
  2. Plants grow taller when given more soil.
  3. A plant grown in water with dissolved minerals still gains mass. Correct answer.
  4. Plants wilt when they are not watered.

Explanation

Plants make their own food through photosynthesis using light, water, and carbon dioxide. If a plant can gain mass while grown in water with only dissolved minerals, then soil itself is not the source of its food.

Question 49Science

A student places a small plant in a sealed clear jar with moist soil and sets it in sunlight. After a day, water droplets form on the inside of the jar. Which process best explains the droplets?

  1. The soil released liquid water that splashed upward.
  2. Water vapor from the plant and soil condensed on the cool glass. Correct answer.
  3. Water leaked through the glass from outside.
  4. The plant created water from sunlight inside the jar.

Explanation

Water evaporates from the moist soil and is released by the plant as vapor. When that vapor meets the cooler glass, it condenses into liquid droplets.

Question 50Science

A student wants to compare how well three different materials insulate a cup of warm water. Which plan would give the most reliable comparison?

  1. Use three cups of different sizes and wrap each in a different material.
  2. Use three identical cups with equal amounts of warm water, each wrapped in one material. Correct answer.
  3. Use three identical cups, but fill them with water at different starting temperatures.
  4. Use one cup and wrap it in all three materials at once.

Explanation

A fair test changes only the material being tested and keeps everything else, such as cup size and starting water temperature, the same. That way any difference in cooling can be credited to the insulation.