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ISAT Science Grade 5 study materials
ISAT Science Grade 5 study resources

ISAT Science Grade 5 practice questions

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Question 1Physical Sciences

Which statement best describes how particles are arranged in a solid?

  1. They are packed closely together and vibrate in place. Correct answer.
  2. They move freely and spread far apart from one another.
  3. They are spread evenly and do not move at all.
  4. They slide past one another while staying close together.

Explanation

In a solid, particles have strong attractions and are fixed in position, so they can only vibrate. They do not travel from place to place as gas particles do.

Question 2Physical Sciences

Which object will a magnet attract?

  1. a wooden pencil
  2. a plastic drinking straw
  3. a glass marble
  4. an iron paper clip Correct answer.

Explanation

Magnets attract materials made of iron, nickel, or cobalt. Iron is a magnetic metal, so a paper clip made of iron is attracted.

Question 3Physical Sciences

What happens to light when it strikes a smooth mirror?

  1. It bounces off in a regular pattern. Correct answer.
  2. It is completely absorbed by the mirror.
  3. It passes through the mirror unchanged.
  4. It turns into sound energy.

Explanation

A smooth mirror reflects light, meaning the light bounces off its surface. The angle at which light strikes the mirror equals the angle at which it reflects.

Question 4Physical Sciences

Which simple machine is a ramp?

  1. a wheel and axle
  2. a pulley
  3. an inclined plane Correct answer.
  4. a lever

Explanation

A ramp is an inclined plane, a flat surface raised at an angle. It reduces the force needed to move an object upward by increasing the distance.

Question 5Physical Sciences

Sound travels fastest through which type of material?

  1. a solid such as steel Correct answer.
  2. a liquid such as water
  3. empty space
  4. a gas such as air

Explanation

Sound needs a medium, and particles in a solid are packed closely, so vibrations pass quickly. Sound travels fastest in solids, slower in liquids, and slowest in gases.

Question 6Physical Sciences

Which force pulls objects toward Earth?

  1. friction
  2. electric force
  3. gravity Correct answer.
  4. magnetism

Explanation

Gravity is the force of attraction between objects with mass. Earth's gravity pulls objects toward its center.

Question 7Physical Sciences

Which form of energy is stored in food and released when the food is digested?

  1. sound energy
  2. electrical energy
  3. chemical energy Correct answer.
  4. light energy

Explanation

Food stores energy in chemical bonds. Digestion releases that chemical energy so the body can use it.

Question 8Physical Sciences

Which property describes how much matter is in an object?

  1. temperature
  2. volume
  3. mass Correct answer.
  4. density

Explanation

Mass measures the amount of matter in an object. Volume measures how much space the object takes up.

Question 9Physical Sciences

A student mixes sand and water and then pours the mixture through a filter. What is left in the filter?

  1. the sand Correct answer.
  2. the water
  3. neither sand nor water
  4. both sand and water

Explanation

Sand particles are too large to pass through filter paper, so they stay in the filter. Water passes through as the filtrate.

Question 10Physical Sciences

Which mixture is a solution?

  1. oil mixed with water
  2. sand stirred into water
  3. pepper floating in water
  4. salt dissolved in water Correct answer.

Explanation

A solution forms when one substance dissolves completely and spreads evenly through another. Salt dissolves in water, forming a clear solution.

Question 11Physical Sciences

Which change produces a new substance?

  1. iron rusting in moist air Correct answer.
  2. a glass jar breaking
  3. ice melting into water
  4. sugar dissolving in water

Explanation

Rusting is a chemical change because iron reacts with oxygen and water to form rust, a new substance. Melting, breaking, and dissolving are physical changes.

Question 12Physical Sciences

A simple circuit has a battery, wires, and a bulb. What happens if the wire is disconnected?

  1. The bulb glows brighter.
  2. The battery stops storing energy.
  3. The bulb keeps glowing at the same brightness.
  4. The bulb goes out because the circuit is broken. Correct answer.

Explanation

A bulb lights only when electric current can flow in a complete loop. Disconnecting a wire breaks the loop, so current cannot flow.

Question 13Physical Sciences

Which material is best for covering the handle of a cooking pot so it stays safe to touch?

  1. rubber Correct answer.
  2. aluminum
  3. copper
  4. iron

Explanation

Rubber is an insulator, so it slows the transfer of heat and electricity. Metals conduct heat well, so a metal handle would become hot.

Question 14Physical Sciences

A metal spoon in a hot bowl of soup becomes warm. How does heat move to the spoon?

  1. by light waves
  2. by magnetism
  3. by conduction Correct answer.
  4. by evaporation

Explanation

Conduction is the transfer of heat through direct contact between particles. The hot soup transfers energy to the spoon's particles, which pass the energy along.

Question 15Physical Sciences

A toy car travels 60 meters in 20 seconds. What is its average speed?

  1. 80 m/s
  2. 3 m/s Correct answer.
  3. 30 m/s
  4. 0.3 m/s

Explanation

Average speed is distance divided by time. 60 meters divided by 20 seconds equals 3 meters per second.

Question 16Physical Sciences

A box slides across a rough floor and slows down. What force causes this?

  1. buoyancy
  2. gravity
  3. magnetism
  4. friction Correct answer.

Explanation

Friction is a force that opposes motion between surfaces in contact. The rough floor creates friction that slows the box.

Question 17Physical Sciences

A block has a mass of 100 g and a volume of 20 cm³. What is its density?

  1. 5 g/cm³ Correct answer.
  2. 2000 g/cm³
  3. 120 g/cm³
  4. 0.2 g/cm³

Explanation

Density is mass divided by volume. 100 grams divided by 20 cubic centimeters equals 5 grams per cubic centimeter.

Question 18Physical Sciences

A student seals a bag with vinegar and baking soda inside. The bag puffs up as gas forms. What is true about the total mass?

  1. The mass increases because gas is made.
  2. The mass stays the same in the sealed bag. Correct answer.
  3. The mass changes randomly.
  4. The mass decreases because a gas forms.

Explanation

In a closed system, matter is not created or destroyed. The gas formed stays inside the sealed bag, so the total mass remains the same.

Question 19Physical Sciences

A pencil looks bent when placed in a glass of water. Why?

  1. Light bends as it leaves the water. Correct answer.
  2. The glass makes the pencil look larger.
  3. Water absorbs all the light.
  4. The pencil is actually broken.

Explanation

Refraction occurs when light changes speed and bends as it moves between materials. Light from the pencil bends at the water-air boundary, making the pencil appear bent.

Question 20Physical Sciences

A battery is connected to a small fan. Which energy change happens inside the battery?

  1. chemical energy to electrical energy Correct answer.
  2. light energy to chemical energy
  3. electrical energy to chemical energy
  4. sound energy to electrical energy

Explanation

A battery stores chemical energy and changes it into electrical energy when connected in a circuit. The fan then changes electrical energy into motion and sound.

Question 21Physical Sciences

A student wants to test which material is the best conductor of heat. Which setup is the fairest test?

  1. Use equal-sized rods of three materials and time wax melting. Correct answer.
  2. Use equal rods of one material and heat only one rod.
  3. Use rods of different lengths and materials and touch them to ice.
  4. Use one metal rod and one plastic rod of different lengths.

Explanation

A fair test changes only the material being tested. Rods must be the same size and heated the same way so the result depends on the material alone.

Question 22Physical Sciences

A circuit has two bulbs connected in series with one battery. One bulb is removed. What happens?

  1. The battery drains faster.
  2. The other bulb goes out because the circuit is broken. Correct answer.
  3. The other bulb stays lit at the same brightness.
  4. The other bulb glows brighter.

Explanation

In a series circuit, all parts are in one loop. Removing a bulb breaks the loop, so current stops flowing and the other bulb goes out.

Question 23Physical Sciences

Two cups contain clear liquids. Cup A is salt water; Cup B is sugar water. Which test would best tell them apart?

  1. Evaporate each liquid and examine the solid left behind. Correct answer.
  2. Smell each liquid.
  3. Shine a flashlight through both cups and look for a beam.
  4. Measure the total volume of each liquid with a graduated cylinder.

Explanation

Both salt and sugar dissolve and form clear solutions, so appearance is not enough. Evaporating the water leaves different solids: salt crystals versus sugar.

Question 24Physical Sciences

A ball is rolled on a smooth floor and then on a rough carpet. What is the best prediction?

  1. The ball will stop immediately on the smooth floor.
  2. The ball will roll the same distance on both surfaces.
  3. The ball will roll farther on the carpet because it is softer.
  4. The ball will roll farther on the smooth floor. Correct answer.

Explanation

Smooth surfaces produce less friction than rough surfaces. Less friction means the ball's motion is slowed less, so it travels farther on the smooth floor.

Question 25Physical Sciences

A student has three objects: a 50 g iron nail, a 50 g plastic spoon, and a 50 g wooden block. Which statement is correct?

  1. All three have equal mass but may differ in volume and density. Correct answer.
  2. The iron nail has the greatest mass because iron is heavier than plastic.
  3. The objects have equal volumes because their masses are equal.
  4. The objects have the same density because they have the same mass.

Explanation

Mass is the amount of matter, and all three objects have 50 g. Volume and density depend on the material, so equal mass does not mean equal volume or density.

Question 26Physical Sciences

A gas is released into a closed, empty bottle. Which statement about the gas is correct?

  1. It has no mass and takes the shape of the bottle.
  2. It spreads out to fill the whole bottle. Correct answer.
  3. It stays in one corner until the bottle is shaken.
  4. It has a definite shape but no definite volume.

Explanation

A gas has no fixed shape or volume; its particles move freely and spread through all the space available. It still has mass and takes the shape of its container.

Question 27Physical Sciences

On a warm day, drops of water appear on the outside of a cold glass. What is the best explanation?

  1. The glass produced water as it warmed up in the sun.
  2. Water vapor cooled and condensed on the glass. Correct answer.
  3. Sunlight changed the glass itself into liquid water.
  4. Cold water soaked through the glass from the inside.

Explanation

When water vapor in the air touches a cold surface, it loses thermal energy and changes into liquid droplets. This change of state is condensation.

Question 28Physical Sciences

A mixture of iron filings and sand is spread on a tray. Which method will separate the iron filings from the sand most easily?

  1. Shine a bright lamp on the mixture.
  2. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon.
  3. Hold a magnet just above the mixture. Correct answer.
  4. Add more sand to the tray and mix it in.

Explanation

Iron is magnetic and sand is not. A magnet attracts the iron filings away from the sand without contact.

Question 29Physical Sciences

A drum is struck and a sound is heard. What causes the sound?

  1. Air leaving the drum
  2. The drum skin reflecting light
  3. The drum skin vibrating back and forth Correct answer.
  4. The drum skin becoming heavier

Explanation

Sound is produced by vibrating objects. The vibrating drum skin pushes nearby air particles, creating sound waves that reach the ear.

Question 30Physical Sciences

Which of these objects is a conductor of electricity?

  1. A copper coin Correct answer.
  2. A rubber band
  3. A dry wooden block
  4. A plastic straw

Explanation

Metals such as copper contain free electrons that carry electric current. Rubber, plastic, and dry wood are insulators.

Question 31Physical Sciences

A rope is looped over a wheel fixed at the top of a flagpole. Pulling the rope raises the flag. Which simple machine is the wheel?

  1. A pulley Correct answer.
  2. A lever
  3. A wedge
  4. A screw

Explanation

A pulley is a wheel with a groove for a rope. It lets a downward pull raise a load and can also change the direction of the force.

Question 32Physical Sciences

A window is made of clear glass mainly because clear glass is

  1. magnetic
  2. a good conductor of electricity
  3. transparent Correct answer.
  4. flexible

Explanation

A transparent material allows most light to pass through, so clear glass lets light into a room and allows people to see through it.

Question 33Physical Sciences

Which of these is a source of light?

  1. A burning candle Correct answer.
  2. A white sheet of paper
  3. The Moon
  4. A mirror

Explanation

A light source gives off its own light. The candle flame emits light, while mirrors, the Moon, and paper only reflect light from another source.

Question 34Physical Sciences

Two identical cups contain equal amounts of water at the same temperature. One gets a whole sugar cube; the other gets the same mass of crushed sugar. Which dissolves faster and why?

  1. The cube, because it is a single solid piece.
  2. The cube, because it has less surface area touching the water.
  3. The crushed sugar, because more surface touches the water. Correct answer.
  4. Both dissolve at exactly the same rate.

Explanation

Dissolving happens at the surface of the solid, where water particles pull sugar particles away. Crushing the sugar increases its surface area, so it dissolves faster.

Question 35Physical Sciences

A student has a cup of salt water and wants to collect the salt. Which method works best?

  1. Stir the mixture quickly until the salt seems to disappear.
  2. Freeze the mixture and then pour off the salty liquid.
  3. Let the water evaporate and collect the salt. Correct answer.
  4. Pour the mixture through a magnet.

Explanation

Salt is dissolved in the water, so it passes through filter paper with the water. Evaporating the water leaves the dissolved salt behind as solid crystals.

Question 36Physical Sciences

A wooden block floats on water, but a metal block of the same size sinks. What is the best explanation?

  1. Water pushes upward only on objects made of wood.
  2. Wood is less dense than water, but metal is denser. Correct answer.
  3. The metal block has no mass while it is in water.
  4. The wooden block is lighter than the air around it.

Explanation

An object floats if its average density is less than the density of water. Wood is less dense than water, while metal is denser, so the metal block sinks.

Question 37Physical Sciences

A simple periscope uses two mirrors to let a person see over a wall. What is the job of each mirror?

  1. To make light brighter inside the tube
  2. To bend light by reflecting it Correct answer.
  3. To absorb light so the image is clear
  4. To turn light into sound

Explanation

Mirrors reflect light, changing its direction. Two mirrors let light from above the wall bounce down to the viewer's eye.

Question 38Physical Sciences

A student tests four strings of the same length and thickness but different tightness. Which string produces the highest pitch?

  1. The string with the largest vibration
  2. The tightest string Correct answer.
  3. The loosest string
  4. The string closest to the floor

Explanation

For strings of the same length and thickness, tightening the string increases the pitch. The tightest string vibrates fastest and produces the highest note.

Question 39Physical Sciences

A circuit has two bulbs connected in parallel to one battery. One bulb is unscrewed and removed. What happens to the other bulb?

  1. It burns out immediately.
  2. It goes out at once because the circuit is now broken.
  3. It stays lit because its path is still complete. Correct answer.
  4. It becomes much dimmer but stays on.

Explanation

In a parallel circuit, each bulb has its own separate path to the battery. Removing one bulb breaks only that branch, so current can still flow through the other bulb.

Question 40Physical Sciences

A balloon is rubbed on a wool sweater and then held near tiny pieces of paper. The paper jumps to the balloon. Why?

  1. The balloon became heavier and pushed the paper away.
  2. Rubbing transferred charge, so the balloon attracts paper. Correct answer.
  3. The paper was already stuck to the balloon before rubbing.
  4. The balloon became magnetic and attracted the light paper.

Explanation

Rubbing transfers tiny charged particles between the balloon and the sweater. The charged balloon then attracts small neutral pieces of paper.

Question 41Physical Sciences

Car A travels 100 m in 10 s. Car B travels 80 m in 5 s. Which car has the greater average speed?

  1. Car B, because it took fewer seconds to travel.
  2. Car B, because 16 m/s is greater than 10 m/s. Correct answer.
  3. Car A, because it traveled a greater distance than Car B.
  4. They have exactly the same average speed.

Explanation

Average speed is distance divided by time. Car A travels 100 m ÷ 10 s = 10 m/s, while Car B travels 80 m ÷ 5 s = 16 m/s, so Car B is faster.

Question 42Physical Sciences

A person sitting beside a campfire feels warmth on their face even though the air between them and the fire is cool. How does most of this heat reach the face?

  1. By radiation traveling through the air Correct answer.
  2. By the fire using up the cold air
  3. By convection carrying hot air downward
  4. By conduction through the air

Explanation

Radiation carries heat as infrared waves and can travel through air without heating it much. Conduction needs direct contact, and convection moves hot air upward, not sideways to the face.

Question 43Physical Sciences

A skydiver opens a parachute and slows down. Why does the parachute help?

  1. It makes the skydiver heavier.
  2. It removes gravity from the skydiver.
  3. It makes the skydiver more streamlined in the air.
  4. It increases air resistance by catching air. Correct answer.

Explanation

A parachute has a large surface area, so it collides with many air particles and produces greater air resistance. This upward force slows the fall.

Question 44Physical Sciences

A wire is wrapped around an iron nail and connected to a battery. The nail picks up steel paper clips. What is the best explanation?

  1. The battery makes the nail permanently magnetic.
  2. The nail becomes magnetic only because it is made of iron.
  3. Current in the coil makes the nail an electromagnet. Correct answer.
  4. The paper clips are attracted to the plastic insulation.

Explanation

An electromagnet is made when electric current flows through a coil of wire. The iron nail becomes magnetized while the current flows and can attract steel paper clips.

Question 45Physical Sciences

A ball is held at the top of a ramp. It is released and rolls to the bottom. Which energy change occurs?

  1. Kinetic energy changes to potential energy.
  2. Potential energy changes to kinetic energy. Correct answer.
  3. Light energy changes to sound energy.
  4. Chemical energy changes to electrical energy.

Explanation

At the top of the ramp, the ball has gravitational potential energy because of its height. As it rolls down, that energy changes into kinetic energy of motion.

Question 46Physical Sciences

A farmer uses a long bar as a lever to lift a heavy rock. Where should the fulcrum be placed to make the lifting force as small as possible?

  1. Far from the rock, near the farmer's hands
  2. Exactly in the middle of the bar
  3. Close to the rock Correct answer.
  4. The fulcrum position makes no difference

Explanation

A lever gives a greater turning effect when the effort arm is longer than the load arm. Placing the fulcrum close to the rock makes the effort arm long and the load arm short, so less force is needed.

Question 47Physical Sciences

A metal lid is stuck tightly on a glass jar. Running hot water over the lid makes it easier to open. Why?

  1. The hot water melts the metal lid slightly.
  2. The hot water makes the lid shrink.
  3. The hot water makes the glass expand more than the metal.
  4. The metal lid expands more than the glass, loosening its grip. Correct answer.

Explanation

Most metals expand more than glass when heated. The hot lid expands enough to loosen its grip on the jar's neck.

Question 48Physical Sciences

A circuit has one bulb and one battery. A second identical battery is added in series, with the same bulb. What happens?

  1. The bulb becomes dimmer because the circuit now has more resistance.
  2. The bulb goes out because the batteries cancel each other.
  3. The bulb becomes brighter because the total voltage is greater. Correct answer.
  4. The bulb stays at exactly the same brightness.

Explanation

Adding identical batteries in series increases the total voltage. A greater voltage pushes more current through the bulb, so it glows more brightly.

Question 49Physical Sciences

A student stirs sugar into a cup of water at room temperature. After a while, sugar collects at the bottom and no more dissolves. What is the best explanation?

  1. The water is saturated and cannot dissolve more sugar. Correct answer.
  2. The sugar has turned into a different substance.
  3. The water has become a solid.
  4. The water is too cold to dissolve any sugar at that temperature.

Explanation

A saturated solution has dissolved as much solute as it can at that temperature. Extra sugar stays undissolved because the water cannot hold any more at room temperature.

Question 50Physical Sciences

A small lamp shines on an opaque ball, forming a shadow on a wall. The ball is moved closer to the lamp while the lamp and wall stay fixed. What happens to the shadow on the wall?

  1. It becomes smaller.
  2. It disappears completely.
  3. It stays exactly the same size.
  4. It becomes larger. Correct answer.

Explanation

Light travels in straight lines from the lamp. When the ball is closer to the lamp, it blocks a wider spread of rays and casts a larger shadow on the wall.