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Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) Grade 5 study materials
Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) Grade 5 study resources

Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) Grade 5 practice questions

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Question 1Physical Sciences

A student drops a ball, and it falls to the floor. Which statement best describes the force that made the ball fall?

  1. Air pressure pushed the ball downward.
  2. A magnetic force pulled the ball downward.
  3. Gravity pulled the ball toward Earth. Correct answer.
  4. Friction pushed the ball toward the floor.

Explanation

Gravity is the force of attraction between Earth and objects near it, and it pulls objects downward toward Earth's surface. Magnetic forces act on certain metals and magnets, not on an ordinary falling ball. Friction resists motion along surfaces, and air pressure pushes in all directions rather than only downward.

Question 2Physical Sciences

Which of these is an example of a contact force?

  1. A magnet pulling a paper clip across a table
  2. Gravity holding a satellite in orbit
  3. A hand pushing a door open Correct answer.
  4. A comb attracting bits of paper after rubbing

Explanation

A contact force requires the objects to touch, so a hand pushing a door is a contact force. Magnetic attraction and static electricity act at a distance without touching. Gravity also acts at a distance between objects.

Question 3Physical Sciences

A student rubs her hands together quickly. Her hands feel warmer. What best explains this?

  1. Friction between her hands changes motion energy into heat. Correct answer.
  2. The rubbing makes the air around her hands hotter.
  3. The rubbing transfers cold out of her hands.
  4. The rubbing creates new heat energy from nothing.

Explanation

Friction is a force that opposes motion when surfaces rub together, and it converts motion energy into thermal energy, making the hands feel warmer. Energy is not created from nothing; it changes form. Cold is not a substance that can be removed.

Question 4Physical Sciences

A toy car is pushed with a steady force and rolls across a smooth floor. The car slowly slows down and stops. What force most likely caused the car to slow?

  1. Gravity pulling the car sideways
  2. Friction between the wheels and the floor Correct answer.
  3. A magnetic force from the floor
  4. The push continuing after the hand let go

Explanation

Friction between moving surfaces opposes motion, so it gradually reduces the car's speed until it stops. Gravity pulls downward, not sideways. A push that has ended cannot keep acting on the car.

Question 5Physical Sciences

Two students push a box in the same direction. One pushes with 30 newtons and the other with 20 newtons. What is the size of the combined force on the box?

  1. 25 newtons
  2. 50 newtons Correct answer.
  3. 600 newtons
  4. 10 newtons

Explanation

When forces act in the same direction, their sizes add together, so 30 N + 20 N = 50 N. Subtracting would apply only to forces in opposite directions. Multiplying or averaging the forces does not follow the rules for combining forces.

Question 6Physical Sciences

A book sits still on a table. Which statement about the forces on the book is true?

  1. The forces on the book are unbalanced, so it stays still.
  2. The table pushes the book upward with more force than gravity pulls down.
  3. The forces on the book are balanced, so it does not move. Correct answer.
  4. Only gravity acts on the book.

Explanation

The downward pull of gravity is balanced by the upward push of the table, so the net force is zero and the book stays at rest. Balanced forces do not change an object's motion. If the upward push were larger, the book would accelerate upward.

Question 7Physical Sciences

A student kicks a soccer ball. Which statement best describes what happens according to Newton's third law?

  1. The ball pushes back on the foot with an equal force in the opposite direction. Correct answer.
  2. The ball pushes back on the foot with a larger force.
  3. The ball pushes back on the foot with a smaller force.
  4. The foot pushes the ball, and the ball does not push back.

Explanation

Newton's third law states that for every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force. When the foot pushes the ball, the ball pushes back on the foot with the same size of force in the opposite direction. The sizes are always equal regardless of which object moves more.

Question 8Physical Sciences

A heavy wagon and a light wagon are pushed with the same size force on a smooth floor. What will most likely happen?

  1. The light wagon will speed up more than the heavy wagon. Correct answer.
  2. Neither wagon will move because forces are equal.
  3. Both wagons will speed up at the same rate.
  4. The heavy wagon will speed up more than the light wagon.

Explanation

For the same force, a less massive object changes its motion more than a more massive object. The light wagon has less mass, so the same push gives it a greater change in speed. Mass measures how strongly an object resists a change in motion.

Question 9Physical Sciences

Which statement best describes the motion of an object that is acted on by balanced forces?

  1. It must be slowing down.
  2. It stays at rest or keeps moving at a constant speed in a straight line. Correct answer.
  3. It must be changing direction.
  4. It must be speeding up.

Explanation

When the forces on an object are balanced, the net force is zero, so the object's motion does not change. It either stays at rest or continues moving at constant speed in a straight line. Changing speed or direction requires unbalanced forces.

Question 10Physical Sciences

A student observes that a plastic comb rubbed with wool can pick up small paper bits. What kind of force is acting?

  1. Magnetic force
  2. Gravitational force
  3. Friction force
  4. Electric force Correct answer.

Explanation

Rubbing the comb transfers electric charge, creating a static electric force that attracts light objects such as paper bits. Magnetic forces act on magnetic materials, not ordinary paper. Gravity is far too weak to lift the bits, and friction acts between sliding surfaces.

Question 11Physical Sciences

A bar magnet is placed near a pile of materials. Which material will the magnet attract most strongly?

  1. A wooden block
  2. An iron nail Correct answer.
  3. A glass marble
  4. A plastic spoon

Explanation

Magnetic forces act strongly on iron and a few other magnetic metals. Plastic, glass, and wood are not magnetic, so the magnet does not attract them. This is why an iron nail is pulled toward the magnet.

Question 12Physical Sciences

Two magnets are placed so that their north poles face each other. What happens?

  1. They push away from each other. Correct answer.
  2. They do not affect each other.
  3. They become a single magnet.
  4. They attract each other.

Explanation

Like magnetic poles repel, so two north poles facing each other push apart. Opposite poles, such as north and south, attract. Magnets do not merge into one magnet when placed near each other.

Question 13Physical Sciences

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

  1. The metal blocks heat from moving at all.
  2. Heat energy moves through the metal from the hot end toward the cooler end. Correct answer.
  3. The spoon makes its own heat energy.
  4. Cold moves from the handle into the soup.

Explanation

Thermal energy transfers through a material from warmer areas to cooler areas. Metal conducts heat well, so energy moves along the spoon toward the cooler handle. Cold is not a substance that flows, and the spoon does not create its own energy.

Question 14Physical Sciences

A metal pan and a plastic handle are both touched after being near a hot stove. The metal feels hotter. What best explains this?

  1. Metal is always at a higher temperature than plastic.
  2. Metal conducts thermal energy better than plastic does. Correct answer.
  3. Plastic cannot get warm at all.
  4. Metal contains more heat than any other material.

Explanation

Materials differ in how well they conduct thermal energy. Metals are good conductors, so they transfer heat quickly to a hand, making them feel hotter. Plastic is a poor conductor and transfers heat more slowly.

Question 15Physical Sciences

A student places a thermometer in a cup of warm water. After a while, the reading stops changing. What does this most likely mean?

  1. The thermometer is broken.
  2. The thermometer is making the water hotter.
  3. The water and thermometer have reached the same temperature. Correct answer.
  4. The water has lost all its thermal energy.

Explanation

Thermal energy moves from warmer objects to cooler ones until they reach the same temperature. When the reading stops changing, the thermometer and water are at the same temperature. The water still has thermal energy; it has not lost all of it.

Question 16Physical Sciences

Which of these is an example of energy being transferred by light?

  1. A person warming hands near a fire Correct answer.
  2. A ball rolling down a ramp
  3. A pot of water boiling on a stove
  4. A nail being pulled by a magnet

Explanation

Light is a form of energy that travels and can be absorbed, warming objects. Feeling warmth from a fire comes from light (and other radiation) traveling to the hands. Boiling involves heat transfer through the pot, a magnet involves magnetic force, and a rolling ball involves motion energy.

Question 17Physical Sciences

A flashlight is turned on. Which sequence best describes the energy change?

  1. Electrical energy changes into light energy. Correct answer.
  2. Light energy changes into electrical energy.
  3. Sound energy changes into electrical energy.
  4. Motion energy changes into sound energy.

Explanation

In a flashlight, stored chemical energy in the battery becomes electrical energy, which the bulb changes into light energy. Energy changes form but is not created or destroyed. The other sequences do not match how a flashlight works.

Question 18Physical Sciences

A ball is held above the ground and then dropped. At which point does the ball have the most stored (potential) energy due to its position?

  1. Just as it touches the ground
  2. Halfway down, when it is moving fastest
  3. Just before it is released, at its highest point Correct answer.
  4. After it has stopped rolling on the ground

Explanation

An object has more stored energy due to position when it is higher above the ground. At the highest point before release, the ball has the most gravitational potential energy. As it falls, that energy changes into motion energy.

Question 19Physical Sciences

A student wants to make a simple electric circuit light a bulb. Which set of parts is needed?

  1. A bulb and a magnet only
  2. Two bulbs and no battery
  3. A battery, a bulb, and wires forming a closed loop Correct answer.
  4. A battery and a bulb with no wires

Explanation

A complete circuit needs a source of electrical energy, a device such as a bulb, and a closed path of wires so current can flow. If the loop is broken, current cannot flow and the bulb will not light. A bulb alone or without a source cannot light.

Question 20Physical Sciences

In a simple circuit, a switch is opened. What happens to the bulb?

  1. It changes color.
  2. It goes out because the circuit path is broken. Correct answer.
  3. It stays lit because the battery still works.
  4. It glows brighter.

Explanation

Opening a switch breaks the closed path, so electric current cannot flow and the bulb goes out. A battery alone cannot light a bulb without a complete circuit. The bulb does not glow brighter or change color when the path is broken.

Question 21Physical Sciences

A student adds a second battery to a simple circuit with one bulb, keeping everything else the same. What is the most likely result?

  1. The bulb becomes brighter. Correct answer.
  2. The bulb goes out completely.
  3. The bulb stays exactly the same.
  4. The bulb becomes dimmer.

Explanation

Adding another battery in the same direction increases the electrical push (voltage) in the circuit, so more current flows and the bulb glows brighter. The other choices ignore the effect of a greater energy source.

Question 22Physical Sciences

Which material would work best as the wire in a circuit to let electric current flow?

  1. Copper Correct answer.
  2. Glass
  3. Rubber
  4. Dry wood

Explanation

Materials that let electric current flow easily are conductors; copper is a good conductor. Rubber, glass, and dry wood are insulators that resist the flow of current. That is why wires are usually made of metal.

Question 23Physical Sciences

A sound is made by hitting a drum. What causes the sound?

  1. The drum gets colder.
  2. The drum surface vibrates and pushes on the air. Correct answer.
  3. The drum loses mass.
  4. The drum gives off light.

Explanation

Sound is produced by vibrating objects. When the drum surface vibrates, it pushes on nearby air and sends vibrations outward as sound. Light, temperature change, and mass loss are not the cause of the sound.

Question 24Physical Sciences

A student plucks a guitar string. Plucking the string harder makes the sound louder. What best explains this?

  1. The string vibrates with a larger motion, carrying more energy to the air. Correct answer.
  2. The string becomes shorter when plucked harder.
  3. The string stops vibrating sooner.
  4. The sound travels faster through the air.

Explanation

A louder sound carries more energy. Plucking harder makes the string vibrate with a larger motion, which pushes the air more strongly and produces a louder sound. The length of the string and the speed of sound in air do not change just because it is plucked harder.

Question 25Physical Sciences

A beam of light strikes a mirror and bounces off. Which statement best describes what happens?

  1. The light passes through the mirror unchanged.
  2. The light is absorbed and never leaves the mirror.
  3. The light changes into sound energy.
  4. The light reflects off the surface and travels in a new direction. Correct answer.

Explanation

A mirror is a smooth, shiny surface that reflects light. When light strikes it, the light bounces off and travels in a new direction. Most of the light is not absorbed, and light does not change into sound at a mirror.

Question 26Physical Sciences

A student slides a box across a carpeted floor and then across a smooth tile floor using the same push. The box slows down faster on the carpet. What best explains this?

  1. The carpet has less mass than the tile floor.
  2. The box weighs less on the carpet.
  3. The carpet adds energy that slows the box down.
  4. The carpet has more friction, which opposes the box's motion. Correct answer.

Explanation

Friction is a force that acts opposite to motion when two surfaces rub together. Rougher surfaces create more friction, so the box slows more quickly on carpet than on smooth tile.

Question 27Physical Sciences

Which of these is the best example of a force that acts without the objects touching?

  1. A magnet pulling a paper clip across a table Correct answer.
  2. A hand pushing a door open
  3. A rope pulling a sled
  4. A foot pressing a bicycle pedal

Explanation

Some forces, such as magnetic force and gravity, can act at a distance without direct contact. A magnet can attract a paper clip even when they are not touching.

Question 28Physical Sciences

A student wants to lift a heavy box using a lever. Where should the student place the fulcrum to make the box easiest to lift?

  1. Close to the heavy box Correct answer.
  2. Directly under the student's hands
  3. At the very end of the lever opposite the box
  4. Far away from the heavy box

Explanation

A lever trades force for distance. Placing the fulcrum close to the load gives the effort a longer arm, so less force is needed to lift the heavy box.

Question 29Physical Sciences

A student pushes a toy car and it rolls to a stop on a flat floor. Which force most directly causes the car to stop?

  1. Friction between the wheels and the floor Correct answer.
  2. Gravity pulling the car downward
  3. Air pressure inside the wheels
  4. Magnetism from the floor

Explanation

Friction between moving surfaces opposes motion and gradually removes the car's motion energy. That is why a rolling toy slows and stops on a flat floor.

Question 30Physical Sciences

Two students push on opposite sides of a heavy crate with equal forces, and the crate does not move. Which statement about the forces on the crate is true?

  1. The forces are unbalanced, so the crate must move.
  2. The forces are balanced, so the crate stays still. Correct answer.
  3. The crate has no forces acting on it.
  4. Only one student is applying a force.

Explanation

When equal forces push in opposite directions, they cancel and the net force is zero. With balanced forces, an object at rest stays at rest.

Question 31Physical Sciences

A student rubs a balloon on a wool sweater and then holds it near a thin stream of water from a faucet. The water bends toward the balloon. What best explains this?

  1. The wool sweater made the balloon magnetic.
  2. The water is pushing itself away from the faucet.
  3. The balloon is heavier than the water.
  4. The rubbed balloon has a static electric charge that attracts the water. Correct answer.

Explanation

Rubbing transfers electric charge between materials, giving the balloon a static charge. A charged object can attract neutral objects such as a thin stream of water.

Question 32Physical Sciences

A student connects a copper wire, a battery, and a bulb into a closed loop, and the bulb lights. The student then replaces the copper wire with a rubber band. What most likely happens?

  1. The bulb does not light because rubber does not conduct electricity. Correct answer.
  2. The bulb lights only if the rubber band is stretched.
  3. The bulb lights more brightly because rubber is flexible.
  4. The bulb lights exactly the same as before.

Explanation

A closed circuit needs a conducting path for electric current. Copper conducts electricity, but rubber is an insulator, so current cannot flow through it.

Question 33Physical Sciences

Which of these materials would make the best insulator for wrapping an electrical wire?

  1. Plastic Correct answer.
  2. Copper
  3. Iron
  4. Aluminum

Explanation

Insulators resist the flow of electric current and are used to cover wires safely. Plastic is an insulator, while copper, aluminum, and iron are metals that conduct electricity.

Question 34Physical Sciences

A student builds a circuit with one bulb and one battery. The student then adds a second bulb in the same single loop. What most likely happens to the brightness of each bulb?

  1. Each bulb becomes dimmer because the circuit has more resistance. Correct answer.
  2. The bulbs go out completely because two bulbs cannot share a battery.
  3. Each bulb becomes brighter because there are more bulbs.
  4. The brightness stays the same because the battery is unchanged.

Explanation

Adding a bulb in a single loop increases the total resistance of the circuit. With the same battery, less current flows, so each bulb glows dimmer.

Question 35Physical Sciences

A student places a nail near a bar magnet and the nail becomes a temporary magnet. Which statement best explains why?

  1. The nail melts slightly and sticks to the magnet.
  2. The nail's electric current from the air makes it magnetic.
  3. The magnet's field lines up the tiny magnetic regions in the iron nail. Correct answer.
  4. The magnet removes all forces from the nail.

Explanation

Iron contains tiny magnetic regions that normally point in random directions. A nearby magnet's field lines them up, making the nail act like a magnet while it is close.

Question 36Physical Sciences

A student uses a magnet to pick up paper clips from a mixture that also contains plastic beads and aluminum foil. The magnet picks up the paper clips but not the foil. What best explains this?

  1. The foil is not made of metal.
  2. Plastic beads block the magnet's force.
  3. Aluminum is too heavy for the magnet to lift.
  4. Paper clips are made of iron, which a magnet attracts, while aluminum is not attracted. Correct answer.

Explanation

Magnets strongly attract iron and a few other magnetic metals. Aluminum is a metal but is not magnetic, so the magnet does not pick it up.

Question 37Physical Sciences

A metal spoon is placed in a cup of hot cocoa. After a few minutes, the handle of the spoon feels warm. Which statement best explains this?

  1. The air in the room heats the handle.
  2. Cold moves from the handle into the cocoa.
  3. The spoon creates its own heat.
  4. Heat moves through the metal from the hot end to the cooler end. Correct answer.

Explanation

Heat transfers from warmer areas to cooler areas. Metal conducts heat well, so thermal energy moves along the spoon toward the cooler handle.

Question 38Physical Sciences

A student wraps a cold juice box in a wool scarf. After 20 minutes, the juice is still cold. Which statement best explains why the scarf helped?

  1. The scarf slowed heat transfer from the room into the juice. Correct answer.
  2. The scarf made the juice colder than before.
  3. The scarf added cold air to the juice.
  4. The scarf stopped all heat from moving anywhere.

Explanation

Wool is a good insulator that slows the transfer of thermal energy. It does not create cold; it reduces how quickly heat reaches the cold juice.

Question 39Physical Sciences

A student stirs a cup of hot water and a cup of cold water with identical metal spoons for the same amount of time. Which spoon will most likely feel warmer at the top?

  1. The spoon in the hot water Correct answer.
  2. Both spoons will feel the same.
  3. The spoon in the cold water
  4. Neither spoon will change temperature.

Explanation

Heat flows from warmer objects to cooler ones. The spoon in hot water gains thermal energy faster, so its handle becomes warmer than the spoon in cold water.

Question 40Physical Sciences

A student holds a piece of dark paper and a piece of white paper in sunlight for the same time. The dark paper feels warmer. What best explains this?

  1. The dark paper is heavier, so it traps more heat.
  2. The dark paper reflects more light than the white paper.
  3. The white paper is a better conductor of heat.
  4. The dark paper absorbs more light energy and changes it to heat. Correct answer.

Explanation

Dark surfaces absorb more light and convert that energy into thermal energy. White surfaces reflect more light, so they absorb less and warm less.

Question 41Physical Sciences

A solar panel on a roof produces electricity on a sunny day. Which energy change is happening?

  1. Electrical energy changes to light energy.
  2. Heat energy changes to motion energy.
  3. Light energy changes to electrical energy. Correct answer.
  4. Sound energy changes to light energy.

Explanation

Solar panels capture light energy from the sun and convert it into electrical energy. The input is light and the useful output is electricity.

Question 42Physical Sciences

A roller coaster car is at the top of a hill and then rolls down. Ignoring friction, what happens to its energy as it moves down the hill?

  1. Stored energy decreases and motion energy increases. Correct answer.
  2. Stored energy increases and motion energy decreases.
  3. Both stored and motion energy stay the same.
  4. Both stored and motion energy decrease.

Explanation

As the car moves lower, it loses height and stored (potential) energy. That energy changes into motion (kinetic) energy, so the car speeds up.

Question 43Physical Sciences

A student stretches a rubber band and holds it still. Which statement best describes the energy in the stretched band?

  1. It has no energy because it is not moving.
  2. It has sound energy stored inside it.
  3. It has motion energy because it is moving.
  4. It has stored energy because of its stretched position. Correct answer.

Explanation

An object can store energy because of its position or shape, which is potential energy. A stretched rubber band stores energy that can be released when it snaps back.

Question 44Physical Sciences

A student taps a tuning fork and holds it near a bowl of water, and the water ripples. What does this show about sound?

  1. Sound has no energy.
  2. Sound can travel only through empty space.
  3. Sound is a kind of light.
  4. Sound travels as vibrations that can pass into other materials. Correct answer.

Explanation

A vibrating object creates sound waves that travel through materials. The tuning fork's vibrations pass into the water and make it ripple, showing that sound carries energy.

Question 45Physical Sciences

A student notices that a drum sounds higher in pitch after the drumhead is tightened. What best explains this?

  1. The drumhead becomes heavier when tightened.
  2. The drum produces more light when tightened.
  3. A tighter drumhead vibrates faster, making a higher pitch. Correct answer.
  4. A tighter drumhead vibrates more slowly, making a higher pitch.

Explanation

Pitch depends on how fast an object vibrates. Tightening the drumhead makes it vibrate at a higher rate, which we hear as a higher pitch.

Question 46Physical Sciences

A student shines a flashlight through a clear glass of water and sees a rainbow pattern on the wall. What best explains the colors?

  1. Glass blocks all light from passing through.
  2. The flashlight gives off only one color.
  3. Water creates new colors that were not in the light.
  4. White light is made of many colors that can separate. Correct answer.

Explanation

White light is a mixture of colors. When it passes through materials like water or glass, the colors can bend by different amounts and separate into a rainbow.

Question 47Physical Sciences

A student stands behind a wall and cannot see a friend, but can hear the friend talking. What best explains this?

  1. Sound can bend and pass through some materials that block light. Correct answer.
  2. Sound does not need a material to travel.
  3. Sound travels faster than light.
  4. Light can pass through the wall but sound cannot.

Explanation

Sound waves can travel through solid materials such as walls, while light is blocked by opaque materials. That is why the voice is heard but the friend is not seen.

Question 48Physical Sciences

A student uses a magnifying glass to focus sunlight on a piece of paper, and the paper begins to smoke. Which statement best explains this?

  1. The lens makes the paper reflect more light.
  2. The paper absorbs cold from the air.
  3. The lens focuses light energy into a small area, raising the temperature. Correct answer.
  4. The lens creates heat without any energy input.

Explanation

A lens can bend light rays so they meet at a small spot. Concentrating light energy in one place adds thermal energy quickly and can raise the temperature enough to scorch paper.

Question 49Physical Sciences

A student builds a simple electromagnet by wrapping wire around an iron nail and connecting the wire to a battery. Which change would most likely make the electromagnet stronger?

  1. Adding more turns of wire around the nail Correct answer.
  2. Using a shorter piece of wire with no loops
  3. Removing the battery from the circuit
  4. Using a plastic nail instead of an iron nail

Explanation

An electromagnet's strength depends on the current and the number of wire turns. More turns around an iron core increase the magnetic effect when current flows.

Question 50Physical Sciences

A student rolls a ball down a ramp and it knocks over a small block at the bottom. If the student releases the ball from a higher point on the ramp, what most likely happens?

  1. The ball no longer rolls down the ramp.
  2. The ball hits the block with less energy and moves it less.
  3. The ball hits the block with more energy and moves it farther. Correct answer.
  4. The ball's energy is the same no matter where it starts.

Explanation

Starting higher gives the ball more stored energy, which changes into more motion energy as it rolls down. More motion energy means a stronger impact on the block.