MCAS-Grade 5 Science and Technology/Engineering EOG 2019

A teacher has five samples of unlabeled substances. The table shows some information about the five samples.

The teacher does the following:

• adds three of the samples to a beaker and mixes them together

• adds water to the beaker

• stirs the contents of the beaker with a powerful magnet

• removes the magnet from the beaker

After the magnet is removed, only a colorless liquid remains in the beaker. Which three samples did the teacher most likely mix together?

• samples 1, 2, and 5

• samples 1, 2, and 3

• samples 2, 3, and 4

• samples 3, 4, and 5

Students used sand, gravel, and a coffee filter to make a simple water filter. A diagram of the water filter is shown.

Which of the following should the students observe or measure to find out how well the water filter works?

• how clear the filtered water is

• how much water needs to be filtered

• the length and width of the water filter

• the amount of sand used to make the water filter

Students grew vegetable plants in their school’s garden. They learned that waste from the vegetables can be composted. When vegetable waste is placed in a composter, bacteria help turn the waste into compost over time. The compost can then be used in a garden. The students made this model to show how matter moves through a composter and a garden.

The vegetable plants in the school garden used photosynthesis to grow. Which of the following describes how the vegetable plants use photosynthesis to grow?

• In photosynthesis, vegetable plants use the energy from sunlight to convert air and water into sugar.

• In photosynthesis, vegetable plants use the energy from sugar to convert sunlight into air and water.

• In photosynthesis, vegetable plants use the energy from air and water to convert sunlight into sugar.

• In photosynthesis, vegetable plants use the energy from sunlight to convert sugar into air and water.

The students designed and built two composter prototypes. The diagrams show the designs of the two prototypes. Composter 1 has wooden sides and its top is open to the air. The vegetable waste in the composter is mixed once a week, which exposes the waste to air. Composter 2 has sides made of wire mesh and a wooden divider that creates two separate sections. All the vegetable waste is first placed in one section. After a week, the vegetable waste is moved to the other side of the divider. As the vegetable waste is moved from one side to the other, it is mixed and exposed to air.

The students added the same amount and type of vegetable waste to each composter. After several weeks, they noticed that the waste in composter 2 was breaking down faster than the waste in composter 1. Which of the following changes could the students make to composter 1 so that waste breaks down more quickly?

• drill many small holes in each side

• cover the top with a lid made out of wire mesh

• cover the top with a lid made out of clear plastic

• replace the wooden sides with thick plastic sides

Bacteria play an important role in the movement of matter in the students’ model. Which of the following describes the role of bacteria in a composter?

• Bacteria in a composter are producers because they produce sugars.

• Bacteria in a composter are composers because they produce sugars.

• Bacteria in a composter are consumers because they recycle materials.

• Bacteria in a composter are decomposers because they recycle materials.

A town is having a water shortage, and the people in the town have been asked to reduce their use of the town’s water supply. A gardener wants to continue to water plants in a garden.

Which of the following would be the most effective way to water the plants and still reduce water use?

• use soapy water

• use filtered water

• use water from water bottles sold in stores

• use water from rain collected in large containers

A scientist finds the fossils shown in the rock layers in this diagram.

The fossils in which rock layer are the oldest?

• Layer W, because the fossils are in the top layer

• Layer X, because the fossils were formed from ocean organisms

• Layer Y, because the fossils are in the bottom layer

A scientist finds the fossils shown in the rock layers in this diagram.

Which of the following best explains why scientists study fossils?

• to learn about rocks that formed many years ago

• to learn about different types of very old minerals

• to learn about extinct organisms that lived long ago

• to learn about ancient technologies humans once used

An engineer is testing different types of pervious concrete to use in a new parking area. Pervious concrete is a special kind of concrete that can help reduce flooding by allowing rainwater to pass through and soak into the ground.

Which of the following should the engineer measure to see how well a type of pervious concrete will reduce flooding?

• the weight of 10 cubic meters of the concrete

• the strength of a 15-centimeter layer of the concrete

• the amount of water needed to mix a cubic meter of the concrete

• the number of liters of water per minute that can move through the concrete

A student places a wooden block next to a meter stick and then tapes a bar magnet on top of the block. Next, the student tapes a bar magnet to the roof of a toy car. The car is placed beside the meter stick, next to the bar magnet. The diagram below shows what the student observed before and after the car was released.

What question is the student most likely trying to answer from this setup?

• How far can the magnets pull the car?

• How far can the magnets push the car?

• Is a force applied by the car to the magnet on the car?

• Is the magnet on the block attracted to or repelled by the car?