Science Benchmark

A student recorded the time it took for all the water in a puddle on a sidewalk to evaporate after a rain. Which kind of energy causes water to evaporate?

(Hint: Remember MELTS)

• Light energy from streetlights

• Sound energy from passing cars

• Thermal energy from the environment

• Mechanical energy from nearby streets

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

Earth continuously rotates on its axis while also moving in an orbit. About how much time does it take for Earth to make one complete rotation on its axis?

(Hint: hand motions)

• 24 hours

• 30 days

• 60 minutes

• 365 days

For a class demonstration a student turned off the lights in the classroom. The student then shined light from a flashlight through a hole in a piece of cardboard. The class saw the narrow beam of light continue until another student placed a mirror in the light’s path. The light did not continue past the mirror because —

(Hint: hand motions and draw a diagram)

• light cannot travel very far

• the mirror absorbed all the light

• the light was refracted back to the light source

• light travels in a straight line and cannot go around objects

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

A table of different properties of four samples of matter is shown.

Which conclusion can be made about the samples based on the table?

• Sample 1 is made of plastic.

• Sample 2 is made of metal.

• Sample 3 is attracted to magnets.

• Sample 4 is less dense than water.

A wagon is pushed and begins to move. As the wagon moves, it slows and comes to a stop. The wagon and the direction it is pushed are shown.

What force causes the wagon to stop?

(Hint: what force works AGAINST motion?)

• The force of gravity which is acting in the same direction as the arrow

• The force of friction which is acting in the same direction as the arrow

• The force of gravity which is acting in the opposite direction of the arrow

• The force of friction which is acting in the opposite direction of the arrow

Tags

NGSS.3-PS2-1

Students made a chart classifying animal behaviors.

Which animal behavior is NOT correctly classified?

(Hint: Inherited = born with Learned - after you are born)

• Bear looking for food in a trash can

• Owl being active at night

• Dog coming when its name is called

• Squirrel getting seeds from a bird feeder

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-4

Canyons and mesas are two landforms found in the western part of the United States. Which statement best describes how canyons and mesas are similar?

(Hint: What creates a canyon? weathering, erosion or deposition)

• Both were formed by slow-moving glaciers.

• Both were formed by erosion by wind and water.

• Both were part of a mountain that was weathered by ice.

• Both were part of a desert that was reshaped by a flood.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

A student wants to make a change to the circuit shown below so that when Switch 1 is open and Switch 2 is closed, only one light will be on in the circuit.

Which diagram shows how the student should change the circuit?

(Hint: use your finger to create a complete path from the positive to the negative end of the battery.

Switch: Open = broken, Closed = flows)

• 
• 
• 
• 

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

NGSS.MS-ETS1-2

Students researching the relationships between some organisms in the Lavaca Bay ecosystem in Texas made this partial food web.

Which of these lists contains only organisms that receive some of their energy directly from other organisms that produce their own food?

(Hint: producers are plants

The direction to arrow goes, is where the energy flows)

• Bald eagles and spotted sandpipers

• Swamp rabbits, hermit crabs, and swamp sparrows

• Phytoplankton, hermit crabs, and blue crabs

• Wiregrass, clover grass, and phytoplankton

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A science class is observing a pet turtle in a small plastic pool. The students turn on a portable camping lamp that is clamped on to a counter next to the pool.

Which kind of energy is used by the portable lamp to produce light?

(Hint: MELTS)

• Mechanical energy, because the lamp is clamped on to the counter

• Thermal energy, because the lamp increases the temperature of the water

• Electrical energy, because the lamp is battery-operated

• Sound energy, because the lamp vibrates when clicked on