2025: NY Grade 5 - Science

Base your answers to questions 1 through 5 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

Reproduction in dogs, like many other species of mammals, results in the production of a litter. A litter is the live birth of multiple offspring at one time from the same mother and, usually, from the same father. The average litter size for all breeds of dogs is from five to six puppies.

All dogs shed their hair. Some breeds like the Havanese shed very little, and other dog breeds shed a lot. Shedding can occur year-round or seasonally.

Year-round shedding occurs because of the natural cycles of individual hairs. Shedding varies by breed, age, diet, and other factors. Seasonal shedding occurs because of changes in the length of daylight and temperature.

Numbers 1, 2, and 3 in the model below represent some life cycle stages of dogs.

Model of Dog Life Cycle Stages

1 ➞ Puppy ➞ 2 ➞ Adult dog ➞ 3

In addition to pet dogs, there are different dog breeds that live in the wild. One of these breeds is the African wild dog. These dogs live in packs and work together to take care of the pups.

Data about the survival of African wild dog pups was collected from 11 different packs from 1991-1996 in Tanzania, a country in Africa. Researchers measured the pack size of adult dogs (older than two years) and the number of pups born and raised to one year of age.

The data table below shows the average fraction of pups out of ten that survived to at least one year old.

Base your answers to questions 6 through 10 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

Properties of Substances

In order to learn about the properties of different substances, a group of students conducted a series of investigations. In the first investigation, the group added 5 grams of water and 5 grams of iron filings (small pieces of iron) to an empty container that had a mass of 25 grams. The container was then sealed, shaken, and left undisturbed overnight.

The next day, the students noticed that the color of some of the filings had changed from black to a dark red. The students then measured the mass of the iron filings, water, and container and found it to be 35 grams.

In the second investigation, the students unsealed the container and developed a model, shown below, of the contents.

Magnetite is a mineral that contains iron. It is commonly found in beach sand. The table below shows some properties of some minerals found in beach sand at Jones Beach State Park on Long Island, New York.

The map with pie graphs shows the relative amounts of some heavier minerals in the sand of beaches on and near Long Island.

Relative Amounts of Heavier Minerals in Beach Sand

Key

• Garnet

• Magnetite

• Glauconite

• Zircon

• Ilmenite

• Other minerals

(Not drawn to scale)

Base your answers to questions 11 through 15 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

Patterns of Earthquakes and the Ring of Fire

The map below shows many locations where destructive earthquakes have occurred and where volcanoes are found on Earth. The 20 most destructive earthquakes in history have occurred along the Ring of Fire. The locations of two states, Oregon and New York, are indicated.

Key

• ● Earthquakes

• △ Volcanoes

• - - Ring of Fire Boundary

Many small earthquakes occur throughout New York State. The map below identifies the chance of earthquake damage in New York State based on how often earthquakes have occurred at that location and the strength of the resulting ground shaking felt by people.

Chance of Earthquake Damage in New York State

Key

• Low chance of damage, earthquake rarely felt

• Low–to–medium chance of damage, some may feel shaking

• Medium chance of damage, earthquake felt by many

• Medium–to–high chance of damage, earthquake easily felt by all

New York City is home to over one million buildings. Many buildings were not constructed or reinforced to be earthquake resistant. These buildings cannot absorb the forces associated with earthquakes.

Older, harder bedrock allows earthquake vibrations to travel great distances. Shorter buildings constructed on soft, shallow soil above bedrock shake faster than taller buildings constructed on deep soil above bedrock.

Some students suggested solutions that could reduce the impact of earthquake damage on new construction or existing buildings in New York City. These solutions are listed below.

1. Reinforce brick buildings and repair building foundations (basements) so they don’t crack in weak areas when an earthquake occurs.

2. Design interior walls of new buildings so they are able to absorb forces and are less likely to fail.

3. Only build new structures on top of shallow soil with bedrock underneath to prevent shaking.

4. Only build new structures that are shorter as they will shake less than taller buildings.

5. Secure walls to the roof and walls to the foundation in existing buildings to prevent the transfer of weight in the building during shaking.

Base your answers to questions 21 through 25 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

The Albany Pine Bush Ecosystem

The Albany Pine Bush is an inland area located in Albany, New York. Parts of this area are protected from development because it has a very special sandy ecosystem normally found in a coastal region. It is home to two endangered species, the Karner blue butterfly and the wild blue lupine plant. The only food source for the caterpillar of this species of butterfly is the wild blue lupine.

Karner Blue Butterfly and Caterpillar

Wild Blue Lupine Plant

One of the few confirmed predators of the Karner blue caterpillar is the seven-spotted ladybug. This ladybug feeds only on animals.

Seven-spotted Ladybug

The Karner blue butterfly shares its habitat with the frosted elfin butterfly, and both rely on the wild blue lupine for survival. The models below describe the life cycles of each type of butterfly. The Karner blue butterfly has four stages in its life cycle. These four stages are repeated again by its offspring in one year. The frosted elfin butterfly completes only one life cycle each year.

Both species of butterflies live successfully in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve where wild blue lupine are protected. The Pine Bush Preserve is an area that covers about 3000 acres. The Preserve manages and protects the ecosystem. The Karner blue caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the lupine, while the frosted elfin caterpillar feeds on the flowers and seed pods of the lupine plant.

The map below shows the range of the Karner blue butterfly habitat and locations where the frosted elfin butterfly have been observed in New York State in 2018.

Key

• Karner blue butterfly habitat

• Frosted elfin butterfly observed

Historically, wildfires kept the habitat in the Albany Pine Bush suitable for wild blue lupine and other native plants. Today, however, most wildfires are quickly extinguished to protect homes and other development in the area. Instead, the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission uses controlled burns that function like natural wildfires to maintain the Albany Pine Bush ecosystem.

Firefighters Managing a Controlled Burn

Base your answers to questions 26 through 30 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

Solar System Patterns

Our solar system includes planets, moons, and other space objects that orbit our star, the Sun. Movements of Earth, the Sun, and the Moon cause daily, monthly, and seasonal patterns to occur. Many other stars are visible in the night sky but are located outside our solar system.

The photographs show some stars visible from Earth. Alpha Centauri A and B are two stars that orbit each other and appear as one star in the night sky. Alpha Centauri A is slightly larger than the Sun while Alpha Centauri B is slightly smaller than the Sun. Another star seen at night, Beta Pavonis, is about 2.3 times larger than the Sun. The table shows the distances of these stars from Earth.

Star Distance from Earth

1 AU (Astronomical Unit) = Distance from Earth to Sun

Stars Viewed from Earth

The Sun Viewed from Earth

Some stars appear to form patterns called constellations. Students noticed that some constellations are only seen at certain times of the year.

The model below represents some constellations that are visible in the night sky during different months as viewed from New York State. The beginning of each season is indicated.

The group of students in New York State took photographs of the Moon and recorded them for one month. The calendar below shows the photographs of the appearance of the Moon phases taken by the students in June 2018.

June 2018 Moon Phases

(see image to the left)

Base your answers to questions 31 through 36 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

Investigations with Balloons

A student performed three investigations using balloons and other materials.

In the first investigation, the student used two balloons on strings and wool cloths. The balloons were hung from a ceiling with string. The entire surface of each balloon was rubbed with a wool cloth. The student observed the interaction between the two balloons. The letter X represents the location of the center of each balloon.

Then, the student discovered that small pieces of paper will stick to a balloon that has been rubbed with a wool cloth.

• String

• Balloon

• Pieces of paper

In the second investigation, the papers were removed from the balloon and placed on a table as shown in the diagram below. The entire balloon was rubbed with the wool cloth in the same way as the previous investigation. The balloon was then lowered near these small, equally-sized pieces of paper lying on top of a table. The student observed the interaction between the balloon and the paper. The student stopped lowering the balloon as soon as the pieces of paper traveled upward to the balloon. Arrows represent the motion of the paper.

In the third investigation, the student rubbed another balloon with a wool cloth and held it near a metal can lying on a table. The balloon was brought near the can and held 10 centimeters (cm) away. The student observed that, when the balloon was held at this distance, the can rolled toward the balloon. The arrow indicates the direction the can rolled.