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NYSTP Grade 5 Science

Last updated 7 months ago
34 questions
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Base your answers to questions 1 through 4 on the information and on your knowledge of science.

Animal Senses

The model provides information about some animals, some of their senses, and how these senses cause specific responses to the animals’ environments.

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A student claimed that elephants and bats both receive sound information, but respond to the sounds differently.

Use information from the Animal Senses Model to support this claim.

The model includes information about the different frequencies of sound waves that can be detected by humans, elephants, dogs, and bats. Sound is measured in hertz (Hz), the number of waves each second. The bars indicate the range of frequencies that each organism can hear.

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Organisms respond to information in different ways. Which statement describes how two organisms could respond to a warning sound at 35,000 Hz?

The model represents the path that a herd of elephants would take if given the choice when encountering the scents of two different tribes.

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Which type of information processing allows the herd of elephants to make this choice?

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In the models, arrows represent the path of light.

Which model correctly represents the path of light that occurs between the eagle, its prey (mouse), and the Sun that allows the eagle to see its prey?

Base your answers to questions 5 through 9 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

Motion of Golf Balls

A group of students dropped a golf ball from different heights above a level concrete floor. The ball hit the floor and bounced directly upwards. The teacher calculated the speed of the ball when it hit the floor. The students measured the height of the bounce with a tape measure.


The data table below shows the results of this investigation.

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Explain, using evidence from Data Table 1, how the speed of the golf ball affects the energy of the golf ball.

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Which statement about forces acting on the golf ball is supported by the evidence in Data Table 1?

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A student claims that the energy of the golf ball was converted from one form to another when the ball hit the floor. Which table accurately describes an energy conversion that occurred when the ball hit the floor and the supporting evidence?

After completing the golf ball investigation, a student decided to investigate how to get a golf ball to travel from the beginning of a toy car track to the end of the toy car track.


The student placed a golf ball at the top of the ramp and observed that the ball rolled down the track, began to go up the loop, then fell off the track. In order to solve this problem of the golf ball not reaching the end of the track, the student came up with two solutions.

Solution 1: Increase the length of the track between the ramp and the loop, keeping the height the same.


Solution 2: Increase the height of the ramp, keeping the length of the track the same as the original setup.

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Identify the solution that best solves the problem and allows the golf ball to travel around the loop to the end of the track. Using scientific reasoning, explain why this solution will best solve the problem.

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The student returns the track to the original set up. This time, an identical golf ball (Ball 2) has been left at the base of the loop.


The student asks the question, “What will happen to the energy and motion of the two golf balls when Ball 1 is released down the toy car track?”

Which table correctly predicts the changes in energy and motion that will occur when the two golf balls collide?

Base your answers to questions 10 through 14 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

Weather Patterns in the United States

The maps below show the average daily air temperature ranges, in degrees Fahrenheit (°F), for areas in the United States during January and July.



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Which bar graph represents the highest average daily air temperature that could occur in Atlanta in January and July?

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Describe how the average daily air temperature changes as a person travels directly north from Houston.

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Using data from the maps, support the claim that, even though Los Angeles and Atlanta are located at about the same latitude, Los Angeles has a different climate than Atlanta. Include information about temperature and rainfall in your answer.

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Catastrophic flooding impacted Atlanta in September 2009. An estimated 10 to 20 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours and historic flash flooding occurred. Over 20,000 homes and businesses had major damage.

Which design solution would require the fewest steps to reduce future impacts of heavy rains on the residents of Atlanta?

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The photograph was taken by an observer after the flood in Atlanta.

How did the heavy rainfall in 2009 most likely cause damage to this roadway?

Base your answers to questions 15 through 18 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.


The Atlantic menhaden fish is found along the east coast from Canada to Florida. Some scientists consider menhaden “the most important fish in the ocean” because it is the little fish that is eaten by sea birds and bigger fish such as bass, bluefish, tuna, and even dolphins and whales. It is considered a keystone species, a fish that many other fish in the ocean ecosystem depend on for a healthy ocean. If there are not enough menhaden, many other species of fish will starve and populations will decrease, threatening the ocean ecosystem.

For this reason, 15 states, including New York, have agreed to a plan to manage and maintain menhaden populations based on the needs of the fish that feed on them. Around Long Island, scientists, commercial fishermen, recreational boaters, and even bird watchers have all agreed to monitor and limit how many menhaden can be caught by humans. Menhaden that are caught are processed in fish factories for fertilizer, chicken feed, and fish oil.
The map below shows the range of the menhaden along the east coast. The bar graph shows the number of fi sh factories that processed menhaden over a 60-year period in different coastal regions.

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Which coastal region has shown the greatest decrease in the number of processing factories for menhaden fish from 1955 to 2015?

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Identify one method that the Long Island community of scientists, fishermen, and recreational boaters have used to protect the menhaden fish population. Using scientific reasoning, explain how this method protects the ecosystem of coastal waters.

Industrial fisheries use the menhaden for the production of paints, animal feed, and vitamins. Commercial fisheries use menhaden for crab, lobster, and recreational fishing bait.

The graphs below show the yearly amount of menhaden caught by these types of fisheries.

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Identify the type of fishery (Industrial or Commercial Bait) that most likely had the greatest impact on the menhaden population and the health of the ocean ecosystem during the time period 1986-2010. Provide the numerical evidence from the graphs that supports your choice.

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The special type of topographic map below shows the depth of the ocean floor in meters along the coast of New York and New Jersey, where some menhaden fish populations occur. Letters A, B, C, and D indicate locations along the ocean floor.


Using the ocean depth data from the map and your knowledge of topographic maps, which table correctly summarizes the ocean features and evidence for one of the lettered locations?

Base your answers to questions 19 through 23 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

Identifying Substances

Students conducted experiments to identify unknown substances using properties of known substances. During these experiments, appropriate safety equipment was used and safety procedures were followed.


Through experimentation, the students observed that an unknown substance was a fine, white powder that reacted to vinegar, was soluble in water, and did not conduct electricity.
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Select the identity of the unknown substance.

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The models below represent the number and arrangement of particles in a sample of water and a sample of sugar.


Which model best represents the number and arrangement of the water and sugar particles after the sample of sugar was poured into the sample of water and mixed?

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Students were then provided four minerals and completed certain tasks to identify the properties of each mineral. The table below shows the observations for four of the five properties that the students observed. The photographs below show the response of a strong magnet when brought close to each mineral.


Student Data Table 1

Indicate if each mineral in Student Data Table 1 is magnetic by choosing Yes or No.

Yes
No
Muscovite Mica
Talc
Calcite
Pyrite
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The students then placed calcite onto a glass dish and placed it on a scale. Using an eye dropper, ten drops of vinegar were placed on top of the calcite and the total mass was recorded.

Bubbles formed on top of the calcite and the total mass was recorded again.

The diagrams and observations below represent the experimental setup and the observations made by the students.


A student makes a claim that a new substance was formed when vinegar was added to calcite. Which statement can be used as evidence to support this student’s claim?

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The students were then given three different rock samples, labeled A, B, and C, to test with vinegar. The table below shows the results of the tests.


Based on the results shown in Student Data Table 2, explain why rock A is most likely made of the mineral calcite.

Base your answers to questions 24 through 29 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.


In the photograph, the mother meerkat is standing on her back legs to keep lookout for predators like jackals, eagles, and poisonous snakes that could harm her meerkat offspring, called pups. If she sees a threat, she will whistle to alert other meerkats in the group. Meerkats are social mammals, living in groups of up to 40 individuals. These groups are called mobs. The whole mob helps raise the pups by guarding and feeding them.

Meerkats live in southern Africa’s Kalahari and Namib deserts where it is dry and sandy. Meerkats have developed adaptations to help them survive in this extreme environment. In order to escape daytime heat and to keep warm on cold nights, meerkats dig burrows. They eat many things, including insects, small animals (rodents), lizards, roots and fruits. Meerkats get all the water they need from the food they eat — they never drink water.

Meerkats use their eyes, ears, and noses to help them survive. A student recorded some facts about meerkat senses.

Fact 1: Good vision allows meerkat guards to spot predators.
Fact 2: Meerkats can close their ears to prevent sand from getting into them when they dig for food and shelter.
Fact 3: An excellent sense of smell helps meerkats find prey that is hiding underground.
Fact 4: While searching for food and caring for pups, meerkats listen for alarm whistles.
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Which facts could be used to provide evidence that meerkats use sense organs in order to detect threats from other organisms?

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Write the words in the boxes below in the correct order to complete the model to show the correct movement of matter among the organisms in Africa’s Kalahari Desert.


_______
_______
_______
_______
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The graph shows the relationship between the mass of a meerkat and the number of prey found per hour.


Explain how the graph provides evidence that a variation in a physical characteristic in the meerkat population provides an advantage for survival.

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The graphs show the effects of the number of adult meerkat helpers, per pup, on pups in a mob.


Using evidence from both graphs, construct an argument to explain how being a part of a mob helps meerkat pups survive.

Graph A below shows the daily maximum air temperature in the Kalahari Desert. Graph B shows how the average mass (weight) of a 3-month old meerkat pup has changed over similar time periods.

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A student made a claim that traits can be influenced by the environment. Use evidence from Graph A and Graph B to support this claim.

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Which row correctly pairs a claim with its logical solution that would help meerkat populations survive in deserts that are getting hotter and drier?

Base your answers to questions 30 through 34 on the information below and on your knowledge of science.

Magnets and Electromagnets

A student made a simple magnet holder using a clothespin, a plastic cup, a magnet, and tape (Diagram 1). This setup was used to investigate magnetic forces by determining the number of paper clips held by a magnet by direct contact (Diagram 2). Each paper clip was bent to form a hook to attach to other clips hanging below the magnet.


The student then added different numbers of pieces of tape to the bottom of the magnet and repeated the investigation for each of these different numbers of tape (Diagram 3).


The data collected in this investigation is shown below.

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Which question is the student investigating?

The student repeated the investigation using two magnets (Diagram 4).

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Which table shows the most likely results of this new investigation using two magnets?

The student is designing a refrigerator magnet to display papers and photographs. Various types of refrigerator magnets are shown in the photograph below.

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Based on what was learned in the investigations, identify one factor that needs to be considered when designing this refrigerator magnet.

An electromagnet is a magnet that is created using electricity. The diagram below is an example of a simple electromagnet — a single wire coiled around a nail. The wire is connected to a battery and has electric current flowing through it.



The electric current in the wire causes the electromagnet to act like a regular magnet. Engineers use electromagnets when they design and build motors. Motors are found in everyday objects, such as refrigerators and golf carts.

A student repeats the investigation using an electromagnet. The table below shows how the number of coils around a nail in an electromagnet affects the number of paper clips held when a 4-volt battery is used and when an 8-volt battery is used.

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A student inspected the data to determine the relationship between the voltage of the battery and magnetic force exerted by the electromagnet. Which question was most likely being investigated?

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The student wants to optimize the design of the electromagnet and needs accurate data. How would performing more trials in this investigation improve the reliability of the data collected?