Grade 5 Science Practice Test: Variables, Fair Tests and Data
- Variables, Fair Tests and Data
- 10 questions
- 13 minutes
Ten questions on how scientists plan and check an investigation. Tip: in a fair test you change only one thing and keep everything else the same.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
Lena gives three bean plants 10 mL, 20 mL and 30 mL of water each day and measures how tall they grow.
Which variable does Lena change on purpose?
Correct answer: C
The variable a scientist changes on purpose is the amount of water here. Height is what she measures to see the effect.
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Question 2
In Lena's investigation, which variable does she measure to see the result?
Correct answer: A
Height is the measured, or dependent, variable: it depends on how much water each plant gets.
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Question 3
To make Lena's test fair, what should be the same for all three plants?
Correct answer: B
Only one variable, the water, should change. Keeping the plant type, soil and light the same makes sure any difference in height comes from the water.
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Question 4
Why do scientists repeat a test several times?
Correct answer: D
One trial can be off because of a small mistake. Repeating the test shows whether the results are similar each time, so they can be trusted.
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Question 5
Which question can be answered by doing an investigation?
Correct answer: B
You can drop a ball from different heights and measure each bounce. The other questions ask about opinions, which cannot be measured.
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Question 6
A class rolls a toy car down a ramp set at different heights and measures how far it rolls.
Ramp height Distance rolled 10 cm 50 cm 20 cm 98 cm 30 cm 151 cm Based on the pattern, about how far will the car roll from a 40 cm ramp?
Correct answer: C
Each extra 10 cm of height adds about 50 cm of distance, so 151 + 50 is about 200 cm. 150 cm is the result for 30 cm, not 40 cm.
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Question 7
Ali times how long an ice cube takes to melt in three trials: 12 minutes, 15 minutes and 18 minutes.
What is the average time?
Correct answer: A
Add the times and divide by the number of trials: (12 + 15 + 18) / 3 = 45 / 3 = 15 minutes. 45 minutes is the total, not the average.
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Question 8
Maria measures a sunflower's height every week for eight weeks.
Which kind of graph best shows how the height changes over time?
Correct answer: D
A line graph connects measurements in time order, so you can see the plant growing week by week. A pie chart shows parts of a whole.
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Question 9
Sam tests a plant food. Group 1 plants get plant food. Group 2 plants get none, but everything else is the same.
Why does Sam keep Group 2?
Correct answer: C
Group 2 is the control group. If Group 1 grows more than Group 2, Sam knows the plant food, not something else, caused the difference.
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Question 10
Which sentence is an observation, not an inference?
Correct answer: A
An observation is what you see or measure directly, like a time on a stopwatch. The other sentences explain, guess or predict, so they are inferences or predictions.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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