Middle Grades General Science 5– to 9

Test Format and Sample Questions

The Middle Grades General Science 5– to 9 subject area test consists of approximately 80 multiple-choice questions. You will have two and one-half hours to complete the test.

Each question will contain four response options, and you will indicate your answer by selecting A, B, C, or D.

The table below presents types of questions on the exam and directs you to examples of these formats among the sample items that follow.

Table of Question Formats

Type of Question	Sample Question
Command Select the best response option.	Question 10
Graphics Examine a drawing or a diagram and select the response option that best answers the question.	Question 17
Sentence Completion Select the response option that best completes the sentence.	Question 18
Direct Question Choose the response option that best answers the question.	Question 22
Scenario Examine a situation, problem, or case study. Then answer a question, make a diagnosis, or recommend a course of action by selecting the best response option.	Question 28

Sample Questions

The following questions represent both the form and content of questions on the examination. These questions will acquaint you with the general format of the examination; however, these sample questions do not cover all of the competencies and skills that are tested and will only approximate the degree of examination difficulty.

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Competency 1—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of the structure and behavior of matter

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A gas is at standard temperature and pressure. If the volume is doubled and the temperature is held constant, the pressure of the gas is

Choose an answer

1. halved.
2. doubled.
3. tripled.
4. squared.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 1—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of the structure and behavior of matter

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following models calculates energy levels and determines the number of electrons orbiting the nucleus of an atom?

Choose an answer

1. the Bohr model
2. the Dalton model
3. the Rutherford model
4. the Thomson model

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 1—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of the structure and behavior of matter

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Element X exists as a diatomic molecule and is not hydrogen.

Where on the periodic table is element X located?

Choose an answer

1. the right side
2. the left side
3. the middle
4. the bottom

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 1—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of the structure and behavior of matter

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

There are two electrons in the outer energy level of calcium and six electrons in the outer energy level of oxygen. What type of bond would form between calcium and oxygen?

Choose an answer

1. ionic
2. covalent
3. metallic
4. nuclear

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 2—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of forces and motion

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

What force is affected when the distance between two objects remains the same and the mass of each object is doubled?

Choose an answer

1. gravity
2. electromagnetic force
3. velocity
4. frictional force

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 2—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of forces and motion

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following statements exemplifies Newton's first law of motion?

Choose an answer

1. A bumper car will reverse direction when it collides with another car.
2. A gust of wind from the north will push a pile of leaves south.
3. A hockey puck gliding on ice will continue moving until friction slows it.
4. A baseball thrown across a field will fall in an arc to the ground.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 2—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of forces and motion

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A change in the frequency of wave motion resulting from the motion of the sender or the receiver is called the

Choose an answer

1. Adams effect.
2. Boyles effect.
3. Doppler effect.
4. Einstein effect.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 3—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of energy and its effects

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

If a machine allows a 600 N weight to be lifted with an effort of only 100 N, what is the mechanical advantage of the machine?

Choose an answer

1. 0.17
2. 0.6
3. 1.7
4. 6.0

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 3—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of energy and its effects

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A roller coaster car has the greatest amount of potential energy

Choose an answer

1. as it travels down a hill.
2. as it travels up a hill.
3. at the top of a hill.
4. at the bottom of a hill.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 3—Conceptual and quantitative knowledge of energy and its effects

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Several bulbs are lit in an electric circuit. When one bulb is removed, all of the bulbs go out. Identify the type of circuit that is described.

Choose an answer

1. complete
2. parallel
3. series
4. short

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of Earth and the processes that affect it

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean is associated with which of the following tectonic features?

Choose an answer

1. transform fault lines
2. subduction zones
3. fracture zones
4. spreading centers

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of Earth and the processes that affect it

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The mangrove swamps within Florida's Everglades National Park are important because they serve to

Choose an answer

1. build up a detritus food source for land mammals.
2. create a valuable nursery habitat for fish and shellfish.
3. establish a temperate zone in the region.
4. desalinate the ocean water in the estuary.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 4—Knowledge of Earth and the processes that affect it

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following is fueled by the release of latent heat as water vapor condenses over warm ocean water?

Choose an answer

1. a midlatitude cyclone
2. a tornado
3. a high-pressure system
4. a hurricane

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of space science

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The mass of a main-sequence star is proportional to its

Choose an answer

1. luminosity.
2. temperature.
3. diameter.
4. spectrum.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 5—Knowledge of space science

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following instruments is used to identify the composition of stars?

Choose an answer

1. gas chromatograph
2. spectroscope
3. reflecting telescope
4. microscope

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of processes of life

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Oxygen is required by organisms because it reacts with

Choose an answer

1. carbon dioxide to release energy.
2. carbon dioxide to store energy.
3. glucose to store energy.
4. glucose to release energy.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of processes of life

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Based on the following Punnett square, what percentage of offspring would be expected to have a heterozygous genotype?

A Punnett square with two columns and two rows. The first column is labeled capital R. The second column is labeled lower case R. The first row is labeled capital R. The second row is labeled lower case R. The upper left box contains capital R, capital R. The upper right box contains capital R, lower case R. The lower left box contains capital R, lower case R. The lower right box contains lower case R, lower case R.

Choose an answer

1. 25% percent
2. 50% percent
3. 75% percent
4. 100% percent

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of processes of life

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

RNA is produced from DNA in the process of

Choose an answer

1. transcription.
2. translation.
3. replication.
4. synthesis.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of processes of life

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which system regulates body activities by producing chemical messengers in glands?

Choose an answer

1. nervous
2. immune
3. excretory
4. endocrine

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 6—Knowledge of processes of life

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The Galapagos Islands provided Charles Darwin with the opportunity to observe various environments within close proximity. He noticed that the tortoises on each island varied in neck length and shell type. Hood Island, where the vegetation is sparse, had tortoises with long necks and shells that were curved around the legs and neck, allowing for greater mobility. On Isabela Island, where the vegetation is abundant and closer to the ground, the tortoises had shorter necks and dome-shaped shells. Evolution by natural selection in this scenario has occurred because of

Choose an answer

1. inheritance of acquired traits.
2. geographic isolation.
3. geological change.
4. climate stability.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of the effects of physical and biological factors on the environment

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following biogeochemical cycles depends on a symbiotic relationship between two species?

Choose an answer

1. water
2. phosphorus
3. carbon
4. nitrogen

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of the effects of physical and biological factors on the environment

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Which of the following is a renewable source of energy?

Choose an answer

1. propane
2. coal
3. biomass
4. oil

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of the effects of physical and biological factors on the environment

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Viceroy, king, and monarch butterflies have similar appearances. Although only the monarch is poisonous, most birds avoid all three species. Which type of adaptation is exemplified by the butterflies in this situation?

Choose an answer

1. mimicry
2. camouflage
3. competition
4. avoidance

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 7—Knowledge of the effects of physical and biological factors on the environment

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A snake feeds on a mouse that has eaten seeds. What trophic level does the mouse represent in this situation?

Choose an answer

1. primary producer
2. secondary producer
3. primary consumer
4. secondary consumer

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 8—Knowledge of the science learning environment

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A student brings to school a lizard that was found on the school bus. Which of the following is the greatest student safety concern?

Choose an answer

1. allergic reaction
2. rabies
3. poisonous bites
4. salmonella

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: D.

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Competency 8—Knowledge of the science learning environment

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

The information about toxic chemicals and hazards that schools must make available to teachers can be found in

Choose an answer

1. material safety data sheets.
2. Occupational Safety and Health Administration codes.
3. National Institutes of Health guidelines.
4. fire safety codes.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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Competency 8—Knowledge of the science learning environment

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A group of students has been studying eclipses. Which of the following would be the most effective way to assess the students' understanding of the interrelations of the eclipses and the relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun?

Choose an answer

1. concept map
2. Venn diagram
3. demonstration model
4. expository essay

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 9—Knowledge of process skills and application of scientific inquiry

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

A company that wanted to determine the effectiveness of its antiseptic gargle had 100 people examined by a doctor. Then, for one year, each person was checked once a month for an inflamed throat. At the end of the year, the total number of inflamed throats was tallied. For the next year, the same 100 people gargled each day with the company's antiseptic gargle. Each was checked monthly. The total number of inflamed throats at the end of the second year was 21% fewer than the number at the end of the first year. What is the major flaw in the design of this study?

Choose an answer

1. The sample size was too large.
2. There was no control group.
3. The two-year time period of the study was too short.
4. There should have been additional brands of gargle included.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: B.

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Competency 9—Knowledge of process skills and application of scientific inquiry

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Although scientific knowledge is durable and robust, it is also

Choose an answer

1. highly subjective.
2. recognized as static.
3. open to change.
4. associated with philosophy.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: C.

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Competency 9—Knowledge of process skills and application of scientific inquiry

DIRECTIONS: Read the question and select the best response.

Students in a beginning chemistry class frequently use computer simulations to work with volatile substances. What is the best reason for using these simulations?

Choose an answer

1. Models of dangerous activities are safer.
2. Exercises are completed more quickly.
3. Students get better, more reliable results.
4. Virtual labs provide hands-on experience.

AnswerEnter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded

Correct Response: A.

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