PSSA Questions

6th Grade

Water Cycle

Which statement correctly describes a water cycle process?

A. Evaporation can occur when the water gains energy from the Sun and changes into water vapor.

B. Condensation can occur when liquid water molecules in clouds lose energy and fall to Earth.

C. Transpiration can occur when atmospheric water vapor gains energy and moves higher in the atmosphere.

D. Precipitation can occur when atmospheric water vapor loses energy and forms liquid water droplets.

Science Tools

What does a thermometer measure?A. TemperatureB. TimeC. MassD. Volume

Science Tools

Which instrument enabled scientists to confirm that the moon has craters?A. MicroscopeB. TelescopeC. BarometerD. Binoculars

Scientific Principles

Which statement is an opinion and not a scientific theory?A. Humans should not pollute the air to get energy.B. Flowers will attract bees to a garden.C. Some foods contain fiber.D. Grass is a plant.

Scientific Inquiry

A scientist wonders if some colors of paint fade more quickly than others. What would be the best way to find out?A. Observe different colors of paint on buildings to see which have faded.B. Paint wooden squares different colors and observe them over time.C. Ask a group of people with different colored houses if their paint has faded.D. Mix different colors of paint together and see which color is the strongest.

Earth’s Atmosphere

What danger is posed to humans by the ozone layer?A. The climate will get warmer.B. Exposure to radiation will increase.C. Wildlife will increase in lakes and reservoirs.D. Sea levels will fall.

Water Cycle

Which process in the water cycle is caused by heating?A. CondensationB. EvaporationC. PrecipitationD. Transpiration

Watershed

Which water system would probably not be used as a source of drinking water?A. WatershedB. River systemC. Ocean systemD. Wetland system

Planetary Orbit

The force that causes Earth to orbit the Sun is due to:A. MagnetismB. GravityC. Solar windD. Gamma radiation

Systems

Which of these is an example of a closed-loop system?A. The flow of energy from a power plant to your home.B. A food web.C. An electrical circuit with an open switch.D. Carbon material in the Carbon cycle.

Earth’s Surface

Which activity changes Earth’s surface in the shortest amount of time?A. A river creates a valley through erosion.B. A mountain is created through tectonic forces.C. Wind forces shape a column of desert rock.D. A volcanic eruption turns a mountain into a level plain.

Earth’s Surface

Most of the energy that is used on the Earth, or causes change, comes from:A. WaterB. Tectonic activityC. The SunD. Nuclear fission

Fossils

A group of scientists excavates an area in southern Pennsylvania. About 10 meters down, they discover fossils of ancient marine mammals. What can the scientists conclude from this finding?A. This area of Pennsylvania was hit by a large tidal wave at one point.B. Undersea terrain has moved beneath the crust from the ocean to Pennsylvania.C. Ancient marine mammals had the ability to move about on land from the oceans to Pennsylvania.D. Parts of Pennsylvania were once underwater.

Solar System

What is the difference between a moon and a planet?A. A moon does not have a rotation, a planet does.B. A moon does not directly orbit the Sun, a planet does.C. A planet is large, a moon is small.D. A planet is made of gas, a moon is made of rock.

Scientific Method

Which of the following can result after a hypothesis has been tested many times, producing the same result?A. A variableB. A theoryC. A controlD. A graph

Scientific Method

A food worker hypothesizes that the colder the refrigerator is, the longer milk and other perishable foods will last without spoiling. If she were to set up an experiment with multiple refrigerators, which variable would she change between them?A. TemperatureB. TimeC. ContentsD. Size

Scientific Method

Beth uses 2 brands of window cleaner, Method and Windex, to clean her living room window. She divides the window into sections and counts the number of strokes it takes to clean each section with each cleaner. Method took 10 strokes. Windex took 15 strokes. Which question was Beth most likely testing?A. Which window cleaner cleans fastest?B. Which window cleaner leaves the fewest smudges?C. How do window cleaner ingredients compare?D. Which window cleaner smells better?

Rock Cycle

Which statement about the rock cycle is true?A. The rock cycle is an open-loop system.B. The rock cycles loses sedimentary material through weathering.C. The rock cycle is continuously recycling.D. The rock cycle creates sediments through heat and pressure.

Solar System

Explain what causes the phases of the Moon.

Rock Cycle

What kind of information does a diagram of a rock cycle show?A. Where certain types of rocks are foundB. A comparison of the hardness of different types of rocksC. When the rocks were first discoveredD. How different rocks are formed

Earth’s Movement

What kind of information do scientists obtain from a tectonic plate map?A. The size and motion of the Earth’s oceansB. The location of earthquakes and volcanic activityC. The weather activity of regionsD. The boundaries of different ecosystems

Scientific Method

During the experiment, MaryBeth observed that water droplets formed on the plastic wrap that she had wrapped around a glass of water. Where did the water droplets come from?A. The cup was leakingB. The plastic wrapC. The water insideD. A reaction between sunlight and the plastic wrap

Resources

A renewable natural resource used by people is:A. Crude oilB. Natural gasC. WoodD. Coal

Minerals

Describe the transformation process involved in making a gold ring.

Rock On

Various mining techniques are used to mine different materials. Surface mining, aka strip mining, is used when the desired materials are close to the surface. Which is the least significant impact resulting from strip mining?A. ErosionB. Pollution of nearby streams and riversC. Habitat destructionD. Air pollution

Environment Conservation

Suggest ways to minimize the environmental impact of a new housing development.

Water Cycle

Which statement is the most complete description of the Earth’s water cycle?A. The water cycle has no beginning and no end.B. The water moves among the oceans, atmosphere, and land masses in a continuous manner.C. Energy from the Sun causes the evaporation of water from Earth’s oceans.D. Condensation and precipitation are part of a never-ending cycle.

Weather

Which of the following best describes the most frequent directional movement of weather patterns in the US?A. West to EastB. East to WestC. North to SouthD. South to North

Weather

Julie, an 8th grader from Lancaster, is studying clouds. Julie has determined that certain weather patterns are often associated with cirrus clouds. Cirrus clouds are:A. High, wispy ice clouds that are often seen in high skies and good weather.B. A flat layer of low clouds, associated with light rain or flurries.C. Fluffy, lower clouds that grow during sunny days indicating fair weather.D. Giant thunderclouds that tower to high altitudes indicating heavy rain and storms.

Weather

In what direction do winds known as the Westerlies blow?A. From West to EastB. From East to WestC. From North to EastD. From East to South

Solar System

Which shape best describes the Earth’s orbit in the solar system?A. A straight lineB. A rectangleC. A circleD. An ellipse

Solar System

When the moon is becoming more and more visible each night, it is said to be:A. WaxingB. EclipsingC. WaningD. Orbiting

Scientific Method

List, in order, the basic steps of the scientific method that one would use to conduct an experiment in science class.

Solar System

Which force holds the objects of the solar system together?A. Animal magnetismB. HeatC. FrictionD. Gravity

Scientific Instruments

A graduated cylinder can be used to find:A. ShapeB. MassC. VolumeD. Weight

Scientific Measurement

Mass is measured in what SI unit?A. GramsB. PoundsC. CentimetersD. Kilometers