The asteroid belt is made up of thousands of pieces of rock that orbit the sun. The picture shows that the asteroid belt is between the fourth and fifth planets from the sun. Which of these planets is closest to the asteroid belt?

A EarthB MarsC SaturnD Venus

The diagram shows part of the carbon cycle. Which of the following belongs in the oval with a question mark?

A Animals need carbon dioxide to live.

B Animals eat plants for energy.

C Animals exhale carbon dioxide.

D Animals use carbon to make food.

38 In a model of our solar system, a tennis ball is used to represent Earth. A marble would be a good representation of Mercury in this model because compared to Earth, Mercury is —

F brighterG lighterH smallerJ more solid

39 This model can be used to show how the moon moves around Earth. This model also shows all of the following EXCEPT —

A the amount of light Earth reflectsB the land areas of Earth and the moonC how the moon makes a revolutionD how Earth and the moon compare in size

37 The drawing shows a model of the Earth, moon, and sun system made from foam balls. What is one way to make this model more accurate?

A Use wooden blocks instead of foam ballsB Make the sun larger than the Earth and the moon smallerC Move the sun closer to the EarthD Change the order of the foam balls to be moon, sun, Earth

The weather map shows the passage of a cold front. According to the information on the maps, the cold front seems to be moving —

A from areas of higher temperaturesB from the west to the eastC away from the Gulf of MexicoD toward the Rocky Mountains

The diagram shows part of the water cycle. Which part of the diagram showsprecipitation?

A WB XC YD Z

Rocks in the stream that the students werestudying were smoother than rocks found in anearby stream. The smoother rocks were mostlikely found in a stream where, over a longperiod of time, the water —

A was deeper

B appeared cloudy

C was cold

D moved faster

Which is a possible condition for an area of the moon that receives no light?

A Fog

B Strong winds

C Thunderstorms

D Cold temperatures

This diagram shows layers of soil and rock from below a forest floor. Which of these conclusions is best supported by the information found in this diagram?

A A body of water once covered the area.

B The forest was made up of oak trees.

C Fish were the first animals in the area.

D The area was planted with trees one year ago.

1 In which of these ways can volcanoes help build up new land?

A By adding heat to Earth’s surfaceB By adding gases to the atmosphereC By adding lava to Earth’s surfaceD By adding water vapor to the atmosphere

2 The picture shows a kind of glacier that can be many meters thick. In this landscape, which of the following is most directly affected by this kind of glacier?

F The average height of plants on the mountainsideG The shape of clouds that form above the glacierH The average mass of trees near the lakeJ The shape of the valley between the mountains

3 Which of these best completes this chart?

F WaterG SoilH CoalJ Sand

Fossil FuelsAlternative

Energy Sources

Oil Wood

Natural Gas Wind

? Sun

4 Which of these is a renewable resource?

F TreeG CoalH OilJ Wind

5 Which planet has a year with a length closest to the length of a year on Earth?

A MercuryB VenusC MarsD Jupiter

Planets That Can Be Seen Without a Telescope

Planets MoonsAverage

Distance fromSun (km)

Lengthof Year

(Earth days)

Mercury 0 58,000,000 87

Venus 0 108,000,000 224

Earth 1 150,000,000 365

Mars 2 228,000,000 686

Jupiter 16 778,000,000 4,328

Saturn 18 1,427,000,000 10,775

6 Which two planets are closest to Earth?

A Mercury and SaturnB Mars and JupiterC Mercury and VenusD Venus and Mars

7 Which of these best represents Mars?

F QG RH SJ T

8 Sunspots appear to be darker than the rest of the sun’s surface because they are —

F partially hidden from viewG in the shadow of the sun’s coronaH cooler than the rest of the sun’s surfaceJ made of dark-colored minerals

9 Which of these would best model how the sun’s energy warms Earth?

F A pot of water boilingG A heat lamp keeping food hotH An oven baking breadJ A spoon getting hot when stirring soup

10 The surface of the sun is made of —

F gasesG solidsH liquidsJ energy

11 A student saw the constellation Scorpius in the southern part of the summer sky. In the winter Scorpius was not visible at all. What causes this constellation to disappear from the winter sky?

A The stars moving away from EarthB The solar winds covering the night skyC The revolution of Earth around the sunD The orbiting of the stars in the galaxy

12 About how long does it take Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis?

A One dayB One weekC One monthD One year

13 According to this information, what kind of weather is related to low air pressure?

F SunnyG FairH RainyJ Mild

DayAir Pressure

(mm of mercury)Weather

1 767 Fair; mild temperatures

2 767 Fair; mild temperatures

3 765 Cloudy; mild temperatures

4 756 Rainy; windy; cool temperatures

5 758 Rainy; cool temperatures

6 764 Fair; mild temperatures

7 765 Sunny; mild temperatures

14 Tides on the Texas coast usually occur twice —

A dailyB weeklyC monthlyD yearly

15 Three soil samples were tested to see how much water each could hold. The same amount of water was added to each funnel of soil. Very few

plants would probably grow in the clay because the water would —

A fail to reach the roots of the plantsB become too cloudyC run through the soil too quicklyD become poisonous to the plants

16 The pictures show a method used to collect data in an investigation. Different kinds of materials were mixed with 100 grams of garden soil. An equal amount of water was added to each mixture. Which of these was this investigation designed to answer?

A How well each material mixes with garden soilB How well each mixture holds waterC How well each material supports plantsD How well each mixture keeps its texture when wet

17 A student wants to find out which type of soil holds the most water. He uses four identical pots with holes in the bottom. He fills each pot with a different type of soil and waters the pots with the same amount of water. How can he find out how much water stays in the soil in each pot?

A By planting seeds and measuring plant growth in each potB By measuring the amount of water that drains from each potC By observing which soil looks wettest after the water has been added to the potsD By feeling the soil before and after adding water to each pot

18 Similar containers were filled with different types of soil. Holes were poked into the bottom of each container, and 300 milliliters of water were added. The water that dripped out was collected and

measured. According to the information in the table, which type of soil retained water best?

A Potting soilB Sandy soilC GravelD Clay

Types of Soil

Amount of Water

Collected(mL)

Potting soil 220

Sandy soil 250

Gravel 295

Clay 225

19 The energy that causes seawater to form water vapor comes from —

F the cloudsG underwater mountainsH chemical reactions in the seaJ the sun

20 In order for tomato plants to make their own food, their leaves must absorb —

A rainB sunlightC oxygenD minerals

21 Which of these supplies the energy that drives the water cycle?

F The sunG The planetsH The oceansJ The moon

22 The picture shows an ocean near a mountain range. When comparing location Q to location T, location T will usually have —

A brighter sunlightB stronger windsC more snowD less rain

23 Which of these best shows the relationship between Earth, the moon, and the sun?

A C

B D

24 Before a field trip to a cave, a science class studied this picture. Which two features of this cave system were most likely formed by the slow buildup of minerals from water drops?

F Pool of water and trenchG Pool of water and stalagmiteH Stalactite and trenchJ Stalagmite and stalactite

25 Which of these causes day and night on Earth?

A Earth orbiting the sunB The moon orbiting EarthC Earth rotating on its axisD The moon blocking sunlight

26 Plants take in carbon dioxide gas and use it to make sugars. Through this process they release oxygen, which animals need. Which of the following activities could decrease the amount of oxygen released into the air?

A Making sure trees are planted with every new house builtB Encouraging cities to plan for more parksC Paving more land for roads and parking lotsD Better controls for air and water pollution

27 Which gas in the air would increase if a large number of trees were cut down?

A Carbon dioxideB NitrogenC OxygenD Water vapor

28 Which experiment would best show how different methods of plowing fields on a hill affect erosion?

F H

G J

29 The rock column above shows the layers in a rock formation. The three diagrams above show the positions of fossils in different rock layers. According to this information, which fossil is the youngest?

F G H J

30 Fossil fuels formed over a long period of time because heat and pressure were applied to —

A carbon filtered through limestoneB organisms buried in the groundC bacteria on top of the mudD nitrogen mixed in the water

31 Most canyons are the result of erosion caused by —

A a riverB a volcanoC a hurricaneD an earthquake

32 The prairie is ideal for the growth of grasses because it has rich topsoil. All of these processes help form topsoil EXCEPT —

F decay of treesG weathering of rocksH erosion of hillsJ movement of oceans

33 Which of these can cause sharp, rough mountains to become rounded and smooth over time?

F Wind and rainG The sun’s raysH Light and darknessJ Earth’s magnetic field

34 A rock is taken from the surface of the moon and brought to Earth. What is different about this rock on Earth?

A Its massB Its shapeC Its lengthD Its weight

Grade 5

Objective 4

Answer Key

Grade 5 Objective 4 Answer Key

QuestionCorrect Answer

Objective Measured

Student Expectation Source - item number

1 C 4 3.6 B 2006 TAKS – 21

2 J 4 3.6 B 2006 TAKS – 30

3 H 4 3.11 A 2004 TAKS – 28

4 F 4 3.11 A 2006 TAKS – 12

5 B 4 3.11 C 2004 TAKS Info Booklet – 19

6 D 4 3.11 C 2003 TAKS – 13

7 H 4 3.11 C 2003 TAKS – 26

8 H 4 3.11 D 2003 TAKS – 22

9 G 4 3.11D 2003 TAKS – 30

10 F 4 3.11 D 2004 TAKS – 14

11 C 4 4.6 A 2002 TAKS Info Booklet – 11

12 A 4 4.6 A 2003 TAKS – 35

13 H 4 4.6 A 2004 TAKS – 10

14 A 4 4.6 A 2004 TAKS – 21

15 A 4 4.11 A 2002 TAKS Info Booklet – 12

16 B 4 4.11 A 2004 TAKS Info Booklet – 20

17 B 4 4.11 A 2003 TAKS – 3

Grade 5 Objective 4 Answer Key

QuestionCorrect Answer

Objective Measured

Student Expectation Source - item number

18 A 4 4.11 A 2004 TAKS – 27

19 J 4 4.11 C 2004 TAKS – 12

20 B 4 4.11 C 2004 TAKS – 19

21 F 4 4.11 C 2006 TAKS – 28

22 D 4 5.5 A 2004 TAKS Info Booklet – 18

23 D 4 5.5 A 2004 TAKS – 23

24 J 4 5.5 B 2006 TAKS – 22

25 C 4 5.6 A 2006 TAKS – 25

26 C 4 5.6 B 2004 TAKS Info Booklet – 10

27 A 4 5.6 B 2003 TAKS – 19

28 G 4 5.11 A 2003 TAKS – 24

29 J 4 5.11 B 2006 TAKS – 24

30 B 4 5.11 C 2006 TAKS – 23

31 A 4 5.12 A 2004 TAKS Info Booklet – 17

32 J 4 5.12 A 2003 TAKS – 12

33 F 4 5.12 A 2006 TAKS – 34

34 D 4 5.12 C 2004 TAKS – 29