EARTH SCIENCE FCAT PRACTICE 1) Earth in Space and Time: SC.5.E.5.1: Marc notices that when he looks at the stars at night, some appear to be brighter than others. Which three factors affect how bright a star appears to an observer on Earth? A. the star's color, size, and distance from Earth B. the star's energy, size, and temperature C. the star's size, temperature, and distance from Earth D. the star's movement, distance from Earth, and gravity 2) Which of the following is true of the Sun? A. The Sun is the closest star to Earth. B. The Sun is the largest star in the Milky Way. C. The Sun is the largest planet in our Solar System. D. The Sun is an example of a galaxy that gives off light energy. 3) Which of the following consists of gas, dust, and many stars? A. the Earth's atmosphere B. a galaxy C. a solar system D. the Sun 4) Brandon has learned that many stars are actually larger than the Sun. If this is true, why do these stars appear like points of light in the sky? A. These stars are hotter than the Sun. B. These stars have less mass than the Sun. C. These stars are farther away from Earth than the Sun is. D. These stars are made of different chemicals than the Sun.
5) Latoya is studying the stars and she learns that Barnard's star is the third closest star to Earth, although it cannot be seen without a telescope. She also knows that the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, is much farther away but can be seen by the naked eye. Which of the following explains why Sirius can be seen without a telescope? A. Barnard's star is much larger and hotter than Sirius. B. Sirius is much larger and hotter than Barnard's star. C. All stars are the same size, so Sirius must be hotter than Barnard's star. D. All stars are the same temperature, so Sirius must be larger than Barnard's star. 6) Which of the following is true regarding stars? A. All stars are the same size. B. All stars are the same distance from Earth. C. All stars emit energy and some of it is in the form of light. D. All stars can be seen without a telescope on a clear night. 7) Marcus has learned that the Sun is a star, but not the largest star in our galaxy. Which answer best explains why Earth receives more energy from the Sun than from any other star? A. The Sun is the closest star. B. The Sun is a very young star. C. The Sun is the hottest star in the galaxy. D. The Sun gives off more energy than any other star.
8) Which of the following best describes what makes up a galaxy? A. gas, dust, and many stars B. a star and planets orbiting the star C. one planet and a moon orbiting the planet D. a group of several stars that make a shape in the sky 9) All stars in the sky, except the Sun, appear to be points of light. Which best explains why these stars appear to be so small? A. These stars are cooler than the Sun. B. These stars are smaller than the Sun. C. These stars are farther away than the Sun. D. These stars are made of different chemicals than the Sun. 10) Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Which statement about Sirius is true? A. Sirius must be the closest star to Earth. B. Sirius must be the hottest star in the sky. C. Sirius must be larger and have more energy than any other star in the galaxy. D. Sirius must be very hot, very large, and close to Earth, compared to other stars.
Earth in Space and Time: SC.5.E.5.3: 1) There are lots of objects in our solar system, but only eight of them are planets. What do all planets have in common? A. They are all made of rock or ice. B. They all have rings or moons as satellites. C. They are all nearly round and orbit the Sun. D. They all rotate on an axis and orbit the Earth. 2) Which answer describes how the inner planets are similar to each other? A. They are all the same size. B. They all have solid surfaces. C. They all have at least one moon. D. They all have a thick atmosphere. 3) Which of the inner planets listed below is closest to the Sun? A. Earth B. Mars C. Mercury D. Venus
4) Tom and his friends were talking about what it would be like if they could go live on Mars someday. Mandy said it would be much colder there than on Earth and it would hardly ever get above freezing even in summer. Jose said there would be time periods on Mars like there are on Earth. What else might they experience if they ever went to live on Mars? A. A year on Mars would last almost as long as two Earth years. B. Water would run in the canals on Mars on the warmest days. C. They would see four big moons and several smaller ones at night on Mars. D. They could breathe the air since Mars and Earth have similar atmospheres. 5) When comets come close to the Sun they develop a tail that glows so we can see it from Earth. Asteroids do not develop tails like this. In what other way are asteroids different from comets? A. Asteroids orbit planets while comets orbit the Sun. B. Asteroids are rocky while comets are balls of ice and dust. C. Asteroids orbit outside of the Solar System while comets do not. D. Asteroids are smooth and round while comets are lumpy shapes. 6) Ann and Cheryl are trying to write a general description of a planet that could apply to any planet in our Solar System. So far, their list looks like this: 1. orbits the Sun 2. is nearly round What else can they add to their list? A. spins on its axis B. has at least one moon C. has water on its surface D. is always the same distance from the Sun
7) Demarcus wants his friend, Alvin, to guess which planet he is describing. He tells Alvin that the planet is rocky and doesn't have any moons. What other clue would let Alvin be certain which planet Demarcus is describing? A. It has rings around it. B. It is very hot in daytime. C. It has a thick atmosphere. D. It has liquid water on its surface. 8) Of the outer planets, which one is closest to the Sun? A. Jupiter B. Neptune C. Saturn D. Venus 9) Which of the following describes one way that Mars and Earth are different? A. Mars has a moon but Earth does not. B. Earth has an atmosphere but Mars does not. C. Earth is an inner planet and Mars is an outer planet. D. A year on Earth is about half as long as a year on Mars. 10) Comets and asteroids both crash into planets or their moons sometimes. In what other way are comets and asteroids similar? A. They both have a smooth, round shape. B. They are both found in orbit around the Sun. C. They both develop glowing tails near the Sun. D. They are both made of ice and rock particles.
Earth Systems and Patterns: SC.5.E.7.1: 1) If Walter puts a bucket of water out in the Sun on a hot, windy day, what will happen to the water level in the bucket? A. The water level will go down as the water evaporates from the bucket. B. The water level will rise as water condenses from the air above the bucket. C. The water level will stay the same since the water is protected from the wind. D. The water level will only go down if the wind makes water splash out of the bucket. 2) Bernie put some ice in a cup and poured some cold tea over the ice. He set the filled cup on the kitchen table. In a few minutes he noticed that there were drops of water all over the outside of the cup. Where did the drops of water most likely come from? A. They evaporated out of the air above the cold liquid. B. They condensed out of the air surrounding the cold cup. C. They dripped off the ice cubes as he put them into the cup. D. They came off his hands after holding the melting ice cubes. 3) Which of the following must happen to water in order for it to evaporate off the surface of lakes and oceans during the water cycle? A. The water must be in motion to start the process of evaporation. B. The Sun must warm the water enough so that some water molecules turn to gas. C. The movement of the wind must be strong enough to pull small water drops into the air. D. The water temperature must decrease enough to cause some water molecules to turn to gas.
4) Water runs down creeks and rivers until it flows into the ocean. At what stage in the water cycle does the water return to the creeks and rivers? A. condensation B. evaporation C. precipitation D. vapor formation 5) Which answer best explains why clouds usually form high in the sky? A. It is cold enough there for the water vapor to begin condensing. B. It is warm enough there for evaporated water to expand into clouds. C. It is dry enough there for precipitation to form from condensed water vapor. D. It is windy enough there for water droplets to get pushed together into clouds. 6) Padma took a bottle of water with her when she went to play soccer. She wanted to make sure none of it evaporated from the bottle while she was playing. What should she do to keep the water from evaporating? A. Screw the top on loosely and set it in the Sun. B. Put the top on tightly and leave it in the shade. C. Leave the top off the bottle and set it in the Sun. D. Screw the top on loosely and keep it in the shade. 7) On a cold day in winter, Jasmine breathed on the cold car window. The window fogged up enough so that she could write her name on the glass with her finger. Why did the fog form on the window? A. Her warm breath caused precipitation when it hit the cold air. B. The moisture in her breath condensed when it hit the cold glass. C. The warmth of her breath melted the clear layer of ice on the window. D. Her breath contained moisture droplets that evaporated against the window.
8) During which part of the water cycle is water a gas? A. after it condenses B. when it evaporates C. as it becomes precipitation D. once it changes temperature 9) Hurricanes generally produce a great deal of precipitation. Where do these storms collect the moisture needed to produce so much precipitation? A. from water evaporating quickly off the warm ocean surface B. from the energy of ocean currents moving water into the air C. from cold ocean water meeting warm land and producing clouds D. from rain condensing as the hurricane passes over high mountains 10) Which of the following best describes what clouds are made of? A. fog that has risen from the ground B. large amounts of water that has evaporated C. water vapor that has condensed into droplets D. rain or snow that has been pushed together by wind
Earth Systems and Patterns: SC.5.E.7.3: 1) Which answer correctly explains the difference between sleet and hail? A. Sleet is usually part of a thunderstorm, and hail comes from thin layers of rain clouds. B. Sleet is smaller than hail and usually falls in the winter, while hail usually falls in the summer. C. Sleet and hail are the same except that sleet usually falls in summer and hail usually falls in winter. D. Sleet is snow that forms as it falls through cold air, and hail is rain that freezes when it hits the ground. 2) As the weather gets colder, the air pressure usually goes up. Why does this happen? A. As the temperature drops, the air takes up more space and presses down harder on the ground. B. Colder weather makes the air denser, and the increased weight of the air means that there is more air pressure. C. Cold weather causes Earth to cool, and the heat that leaves Earth pushes against the air and increases pressure. D. When the weather is colder, the clouds weigh more as ice begins to form. The heavier clouds increase the air pressure. 3) Deserts in the temperate zones can be extremely hot in the afternoon and below freezing at night. Which answer best explains why this happens? A. Temperate deserts are found at high elevations, where the Sun and the wind are much stronger. This creates more extreme temperature changes. B. Temperate deserts lack trees and grass. With no trees, the Sun shines directly down and causes it to get hot in the day, and with no grass, the heat escapes at night. C. Temperate deserts have very little cloud cover and no humidity. This means that more energy from the Sun reaches the desert in the day, but that heat can escape quickly at night. D. Temperate deserts have higher rainfall than other kinds of deserts. Warm rain during the day produces warm breezes in the desert. Cooler rains at night draw warm air away from the desert.
4) Which answer choice correctly lists environments from most dry to least dry? A. desert, tundra, grassland, rainforest B. grassland, rainforest, desert, tundra C. tundra, rainforest, grassland, desert D. rainforest, grassland, tundra, desert 5) Many rainforests are found in the tropics, but only a few are found in cooler temperate zones. What makes a forest a rainforest? A. They always contain very large rivers or lakes. B. They produce more oxygen than normal forests. C. They have a canopy of trees and a great deal of precipitation. D. They have a large variety of animals that are not found elsewhere. 6) If you examine a piece of hail, it might have visible layers like an onion. Which answer best explains why this is true? A. As hail falls, it picks up layers of dust and dirt from the air. B. Hail forms layers because it melts as it falls toward the Earth. C. Air pressure increases while the hail falls and it causes ice layers to form. D. Hail builds up ice layers as it travels through updrafts in a storm before it falls. 7) The Sun shining on the surface of a lake can heat up the air just above the water. What happens if this air gets warmer than the air above it? A. The amount of waves on the surface of the lake will increase. B. The warm air will evaporate and condense into rain above the lake. C. The movement of air will decrease above the lake as the warm air rises. D. The warmer air will rise and increase the movement of air across the lake.
8) Which climate zone experiences the greatest variety of weather with the seasons of the year? A. polar B. tundra C. temperate D. tropical 9) Which answer choice lists the weather conditions that would most likely result in snow? A. warm temperature, light winds, low humidity B. low humidity, freezing temperature, light clouds C. freezing temperature, light clouds, heavy winds D. freezing temperature, heavy clouds, high humidity 10) Which type of cloud is associated with thunderstorms? A. cirrus B. cumulonimbus C. cumulus D. stratus