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Practice Test 4 - 3rd Grade Science

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

  1. Read about the bridge strength test. Where could this bridge design fail?
  2. A bar magnet's south end picked up 88 paperclips, but the middle picked up 22; explain this difference.
  3. The claim is bison do well in grasslands, but forest squirrels cannot; use evidence to argue.
  4. Jamal observed his guinea pig, Cocoa, for 8 weeks. Weeks 1–3: balanced food; Weeks 4–6: mostly treats; Weeks 7–8: balanced food again. Observations: Week 3 fur = shiny and smooth; Week 6 fur = dull and rough; Week 8 fur = shiny again. Which conclusion is supported by the observations?
  5. A sorting game has mixed toy pieces, some metal and some plastic. What criteria should the magnetic solution meet?​
  6. Keisha found fish fossils in rocks where the land is a desert now. The fish fossils include fins and bones, and fish need water to live. What can scientists learn about the past environment from these fossils?
  7. In a field, meerkats live in burrows and one stands watch while others eat; which animals form groups to help members survive?
  8. A clean stream had fish, otters, and water insects. When a factory dumped chemicals, what effect did pollution have on organisms?
  9. Paperclips fell into a narrow crack. Which magnetic property makes this solution work?
  10. In tug-of-war, the rope moved toward Team A; what caused that?
  11. A large shark tooth fossil was found in rock miles inland. This fossil is evidence that the area once had what?
  12. A mountain stream was cold and had trout and cold-water insects. After the water warmed, what happened to the trout population?
  13. Bean plant: seed→sprout→plant→flowers→seeds; Butterfly: egg→caterpillar→chrysalis→adult. What is one difference?
  14. Jamal grew two plants from the same seeds. One plant got sunlight all day and had 9 leaves. The other got very little sunlight and had 3 leaves. What caused the trait difference between the two plants?
  15. A city opened 10 cooling centers to help during heat waves. In 2015 (before centers), 24 people died and 89 went to the hospital for heat illness. In 2018 (with centers open), 2,847 people used the centers; 3 people died and 47 went to the hospital, and the 3 deaths were people who did not use centers. Based on the evidence, what does the evidence reveal about how well cooling centers work?
  16. Sunflower: seed→sprout→plant→flower→seeds. Chicken: egg→chick→adult→eggs. What is one difference?
  17. A forest has invasive vines covering 5 acres. Evidence: 20 native trees died, bird nests dropped from 30 to 5, and native wildflowers are gone. Solutions: (A) Pull vines by hand—cost $0, needs 50 volunteer hours each month, effective over 2 years; (B) Spray herbicide—kills vines in 2 weeks, costs $3,000\$3{,}000, kills 30% nearby native plants and harms fish; (C) Cut vines and add mulch—cost $1,500\$1{,}500, takes 6 months, helps soil and is sustainable; (D) Do nothing—free, but vines spread 1 acre per year. Based on costs and effectiveness, which solution is best?
  18. Compare butterfly and frog life cycles. How are they similar?
  19. A clean stream had fish, otters, and water insects. When a factory dumped chemicals, what effect did pollution have on organisms?​
  20. The claim is saltwater fish and sea turtles survive in the 65°F ocean, but freshwater fish cannot; argue using evidence.

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