Grade 1 Science: 10 Free Practice Questions

Answer: Ears
People use their ears to hear and sense sound. Sound travels through the air. When it reaches your ears, the ears help you hear the sound. Eyes are for seeing, the nose is for smelling, and hands are for touching. Students may choose eyes because we often look at what makes a sound, but eyes are used for seeing, not hearing.

Answer: The sound stops too
Sound stops when the shaking, or vibration, stops. Sound is made by shaking, or vibration. When the rubber band shakes, it makes sound. Once the rubber band stops shaking, there is no more vibration, so the sound stops. Sound does not turn into light or last forever. Students may think the sound keeps going, not connecting that sound needs vibration to continue.

Answer: The cup in the bright sunlight
Sunlight warms the water, so the sunny cup is warmer. The sun gives off warmth. The cup sitting in bright sunlight receives that warmth and heats up, while the shaded cup is blocked from direct sun and stays cooler. Students may say both stay the same, but sunlight adds warmth, making the sunny cup noticeably warmer.

Answer: Light
We need light to see objects. When a room is dark, there is no light, so our eyes cannot see. When light shines, it bounces off objects into our eyes and we can see them. Wind, water, and cold do not help us see. Students may choose water, but water does not help our eyes see objects in the dark.

Answer: There is no light to see them
We need light to see objects. Our eyes need light bouncing off objects in order to see them. In a completely dark room there is no light, so the objects are still there but cannot be seen. Students may think the objects disappear, but they are still in the room; there is simply no light to see them.

Answer: A flashlight
A flashlight makes its own light. Some things make their own light, like the sun and a flashlight. A mirror, window, and spoon only bounce light; they cannot make light by themselves. Students may pick a mirror because it looks bright, but a mirror only reflects light and does not make it.

Answer: Fall
Fall is the season when leaves drop and the weather turns cooler. In fall, the weather gets cooler and many trees drop their leaves. Summer is warm, spring is when new leaves grow, and night is a time of day, not a season. Students may choose spring, confusing when leaves grow with when they fall.

Answer: The Sun
The Sun gives off its own light. A light source makes its own light. The Sun makes and gives off light. A mirror, a rock, and a spoon do not make light; they can only reflect light that comes from somewhere else. Students often pick the mirror because it looks bright, but a mirror only bounces back light and does not make its own.

Answer: During the day
We usually see the Sun in the sky during the day. The Sun gives us light during the daytime and makes the sky bright. At night the Sun is not seen, and we may see the Moon and stars instead. Students may confuse the Sun with the Moon; the Moon is often seen at night, but the Sun is seen during the day.

Answer: The books keep sliding down and falling
The problem is that the books slide down and fall off the slanted table. Engineers first name the problem. Here, the table slants, so books slide and fall. That is the real problem to solve. She could add a ledge or flatten the table. Students may pick a detail that is not the problem, like the color of the books, instead of the reason the books fall.