Grade 2 Science: 10 Free Practice Questions

Answer: Water vapor in the air cools and condenses on the glass
Water droplets form when water vapor in the air cools on the cold glass and condenses into liquid water. The cold glass cools the air touching it. As warm, humid air near the glass loses heat, the water vapor changes back into tiny liquid droplets on the outside surface. This is called condensation. Students often think the liquid drips from inside the glass through the material, rather than recognizing it condenses from water vapor already present in the surrounding air.

Answer: Push
A push moves an object away from the person applying the force. A push moves an object away, while a pull moves an object closer. Since the question asks about moving something away, the correct word is 'push.' Students often mix up push and pull, especially since both are forces that can move objects.

Answer: The batteries ran out of stored energy
Flashlights stop working when their batteries run out of stored chemical energy. Batteries store chemical energy that changes into electrical energy to light the bulb. Over time, this stored energy is used up, so the flashlight stops working. Students may think the bulb or case is the cause, overlooking that batteries are the source of stored energy that powers the flashlight.

Answer: How living things in a forest depend on and support each other
The passage is mostly about how living things in a forest depend on and support one another. The topic sentence directly states the idea: every living thing depends on others to survive. The next three sentences each give a different example of this dependence (trees and oxygen, animals and seeds, insects and soil nutrients), and the final sentence restates the theme. Choice A is the only option broad enough to summarize all the examples together. Students may select one supporting example, such as insects breaking down leaves, and treat it as the main idea instead of recognizing it as just one of several details supporting the larger theme of interdependence.

Answer: A cup of hot cocoa
Hot cocoa is served warm to hot, unlike the other cold examples. Snowmen, ice pops, and winter breezes are all associated with cold temperatures, while hot cocoa is typically served heated, making it the example of something hot. Students may confuse the setting (winter) with the temperature of a specific object, choosing a cold-weather item instead of the actual hot item.

Answer: A wind turbine
A wind turbine uses wind energy to generate electricity. Wind turns the blades of a wind turbine, which changes wind energy (motion) into electrical energy. Students may select a flashlight, confusing devices that produce light with those that harness wind.

Answer: Reversible change
This is a reversible change because melted chocolate can cool and become solid again.

Answer: Heat from the table melts the ice
Heat energy from the warm table causes the solid ice to melt into liquid water. Heat always moves from a warmer object to a cooler one. The warm table transfers heat to the cold ice, raising its temperature until it changes from a solid to a liquid. Students may think the ice changes on its own without realizing heat transfer from the surrounding table is the cause.

Answer: Living things grow and need food, while nonliving things do not
Living things need food, water, and air to grow and survive, while nonliving things like rocks and water do not need these things. Compare characteristics: living things reproduce, grow, and respond to their environment; nonliving things like soil or sunlight do not. Students may think anything that moves, like water or wind, is living.

Answer: A ringing bell
A ringing bell is an example of sound energy because it produces noise we can hear. When a bell rings, it vibrates quickly, and these vibrations travel through the air as sound waves, which we hear as ringing. Students might confuse sound energy with light energy, especially when comparing objects like a lightbulb.