Grade 3 Science SOL Practice Test — Set 5 of 6
Set 5 of 6 — 50 more free Grade 3 Science SOL practice questions from official VDOE released tests.
1. A paper bag is ripped into pieces. Which of these BEST describes the pieces of the bag?
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Answer: C — Smaller than the whole bag
2. Four students measured the distance a ball was kicked. The distances were 49 meters, 65 meters, 48 meters, and 50 meters. Which student measured a distance that was much greater than the others?
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Answer: G — Student 2
3. An old T-shirt is used as rags, and an empty milk jug is used to water plants. These are examples of how —
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Answer: D — everyday materials can be reused
4. Which causes the GREATEST change in a grassy field over time?
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Answer: B — Amount of yearly rainfall
5. A lawn mower tire and a tractor tire are compared. The tractor tire is larger and has deeper treads. Compared to the lawn mower tire, the tractor tire is —
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Answer: D — rougher
6. A plant is placed under a table, watered weekly, and stops growing. The plant MOST likely needs —
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Answer: A — more light
7. The pictures show the same tree at different times of the year. One picture shows a tree with no leaves and bare branches. Other pictures show the tree with green leaves or flowers. Which picture was taken during the winter?
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Answer: A — The picture showing the tree with bare branches and no leaves
8. Which of these body parts is used mainly for the sense of touch?
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Answer: D — Skin
9. An animal is shown with a hard outer covering surrounding its body. What protects this animal from predators?
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Answer: A — A large shell
10. A map shows the four directions labeled North, South, East, and West. Which option correctly points toward the North Pole (the direction labeled North)?
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Answer: D — The arrow pointing north
11. Which of these probably causes the most air pollution?
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Answer: B — Cars
12. A heavy box is inside a truck and needs to be moved down to the ground. Which simple machine would be best to use to move the box out of the truck?
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Answer: D — An inclined plane
13. Some children are making mud balls. They cut the mud balls in half. Which of these changed when the mud balls were cut in half?
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Answer: B — The size of the mud ball
14. Beetle → Cat → Goat → Horse These animals are in order from —
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Answer: B — smallest to largest
15. One reason people build tall buildings in cities is that there is too little —
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Answer: A — land
16. Plucking the string on a guitar creates what kind of motion in the string?
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Answer: C — Vibrating
17. Bethany saw a jawbone while walking in the woods. The jawbone had flat teeth used for grinding plants. She could tell by the teeth that this animal was —
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Answer: A — a herbivore
18. A student saw a bird leave a nest. What does the student need to do to find out if the bird really lives in the nest?
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Answer: C — Watch the bird many times
19. What part of an apple tree becomes the fruit?
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Answer: D — The flower
20. Some students were watching the movement of a shadow. A diagram shows four labeled positions: W, X, Y, and Z. The shadow is shown extending away from the object toward the east. Where is the sun?
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Answer: A — West
21. Humus, silt, clay, and sand are all parts of —
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Answer: A — soil
22. Which of these is attracted to a magnet?
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Answer: A — An iron nail
23. Which of these carries away the most soil?
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Answer: B — Floods
24. Which of these is a decomposer?
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Answer: B — Mushroom
25. Which of these best shows a change in a state of matter?
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Answer: A — Milk freezing into ice
26. Which of these is most likely to cause floods?
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Answer: D — Heavy rain
27. Which of these best shows circular motion?
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Answer: C — A dog chasing its tail
28. The animals in box B are different from the animals in box A because the animals in box B have —
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Answer: D — long beaks
29. People learn many things, but they do some things by instinct. Which of these is instinctive behavior?
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Answer: A — Swallowing food
30. A picture shows several ring magnets placed on a pencil. When pushed together, the magnets move apart as soon as they are released. The magnets stay apart because —
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Answer: C — the same poles of the magnets are facing each other
31. A chart shows the growth of two plants, an azalea and a wildflower, over four weeks. The wildflower increases in height each week, with the greatest increase occurring from Week 3 to Week 4. Which week did the wildflower grow the most?
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Answer: D — Week 4
32. The spotted turtle lives in fresh water and eats insects, tadpoles, dead fish, and aquatic plants. Which best describes the spotted turtle?
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Answer: C — An omnivore
33. Two basketballs are shown: one filled with air and one without air. The basketball with air is larger and heavier. This best shows that air has —
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Answer: A — mass
34. Which of these will probably cause the most changes in a pond habitat?
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Answer: D — Many years with little rain
35. A student could tell that an apple pie was baking by smelling it. Which sense did the student use?
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Answer: C — Sense of smell
36. A basket is being lifted using a rope that runs over a wheel attached above the basket. The basket is being lifted by —
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Answer: A — a pulley
37. A graduated cylinder shows salt water at the 44 mL mark. What is the volume of salt water in the cylinder?
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Answer: C — 44 mL
38. A class studies weather in their community. Which of these should be recorded in their weather charts?
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Answer: C — The amount of rainfall
39. Which of these will cause an animal to hibernate?
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Answer: C — Cold weather
40. Which of these is an observation for the kittens?
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Answer: B — Kitten A has longer fur than kitten B.
41. Recycling and reusing are very important ways to help people —
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Answer: A — save natural resources
42. Warmer temperatures and more sunlight in spring cause plants to —
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Answer: A — make buds and new leaves
43. What type of motion is needed for the blades on this fan to blow air?
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Answer: D — Circular
44. Which of these must an apple tree have in order to grow?
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Answer: J — Water
45. What unit is used to measure the weight of the bananas?
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Answer: H — Pounds
46. Which of these natural resources comes from plants?
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Answer: B — Wood
47. All materials are made of —
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Answer: H — smaller parts that cannot be seen
48. The energy used in MOST cars comes from —
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Answer: C — oil
49. A glass jar broke into pieces when it fell on the floor. What is now different about the glass?
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Answer: J — The shape of the glass
50. Which of these will dissolve in water?
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Answer: D — sugar
Grade 3 Science SOL practice test — FAQ
Are these Grade 3 Science SOL practice questions free?
Yes — this Grade 3 Science SOL practice test is completely free with no signup. Answer each question to check it instantly, or open "Show answer" to review.
How many Grade 3 Science SOL practice questions are there?
Across all sets, there are 267 Grade 3 Science practice questions drawn from official Virginia Department of Education released SOL tests. This set has 50.
Are these real Virginia SOL questions?
The questions are adapted from official VDOE released SOL tests for Grade 3 Science. SOL Prep is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Virginia Department of Education.
Practice items adapted from Virginia Department of Education released SOL tests. Practice items are provided for study purposes and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Virginia Department of Education.