Grade 5 Science SOL Practice Test — Set 1 of 2
90 free Grade 5 Science Virginia SOL practice questions drawn from official Virginia Department of Education released tests. Pick an answer to check it instantly, or open “Show answer” to review. No signup required.
1. The Apollo 11 mission was able to retrieve samples of the Moon’s surface because it was the first mission to have astronauts —
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Answer: A — land on the Moon
2. When ice cream is left out of a freezer, the ice cream changes from a —
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Answer: H — solid to a liquid
3. Students want to learn which of two soils holds more water. They put clay in one bottle and sand in the other. Then they put equal amounts of water in the bottles. Some of the water drained into beakers. Which of these is the manipulated, independent variable?
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Answer: A — Type of soil
4. Students place a pencil in a glass of water. The pencil in the water looks broken because —
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Answer: C — light bends when it enters the water
5. Which of these best describes the Moon?
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Answer: B — Smaller than Earth
6. A student is hiking through a forest taking pictures for science class. Which picture would most likely be used as an example of human impact on Earth?
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Answer: F — A trail built by cutting down trees
7. Which structure surrounds and protects an animal cell?
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Answer: D — Cell membrane
8. What kind of energy do all moving objects have?
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Answer: H — Kinetic energy
9. The electrician is wearing rubber gloves for protection. The purpose of the rubber gloves is to —
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Answer: D — insulate the electrician
10. The top layers of soil are important because they —
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Answer: G — give plants nutrients
11. Food web description: Grass is eaten by a grasshopper. The grasshopper is eaten by a sparrow. The sparrow may be eaten by an eagle. Based on the food web, which of these is a producer?
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Answer: B — Grass
12. In winter, the arctic fox has white fur. In summer, its fur changes color to brown and gray. The change in fur color helps the arctic fox to —
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Answer: C — hide
13. A student makes a fruit drink by stirring a powdered mix into cold water. Why is the fruit drink a solution?
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Answer: F — The powder dissolves in the water.
14. Which unit is best to use for measuring the width of oak tree leaves?
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Answer: A — Centimeter
15. At which location are oceans the deepest?
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Answer: C — Ocean trench
16. Which of these is most likely harmful to an ecosystem?
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Answer: A — Building new homes in a wetland
17. Which of these describes rotation?
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Answer: D — Earth makes one turn on its axis every 24 hours.
18. When a tree is dormant, the tree is —
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Answer: B — inactive
19. Which type of storm causes the most flooding in areas located near an ocean coastline?
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Answer: G — Hurricane
20. Granite is a hard material and forms from cooling magma. Granite is a type of —
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Answer: B — igneous rock
21. A world map shows arrows moving across the oceans near Europe and Africa. The arrows indicate the movement and direction of large bodies of ocean water. What do the arrows on the map represent?
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Answer: H — Ocean currents
22. A student rolls a ball on the ground. Which of these causes the ball to slow down and then stop?
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Answer: C — Friction from the ground
23. Which of the following do plants need to make their own food?
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Answer: H — Sunlight
24. Which of these objects is translucent?
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Answer: J — A student’s sunglass lenses
25. The presence of an animal fossil in a rock gives evidence of —
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Answer: D — the time period the animal lived in
26. What tool is used to determine the mass of an object?
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Answer: A — Balance
27. Which part of a sunflower plant absorbs water and nutrients?
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Answer: F — Roots
28. Juan is doing an experiment to see how long it takes an acorn to grow into a 0.5-meter-tall oak tree. He must measure height and track time over months. Which two instruments should he choose?
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Answer: D — Centimeter ruler and calendar
29. An electric motor is designed to turn electrical energy into —
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Answer: D — mechanical energy
30. A group of students tested the effects of different amounts of water on ivy plant growth. Afterwards, they could not remember how much each plant grew per day. What should they have done to practice good science?
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Answer: C — Record daily information in a data table.
31. A table shows monthly rainfall amounts in Norfolk, Virginia, measured in inches for several months in a row. The recorded values range from about 11 inches to about 19 inches, showing a repeating pattern of higher and lower rainfall amounts over time. One month (May 2011) is missing from the table. Based on the pattern in the data, how much rainfall should a scientist have predicted for May of 2011 in Norfolk?
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Answer: D — 21–26 inches
32. Which of these best explains why the Sun is not visible during the night?
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Answer: D — That side of Earth faces away from the Sun.
33. A model shows two tectonic plates sliding horizontally past each other at a boundary, with neither plate moving up or down. What most likely happens as the plates slide past each other?
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Answer: B — An earthquake occurs.
34. Which of these is an impact made by humans?
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Answer: D — Limestone forming from shells of ocean animals
35. Lobster pots are used by fishermen to catch lobsters in shallow water. In which area of the ocean would commercial fishermen most likely place their lobster pots?
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Answer: A — On the bottom of an ocean trench
36. Which unit is best to use to measure the distance a runner covered in 30 seconds?
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Answer: D — kilometers
37. Which cell part is necessary for producing food during photosynthesis?
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Answer: C — Chloroplast
38. One way in which light waves are different from sound waves is that light waves —
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Answer: A — can move through empty space
39. A chart lists substances and classifies them as elements or compounds. Substances listed include carbon dioxide, silver, sugar, oxygen, and iron. One space in the chart is missing. Which material will correctly complete the chart?
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Answer: B — Salt, because it is made of two types of atoms
40. A student rubs a plastic comb with a piece of wool cloth and then places the comb near a thin stream of water. The water bends toward the comb. The water bends toward the comb because of —
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Answer: B — static electricity
41. Which plant part develops into a fruit?
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Answer: A — Flower
42. A student drops different objects from the same height and records the time it takes each object to reach the ground. The drop height remains the same for every trial. The constant in this investigation is the —
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Answer: B — distance to the ground
43. A food web includes plankton, razor clams, horseshoe crabs, sanderlings, loggerhead turtles, diamondback terrapins, striped bass, and grackles. Energy flows from food to consumer. Which of these represents a correct flow of energy?
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Answer: D — Razor clam → Horseshoe crab → Sanderling
44. When stirred together, which two substances form a solution?
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Answer: D — Sugar and water
45. Several plants are placed on a shelf near a window. Over time, the plants grow leaning toward the window. The plants are most likely responding to which factor in the environment?
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Answer: D — Carbon dioxide
46. The greater the frequency of a sound wave, the —
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Answer: A — lower the pitch
47. A model of a solid shows particles packed closely together in fixed positions. To improve the model, the student should —
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Answer: B — take out some beads so the particles can move more easily
48. In a photosynthesis cycle diagram, an arrow labeled X points to a substance released by plants after photosynthesis occurs. Which substance is represented by X?
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Answer: C — Sunlight
49. High and low tides on the coast are caused mostly by —
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Answer: A — underwater earthquakes
50. Skunk cabbage grows in swamps and produces a strong odor. Why should people preserve a plant like skunk cabbage?
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Answer: B — It has a certain role in the ecosystem.
Grade 5 Science SOL practice test — FAQ
Are these Grade 5 Science SOL practice questions free?
Yes — this Grade 5 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 5 Science SOL practice questions are there?
Across all sets, there are 90 Grade 5 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 5 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.