Physical Science SOL Practice Test — Set 4 of 4
Set 4 of 4 — 37 more free Physical Science SOL practice questions from official VDOE released tests.
1. A triple-beam balance shows a mass reading with the hundreds beam at 300 g, the tens beam at 50 g, and the ones beam at 4.6 g. What is the mass of the rock?
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Answer: H — 354.6 g
2. A chromatography test separates orange ink into colored bands. The yellow pigment travels 6.6 cm from the starting point, and the red pigment travels 5.0 cm. About how much farther did the yellow pigment move than the red pigment?
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Answer: B — 1.6 cm
3. The kangaroo rat gets all the water it needs from food and does not drink liquid water. This animal is adapted to survive in which biome?
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Answer: H — Desert
4. The science of astronomy focuses on observing and analyzing celestial objects. Which invention was most helpful to its advancement?
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Answer: A — Telescope
5. Which of the following is NOT a reason oil use must be managed carefully?
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Answer: J — Oil was created by plants and animals.
6. Alchemists attempted to change common metals into gold but never succeeded because —
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Answer: D — elements cannot be changed into other elements by physical or chemical means
7. A table shows plant heights before and two weeks after exposure to different artificial plant lights. Group 3 increased from 5.2 cm to 28.0 cm, the largest increase. Which group showed the greatest gain in height?
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Answer: H — Group 3
8. Mercury rises in a thermometer because it —
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Answer: B — expands when heated
9. Which could cause a decrease in a squirrel population?
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Answer: H — Increased competition with other nut-eating animals
10. Five red blood cells are shown next to a scale where each division equals 1 micrometer. The average cell spans about 7–8 divisions. What is the estimated diameter of a red blood cell?
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Answer: B — 7–8 micrometers
11. Which level of organization is the most basic?
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Answer: F — Cell
12. Ellen suspects she is allergic to her friend’s cat and parrot. What should she do next in a scientific investigation?
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Answer: D — Visit one friend with only cats and another with only parrots
13. What might limit wind as a major energy source?
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Answer: F — Wind strength varies
14. Sponges are classified as animals because they cannot —
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Answer: B — make their own food
15. A diagram shows several bulbs connected so that each bulb has its own path to the power source. Which type of circuit is shown?
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Answer: J — Parallel circuit
16. Which is a physical property of copper?
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Answer: A — Ductile; can be drawn into wire
17. Northern garter snakes coil together in large groups in winter. This behavior helps to —
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Answer: F — reduce heat loss
18. Photosynthesis converts light energy into —
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Answer: D — chemical energy
19. Crossing homozygous tall pea plants with homozygous short plants always produces tall offspring. Tallness is —
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Answer: B — dominant
20. A diagram shows Earth divided into four points relative to sunlight. At which point is it 12:00 noon, where sunlight is most direct?
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Answer: J — 4
21. Which is an example of kinetic energy?
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Answer: A — A baseball moving toward a catcher
22. Which resource would best track progress in nuclear fusion research?
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Answer: J — Scientific periodical
23. Objects with like charges repel, unlike charges attract. A girl’s hair stands up after being rubbed with a comb. The hair and comb have —
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Answer: A — unlike charges
24. A diagram of the water cycle includes evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration, runoff, rivers, and oceans. The loss of which would have the least effect on the cycle?
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Answer: H — Animals
25. Which process helps extract energy from food?
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Answer: B — Digestion
26. Which is a chemical change?
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Answer: J — Vinegar reacting with baking soda
27. A ramp test compares non-slip surfaces using shoes. Which step ensures more meaningful results?
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Answer: A — Use the same shoe on each surface
28. A chart lists average distances from the Sun. Mercury is closest. Which planet likely has the highest temperatures?
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Answer: H — Mercury
29. A diagram shows fish obtaining energy by consuming organisms lower in a food sequence. According to the diagram, both fish —
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Answer: D — get energy from other animals
30. A diagram shows magnetic field strength around a magnet labeled at four points. The field lines are closest together at Point 1. Where is the field strongest?
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Answer: F — Point 1
31. A diagram shows animals living 6 cm from a water source. The scale indicates 1 cm = 50 m. How far must the animals travel for water?
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Answer: D — 300 m
32. Most hereditary information in a cell is carried in the —
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Answer: H — chromosomes
33. One complete revolution of Earth around the Sun takes about one —
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Answer: A — year
34. A table shows atomic numbers: Boron (5), Carbon (6), Nitrogen (7), Aluminum (13), Silicon (14), Phosphorus (15). Which element has atomic number 14?
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Answer: H — Si
35. Three birds live in Virginia: a ruby-throated hummingbird eats nectar, a red-tailed hawk eats rodents, and a yellow-bellied sapsucker eats insects from tree bark. Which list matches birds to diets?
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Answer: D — Hummingbird–nectar; Hawk–rodents; Sapsucker–insects
36. In which biome is the greatest variety of life found?
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Answer: D — Rain forest
37. Tearing paper is an example of a —
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Answer: F — physical change
Physical Science SOL practice test — FAQ
Are these Physical Science SOL practice questions free?
Yes — this Physical 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 Physical Science SOL practice questions are there?
Across all sets, there are 187 Physical Science practice questions drawn from official Virginia Department of Education released SOL tests. This set has 37.
Are these real Virginia SOL questions?
The questions are adapted from official VDOE released SOL tests for Physical 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.