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Earth Science Diagnostic Test

PART A Multiple Choice
Write the letter of the term or phrase that best completes each statement.

1. One tool astronomers use to study objects in space is the

a. microscope. b. barometer. c. anemometer. d. telescope.

2. Grouping things together based on how they are alike is called

a. measuring. b. classifying. c. predicting. d. hypothesizing.

3. To interpret a symbol on a map, you would use the map’s

a. compass. b. scale. c. legend. d. rose.

4. Scientists learn about how life on Earth has changed by studying

a. fossils. b. ocean water. c. the moon. d. lava.

5. The climate of an area is the average weather conditions over

a. a week. b. a month. c. a year. d. many years.

6. An example of fossil fuel is

a. air. b. water. c. soil. d. oil.

7. Strong, shaking movements of Earth’s crust are known as

a. hurricanes. b. volcanoes. c. faults. d. earthquakes.

8. Lakes and rivers contain

a. fresh water. b. salt water. c. brackish water. d. fresh water and salt water.

9. Differences in air pressure create

a. sedimentary rocks. b. buoyancy. c. winds. d. waves.

10. A spinning, funnel-shaped cloud is known as a

a. tornado. b. tropical storm. c. hurricane. d. cumulus cloud.

11. Compared to air at sea level, the air on a mountaintop is usually

a. hotter. b. colder. c. more polluted. d. more humid.

12. The Moon completes an orbit of Earth about once every

a. day. b. week. c. month. d. year.

13. The Earth completes an orbit around the Sun once every
a. day. b. week. c. month. d. year.

14. Rain, snow, and sleet are examples of

a. evaporation. b. precipitation. c. conduction. d. transpiration.

15. The main source of energy for Earth is

a. the solar system. b. electricity. c. the Sun. d. fossil fuels.

16. One pollutant known for damaging structures made of brick, stone, and metal is
a. acid rain. b. smog. c. litter. d. car exhaust fumes.

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Diagnostic Test (continued)

PART A Multiple Choice (continued)
17. Lava from volcanoes cools and hardens into
a. sedimentary rocks. b. metamorphic rocks. c. igneous rocks. d. sandstone.

18. Earth makes one complete rotation on its axis every

a. day. b. month. c. year. d. new millennium.

19. When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere experiences
a. spring. b. summer. c. fall. d. winter.

20. All of the following are examples of renewable resources except

a. air. b. coal. c. water. d. soil.

PART B Fill In
Complete each sentence with a term from the box.

minerals weathering fossil globe color

gravity rock cycle plates erosion atmosphere

1. A good model of Earth’s surface is a .

2. Earth’s rocks are made up of one or more .

3. fuels are formed from living things.

4. Water, glaciers, wind, waves, and gravity all cause .

5. The planets are held in their orbits by the force of .

6. Movement of Earth’s occurs over long periods of time.

7. One physical property used to identify minerals is .

8. slowly wears away rocks on Earth’s surface.

9. The series of changes that rocks go through is known as the .

10. Earth is surrounded by an of nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases.

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Diagnostic Test (continued)

PART C True/False
Write true if the statement is true. If the statement is false, change the underlined
term to make the statement true.

1. Earth is made up of different layers.

2. The remains of organisms that lived long ago are metamorphic rocks.

3. The positions of the continents have not changed over the past 200 million
years.

4. Plants and animals have features that help them live in different
environments.
5. Water that evaporates from Earth’s surface falls back to Earth as
precipitation.

PART D Matching
Match each term in Column B with its description in Column A. Write the letter
of the correct term in the space provided.

Column A Column B

1. rock formed from pieces of other rocks that are a. mountain

cemented together
b. soil
2. causes regular changes in the water levels of the oceans
c. hypothesis
3. type of landform with a high elevation
d. front
4. our Sun and the planets that orbit it
e. light-year
5. boundary between air masses
f. solar system
6. suggested answer to a scientific question
g. Richter scale
7. measures the strength of earthquakes
h. natural resources
8. a distance unit used in astronomy
i. tides
9. provides plants with important nutrients
j. sedimentary
10. materials from the Earth that are used by living things

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Diagnostic Test (continued)

PART E Interpreting Diagrams
Decide which instrument in the diagram you would use to make each observation
listed below. Write the correct letter in the spaces provided.
A. B.

C. D.

1. close-up details of a leaf

2. the length of a fossil

3. the mass of a rock

4. the air temperature

5. the height of a waterfall

PART F Written Response

Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. LIST: A natural resource is any material from Earth used by living things, including humans. What
are some examples of natural resources and the ways we use them?

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Diagnostic Test (continued)

2. COMPARE AND CONTRAST: What is one advantage of exploring space? What is one
disadvantage?

3. DESCRIBE: Scientists use science skills to gather information. You use science skills too. When you
use most science skills, you use one or more of your five senses. Describe three science skills that
you used recently. How did they help you to solve a problem or answer a question?

4. HYPOTHESIZE: Fossils are the remains or trace of a living thing that lived long ago.
Why do scientists study fossils?

5. INFER: Erosion is a process by which weathered material is moved from one place to another.
What are some agents that cause erosion? Explain how one of these agents causes erosion.

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 Answer Key
Earth Science Diagnostic Test Written Response (continued)
PART F
Matching 4. Possible answers: Fossils show scientists what
PART A kinds of organisms lived at different times in Earth’s
1. d 2. b 3. c 4. a 5. d 6. d 7. d 8. a history. By calculating the age of a fossil, scientists
9. c 10. a 11. b 12. c 13. d 14. b can determine how many years ago a certain species
15. c 16. a 17. c 18. a 19. d 20. b of plant or animal lived. Fossils show how Earth’s
Fill In climate and surface have changed. For example,
PART B when scientists find fossils of ancient fish in
1. globe 2. minerals 3. Fossil 4. erosion mountains, they know that at some point in time,
5. gravity 6. plates 7. color 8. Weathering the mountain must have been underwater. Fossils
9. rock cycle 10. atmosphere show how living things have changed over time. By
True/False measuring and comparing the size of an animal’s
PART C head in various fossils found from different time
periods, scientists can determine how that animal
1. true 2. fossils 3. have 4. true 5. true
has evolved or developed.
Matching
PART D 5. Possible answers: running water, wind, glaciers,
1. j 2. i 3. a 4. f 5. d 6. c 7. g 8. e ocean waves, and gravity. Explanations may vary.
Sample explanations: running water: When heavy
9. b 10. h
rains fall in areas with steep slopes that have little
Interpreting Diagrams
PART E plant growth, it causes the soil and rocks on the
slopes to erode away. wind: Sand particles carried
1. D 2. B 3. A 4. C 5. B
by the wind wear away rocks. glaciers: Gravel and
Written Response
pieces of rock are frozen into the ice at the base of a
PART F
glacier. As the glacier moves over bedrock, the rocks
1. Possible answer: Natural resources include water,
in the glacier scrape against the bedrock, carving
trees, and fossil fuels. We use water to drink. We use
away small pieces of bedrock. ocean waves: The
trees to make lumber for building houses and also to
force of waves striking the shoreline can break up
make paper. We use fossil fuels as sources of energy.
rocks into small pieces. This action erodes the rocks
2. Possible answer: One advantage of exploring and forms particles of sand. gravity: The force of
space is that we develop technologies that improve gravity can cause rocks and glaciers to move down
life on Earth. One disadvantage of exploring space is mountain slopes, which damages plants and animals
the high cost involved in space exploration. in the region and wears away the topsoil of the
mountainside. Gravity can also cause landslides and
3. Accept any three of the following: observing, measuring,
inferring, classifying, organizing, predicting, hypothesizing, mudflows.
modeling, and analyzing. Examples may vary.
Sample answers: I read the thermometer outside to see
what the temperature was today. I noticed that there were
large gray cumulus clouds in the sky and predicted that it
would soon rain. I looked at a circle graph in the newspaper
yesterday to see how many votes each mayoral candidate
received. I rearranged my CD collection alphabetically by
the singer or group’s name. I used a tape measure to find
my height.

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