Science Proficiency Exam Questions And 100%
Correct Answers
Raymond is on his skateboard moving with a certain amount of motion energy. He stops
pushing forward and begins to show down. While he is slowing down most of the energy
is transformed into thermal energy of the rubbing wheel parts of the skateboard. The
rest of the energy - (Competency 009) - Answer Transferred to the surroundings
Mrs. Lara is teaching a lesson to her fourth-grader class about the motion of the
pendulum. She tied a string to one end of her yellow highlighter, held the other end of
the string fixed, pulled the highlighter back at a small angle and released it. It went back
and forth. She repeated this several times questioning the class about the differences in
their pendulum before it was released and afterwards when it had been set in motion. At
one point, Mrs. Lara asked the class if the object would move faster at the bottom point
if the object was held at a greater height above the ground and then released. Indeed, it
was true. Her demonstration to the class is an example of - (Competency 009) - Answer
Conservation of energy
Tara placed an ice cube in a container, screwed on the container's lid and then set the
container on a balance. The container and the ice cube had a weight of 3 units as
illustrated in Figure A. Tara returned after an hour had passed and the ice cube had
melted. Which of the following best describes why the weight did or did not change?
(Competency 010) - Answer The weight didn't change and the arrow should point to 3
units because the melted ice is just in a different form
Is a hamburger an example of stored energy? Explain why or why not? (Competency
010) Answer Yes. It stores chemical energy that can converted to other forms of energy
A potted plant, whose leaf had been de-starched by keeping it in the dark for 2 days,
was exposed to sunlight for 8 hours. A part of the leaf was covered with black paper
strips on both sides. The leaf, after boiling in alcohol and testing for starch with iodine,
showed only the uncovered part to be blue black. The inference is that -(Competency
010) - Answer Light is necessary for photosynthesis
,Plants are considered producers of a food chain because they provide their own
energy. How do plants provide their own energy? (Competency 010) - Answer Through a
process called photosynthesis plants capture energy from the sun and form glucose
Students in Ms Timmons class are having difficulty in understanding the water cycle.
One of the specific areas of difficulty deals with the students' view that clouds somehow
manufacture raindrops. How would the law of conservation of matter better represent
the actual process? (Competency 010)-Answer Because matter cannot be created, the
water vapor in the air simply changes form from a gas to a liquid state as it is cooled
Beans and coal are both reservoirs of energy. Which of the following correctly identifies
the source of the energy stored in beans and coal? (Competency 010) -Answer The
sun's light
Which of the following arrows in this algae, shrimp, fish, seal, and polar bear food chain
indicate? (Competency 010) -Answer The flow of energy through the food chain from the
algae to the polar bear
Just prior to a long run, Anna drank a large glass of orange juice to gain energy. Which
of the following describes how the energy in the orange juice actually made its way from
the sun? (Competency 010) A. Solar energy to chemical energy in the tree to chemical
energy in the orange to chemical energy in the orange juice
In a photosynthesis experiment, students were instructed to cover a part of a leaf of a
de-starched potted plant with opaque paper as shown. Consequently, leaf "A"; was
wrapped with a red strip, leaf "B"; with green, leaf "C"; with blue, and leaf "D"; with
black as shown. When the starch test was conducted on the leaves after four hours, the
result indicated no starch in - (Competency 010) - Answer Any of the covered portions
Mr. Weber's students are studying cell structures. What is the major difference they
should observe between plant cells and animal cells? (Competency 011) - Answer Plant
cells have a cell wall that provides support and chloroplasts containing chlorophyll and
animal cells do not.
During a science activity the teacher, Ms. Sanderson asked her sixth-grader students to
, close their eyes and sit for two minutes. She then asked them to run in place for two
minutes and then identify the body systems that were affected by the exercise. Even
though the list is incomplete, which of the following is the best answer to this question?
(Competency 011) - Answer Circulatory, excretory, muscular, and respiratory
The students in Ms. Sandifer's sixth grade class are working on a question intended to
probe their understanding regarding the structure of cells in the human body. On the
board is the following statement. Select the sequence of words that will correctly
complete the statement.
Students in Mr. Lerner's sixth-grade class begin a unit on meteorology. He realizes from
listening to the small group discussions that students seem confused about the
difference between weather and climate. Which of the following statements is NOT true
about the difference? (Competency 017) - Answer Climate includes changes in
temperature, humidity, wind sped, rainfall in a large area of the earth over short periods
of time
Ms. Ely is getting her classroom materials ready for the upcoming year. She looks at one
of the chemicals she was going to use and sees that it is out of date and should be
replaced. How does she dispose of the outdated chemicals? (Competency 001) -Answer
Follow the instructions outlined in the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
In this lab inquiry, in which students are expected to measure a ball's rate of change
rolling down a ramp, students will take data from a stop watch as the ball rolls down the
ramp. The minimum number of trials to take a measurement is dictated by the teacher to
be five. How does taking repeated trials reduce the quantity of error within the
experiment? Competency 001-Repeated trials allow students to collect more data and to
ensure the data they have collected is accurate and precise. If the numbers are not
similar students know that there is an error in the procedure.
Ms. Gonzalez explained the lab safety rules to his sixth-grade students at the beginning
of the school year but wants to make sure all of the students are aware of the safety
guidelines before he begins any experiments. Which of the following would be the best
way to insure that all of the students are aware of the lab safety rules? (Competency
001) - Answer Have each students read and sign a lab safety contract
Sarah examined some pond water with a microscope. She used the low-power objective
Correct Answers
Raymond is on his skateboard moving with a certain amount of motion energy. He stops
pushing forward and begins to show down. While he is slowing down most of the energy
is transformed into thermal energy of the rubbing wheel parts of the skateboard. The
rest of the energy - (Competency 009) - Answer Transferred to the surroundings
Mrs. Lara is teaching a lesson to her fourth-grader class about the motion of the
pendulum. She tied a string to one end of her yellow highlighter, held the other end of
the string fixed, pulled the highlighter back at a small angle and released it. It went back
and forth. She repeated this several times questioning the class about the differences in
their pendulum before it was released and afterwards when it had been set in motion. At
one point, Mrs. Lara asked the class if the object would move faster at the bottom point
if the object was held at a greater height above the ground and then released. Indeed, it
was true. Her demonstration to the class is an example of - (Competency 009) - Answer
Conservation of energy
Tara placed an ice cube in a container, screwed on the container's lid and then set the
container on a balance. The container and the ice cube had a weight of 3 units as
illustrated in Figure A. Tara returned after an hour had passed and the ice cube had
melted. Which of the following best describes why the weight did or did not change?
(Competency 010) - Answer The weight didn't change and the arrow should point to 3
units because the melted ice is just in a different form
Is a hamburger an example of stored energy? Explain why or why not? (Competency
010) Answer Yes. It stores chemical energy that can converted to other forms of energy
A potted plant, whose leaf had been de-starched by keeping it in the dark for 2 days,
was exposed to sunlight for 8 hours. A part of the leaf was covered with black paper
strips on both sides. The leaf, after boiling in alcohol and testing for starch with iodine,
showed only the uncovered part to be blue black. The inference is that -(Competency
010) - Answer Light is necessary for photosynthesis
,Plants are considered producers of a food chain because they provide their own
energy. How do plants provide their own energy? (Competency 010) - Answer Through a
process called photosynthesis plants capture energy from the sun and form glucose
Students in Ms Timmons class are having difficulty in understanding the water cycle.
One of the specific areas of difficulty deals with the students' view that clouds somehow
manufacture raindrops. How would the law of conservation of matter better represent
the actual process? (Competency 010)-Answer Because matter cannot be created, the
water vapor in the air simply changes form from a gas to a liquid state as it is cooled
Beans and coal are both reservoirs of energy. Which of the following correctly identifies
the source of the energy stored in beans and coal? (Competency 010) -Answer The
sun's light
Which of the following arrows in this algae, shrimp, fish, seal, and polar bear food chain
indicate? (Competency 010) -Answer The flow of energy through the food chain from the
algae to the polar bear
Just prior to a long run, Anna drank a large glass of orange juice to gain energy. Which
of the following describes how the energy in the orange juice actually made its way from
the sun? (Competency 010) A. Solar energy to chemical energy in the tree to chemical
energy in the orange to chemical energy in the orange juice
In a photosynthesis experiment, students were instructed to cover a part of a leaf of a
de-starched potted plant with opaque paper as shown. Consequently, leaf "A"; was
wrapped with a red strip, leaf "B"; with green, leaf "C"; with blue, and leaf "D"; with
black as shown. When the starch test was conducted on the leaves after four hours, the
result indicated no starch in - (Competency 010) - Answer Any of the covered portions
Mr. Weber's students are studying cell structures. What is the major difference they
should observe between plant cells and animal cells? (Competency 011) - Answer Plant
cells have a cell wall that provides support and chloroplasts containing chlorophyll and
animal cells do not.
During a science activity the teacher, Ms. Sanderson asked her sixth-grader students to
, close their eyes and sit for two minutes. She then asked them to run in place for two
minutes and then identify the body systems that were affected by the exercise. Even
though the list is incomplete, which of the following is the best answer to this question?
(Competency 011) - Answer Circulatory, excretory, muscular, and respiratory
The students in Ms. Sandifer's sixth grade class are working on a question intended to
probe their understanding regarding the structure of cells in the human body. On the
board is the following statement. Select the sequence of words that will correctly
complete the statement.
Students in Mr. Lerner's sixth-grade class begin a unit on meteorology. He realizes from
listening to the small group discussions that students seem confused about the
difference between weather and climate. Which of the following statements is NOT true
about the difference? (Competency 017) - Answer Climate includes changes in
temperature, humidity, wind sped, rainfall in a large area of the earth over short periods
of time
Ms. Ely is getting her classroom materials ready for the upcoming year. She looks at one
of the chemicals she was going to use and sees that it is out of date and should be
replaced. How does she dispose of the outdated chemicals? (Competency 001) -Answer
Follow the instructions outlined in the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
In this lab inquiry, in which students are expected to measure a ball's rate of change
rolling down a ramp, students will take data from a stop watch as the ball rolls down the
ramp. The minimum number of trials to take a measurement is dictated by the teacher to
be five. How does taking repeated trials reduce the quantity of error within the
experiment? Competency 001-Repeated trials allow students to collect more data and to
ensure the data they have collected is accurate and precise. If the numbers are not
similar students know that there is an error in the procedure.
Ms. Gonzalez explained the lab safety rules to his sixth-grade students at the beginning
of the school year but wants to make sure all of the students are aware of the safety
guidelines before he begins any experiments. Which of the following would be the best
way to insure that all of the students are aware of the lab safety rules? (Competency
001) - Answer Have each students read and sign a lab safety contract
Sarah examined some pond water with a microscope. She used the low-power objective
