CSET: MULTIPLE SUBJECTS SUBTEST II – SCIENCE
AND MATHEMATICS PRACTICE EXAMINATION
QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATE
INSTRUCTIONS: This comprehensive practice exam covers all content areas tested on CSET Multiple
Subjects Subtest II, including Physical Sciences, Life Sciences,
Earth and Space Sciences, Number Sense, Algebra and Functions, Measurement and Geometry, and
Statistics/Data Analysis. The exam contains 200 questions with verified answers and detailed rationales.
SECTION 1: PHYSICAL SCIENCES (Qs 1–50)
Q1: Which of the following steps in making a cup of coffee involves a chemical
change in matter?
A) Whole-bean coffee is ground in a coffee grinder.
B) A burner on a propane stove is lighted to heat water.
C) Water in a kettle begins to boil.
D) Boiling water is poured through a filter containing ground coffee.
Answer: B) A burner on a propane stove is lighted to heat water.
Rationale: Lighting a propane burner involves combustion, which is a chemical
change (propane + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water). Grinding, boiling, and
filtering are physical changes.[reference:0]
Q2: Which of the following is the best example of the refraction of light waves?
A) Markings on flowers that are invisible in normal light can be seen in
ultraviolet light.
B) Deep lakes appear to be blue or green in color.
C) Sunlight striking a black box will make the box warmer than the same light
striking a white box.
1|Page
,D) Light passing through raindrops produces a rainbow.
Answer: D) Light passing through raindrops produces a rainbow.
Rationale: A rainbow is produced by the refraction (bending) and dispersion of
sunlight as it passes through water droplets in the atmosphere.[reference:1]
Q3: A large round boulder is pushed from the top of a smooth steep hill and
rolls to the bottom. Which graph would best represent the distance the boulder
travels with respect to time?
Answer: A curve showing increasing slope (distance increasing at an increasing
rate).
Rationale: As the boulder rolls down a smooth steep hill, it accelerates due to
gravity. Distance traveled increases quadratically with time (d = ½at²), so the
graph is a curve that gets steeper over time.[reference:2]
Q4: Which of the following liquids is the most acidic and will have the lowest pH?
A) Lemon juice (pH ≈ 2)
B) Vinegar (pH ≈ 3)
C) Coffee (pH ≈ 5)
D) Pure water (pH ≈ 7)
Answer: A) Lemon juice (pH ≈ 2)
Rationale: The pH scale measures acidity; lower pH values indicate greater
acidity. Lemon juice has the lowest pH among the options listed.[reference:3]
Q5: What is the force that causes all objects, regardless of mass, to fall at
the same rate in the absence of air resistance?
2|Page
,A) Friction
B) Gravity
C) Magnetism
D) Electromagnetic force
Answer: B) Gravity
Rationale: In the absence of air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate
due to gravity, regardless of their mass. This was famously demonstrated by
Galileo and is a fundamental principle of physics.[reference:4]
Q6: A student drops a steel ball and a beach ball from the same height and
observes that the steel ball hits the ground first. The student concludes that
heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects. Which of the following best
evaluates this conclusion?
A) The conclusion is valid because the experiment was properly controlled.
B) The conclusion is not valid because the student failed to control for air
resistance.
C) The conclusion is valid because gravity affects heavier objects more.
D) The conclusion is not valid because the experiment was not repeated enough
times.
Answer: B) The conclusion is not valid because the student failed to control
for air resistance.
Rationale: The beach ball takes longer to fall because it encounters more air
resistance due to its larger surface area and lower mass-to-area ratio. In a
vacuum (or controlled environment without air resistance), both objects would
fall at the same rate.[reference:5]
Q7: Which of the following is a physical property of matter?
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, A) Flammability
B) Reactivity with acid
C) Density
D) Ability to rust
Answer: C) Density
Rationale: Density is a physical property that can be observed or measured
without changing the composition of the substance. Flammability, reactivity,
and rusting are chemical properties.[reference:6]
Q8: What is the basic unit of matter?
A) Cell
B) Atom
C) Molecule
D) Electron
Answer: B) Atom
Rationale: The atom is the basic unit of matter, consisting of protons,
neutrons, and electrons.[reference:7]
Q9: Which subatomic particle determines the atomic number of an element?
A) Electron
B) Proton
C) Neutron
D) Nucleus
Answer: B) Proton
Rationale: The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons
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AND MATHEMATICS PRACTICE EXAMINATION
QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATE
INSTRUCTIONS: This comprehensive practice exam covers all content areas tested on CSET Multiple
Subjects Subtest II, including Physical Sciences, Life Sciences,
Earth and Space Sciences, Number Sense, Algebra and Functions, Measurement and Geometry, and
Statistics/Data Analysis. The exam contains 200 questions with verified answers and detailed rationales.
SECTION 1: PHYSICAL SCIENCES (Qs 1–50)
Q1: Which of the following steps in making a cup of coffee involves a chemical
change in matter?
A) Whole-bean coffee is ground in a coffee grinder.
B) A burner on a propane stove is lighted to heat water.
C) Water in a kettle begins to boil.
D) Boiling water is poured through a filter containing ground coffee.
Answer: B) A burner on a propane stove is lighted to heat water.
Rationale: Lighting a propane burner involves combustion, which is a chemical
change (propane + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water). Grinding, boiling, and
filtering are physical changes.[reference:0]
Q2: Which of the following is the best example of the refraction of light waves?
A) Markings on flowers that are invisible in normal light can be seen in
ultraviolet light.
B) Deep lakes appear to be blue or green in color.
C) Sunlight striking a black box will make the box warmer than the same light
striking a white box.
1|Page
,D) Light passing through raindrops produces a rainbow.
Answer: D) Light passing through raindrops produces a rainbow.
Rationale: A rainbow is produced by the refraction (bending) and dispersion of
sunlight as it passes through water droplets in the atmosphere.[reference:1]
Q3: A large round boulder is pushed from the top of a smooth steep hill and
rolls to the bottom. Which graph would best represent the distance the boulder
travels with respect to time?
Answer: A curve showing increasing slope (distance increasing at an increasing
rate).
Rationale: As the boulder rolls down a smooth steep hill, it accelerates due to
gravity. Distance traveled increases quadratically with time (d = ½at²), so the
graph is a curve that gets steeper over time.[reference:2]
Q4: Which of the following liquids is the most acidic and will have the lowest pH?
A) Lemon juice (pH ≈ 2)
B) Vinegar (pH ≈ 3)
C) Coffee (pH ≈ 5)
D) Pure water (pH ≈ 7)
Answer: A) Lemon juice (pH ≈ 2)
Rationale: The pH scale measures acidity; lower pH values indicate greater
acidity. Lemon juice has the lowest pH among the options listed.[reference:3]
Q5: What is the force that causes all objects, regardless of mass, to fall at
the same rate in the absence of air resistance?
2|Page
,A) Friction
B) Gravity
C) Magnetism
D) Electromagnetic force
Answer: B) Gravity
Rationale: In the absence of air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate
due to gravity, regardless of their mass. This was famously demonstrated by
Galileo and is a fundamental principle of physics.[reference:4]
Q6: A student drops a steel ball and a beach ball from the same height and
observes that the steel ball hits the ground first. The student concludes that
heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects. Which of the following best
evaluates this conclusion?
A) The conclusion is valid because the experiment was properly controlled.
B) The conclusion is not valid because the student failed to control for air
resistance.
C) The conclusion is valid because gravity affects heavier objects more.
D) The conclusion is not valid because the experiment was not repeated enough
times.
Answer: B) The conclusion is not valid because the student failed to control
for air resistance.
Rationale: The beach ball takes longer to fall because it encounters more air
resistance due to its larger surface area and lower mass-to-area ratio. In a
vacuum (or controlled environment without air resistance), both objects would
fall at the same rate.[reference:5]
Q7: Which of the following is a physical property of matter?
3|Page
, A) Flammability
B) Reactivity with acid
C) Density
D) Ability to rust
Answer: C) Density
Rationale: Density is a physical property that can be observed or measured
without changing the composition of the substance. Flammability, reactivity,
and rusting are chemical properties.[reference:6]
Q8: What is the basic unit of matter?
A) Cell
B) Atom
C) Molecule
D) Electron
Answer: B) Atom
Rationale: The atom is the basic unit of matter, consisting of protons,
neutrons, and electrons.[reference:7]
Q9: Which subatomic particle determines the atomic number of an element?
A) Electron
B) Proton
C) Neutron
D) Nucleus
Answer: B) Proton
Rationale: The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons
4|Page
