Name: ________________________ Class: ___________________ Date: __________ ID: A

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6th Grade Science Benchmark Assessment (Yearly)
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. What kind of material transfers heat easily?
a. plastic b. insulator c. glass d. conductor
____ 2. A group of students researched and collected data for a report on the weather in Nashville,
Tennessee, for one year.

Based on the data, the students concluded that cities Tennessee receive 3.6 inches of rainfall next August.
Which best explains why the students' conclusion is incorrect?
a. The data collected did not include yearly rainfall amounts.
b. The data collected did not include daily rainfall amounts.
c. Rainfall averages were collected for only one city.
d. Rainfall averages were not compared to a pervious year.
____ 3. Three healthy plants are placed in a dark cabinet. Another three are placed in a window. All the plants are given
the same amount of water. After one month, only the plants in the window are living. These results support
which conclusion?
a. Darkness will cause plants to grow. c. Leaves need more time to grow.
b. Carbon dioxide is needed for growth. d. Sunlight is needed for growth.
____ 4.
In which activity would using the Internet be most helpful?
a. analyzing the results of an experiment
b. predicting the outcome of an experiment
c. measuring the variables used in an experiment
d. performing research before conducting an experiment
Name: ________________________ ID: A
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____ 5. Which statement is an explanation rather than a description?
a. The elephant weighs over 5 tons
b. The rock has many crystals in it
c. The bird flaps its wings while it is flying
d. The pond became smaller from evaporation
____ 6. Organisms have the most in common with other organisms in their ...
a. domain b. genus c. species d. family
____ 7. Water and ketchup are each poured onto a tray from two separate bottles. The charts below represent
the amount of time it takes each liquid to flow from the top to the bottom of the tray
What conclusion is best supported by the data?
a. Thicker liquids take longer to travel to the bottom of a tray.
b. Thicker liquids take less time to travel to the bottom of a tray.
c. Liquid with sugar crystals travels to the bottom of a tray faster.
d. Liquid with a darker color travels to the bottom of a tray faster.
____ 8. Plants that produce seeds formed by cones or conelike structures are classified as...
a. gymnosperms b. angiosperms c. bryophytes d. none of the above
Name: ________________________ ID: A
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____ 9. Students counted the number of organisms located in a one-meter square plot in a grassland
prairie. Their data are shown below.

Which graph best represents the data?
a. c.
b. d.
____ 10. ____ is the transfer of heat by the flow of a heated material.
a. Radiation c. Convection
b. Conduction d. Condensation
____ 11. The process of water vapor changing to a liquid is called ___.
a. evaporation c. condensation
b. precipitation d. convection
Name: ________________________ ID: A
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____ 12. How is energy transferred to Earth?
a. conduction b. convection c. radiation d. insulation
____ 13. When a dog with a bone growls at another dog, it is showing ____.
a. aggression c. social behavior
b. courtship behavior d. none of the above
____ 14. The temperature at which air is saturated and condensation forms is the ____.
a. dew point c. wind point
b. rain point d. relative humidity
____ 15. The following is a process that takes place in the atmosphere.
solar energy ----> warm air rises ----> air cools in upper atmosphere and sinks ----> air currents
This process can best be identified as
a. wind formation. c. precipitation runoff.
b. cloud formation. d. static electricity.
____ 16. Which example describes a behavioral adaptation?
a. A bird builds its nest in the ash near a volcano
b. A whale has the ability to hold its breath for 20 minutes
c. A foxs hair is white in the winter and brown in the summer
d. A monkey has long arms that allow it to swing from one branch to another
____ 17. As water vapor rises in the atmosphere , it cools and chnages back to liquid. Tiny drops form clouds in this
process called.........
a. evaporation c. condensation
b. precipitation d. convection
____ 18. In a large forest with many animals, there are only a small number of bears. Which of these most likely limits
the population of bears in the forest?
a. supply of food c. predation by carnivores
b. type of tree d. amount of suitable shelter
____ 19. When Earth receives energy from the Sun, ____.
a. some energy is reflected back into space
b. some is absorbed by the atmosphere
c. some is absorbed by land and water on Earth's surface
d. all of the above
____ 20. The transfer of energy that occurs when molecules bump into one another is called ____.
a. radiation c. convection
b. conduction d. condensation
____ 21. A behavioral adaptation in which animals undergo a period of greatly reduced activity in winter is ____.
a. clusters c. burrows
b. hibernation d. estivation
Name: ________________________ ID: A
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____ 22.
A scientist studying a species of flower that grows on the side of a mountain measured the height of many of
the flowers at different elevations. His results are shown in the graph. Which statement best describes the
pattern of growth for the flowers during this experiment?
a. The flowers heights are unaffected by elevation.
b. The flowers cannot grow below elevations of 1,000 meters
c. The flowers grow best at elevations of around 3,000 meters
d. The flowers heights increase with higher elevation.
____ 23. What kinds of plants have structures that move water and other substances through them?
a. protists b. nonvascular c. bacteria d. vascular
____ 24. Taxonomy is the science of classifying living things. Which of the following places the classification groups in
the correct order?
a. kingdom, class, phylum, order, genus, family, species
b. kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
c. kingdom, family, class, phylum, order, genus, species
d. kingdom, phylum, family, class, order, genus, species
____ 25. ____ is the transfer of energy in the form of rays or waves.
a. Conduction c. Radiation
b. Convection d. Condensation
Name: ________________________ ID: A
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____ 26.
Trish constructed a dichotomous key to help identify the reptiles and amphibians living in a certain area.
Which phrase describes a lizard?
a. an animal with scaly skin and a shell but no external gills
b. an animal with scaly skin and legs but no shell
c. an animal with legs and coastal grooves but no tail
d. an animal with external gills and a tail but no coastal grooves
____ 27. The ____ is caused by Earth's rotation.
a. jet stream c. sea breeze
b. Coriolis effect d. land breeze
____ 28. The flow of air caused by ____ and the Coriolis effect creates distinct wind patterns on Earth's surface.
a. differences in heating c. magnetic fields
b. the ozone layer d. the jet streams
Name: ________________________ ID: A
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____ 29. Of the following, which is NOT a courtship behavior?
a. birds singing c. frogs croaking
b. fireflies lighting up d. dogs digging
____ 30. When you scold your puppy for eating your shoes, she puts her head down, her tail between her legs, and then
flops over on her back. What is this behavior an example of?
a. aggression c. dominance
b. submission d. courtship