A farmer grows lettuce in a building with no windows. For the lettuce to carry out photosynthesis, what must the building supply in place of the Sun?National Geographic Education, "Photosynthesis"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective L.5.3A.2
In a bay, seals eat herring. People begin to catch most of the herring. What is the most likely effect on the seals?NOAA, "Aquatic food webs"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective L.5.3B.4
In photosynthesis, plants use water, sunlight and carbon dioxide. What do they make?National Geographic Education, "Photosynthesis"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective L.5.3A.1
In the food chain grass → grasshopper → frog → hawk, which organism is a secondary consumer?NOAA, "Aquatic food webs"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective L.5.3B.2
What is an invasive species?NOAA National Ocean Service, "What is an invasive species?"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective L.5.3B.3
What is the job of chlorophyll in a leaf?National Geographic Education, "Photosynthesis"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective L.5.3A.1
What part do decomposers play in a food web?National Geographic Education, "Decomposers"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective L.5.3B.2
Which of these biomes gets the least rain, about 250 millimeters in a year?NASA Earth Observatory, "Biome: Desert"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective L.5.3B.1
Show all 40 questions (32 more)
Physical Science 20
A ball is thrown straight up. What does gravity do to it?NASA Space Place, "What Is Gravity?"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.6.1
A box slides across a floor and slows to a stop. Which force slows it down?The Physics Classroom, Newton's Laws, "Types of Forces"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.6.6
A rope lies at rest. Two teams then pull on it with equal force in opposite directions. What happens to the rope?The Physics Classroom, Newton's Laws, "Balanced and Unbalanced Forces"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.6.4
A skateboarder stands still at the top of a ramp and then rolls down. What energy change takes place?U.S. Energy Information Administration, Energy Explained, "Forms of energy"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.6.5
A student seals 50 grams of water and 10 grams of salt in a jar and shakes it until the salt dissolves. What is the mass of what is in the jar now?LibreTexts Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, 3.7 "Conservation of Mass"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5C.3
A substance is poured from a tall glass into a wide bowl. Its shape changes, but its volume stays the same. What state of matter is it?NASA Glenn Research Center, "Phases of Matter"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5A.2
A toy car travels 12 meters in 4 seconds at a steady speed. If it keeps that speed, how far does it travel in 10 seconds?The Physics Classroom, 1-D Kinematics, "Speed and Velocity"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.6.2
An astronaut visits a planet that has less mass than Earth. What happens to the weight of the astronaut there?NASA Space Place, "What Is Gravity?"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.6.1
Cup A has 2 spoonfuls of sugar dissolved in 200 milliliters of water. Cup B has 6 spoonfuls of sugar dissolved in 200 milliliters of water. Which statement is true?Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5B.2
Ice cubes float at the top of a glass of water. Why?U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "Water Density"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5A.4
One molecule of water is made of which atoms?NASA Glenn Research Center, "Phases of Matter"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5A.1
Salt has been dissolved in a pot of water. Which method gets the salt back?LibreTexts Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, 3.6 "Changes in Matter: Physical and Chemical Changes"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5B.4
Salt is stirred into water until it can no longer be seen. In this solution, what is the salt called?LibreTexts Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, 13.2 "Solutions: Homogeneous Mixtures"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5B.1
Water freezes into ice and later melts back into water. What kind of change is this?LibreTexts Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, 3.6 "Changes in Matter: Physical and Chemical Changes"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5C.2
Water has a density of about 1 gram per milliliter. A wooden block has a density of 0.6 grams per milliliter, and a glass marble has a density of 2.5 grams per milliliter. What happens when both are put in water?U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "Water Density"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5A.4
Which change makes a sugar cube dissolve faster in a cup of water?LibreTexts Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry (CK-12), 16.2 "Rate of Dissolution"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5B.3
Which force pulls on an object without touching it?The Physics Classroom, Newton's Laws, "Types of Forces"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.6.3
Which of these changes makes a new substance, so that it is a chemical change?LibreTexts Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, 3.6 "Changes in Matter: Physical and Chemical Changes"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5C.1
Which of these is a solution?LibreTexts Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, 3.4 "Classifying Matter According to Its Composition"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5B.1
Which property can be measured without changing what a substance is made of?LibreTexts Chemistry, Introductory Chemistry, 3.5 "Differences in Matter: Physical and Chemical Properties"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective P.5.5A.3
Earth and Space Science 12
About how long does the Moon take to go through all of its phases?NASA Science, "Moon Phases"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.8B.1
After an oil spill at sea, crews set out long floating barriers called booms. What are booms for?NOAA National Ocean Service, "How does NOAA help clean up oil and chemical spills?"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.10.2
How does recycling help conserve natural resources?U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Recycling Basics and Benefits"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.10.1
How does the North Star help a traveler in the Northern Hemisphere?NASA Science, "What is the North Star and How Do You Find It?"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.8A.4
In Mississippi it is summer in June and winter in December. What causes this change of seasons?NASA Space Place, "What Causes the Seasons?"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.8B.3
The Sun is a star. Why does it look so much brighter than the stars seen at night?NASA Science, "Sun: Facts"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.8A.2
What did Nicolaus Copernicus propose about the solar system in the 1500s?NASA Earth Observatory, "Planetary Motion: The History of an Idea That Launched the Scientific Revolution"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.8B.4
What does the word watershed mean?U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, "Watersheds and Drainage Basins"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.10.1
What happens during a lunar eclipse?NASA Space Place, "Lunar Eclipses and Solar Eclipses"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.8B.2
Which list gives the four planets closest to the Sun, in order?NASA Science, "Solar System: Facts"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.8A.1
Which two planets are gas giants?NASA Science, "Solar System: Facts"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.8A.1
Why do people see different constellations in the evening sky in winter than in summer?NASA Space Place, "What Are Constellations?"; Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science (2026), grade 5, objective E.5.8A.3
How this list was compiled: Outline: Science, Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) Blueprints, Office of Student Assessment, Mississippi Department of Education, August 2026, https://mdek12.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2026/08/Science_MAAP_Blueprints_rebrand_august2026.pdf, linked from Science Resources, https://mdek12.org/studentassessment/science-resources/, read 2026-10-09. Each question names the grade 5 objective it practices in the 2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science, the standards document the blueprint links, https://mdek12.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2026/07/2026-MS-CCRS-Science_SBE-Approved-07.23.2026_3.pdf, read 2026-10-09. Each science fact was read on the public page named with its question (NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, National Geographic Education, LibreTexts and The Physics Classroom), all read 2026-10-09. The sample items the department posts were not read. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from a MAAP test, a sample or released item of the department, or another practice test.
How it works
Unofficial practice for grade 5 science on MAAP, the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program. All 40 questions were written for this site from the state science standards; none is a sample or released item. Not affiliated with the Mississippi Department of Education.
Read the full guide
What the Mississippi 5th grade science test covers
The state blueprint gives three reporting categories. Physical Science is the largest, 42 to 58 percent of the points: atoms and molecules, density, mixtures and solutions, physical and chemical changes, gravity, forces and energy. Earth and Space Science is 22 to 31 percent: the solar system, constellations, Moon phases, eclipses, seasons and conserving resources. Life Science is 18 to 22 percent: photosynthesis, food chains and food webs.
Where each answer comes from
Each question lists its objective in the state standards, such as P.5.5C.3, and the public page the fact was read on: NASA for space, NOAA and the U.S. Geological Survey for water and living things, and named chemistry and physics references for matter and forces.
Physical science is about half of the points. Start with density, mixtures and solutions, and physical against chemical changes.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the Mississippi 5th grade science test?
50 items in one session of 180 minutes: 40 operational items worth 45 points and 10 field test items. This page has 40 questions, all multiple choice.
Is this a MAAP science practice test for grade 5 in Mississippi?
It is unofficial practice for that test. MAAP is the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program, which tests science in grades 5 and 8. The questions follow the reporting categories of the state's MAAP science blueprint dated August 2026.
Where are the Mississippi state science 5th grade practice tests?
The Mississippi Department of Education posts grade 5 sample items with answer keys on its Science Resources page, linked in the box under the questions. The questions on this page are different ones.
How is the Mississippi 5th grade science test scored?
Each student receives one of five performance levels: Minimal, Basic, Passing, Proficient or Advanced. The levels are set on a scale score, so a percent on this page is practice only.
What kinds of questions are on the MAAP science test?
Multiple choice with four options, multi-select with two to four right answers, and technology enhanced items such as drag and drop, hot spot, bar graphs and text entry. An item is scored on a 0 to 1 or 0 to 2 point scale.