Fifth grade science weighted like Utah's RISE blueprint: Earth's systems and matter first, then matter cycling in ecosystems.
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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Utah State Board of Education. Bank checked October 13, 2026.
The real test: RISE science, grade 5
Time limit
None
Blueprint
8 clusters: 3 on Strand 5.1 (37.5%), 3 on Strand 5.2 (37.5%) and 2 on Strand 5.3 (25%). The blueprint gives no number of questions.
Strands
5.1 Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems, 5.2 Properties and Changes of Matter, 5.3 Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems.
How it is given
On a computer, adaptive and not timed. The blueprint calls it a matrix-designed test: each student is assessed on a subset of the standards in a strand.
Subjects in grade 5
English language arts, mathematics, science and writing. RISE writing is given in grades 5 and 8 only.
Scores
A scale score and one of four proficiency levels: Below Proficient, Approaching Proficient, Proficient or Highly Proficient.
Spring 2027 window
March 9 to June 4, 2027 for the summative tests. Each district or charter school tests within 8 weeks of that window.
Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems 15
A coastal town cannot stop a tsunami. Which design would reduce its impact on people?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.5 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
A map marks each earthquake with a dot, and the dots form long, narrow bands. Where are these bands often found?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.1 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
A model of Earth's systems has one box labeled plants, animals and people. Which system does that box stand for?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.4 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
A model uses 100 cups to stand for all of Earth's water. About 97 of the cups are salt water. About how many cups stand for freshwater?U.S. Geological Survey, Where is Earth's Water?; Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.2 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
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Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems, continued
A student pours the same amount of water down two piles of soil. Pile A has a gentle slope and pile B a steep slope. Pile B loses more soil. What does this show?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.3 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Air rises over a mountain range and clouds form near the peaks. Which of Earth's systems is the mountain range part of?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.4 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Engineers test two model buildings on a shaking table. Model A cracks after 5 seconds. Model B, which has braces, stands for 30 seconds. What should the engineers do next?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.5 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Landslides and volcanic eruptions are natural hazards. Which statement about hazards like these is true?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.5 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Ocean waves crash on a shoreline and carry sand away. Which two of Earth's systems are interacting?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.4 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
The roots of a pine push into a crack in a canyon wall, and the crack gets wider every year. What is weathering the rock?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.3 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Where is most of Earth's freshwater found?U.S. Geological Survey, Where is Earth's Water?; Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.2 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Where may major mountain chains be found?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.1 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Which data would best help a student describe the pattern of Earth's mountains?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.1 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Which reservoir holds most of Earth's water?U.S. Geological Survey, Where is Earth's Water?; Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.2 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Wind blows sand against a rock for many years and wears its surface down. What is this process?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.1.3 (Strand 5.1: Characteristics and Interactions of Earth's Systems)
Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter 15
A drop of food coloring is placed in still water. With no stirring, the color slowly spreads through the whole glass. Which model explains this?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.1 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
A student dissolves 25 grams of salt in a jar holding 150 grams of water. What does the salt water weigh?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.4 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
A student pumps air into a flat balloon and it expands. What does this show about air?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.1 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
A student puts four objects, one at a time, into a gap in a circuit. The bulb lights only with the copper wire. Which property is being tested?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.2 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
A student scoops a cup of water from Great Salt Lake and leaves it in the sun. When the water has evaporated, a crust of salt is left in the cup. What does this show?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.1 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
A student seals baking soda and vinegar in a zip bag, and the bag puffs up. What is the best evidence that a new substance formed?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.3 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
A student weighs a closed bottle before and after a change takes place inside it. Before: 240 grams. After: 240 grams. Which claim do the data support?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.4 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
A table lists four metals, A, B, C and D. Only metal B is pulled toward a magnet. An unknown metal is pulled toward a magnet too. Based on this property, which metal could it be?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.2 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
Air is trapped in a syringe with its tip capped. When the plunger is pressed, it slides in partway and the air fits in less space. Which particle model explains this?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.1 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
An ice cube in a sealed jar weighs 30 grams. It melts completely. What does the water weigh?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.4 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
Hot liquid wax weighing 50 grams cools and hardens in a covered mold. What does the solid wax weigh?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.4 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
One mineral can scratch glass and a second mineral cannot. Which property is being compared?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.2 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
Sand and iron filings are stirred together. A magnet then pulls all the iron back out. Did a new substance form?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.3 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
Two jars of white powder have lost their labels. Which property would help a student identify what is in each jar?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.2 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
Which investigation would show whether mixing two liquids makes a new substance?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.2.3 (Strand 5.2: Properties and Changes of Matter)
Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems 10
A city compares two plans that cost the same. Plan A recycles 30 of every 100 kilograms of trash and Plan B recycles 55. By the data, which plan conserves more resources?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.4 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
A coyote eats a rabbit that ate grass. Trace the coyote's energy back to its start. Where does it begin?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.2 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
A farm town needs water for crops and wants to keep its river healthy. Which solution balances both needs?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.4 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
A sunflower grows in a bucket all summer and gains 500 grams. The dry soil in the bucket weighs almost the same as it did in spring. What do the data support?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.1 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
Animals use the energy and matter in food for motion, growth and body repair. What is one more use?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.2 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
Decomposers grow on a fallen log, and it slowly becomes soft and crumbly. What are the decomposers doing?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.3 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
In a food chain model, an arrow points from grass to a grasshopper. What does the arrow show?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.3 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
What do plants use energy from sunlight to do?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.1 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
Where does most of the matter in a growing tree come from?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.1 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
Which model shows matter cycling through an ecosystem?Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (June 2023), Standard 5.3.3 (Strand 5.3: Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems)
How this list was compiled: Outline: Utah RISE Science Grades 4-5 Blueprints, the grade 5 table (clusters and percent of the test for each strand), on the Utah RISE portal, https://utahrise.org/resources (https://utahrise.org/content/contentresources/en/Science-Gr-4-5-Public-Facing-Blueprints.pdf), read 2026-10-13. Each question names the standard it practices in the Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards (Utah State Board of Education, June 2023), grade 5, https://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/science/_science_/UtahSEEdStandards.pdf, read 2026-10-13; the fact in an answer is one the standard or its strand text gives, or is read from the data in the question. Three questions on where Earth's water is found rest on a public page named under the answer and opened 2026-10-13: U.S. Geological Survey, Where is Earth's Water?, https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/where-earths-water. Test facts: RISE Testing: A Guide for Utah Families (June 2026), Making Sense of RISE Scores (June 2026) and RISE Testing Overview (October 2025), linked from https://schools.utah.gov/assessment/assessments/rise, read 2026-10-13. No training test, benchmark module or released item was opened. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from Utah's published science standards. Nothing is copied or reworded from a RISE test, a training test, a benchmark module, a released item or another practice test.
How it works
Unofficial practice for the grade 5 RISE science test in Utah: 40 questions split the way the state's blueprint splits its clusters. Each was written for this page, none from a RISE test or training test. Not affiliated with the Utah State Board of Education.
Read the full guide
What the grade 5 RISE science test covers
Grade 5 has three SEEd strands, and the blueprint does not weigh them equally. Strand 5.1, Earth's systems, and Strand 5.2, properties and changes of matter, get three clusters each, 37.5 percent of the test apiece. Strand 5.3, matter cycling in ecosystems, gets two clusters, 25 percent. So 15 questions here are on landforms, Earth's water, weathering and natural hazards, 15 on particles, properties, new substances and conserved weight, and 10 on plants, food and decomposers.
Words the fifth grade standards hold back
The standards save the terms atom and molecule, photosynthesis inside the cell, cellular respiration and food webs for grades 6 to 8. These questions say particles and food chains instead.
Conserved weight is asked with numbers. Add up what went in before you look at the choices.
Questions and answers
What RISE tests do 5th graders take in Utah?
Four: English language arts, mathematics, science and writing. The State Board gives RISE writing in grades 5 and 8 only, and science from grade 4 on.
How many questions are on the 5th grade RISE science test?
Utah's blueprint lists 8 clusters and no question count: 3 clusters on Strand 5.1, 3 on Strand 5.2 and 2 on Strand 5.3. Students get a subset of each strand's standards.
What do RISE science scores mean in 5th grade?
The Individual Student Report gives a scale score and one of four proficiency levels, from Below Proficient to Highly Proficient, with results by reporting category. For science the reporting categories are the three strands.
Where is the official RISE science practice for 5th grade?
On the Utah RISE portal, as training tests. The State Board's overview says they cover a range of grades, let students try the online system, and give no scores. This page is not one of them.