A book rests on a table and does not move. What is true of the forces acting on the book?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.3 c
A lamp is switched on. The bulb gives off light and gets warm. Which energy transformation is this?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.2 c
A sled slides across flat grass, slows down and stops. Which force opposed the sled's motion?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.3 e
A student describes how a toy car is moving. Which two things describe the motion of an object?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.3 b
Show all 40 questions (36 more)
Force, Motion, Energy, and Matter, continued
A student stirs 30 grams of salt into 200 grams of water. What is the mass of the saltwater?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.7 b, c
The same push is given to an empty wagon and to a wagon loaded with bricks. Which wagon's motion changes more?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.3 c
Sugar is stirred into water until it can no longer be seen. The water tastes sweet. What does this show about matter?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.7 a
Which form of energy is the energy of heat?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.2 b
Which of these mixtures is a solution, with one substance dissolved evenly in another?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.7 b
Which statement about energy is true?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.2 d
Electricity, Sound, and Light 10
A battery, wires and a bulb make a closed circuit, and the bulb is lit. One wire is pulled off the battery. What happens?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.4 b
A pencil standing in a glass of water looks bent at the surface of the water. Which behavior of light causes this?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.6 c
A ship sends a pulse toward the sea floor and times the echo to find the depth. What does this tool, called sonar, use?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.5 d
A wire is wrapped around an iron nail and joined to a battery. The nail picks up paper clips. Which change would make this electromagnet stronger?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.4 e
In an electric fan, electrical energy is transformed mainly into which form of energy?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.4 d
Through which of these does sound travel fastest?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.5 c
Two guitar strings are plucked. One vibrates much faster than the other. How do their sounds compare?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.5 a
Which color of visible light has the longest wavelength?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.6 b
Which material is translucent, letting only some light pass through?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.6 c
Which material lets electrical energy flow through it easily?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.4 a
Living Systems and Ecosystem Interactions 10
All the gray squirrels that live in one forest at the same time make up what?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.3 a
In the food chain grass → rabbit → fox, what do the arrows show?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.3 b
Pollen must move from one part of a flower to another before seeds can form. What can carry the pollen?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.2 c
Tadpoles live in water and mostly eat plants. Adult frogs live mainly on land and eat insects. What does this show?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.3 c
Where is the greatest amount of energy in an ecosystem found?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.3 b
Which list holds only extreme weather events that can destroy habitats?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.4 b
Which organisms are producers in ocean food webs?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.7 c
Which part of most green plants is the primary site of photosynthesis?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.2 b
Which three things does a green plant use, along with chlorophyll, to make its food?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.2 a
Why do animals depend on green plants?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.2 a
Earth/Space Systems and Earth Resources 10
During which phases of the moon are the tidal ranges highest?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.6 c
Fluffy white clouds grow larger and turn dark on the bottom. These clouds may bring thunderstorms. What are they called?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.4 a
How is climate different from weather?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.4 c
What causes the seasons on Earth?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.6 b
What does the salinity of ocean water measure?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.7 b
What is a watershed?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.8 a
Which list gives Earth's layers in order from the surface to the center?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.8 a
Which list names the four terrestrial planets?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 4 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 4.5 b
Which of these is a nonrenewable energy source?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.9 a
Which type of rock forms when melted rock cools?Virginia Department of Education, Instructional Guide to Support the 2018 Grade 5 Science Standards of Learning, "Understanding the Standard", SOL 5.8 c
Forty of our own questions for the science SOL that Virginia fifth graders take, which also covers Grade 4 Science. Unofficial: no question is a released or state practice item. Not affiliated with the Virginia Department of Education.
Read the full guide
What the 5th grade science SOL covers
Four reporting categories carry 10 scored items apiece on the state blueprint, and the questions here are dealt out the same way. Force, Motion, Energy, and Matter asks about forms of energy, net force, friction and mixtures. Electricity, Sound, and Light asks about circuits, electromagnets, pitch and the visible spectrum. Living Systems and Ecosystem Interactions asks about photosynthesis, food webs and niches. Earth/Space Systems and Earth Resources runs from weather, planets, seasons and tides to the rock cycle and energy sources.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the 5th grade science SOL test?
Fifty. Forty are scored, ten in each of the four reporting categories, and the other ten are field-test items being tried out for later tests. The practice set on this page matches the forty that are scored.
Is there a 5th grade SOL science study guide?
The state's closest thing is the blueprint, which lists every standard on the test, together with its instructional guides for Grade 4 and Grade 5 science. Under each answer is the standard it came from, so a miss points to a line to study.
Does the 5th grade Virginia science SOL practice test cover 4th grade?
Yes. The blueprint lists Grade 4 standards 4.2 to 4.8 beside Grade 5 standards 5.2 to 5.9. Plants, ecosystems, weather, the solar system, the ocean and Virginia's natural resources are all fourth grade standards.
What is a passing score on the 5th grade science SOL?
The state grades the test on a scale that tops out at 600. It names 400 the minimum level of acceptable proficiency and 500 advanced proficiency, so a percent earned here does not convert to an SOL score.
Can you use a calculator on the 5th grade science SOL?
A four-function one is built in. According to the blueprint, the Desmos Virginia Four Function calculator sits on the toolbar of every item in the online test.