4th Grade Science Assessment Name: ______________________________
Directions: Choose the best answer for each question below. Fill in the letter of your answer on the bubble
sheet provided. Do not write on the test.
SOL 4.1 (a-h)
1. Todd observes that his strawberry plant has grown little green strawberries. Which of these is a prediction Todd
might make about his strawberry plant?
A. The green berries will ripen into red berries.
B. The strawberry plant is growing under an oak tree.
C. The strawberry plant doesn’t have enough water.
D. The green berries are a new type of strawberry.
2. Based on the picture provided, which of these is a conclusion rather than an observation?
A. This animal has hair.
B. This animal is standing.
C. This animal has four legs.
D.This animal is a mammal.
3. Which of the following is NOT a testable scientific hypothesis?
A. Lightning is the cause of thunder.
B. Earth is flat.
C. Diseases are spread by mosquitoes.
D. Lightning bugs are very pretty.
4. Three baseball players investigate to see who can throw a baseball the farthest. They mark off an area on the
playground for their investigation. Which should they keep constant?
A. Height of the players.
B. Color of the baseballs thrown.
C. Order in which the players throw.
D. Spot from which players throw.
5. Which tool would be needed to measure the size and mass of a block of wood?
A. A watch with a second hand and a ruler
B. A graduated cylinder and a thermometer
C. A ruler and a balance
D. A thermometer and a meter stick
6. Which of these would be the best tool to measure the volume of water abosorbed by a sponge?
A. B. C. D.
7. A student wants to show how much the use of gasoline has increased over the last ten years. This information would
best be displayed in a —
A. diagram
B. bar graph
C. line graph _
D. stem-and-leaf plot
8.
Student Numbers of Seeds Sprouted
1 25
2 19
3 27
4 5
Some students recorded the number of bean seeds that sprouted in their experimental plots. Each student began with
the same number and type of seeds, the same type of soil plot, and the same amount of water and sunlight. Which of
the following students most likely made an error in the experiment?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
9. Based on the graph, what color eyes is a child most likely to have?
A. green
B. blue
C. brown
D. hazel
SOL 4.5 (a-f)
10. Which of these is important for helping an animal move through sand or snow?
A short, tin legs
B a long, bushy tail
C a long neck
D big, wide feet
11. What is it called when animals fall into a deep sleep through the winter?
A. hibernation
B. migration
C. pollination
D. fertilization
12. Which is not a member of a forest community?
A cactus
B white tail deer
C oak tree
D mouse
13. PIEDMONT FOOD WEB
Plants
Mouse Vole Rabbit Deer
Owl Hawk Snake
According to this food web, which type of animal will die out if all of the mice and voles are killed?
A owls
B snakes
C rabbits
D hawks
14. What do you call the “job” a species performs in a food chain?
A its order
B its adaptation
C its niche
D its preparation
15. The process an insect undergoes when changing from larva to adult is known as—
A respiration
B metamorphosis
C photosynthesis
D reproduction
16. Which of the following is a way that humans can negatively impact ecosystems?
A recycling paper
B planting trees
C littering
D conserving water
SOL 4.2 (a-d)
17. Speed is the distance an object moves in a certain amount of—
A force
B time
C weight
D work
18. A push or pull that causes objects to move, stop, or change speed and direction is a--
A watt
B force
C distance
D work
19. Why do people sometimes slip when walking on a wet surface?
A The water keeps them from seeing well so that people slip.
B People are so afraid of water that they slip.
C Water pushes up on people’s feet.
D The water reduces the friction between the foot and the surface.
20. When a coin is dropped, it falls to the ground. As the coin falls, it loses potential energy and gains what kind of
energy?
A kinetic
B chemical
C electrical
D solar
21. Which picture shows the book with the most potential energy?
22. What causes a rolling bowling ball to stay in motion?
A friction
B inertia
C gravity
D potential energy
SOL 4.3 (a-f)
23. Which material is a good conductor?
A cotton
B metal
C wood
D plastic
24. What can rubber, glass, and plastic all be used as?
A conductors
B insulators
C circuits
D electromagnets
25. What type of circuit is shown below?
A series circuit
B parallel circuit
C open circuit
D switch circuit
26. What type of circuit is shown below?
A round circuit
B open circuit
C parallel circuit
D series circuit
27. Sometimes socks cling to shirts when removed from the clothes dryer. What causes this?
A low voltage
B current
C static electricity
D chemical attraction
28. Which form of energy is best shown in this picture?
A mechanical
B electrical
C chemical
D nuclear
29. Which of the following materials would be picked up by a magnet?
A steel
B rubber
C copper
D plastic
30. A magnet that is created using electric current is--
A a bar magnet
B a horseshoe magnet
C an electromagnet
D a permanent magnet
31. Thomas Edison used electricity in many of his inventions. Which of these was one of his inventions?
A electric can opener
B electric light bulb
C telephone
D electron microscope
32. Which scientist experimented with electromagnetism and discovered that magnets could be used to make
electricity?
A Thomas Edison
B Michael Faraday
C Alexander Graham Bell
D Benjamin Franklin
SOL 4.7 (a-d)
33. The rotation of the Earth on its axis causes --
A seasons
B years
C months
D days
34. Which of these statements is NOT true?
A Earth spins on its axis.
B Earth revolves around the sun.
C Earth is a planet.
D Earth rotates around the moon.
35. As Earth revolves around the sun, what causes the seasons?
A the shape of Earth’s orbit
B the tilt of Earth’s axis
C the position of the moon
D the temperature of the sun’s heat
36. Which of these is the next phase of the moon?
A full moon
B waning crescent
C first quarter
D waxing gibbous
37. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A The moon is smaller than Earth.
B The moon revolves around Earth in about 4 weeks.
C Earth revolves around the sun in about 52 weeks.
D The moon is heavier than Earth.
38. Approximately how old is the sun?
A 4.6 thousand years
B 4.6 hundred years
C 4.6 billion years
D 4.6 million years
39. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A The Earth is larger than the moon
B The moon is smaller than the sun.
C The sun is the largest body in our solar system.
D The Earth is larger than the sun.
40. The NASA Apollo missions helped us to understand—
A the sun
B the moon
C the Earth
D Mars
41. Many years ago Aristotle thought the _____________ was the center of our solar system. Years later Galieo proved
the __________ is in the center of our solar system.
A sun/ Earth
B moon/Earth
C Earth/sun
D Earth/moon
SOL 4.6 (a-b)
42. Which instrument could tell you that conditions are right for flying a kite?
A anemometer
B barometer
C thermometer
D rain gauge
43. Which will measure air temperature?
44. What factor does NOT help predict the weather?
A temperature
B ground cover
C wind speed and direction
D air pressure and humidity
45. A high feathery cloud formed of ice crystals is called a—
A cirrus cloud
B stratus cloud
C cumulonimbus cloud
D thundercloud
46. What do you call the line where two air masses meet?
A high-pressure area
B low-pressure area
C front
D storm line
47. Tornadoes and other storms are most likely to be produced from which type of cloud?
A cirrus
B stratus
C cumulus
D cumulonimbus
SOL 4.4 (a-d)
48. Where do water and nutrients enter a plant?
A roots B leaves
C stem D flower
49. What are the arrows pointing to in the diagram?
A the leaves
B the flowers
C the roots
D the stem
50. What is the bottom part of the pistil where the seeds are formed called?
A embryo
B ovary
C sepal
D spore
51. Which part of a plant makes pollen?
A stem
B pistil
C stamen
D leaf
52. The tiny young plant found in a seed is called:
A a root
B a flower
C an embryo
D a stamen
53. The process by which green plants make their own food is called—
A reproduction
B photosynthesis
C pollination
D chlorophyll
54. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A Chlorophyll in the leaf is used to produce food.
B Photosynthesis is the food-making process in plants.
C Photosynthesis requires carbon dioxide and light.
D Photosynthesis requires only water to produce food.
55. During photosynthesis, what gas do plants release into the air?
A oxygen
B water
C carbon dioxide
D nutrients
56. When growing conditions are not good, seeds may remain inactive. This is called:
A dormancy
B pollination
C fertilization
D dehydration
SOL 4.8 (a-d)
57. Materials found in nature that can be used by people are--
A erosion
B watershed
C runoff
D natural resources
58. An area of land over which surface water flows is a--
A watershed
B runoff
C canyon
D erosion
59. The body of water shown in the picture below is a—
A lake
B bay
C ocean
D river
60. Which of the following is not a bird native to Virginia?
A turkey
B cardinal
C peacock
D eagle
61. Which of the plants below could be found growing in Virginia?
A rice
B cocoa trees
C corn
D coffee bushes
62. Virginia’s most important mineral resource is what?
A coal
B granite
C gold
D silver
63. Large amounts of which of the following minerals are not found in Virginia?
A granite
B limestone
C gold
D coal
64. What natural resources attract a large number of vacationers to Virginia?
A glaciers and high mountains
B lakes, rivers, and beaches
C canyons and mesas
D swamps and marshes
65. The important crops of Virginia include all of these except:
A corn
B tobacco
C rice
D peanuts