Here are some science questions to help you test your knowledge of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time you reload the page.
Back to the Grade 5 standards.

How hot does an area have to be to be classified as a desert?
Answer:
Deserts are defined by lack of precipitation, not by temperature. They are areas where precipitation minus evaporation yields less than 10 inches of rain per year. The largest desert on Earth is in Antarctica, a very cold place.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.5.E.7.6 Describe characteristics (temperature and precipitation) of different climate zones as they relate to latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water.
Weather and Climate | video |
Review Weather-7 | practice |
Review Weather-9 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.V.1.c Locate examples of areas that have characteristics of wetlands, forests, or deserts in Utah.
Review Weather-7 | practice |
Review Weather-9 | practice |
NGSS

I poured some water on this rock. Later that day, the water was all gone. What happened to it?
-
It evaporated.
Yes. When liquid water turns into water vapor, the process is called evaporation. That is what happened to the water on the rock. -
It sublimated.
No. Sublimation is when a solid turns directly into a gas. Dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) is an example of sublimation. The solid changes directly into carbon dioxide gas, without becoming a liquid. -
It condensed.
No. Condensation is when a gas turns into a liquid. The drops of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice is the result of condensation. -
It precipitated.
No. In weather, precipitation is when solid or liquid water falls from the clouds. Rain, snow, and sleet are examples of precipitation.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.3.P.9.1 Describe the changes water undergoes when it changes state through heating and cooling by using familiar scientific terms such as melting, freezing, boiling, evaporation, and condensation.
Cloud Formation, part 2 | video |
Making a Solar Still | video |
Wonderful Water | video, checked |
A Watched Pot | video |
Why We Sweat | video, checked |
Photographing Snowflakes | video, checked |
Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
Cloud Formation, part 1 | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
The Water Cycle | video, checked |
A Model of the Water Cycle | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
What Really Happens With Evaporation? | text page, free, checked |
Review Weather-2 | practice |
Review Weather-10 | practice |
Review Weather-1 | practice |
SC.5.E.7.1 Create a model to explain the parts of the water cycle. Water can be a gas, a liquid, or a solid and can go back and forth from one state to another.
>>> Teacher Page: Water Cycle
Cloud Formation, part 2 | video |
Cloud Types | video |
Making a Solar Still | video |
A Watched Pot | video |
Photographing Snowflakes | video, checked |
The Water Cycle | video, checked |
A Model of the Water Cycle | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
Review Weather-1 | practice |
Review Weather-2 | practice |
Review Weather-8 | practice |
Review Weather-10 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.I.2.a Locate examples of evaporation and condensation in the water cycle (e.g., water evaporates when heated and clouds or dew forms when vapor is cooled).
Cloud Types | video |
Making a Solar Still | video |
A Watched Pot | video |
Cloud Formation, part 1 | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
The Water Cycle | video, checked |
A Model of the Water Cycle | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
A Cool Experiment | text page |
Review Weather-1 | practice |
Review Weather-2 | practice |
NGSS
MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
Cloud Types | video |
Nephoscope | video, checked |
Cloud Formation, part 1 | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
Review Weather-1 | practice |
Review Weather-2 | practice |
Review Weather-6 | practice |
Review Weather-4 | practice |
Review Weather-3 | practice |

How can there be rain if this area is a desert?
Answer:
It is important to understand the difference between climate and weather. Weather is what is happening now. Climate is determined by looking at the weather data over a long period of time, often several decades. To be classified as a desert climate, the area has an average annual rainfall of 7.87 inches of rain or less. That tells us that it does sometimes have rain, just not very often.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.2.L.17.2 Recognize and explain that living things are found all over Earth, but each is only able to live in habitats that meet its basic needs.
Hunting with an Umbrella | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
A Walk in the Park | video, checked |
Review Weather-9 | practice |
SC.5.E.7.6 Describe characteristics (temperature and precipitation) of different climate zones as they relate to latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water.
Weather and Climate | video |
Review Weather-7 | practice |
Review Weather-9 | practice |
SC.6.E.7.2 Investigate and apply how the cycling of water between the atmosphere and hydrosphere has an effect on weather patterns and climate.
Cloud Types | video |
Nephoscope | video, checked |
The Water Cycle | video, checked |
Weather and Climate | video |
Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
Review Weather-8 | practice |
Review Weather-9 | practice |
Review Weather-10 | practice |
SC.6.E.7.6 Differentiate between weather and climate.
Weather and Climate | video |
Review Weather-9 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.V.1.a Compare the physical characteristics (e.g., precipitation, temperature, and surface terrain) of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts.
Weather and Climate | video |
Review Weather-9 | practice |
UT.4.V.1.c Locate examples of areas that have characteristics of wetlands, forests, or deserts in Utah.
Review Weather-7 | practice |
Review Weather-9 | practice |
NGSS
MS-ESS2-6 Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
Cloud Formation, part 2 | video |
Global Science | video, ClosedCaptions |
Weather and Climate | video |
Review Weather-9 | practice |
3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.
Weather and Climate | video |
Review Weather-9 | practice |

Incandescent light bulbs use electrical energy to produce light energy, but it is not a direct transformation. Instead, the electrical energy is changed to a different form of energy, and then to light.
Electricity → ? → Light
What form of energy does the "?" represent?
-
Sound
No. Electrical energy can be transformed into sound energy, but that would not cause the bulb to light. -
Thermal
Yes. As electrical energy flows through the filament, resistance changes the electrical energy into thermal energy. When the filament gets hot enough, some of the thermal energy is converted into light. -
Radiation
No. The electrical energy is not transformed into radiation. -
Friction
No. The electrical energy is not transformed into friction.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.2.P.10.1 Discuss that people use electricity or other forms of energy to cook their food, cool or warm their homes, and power their cars.
Review Energy-3 | practice |
SC.5.P.10.4 Investigate and explain that electrical energy can be transformed into heat, light, and sound energy, as well as the energy of motion.
Introduction to the LED | video, checked |
Light a Bulb with a Balloon | video, checked |
Electricity | video, free, Updated |
Review Energy-3 | practice |
SC.7.P.11.2 Investigate and describe the transformation of energy.
The Rollback Can | video, free, Updated |
High Bounce | video, checked |
Review Energy-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.3.V.2.c Predict, measure, and graph the temperature changes produced by a variety of mechanical machines and electrical devices while they are operating.
Review Energy-3 | practice |
UT.8.IV.4.b Trace the conversion of energy from one form of energy to another (e.g., light to chemical to mechanical).
Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video, checked |
The Rollback Can | video, free, Updated |
High Bounce | video, checked |
NGSS
4-PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.
Noisy String | video, checked |
Spoon Bells | video, checked |
Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
Making a Screamer | video, free, Updated |
Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video, checked |
The Singing Glass | video, checked |
The Slow Race | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
Whistle Stick | video, text page, blog, free, checked |
Simple Circuits | video, checked |
Solar Power | video, checked |
The Rollback Can | video, free, Updated |
A Grass Whistle | video, checked |
High Bounce | video, checked |
Bottle Tones, part 1 | video, checked |
Measuring Calories | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
Bottle Tones, part 2 | video, checked |
Why Things Go Bang | video |
Why We Sweat | video, checked |
Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
Sunglass Science: Polarized Light | video, free, Updated |
Sunlight, Energy, and Crayons | text page, free |
Review Energy-5 | quest |
Review Energy-3 | practice |

A lightning bolt has a huge amount of energy. Which of these kinds of energy is NOT a major component of lightning?
-
Heat
No. A lightning bolt can heat the air to over 30,000 °C (54,000 °F) -
Electrical
No. A lightning bolt has a tremendous amount of electrical energy, often several hundred million volts, and several hundred thousand amperes. -
Sound
No. Thunder, the sound energy produced by a lightning bolt, is so loud that it can often be heard up to ten miles away. -
Chemical
Yes. While a lightning bolt can cause chemical changes, very little of the bolt's energy is converted to chemical energy.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.3.P.10.1 Observe and describe some basic forms of energy, including light, heat, sound, electrical, and the energy of motion.
Electrostatic Charges | video |
Noisy String | video, checked |
Spoon Bells | video, checked |
Making a Screamer | video, free, Updated |
The Singing Glass | video, checked |
Whistle Stick | video, text page, blog, free, checked |
Review Energy-5 | quest |
Review Energy-2 | practice |
SC.4.P.10.1 Observe and describe some basic forms of energy, including light, heat, sound, electrical, and the energy of motion.
Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video, checked |
Electrostatic Charges | video |
Why Things Go Bang | video |
Noisy String | video, checked |
Spoon Bells | video, checked |
The Singing Glass | video, checked |
Radioactive | video, Updated, checked |
Electricity | video, free, Updated |
Measuring Calories | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
Bean Power | text page |
Calories: Measuring the Energy | text page, free |
Review Energy-5 | quest |
Review Energy-2 | practice |
SC.5.P.10.1 Investigate and describe some basic forms of energy, including light, heat, sound, electrical, chemical, and mechanical.
Measuring Calories | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video, checked |
Solar Power | video, checked |
Why Things Go Bang | video |
Sunglass Science: Birefringence | video, free, Updated |
Noisy String | video, checked |
Spoon Bells | video, checked |
Making a Screamer | video, free, Updated |
The Singing Glass | video, checked |
Radioactive | video, Updated, checked |
Electricity | video, free, Updated |
The Science of Pizza | video, checked |
Calories: Measuring the Energy | text page, free |
Review Energy-5 | quest |
Review Energy-2 | practice |
Utah
UT.8.IV.4.b Trace the conversion of energy from one form of energy to another (e.g., light to chemical to mechanical).
Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video, checked |
The Rollback Can | video, free, Updated |
High Bounce | video, checked |
NGSS
4-PS3-2 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
The Science of Pizza | video, checked |
Heating a Balloon | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
Simple Circuits | video, checked |
Doppler Effect | video, checked |
How Heat Moves | video, checked |
Solar Power | video, checked |
Bottle Tones, part 1 | video, checked |
Bottle Tones, part 2 | video, checked |
Why Things Go Bang | video |
Noisy String | video, checked |
Spoon Bells | video, checked |
Making a Screamer | video, free, Updated |
The Singing Glass | video, checked |
Electricity | video, free, Updated |
Comparing How Sound Moves Through Liquids and Gases | text page |
A Real Tuning Fork | text page |
Review Energy-2 | practice |
The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time you reload the page.
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