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
Which of the following is likely a sign that it will rain soon?
-
Rising temperature
No. A warm air mass moving into your area might bring rain, but it also might bring sunny weather. Rising temperature by itself is not a good indicator of rain. -
Decreasing humidity
No. The humidity at ground level does not play much of a role in the formation of rain in the clouds. Just before it rains, the precipitation could cause the humidity to increase, but it would not cause it to decrease. -
Wind out of the west
No. Any weather front moving in from the west could cause winds, even if it was bringing clear, sunny weather. -
Falling barometric pressure
Yes! Low pressure fronts are commonly associated with rain and storms, so falling barometric pressure is a good indicator that rain may be on the way.
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.7.3 Recognize how air temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation determine the weather in a particular place and time.
| Nephoscope | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 2 | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 1 | video, checked |
| Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
| Review Weather-5 | practice |
| Review Weather-4 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.II.3.a Identify and use the tools of a meteorologist (e.g., measure rainfall using rain gauge, measure air pressure using barometer, measure temperature using a thermometer).
| Nephoscope | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 2 | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 1 | video, checked |
| Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
| Review Weather-4 | practice |
NGSS
3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
| Nephoscope | video, checked |
| Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
| Review Weather-5 | practice |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-4 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
| Review Space-5 | practice |
| Review Space-8 | practice |
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 |
Which of the following forms of ice commonly occurs in the summer when air temperatures are well above freezing?
A: Hail
B: Snow
C: Frost
D: Freezing rain
Think about it, and when you think you know the answer, then click here.
While other kinds of frozen precipitation can form at high altitudes, in the summer they usually melt long before they reach the ground. Hail is made up of large enough chunks of ice that it usually remains frozen all the way to the ground, even during warm weather.
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.7.4 Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail), making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.
| Photographing Snowflakes | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 2 | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 1 | video, checked |
| Snow Rollers | text page |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.II.2.a Observe and record effects of air temperature on precipitation (e.g., below freezing results in snow, above freezing results in rain).
| Photographing Snowflakes | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 2 | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 1 | video, checked |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
NGSS
3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
| Nephoscope | video, checked |
| Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
| Review Weather-5 | practice |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-4 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
| Review Space-5 | practice |
| Review Space-8 | practice |
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 |
Which of the following is a major characteristic of hurricanes?
-
Low barometric pressure
Yes. Hurricanes always have very low barometric pressure. -
High barometric pressure
No. Hurricanes always have very low barometric pressure. -
Winds blowing towards the shore.
No. The direction of the winds depends on the location of the storm, relative to the shore. Depending on location, hurricane winds can blow towards shore, away for shore, or parallel to the shore. -
Winds blowing away from the shore.
No. The direction of the winds depends on the location of the storm, relative to the shore. Depending on location, hurricane winds can blow towards shore, away for shore, or parallel to the shore.
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.7.3 Recognize how air temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation determine the weather in a particular place and time.
| Nephoscope | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 2 | video, checked |
| Building a Rain Gauge, part 1 | video, checked |
| Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
| Review Weather-5 | practice |
| Review Weather-4 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.II.1.d Compare the components of severe weather phenomena to normal weather conditions (e.g., thunderstorm with lightning and high winds compared to rainstorm with rain showers and breezes).
| Review Weather-5 | practice |
NGSS
3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
| Nephoscope | video, checked |
| Pine Cone Weather | text page, free |
| Review Weather-5 | practice |
| Review Weather-6 | practice |
| Review Weather-4 | practice |
| Review Weather-3 | practice |
| Review Space-5 | practice |
| Review Space-8 | practice |
MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
| Review Weather-5 | 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 Calories | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
| 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 |
| 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.
| Electricity | video, free, Updated |
| The Science of Pizza | video, checked |
| 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 |
| 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 Singing Glass | video, checked |
| Electricity | video, free, Updated |
| 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 |
| A Real Tuning Fork | text page |
| Comparing How Sound Moves Through Liquids and Gases | 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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