Scoring Guide: Quarter 3 Review: Science

Answer questions 1 to 3. Then use the table about Harbor Town for questions 4 to 7.

1. 1.

   Clara wants to know how fast the wind is blowing and how much rain fell last night. Which two tools does she need? wind speed: ____ rainfall: ____

   (2 pts)

   Answer: wind speed: anemometer; rainfall: rain gauge

2. 2.

   Clara's thermometer has a small mark every 2 degrees. The top of the red liquid is 4 marks below the 90. What temperature should she record?

   (1 pt)

   Answer: 82°F

3. 3.

   A flag is blowing toward the west. From which direction is the wind coming?

   (1 pt)

   Answer: from the east (it is an east wind)

4. 4.

   Draw a bar graph that shows how much rain usually falls in Harbor Town in each of the four months. Number the side by 1s. Add a title and labels.

   (3 pts)

   Answer: Bars: March 4 inches, June 1 inch, September 3 inches, December 5 inches, with a title, labels on the bottom and the side, and an even scale that counts by 1s.

5. 5.

   Find the wettest month and the driest month in the table. What is the difference in their usual rainfall?

   (1 pt)

   Answer: 4 inches. December is the wettest (5 inches) and June is the driest (1 inch); 5 − 1 = 4.

6. 6.

   Luis wants to plan an outdoor birthday party in Harbor Town. Which of the four months gives the best chance of a warm, dry day? Use two numbers from the table.

   (2 pts)

   Answer: June. Its usual high is 82°F, the warmest of the four months, and it usually gets only 1 inch of rain, the least.

7. 7.

   Can Luis be sure it will not rain on the day of his party? Explain.

   (2 pts)

   Answer: No. The table shows the usual weather for the month. The weather on any one day can be different, so he should check the forecast when the day is close.

Think about weather, climate and the living things that fit each climate.

1. 8.

   Write W for weather or C for climate. ___ A thunderstorm rolled through at lunch time. ___ Spring on this coast is usually foggy and cool. ___ It will be windy tomorrow afternoon. ___ This island is warm all year long.

   (2 pts)

   Answer: W, C, W, C

2. 9.

   Write the climate type for each place: tropical, arid, temperate or polar. It is warm every month, and rain falls almost every day: ____ Very little rain falls all year, and plants grow far apart: ____ There are four seasons, with warm summers and cold winters: ____

   (2 pts)

   Answer: tropical, arid, temperate

3. 10.

   A kangaroo rat lives where almost no rain falls. It gets the water it needs from the seeds it eats. It stays in a cool burrow all day and comes out at night. Which climate type does it live in? Tell how each of these two things helps it survive there.

   (3 pts)

   Answer: Arid (a desert). Getting water from seeds means it can live where there is almost no water to drink. Staying in a burrow by day keeps it out of the heat, so it stays cool and loses less water.

4. 11.

   An emperor penguin has a thick layer of fat and tightly packed feathers that hold in its body heat. Would it survive well, less well or not at all if it lived outdoors in a tropical climate? Give a reason.

   (2 pts)

   Answer: Not at all (also accept 'less well' with a good reason). A tropical climate is warm all year, and the penguin's fat and feathers hold heat in, so it would get much too hot.

Read about Malik's model roofs. Use the table for questions 12 to 14. Question 15 is about tornado safety.

1. 12.

   Which roof shape met Malik's goal?

   (1 pt)

   Answer: the steep slope

2. 13.

   Malik's town is building a new firehouse. Which of the three roof shapes should the builders choose? Use Malik's test. Claim: ____ Evidence: ____ Reasoning: ____

   (3 pts)

   Answer: Answers vary. Look for: Claim: they should choose the steep slope roof. Evidence: only 1 of 10 spoonfuls stayed on the steep roof, but 6 stayed on the gentle slope and all 10 stayed on the flat roof. Reasoning: snow slides off a steep roof, so heavy snow does not pile up and break it.

3. 14.

   The gentle slope roof did not meet Malik's goal. Name one change he could make to that roof. Tell how he should test the new roof so the test is fair.

   (2 pts)

   Answer: Answers vary. Look for: one change, such as making the slope steeper or covering it with something smoother, that still uses one sheet of cardboard and tape. Fair test: sprinkle the same 10 spoonfuls of flour the same way and count how many stay; change only one thing.

4. 15.

   The Park family is having a cookout. The radio announces a tornado watch. a) What does a tornado watch mean, and what should the family do? b) An hour later, the watch changes to a tornado warning. Where in their house should they go?

   (3 pts)

   Answer: a) A watch means a tornado could form. They should be ready: stay alert, listen for news and know where their safe place is. b) The lowest floor, in a small inside room with no windows, such as a basement, closet or bathroom.