Science PSSA Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• What do we call an ecosystem where all water runoff drains into a single body of water?
• What is the term for interdependent relationships in ecosystems?
• What is the occupation of a scientist who studies weather?
• What is the term for the distance traveled per unit time?
• Which planet in our solar system is known for its strong gravitational pull?
• What natural phenomenon involves the retention of heat in Earth's atmosphere by gases such as carbon dioxide and methane?
• Which type of rock forms from the cooling of molten rock?
• What do we call a break in the Earth's crust?
• What term refers to the force exerted by the weight of air on a surface area?
• Which of the following defines a biome?
• Which material does not allow heat or electrons to move through it easily?
• What describes the ability of an object to transfer heat?
• What type of force is exerted only when two objects are in contact?
• What term describes pollution that originates from a specific location?
• Which term refers to harmful materials that can enter the biosphere?
• In physics, what is used to study forces acting on an object?
• What is the term for the response that occurs following a message in communication?
• What is the process called when a gas changes to a liquid?
• Which statement best describes an open-loop system?
• Which is an example of an adaptation?
• In ecology, what is the primary factor in determining carrying capacity?
• What tool is commonly used to measure weight?
• Which type of energy is derived from the earth's internal heat?
• What is the name of the force that pulls on a material?
• What do you call a substance or molecule that participates in a chemical reaction?
• Which process involves a series of steps including data collection, hypothesis formulation, and conclusion stating?
• Which process is responsible for the gradual building up of soil as a result of the decomposition of plant and animal matter?
• What is the primary purpose of a hypothesis in scientific research?
• What do we call the amount of water vapor present in the air?
• Which type of property can be observed without changing a substance?
• What does it mean when a material is described as biodegradable?
• In scientific terms, which of the following best defines a "model"?
• Which of the following describes a large natural stream of water that flows over land?
• What type of organism is defined as being made up of one cell?
• What do we call the series of processes that change rocks from one type to another over time?
• Which of the following refers to anything in the environment that humans use?
• What is the term for the results produced by the operation of any system?
• What is defined as a large body of water surrounded by land?
• What type of energy source can be replenished and is not exhausted by use?
• Which of the following is NOT a type of rock?
• What type of energy is stored due to the position or shape of an object?
• What term describes the top layer of soil that is rich in organic material?
• What is the process called when liquid water changes into vapor?
• What are large pieces of the Earth's crust that move due to convection currents called?
• In terms of environmental water flow, what does infiltration specifically refer to?
• What is a substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds called?
• What is the definition of a push or a pull in physics?
• Which term describes the ability or tendency of an object to float in water or other fluids?
• In scientific experiments, what is the purpose of a control group?
• What term is used to describe a representation of an object or event in science?
• What instrument is used to magnify small objects for better observation?
• Which term describes the gradual change in a species over time?
• What do you call an organism that is eaten by another organism?
• What is the formula for density?
• What is the basic unit of structure and function in living organisms?
• Which of the following is an example of a semiconductor?
• What term describes the variable that is measured in an experiment?
• What term describes a belief or view about something?
• Which term describes scientific studies aimed at understanding natural phenomena?
• Which of the following best describes a chemical property of a substance?
• What is the term for the sudden movement of rock and soil down a slope?
• What natural resource is characterized by being consumed faster than it can be replenished?
• Which material allows heat and electricity to pass through it?
• What is an organism called on which a parasite lives?
• Which of the following is NOT an abiotic factor?
• Which tool is commonly used to measure mass?
• What is defined as the ability of one substance to dissolve in another at a given temperature and pressure?
• Which term refers to nonliving factors in an ecosystem that affect living organisms?
• Which term describes a close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of them?
• What term refers to the water that is located beneath Earth's surface?
• What mechanism drives the process of evolution in species over time?
• What does "pollution from multiple sources" refer to in environmental science?
• What type of energy comes from the movement of water driven by the gravitational pull of the Moon?
• What is the application of science to improve people's lives?
• What is the term for water that flows over the surface rather than soaking into the ground?
• Which definition correctly describes a parasite?
• What term describes a river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake?
• What term describes a large mass of moving ice and snow on land?
• What is an example of abiotic factors in an ecosystem?
• What do we call the average weather conditions in a specific area over a long time?
• What is the scientific study of heredity called?
• What is another term for oil?
• What is the process of water evaporation from the leaves of a plant called?
• Which substance can conduct electricity under certain conditions?
• What is the process by which individuals with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce?
• What type of ecological succession begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed?
• What is defined as the result of a force moving an object a certain distance?
• Which type of energy is derived from the heat in the Earth's interior?
• What do we call magma that reaches the Earth's surface?
• What do we call the movement of air known as?
• Which of the following best describes buoyancy?
• What term describes water that falls from clouds and reaches the Earth's surface?
• What can lead to negative effects on the environment, such as increased UV radiation exposure?
• Which phase change occurs when a gas becomes a liquid?
• What does population density measure?
• What is molten rock beneath the earth's surface called?
• What does a closed loop system primarily utilize for its functioning?
• What is the phase change from liquid to gas called?
• What describes the force of attraction or repulsion of magnetic fields?
• Which term describes land that consists of marshes or swamps and is characterized by saturated conditions?
• What do we call a force that one object can exert on another without using physical contact?
• What is the main source of pollutants entering waterways?
• What is the term for the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources?
• What is the name given to the group that does not receive the experimental treatment in an experiment?
• Which layer of Earth's atmosphere contains the ozone layer?
• In scientific experiments, what do we refer to as a factor that can change?
• What is the term for the gradual process where fertile land becomes desert?
• What type of energy is produced by the flow of water?
• What term is used to describe all living organisms that inhabit a particular environment?
• Which of the following describes a primary producer?
• What term refers to the process of breaking down rocks and materials on the Earth’s surface?
• Which biome is characterized by high levels of rainfall, biodiversity, and lush vegetation?
• What are small pieces of weathered rock called?
• Which type of animal is known for hunting other animals for food?
• What is a pure substance made of only one kind of atom called?
• Which molecule contains the genetic information and makes up chromosomes?
• What instrument is used to measure volume?
• What is the term for the destruction of forests?
• What defines a living organism's ability to respond to its environment?
• What type of erosion occurs as a result of water flowing over land?
• What is a testable prediction that is often implied by a theory called?
• Which type of resource can be regenerated in a relatively short time frame?
• What type of energy is produced from moving air?
• What is the term for the addition of more waste than a resource can handle?
• What is the primary characteristic of multicellular organisms?
• In scientific terms, what is the primary function of a pan balance?
• What term describes a community of interacting organisms along with their physical environment?
• What is defined as the condition of Earth's atmosphere at a certain time and location?
• What type of control system does not compare the output with input for regulation?
• What is the term for the temperature at which a liquid turns into a gas?
• What is the process of weighing the possible problems of a technology against its expected advantages called?
• What is a well-tested concept that provides an explanation for a wide range of observations?
• What is the term for the energy of motion?
• What term refers to the act of protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment?
• What term describes a relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is unaffected?
• What is a fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material?
• Which term refers to the measure of how much mass is in a given volume?
• What is a substance produced in a chemical reaction called?
• What is the term used to refer to the thinning of the ozone layer?
• What do we call something put into a system to achieve a result?
• What term describes the passing of traits from parents to offspring?
• What is the primary use of a beaker in scientific experiments?
• In what environment does primary succession most commonly occur?
• What is the largest number of individuals of a population that an environment can support called?
• What is the name of the continuous process where water moves from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back again?
• Which process involves the laying down of sediment in new locations?
• What is the term for organisms composed of many cells?
• What type of information is supported by observations and is considered true?
• Which of the following is a key property of materials that can transmit heat?
• What is the term for the process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another?
• What term describes the flow of water from land surface into the subsurface through soil?
• What term describes a vent or fissure in the Earth's surface from which magma and gases are released?
• Which term refers to a genetic factor that is overshadowed by the presence of a dominant factor?
• What is the primary driver of the water cycle?
• What term describes information acquired through the use of the senses?
• What is the force of attraction between objects due to their masses called?
• What type of force would be considered a noncontact force?
• Which term refers to the ability to perform work?
• What process involves the gradual breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces?
• Which process refers to changes that cause an organism to grow into a more complex form?
• What describes a series of events that happen over and over again?
• What is an aquifer?
• What is the term used for a smaller component of a larger system?
• What is a group of parts that work together as a whole called?
• What term describes a species that no longer has any known living individuals?
• What geological process is characterized by the bending or folding of rocks due to stress from converging plates?
• Which of the following is NOT an agent of erosion?
• What term describes a signal to which an organism responds?
• What is biomass?
• What is the term used to describe a change in the state of matter from solid to liquid?
• What is the term for an inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival?
• Which of the following describes a characteristic that indicates how matter can change into different substances?
• Which of the following describes a combination of substances that are not chemically combined?
• What do you call a solid in which the atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern?
• What type of rock forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions?
• What is a genetic factor called that can overshadow another genetic factor?
• Which ecological interaction is characterized by both organisms benefiting?
• What is energy from the sun converted into thermal or electrical energy called?
• Why is understanding physical properties important in science?
• What does P1 generation refer to in genetics?
• Which term refers to an environmental factor that prevents a population from increasing?
• Which of the following is a consequence of point source pollution?
• What do we call an organism that lives in or on another organism?
• What is the primary purpose of an instrument that measures volume?
• What do we call the first generation of offspring obtained from an experimental cross of two organisms?
• What is the term used to describe a comparison of two quantities by division?
• Which system uses feedback from the output to control its input?
• What is a common effect of a fault in geological formations?
• What type of variable is defined as the one that is intentionally changed in an experiment?
• What term refers to coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that originate from ancient organisms?
• What is a characteristic of igneous rock?
• What phenomenon describes the movement of air from land to sea at night?
• Which type of succession occurs in an area that was partially destroyed by disturbances?
• Which instrument is used to measure atmospheric pressure?
• What is the term for the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid?
• Which of the following best describes the concept of air pressure?
• Which term describes a force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact?
• In an experiment, what do we call the group that is exposed to the treatment, or one version of the independent variable?
• What does the term "insulator" refer to in physical science?
• What phenomenon is caused by the movement of rocks beneath the Earth's surface?
• Which type of pollution originates from various diffuse sources rather than a specific point?