Here are some science questions from the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Standards 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.
* Click here to see only the most recently added questions.

In August of 2004, Hurricane Charley removed over six feet of sand from the beach at St. Augustine. Was that an example of erosion, weathering, both, or neither?
-
Erosion
Yes! This is an example of erosion. The sand was moved by wind and water.The term "weathering" causes confusion because it sounds like it has something to do with weather. In Earth Science, weathering means "breaking apart." Weathering breaks rocks apart. Erosion carries the pieces of rock to a different location.
-
Weathering
No. While this was caused by weather, it is not an example of weathering. Keep in mind that weathering means breaking down rocks into smaller pieces. The sand was not broken into smaller pieces. It was just moved from one place to another (erosion). -
Both erosion and weathering
No. This was erosion, but not weathering. -
Neither erosion nor weathering
No. Since the sand was moved, it was erosion.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.4.E.6.1 Identify the three categories of rocks: igneous, (formed from molten rock); sedimentary (pieces of other rocks and fossilized organisms); and metamorphic (formed from heat and pressure).
Evaporites | video, learnalong, checked |
Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals | video |
Homemade Fossil Dig | text page |
Foliated and Unfoliated Rocks | text page, learnalong |
Identifying Igneous Rocks | text page, learnalong |
Intrusive and Extrusive Igneous Rocks | text page, learnalong |
Light and Dark Minerals | text page, learnalong |
Review Rocks-8 | practice |
Review Rocks-9 | practice |
Review Rocks-7 | practice |
Review Rocks-10 | practice |
Review Rocks-10 | practice |
Review Rocks-10 | practice |
Review Rocks-1 | practice |
Review Rocks-2 | practice |
Review Rocks-3 | practice |
Review Rocks-4 | practice |
Review Rocks-5 | practice |
Review Rocks-6 | practice |
SC.7.E.6.2 Identify the patterns within the rock cycle and relate them to surface events (weathering and erosion) and sub-surface events (plate tectonics and mountain building).
Evaporites | video, learnalong, checked |
What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
The Rock Cycle | video, learnalong |
Change: Fast and Slow | video |
Erosion | video, checked |
Continuous Change | video, checked |
Bioclastics: Rocks With No Minerals | video |
Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong, checked |
Review Rocks-7 | practice |
Review Rocks-10 | practice |
Review Rocks-10 | practice |
Review Rocks-1 | practice |
Review Erosion-1 | practice |
Review Erosion-2 | practice |
Review Erosion-3 | practice |
Review Erosion-4 | practice |
Review Erosion-5 | practice |
Review Rocks-4 | practice |
Review Rocks-5 | practice |
Review Rocks-6 | practice |
Review Rocks-8 | practice |
Review Rocks-9 | practice |
Utah
UT.4.III.2.b Distinguish between weathering (i.e., wearing down and breaking of rock surfaces) and erosion (i.e., the movement of materials).
Change: Fast and Slow | video |
Erosion | video, checked |
Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong, checked |
Review Erosion-1 | practice |
Review Erosion-2 | practice |
Review Erosion-3 | practice |
Review Erosion-4 | practice |
Review Erosion-5 | practice |
UT.5.II.1.a Identify the objects, processes, or forces that weather and erode Earth’s surface (e.g., ice, plants, animals, abrasion, gravity, water, wind)
Change: Fast and Slow | video |
Erosion | video, checked |
Continuous Change | video, checked |
Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong, checked |
Review Erosion-1 | practice |
Review Erosion-2 | practice |
Review Erosion-3 | practice |
Review Erosion-4 | practice |
Review Erosion-5 | practice |
UT.8.III.2.b Describe the role of energy in the processes that change rock materials over time.
Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
Change: Fast and Slow | video |
Erosion | video, checked |
Continuous Change | video, checked |
Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong, checked |
NGSS
4-ESS2-1 Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.
Change: Fast and Slow | video |
Erosion | video, checked |
Continuous Change | video, checked |
Weathering and Erosion | video, learnalong, checked |
Review Erosion-1 | practice |
Review Erosion-2 | practice |
Review Erosion-3 | practice |
Review Erosion-4 | practice |
Review Erosion-5 | practice |

When water freezes, it:
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Condenses
No. Condensation happens when water vapor changes from a gas to a liquid. -
Contracts
No. Water does not take up less space when it freezes. -
Expands
Yes! Unlike most substances, water expands to take up more space when it freezes. -
Gains mass.
No. Changing from one state to another does not cause a change in mass.
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-1 | practice |
Review Weather-2 | practice |
Review Weather-10 | practice |
SC.4.P.8.2 Identify properties and common uses of water in each of its states.
A Boat Full of Holes | video, checked |
A Bouncing Water Balloon | video |
Cloud Types | video |
Making a Solar Still | video |
Water on a String | video, blog, ClosedCaptions |
Wonderful Water | video, checked |
A Watched Pot | video |
Wax and Wood, part 1 | video, checked |
Wax and Wood, part 2 | video, checked |
Photographing Snowflakes | video, checked |
Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
75% Water | video, checked |
Crushed Can | video, checked |
A Clean Trick | text page |
Adding to a Full Cup | text page |
What Really Happens With Evaporation? | text page, free, checked |
Review Weather-8 | practice |
Review Weather-10 | 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 |
SC.5.P.8.1 Compare and contrast the basic properties of solids, liquids, and gases, such as mass, volume, color, texture, and temperature.
>>> Teacher Page: States of Matter
A Bouncing Water Balloon | video |
Egg States | video, checked |
Experimenting with Dry Ice | video, free, checked |
Wax and Wood, part 1 | video, checked |
Wax and Wood, part 2 | video, checked |
Ice Cream Science | video, checked |
Raw Egg or Boiled? | video, checked |
Air Space | video |
Air has Weight | text page |
Teach It Right the First Time. | text page, free |
Review Matter-2 | practice |
Review Matter-1 | practice |
Review Matter-3 | practice |
Review Weather-10 | 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 |
Utah
UT.4.I.2.b Describe the processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation as they relate to the water cycle.
Making a Solar Still | video |
Wonderful Water | video, checked |
A Watched Pot | video |
Photographing Snowflakes | video, checked |
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 |
What Really Happens With Evaporation? | text page, free, checked |
Review Weather-8 | practice |
Review Weather-10 | practice |
UT.4.I.2.c Identify locations that hold water as it passes through the water cycle (e.g., oceans, atmosphere, fresh surface water, snow, ice, and ground water).
Photographing Snowflakes | video, checked |
A Model of the Water Cycle | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
75% Water | video, checked |
Review Weather-8 | practice |
Review Weather-10 | practice |
NGSS
MS-ESS2-4 Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
Cloud Formation, part 2 | video |
Making a Solar Still | video |
Wonderful Water | video, checked |
Cloud Formation, part 1 | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
The Water Cycle | video, checked |
A Model of the Water Cycle | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
Review Weather-8 | practice |
Review Weather-10 | practice |

These layers have not been overturned or folded. Based on that, which layer is the oldest?
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A
No. A is on top, which means the other layers had to be there before it could be deposited. A is younger than B and C. -
B
No. By the law of Superposition, layer C had to be in place before B could form on top of it. Layer B is older than A, but younger than C. -
C
Yes! As the bottom layer, the Law of Superposition tells us that it is older than layers A and B. This layer had to be in place before A and B could form on top of it.. -
D
No. Layer D is actually a pile of rock fragments, mostly from layer A. These fragments are the result of weathering and erosion of layers A, B, and C. D is the youngest deposit at this location.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.7.E.6.3 Identify current methods for measuring the age of Earth and its parts, including the law of superposition and radioactive dating.
Imagining Geologic Time | video |
Reading the Rocks: Law of Superposition | video |
Reading the Rocks: Law of Crosscutting | video |
Reading the Rocks | text page |
Review Geologic Time-1 | practice |
Review Geologic Time-2 | practice |
Review Geologic Time-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.8.III.3.c Explain why some sedimentary rock layers may not always appear with youngest rock on top and older rocks below (i.e., folding, faulting).
Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
Review Geologic Time-1 | practice |
Review Geologic Time-2 | practice |
Review Geologic Time-3 | practice |
NGSS
4-ESS1-1 Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in a landscape over time.
Evaporites | video, learnalong, checked |
Igneous Rocks and Bubbles | video, free, learnalong, Updated |
Sedimentary Rocks | video, learnalong |
Reading the Rocks: Law of Superposition | video |
Reading the Rocks: Law of Crosscutting | video |
What is a Rock? | video, learnalong, checked |
Reading the Rocks: The Present is the Key to the Past | video, ClosedCaptions |
Paleo Cookies | video |
Homemade Fossil Dig | text page |
Review Geologic Time-3 | practice |
Review Rocks-1 | practice |
Review Geologic Time-1 | practice |
Review Rocks-4 | practice |
Review Geologic Time-2 | practice |
Review Rocks-5 | practice |
Review Rocks-6 | practice |
Review Rocks-8 | practice |
Review Rocks-9 | practice |
Review Rocks-7 | practice |
Review Rocks-10 | practice |

Which of the following is a difference between a meteor and a comet?
-
Meteors are mostly made up of ice.
No. Meteors are made up of rock or iron, Comets are mostly made up of ice. -
Only comets have a visible tail.
No. A meteor is a meteoroid that has entered our atmosphere. As it burns, it also produces a tail. -
Meteors seem to move faster because they are closer.
Yes. Meteors are entering our atmosphere, so they are much closer to us that a distant comet. That makes them seem to move much faster. -
Comets are smaller than meteors.
No. Meteors are small, often the size of a grain of sand. Comets are much larger.
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.5.3 Distinguish among the following objects of the Solar System – Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets – and identify Earth’s position in it.
>>> Teacher Page: Our Solar System
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System | video, ClosedCaptions |
Global Science | video, ClosedCaptions |
Planets and Pennies | video, ClosedCaptions |
How Far is That Planet? | text page |
Review Space-3 | practice |
SC.8.E.5.3 Distinguish the hierarchical relationships between planets and other astronomical bodies relative to solar system, galaxy, and universe, including distance, size, and composition.
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System | video, ClosedCaptions |
Planets and Pennies | video, ClosedCaptions |
How Far is That Planet? | text page |
Review Space-3 | practice |
Review Space-2 | practice |
Review Space-10 | practice |
Utah
UT.6.III.1.d Describe the characteristics of comets, asteroids, and meteors.
Review Space-3 | practice |
NGSS
MS-ESS1-3 Analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar system.
Making a Scale Model of the Solar System | video, ClosedCaptions |
Global Science | video, ClosedCaptions |
Planets and Pennies | video, ClosedCaptions |
How Far is That Planet? | text page |
Review Space-3 | practice |
Review Space-2 | practice |
Review Space-4 | practice |

Which part of the food web does this roadrunner belong to?
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Producer.
No. A producer captures energy from sunlight, and stores it as food. To do that, the organism needs to contain chlorophyll. -
Primary Consumer.
No. Primary consumers eat producers. In spite of what you may have seen in cartoons, roadrunners do not eat plants or bird seed. -
Secondary Consumer
Yes! Secondary consumers eat other consumers. Roadrunners are predators, and eat lizards, snakes, mice, and many other small animals. -
Decomposer
No. Roadrunners may occasionally scavenge freshly killed animals, but they are not decomposers.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.4.L.17.3 Trace the flow of energy from the Sun as it is transferred along the food chain through the producers to the consumers.
Scavengers and Decomposers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
Food Web Tag | text page |
What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
Review Food Web-8 | practice |
Review Food Web-9 | practice |
Review Food Web-10 | practice |
Review Food Web-2 | practice |
Review Food Web-1 | practice |
Review Food Web-3 | practice |
Review Food Web-4 | practice |
Review Food Web-5 | practice |
Review Food Web-6 | practice |
Review Food Web-7 | practice |
SC.7.L.17.1 Explain and illustrate the roles of and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web.
Scavengers and Decomposers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
Measuring Calories | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
Food Web Tag | text page |
What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
Review Food Web-5 | practice |
Review Food Web-6 | practice |
Review Food Web-7 | practice |
Review Food Web-8 | practice |
Review Food Web-9 | practice |
Review Food Web-10 | practice |
Review Food Web-2 | practice |
Review Food Web-1 | practice |
Review Food Web-3 | practice |
Review Food Web-4 | practice |
Utah
UT.8.II.2.a Categorize the relationships between organisms (i.e., producer/consumer/decomposer, predator/prey, mutualism/parasitism) and provide examples of each.
Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
Review Food Web-2 | practice |
Review Food Web-1 | practice |
Review Food Web-3 | practice |
Review Food Web-4 | practice |
Review Food Web-5 | practice |
Review Food Web-6 | practice |
Review Food Web-7 | practice |
Review Food Web-8 | practice |
Review Food Web-9 | practice |
Review Food Web-10 | practice |
Review Food Web-11 | practice |
Review Food Web-12 | practice |
NGSS
5-PS3-1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
Scavengers and Decomposers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
Measuring Photosynthesis | video, checked |
Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
Measuring Calories | video, ClosedCaptions, checked |
Calories: Measuring the Energy | text page, free |
What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
Review Food Web-1 | practice |
Review Food Web-3 | practice |
Review Food Web-4 | practice |
Review Food Web-5 | practice |
Review Food Web-6 | practice |
Review Food Web-7 | practice |
Review Food Web-8 | practice |
Review Food Web-9 | practice |
Review Food Web-10 | practice |
Review Food Web-2 | practice |
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
Scavengers and Decomposers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated |
Secondary Consumers | video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
Producers | video, free, Updated, checked |
Primary Consumers | video, ClosedCaptions, Updated, checked |
What is a Food Web? | text page, free, checked |
Review Food Web-9 | practice |
Review Food Web-10 | practice |
Review Food Web-2 | practice |
Review Food Web-1 | practice |
Review Food Web-3 | practice |
Review Food Web-4 | practice |
Review Food Web-5 | practice |
Review Food Web-6 | practice |
Review Food Web-7 | practice |
Review Food Web-8 | practice |