Content Benchmark P.12.B.1
Students know laws of motion can be used to determine the effects of forces on the motion of
objects. E/S
Sample Test Questions
1st Item Specification: Apply Newton’s three laws of motion to physical situations (knowing
the number of each law is not core knowledge).
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
1. Which of the following would supply the greatest acceleration when applied to a 10 kg mass?
A. 5N
B. 10N
C. 15N
D. 20N
2. What is inertia?
A. The force required to change the motion of an object.
B. The energy required to change the motion of an object.
C. The resistance to changes in motion of an object.
D. The momentum of an object in motion.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
3. Which of the following would require the least amount of force, if applied to the same ball?
A. Stopping the ball that is rolling on a flat and smooth surface.
B. Changing the direction of a ball that is rolling on a flat and smooth surface.
C. Starting the ball in motion on a flat and smooth surface.
D. Keeping the ball moving at a constant speed on a flat and smooth surface.
4. A hammer strikes a nail and drives the nail into a block of wood. If the action force is the
hammer striking the nail, the reaction force is
A. the nail striking the wood with an equal and opposite force.
B. the nail striking the hammer with an equal and opposite force.
C. the wood striking the hammer with an equal and opposite force.
D. the wood striking the nail with an equal and opposite force.
2nd Item Specification: Describe how the strength of the net force and mass of an object
determine the amount of change in an object’s motion (includes the effects of the force of
gravity on objects).
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
5. Which of the following boxes would have the greatest acceleration?
A. A 10 kg box pushed with 5N of force.
B. A 10 kg box pushed with 10N of force.
C. A 20 kg box pushed with 5N of force.
D. A 20 kg box pushed with 10N of force.
6. A 10 kg toy truck is traveling to the right and is applying a constant force of 20 Newtons to
continue its forward motion. A constant frictional force of 7 N is acting against motion of
the truck. Calculate the acceleration of the truck.
A. 0.77 m/s2
B. 1.0 m/s2
C. 1.3 m/s2
D. 3.0 m/s2
7. A person pulls on a rope attached to a wall with 300 N of force. Then the same person pulls
with 300 N of force in a tug-a-war against another person. The person is pulling
A. with an equal amount of force in both cases.
B. with less force when the rope is attached to the wall.
C. with more force when the rope is attached to the wall.
D. with more force during the tug-a-war.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
8. A student parachutes from a plane. After the parachute opens, the person is traveling down
at a constant velocity of 3 m/s. Which of the following forces are acting on the student?
A. Gravity only
B. Air resistance only
C. Gravity and air resistance
D. A downward net force
9. Below is a diagram of a cart on a flat surface being acted upon by a force to the right.
Assume that friction is negligible. Use the diagram to answer the following question.
10 kg
5N
If the mass of the cart was increased to 20 kg, what would happen to the acceleration?
The acceleration would
A. increase.
B. decrease.
C. remain constant.
D. be unable to be determined.
3rd Item Specification: Explain how friction affects the motion of an object.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
10. Which of the following boxes would have the most friction acting upon it?
A. A smooth metal box being pushed across a smooth wooden floor.
B. A smooth metal box being pushed across a rough carpeted floor.
C. A rough cardboard box being pushed across a smooth wooden floor.
D. A rough cardboard box being pushed across a rough carpeted floor.
11. Use the diagram to answer the question below.
N
W
E
S
A cart is being pulled North across a carpeted floor. Which direction is the force of friction
acting?
A. North
B. South
C. East
D. West
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
12. Which of the following surfaces is easiest to roll a marble on and why?
A. A sheet of ice because there is very little friction between the ice and the marble.
B. A sheet of sand paper because there is very little friction between the sand paper and
the marble.
C. A piece of wood because there is very little friction between the wood and the marble.
D. A piece of carpet because there is very little friction between the carpet and the
marble.
13. You have created a track out of cardboard for a marble to travel down. In order for the
marble to complete the track, why does the first hill have to be the highest?
A. The friction caused by the track resists the motion of the marble.
B. The friction caused by the track increases the motion of the marble.
C. Gravity is pulling down on the marble causing it to slow down.
D. Gravity is pulling down on the marble causing it to speed up.
4th Item Specification: Given the distance vs. time and velocity vs. time plots, interpret and
predict different types of motion.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
14. Below are four distance vs. time graphs. Use these four graphs to answer the following
question.
Graph 2
Distance
Distance
Graph 1
Graph 3
Graph 4
Distance
Time
Distance
Time
Time
Time
Which graph illustrates a car that is continuously accelerating?
A. Graph 1
B. Graph 2
C. Graph 3
D. Graph 4
Distance
15. Below is a distance vs. time graph showing the action of a person over time. Use this graph
to answer the following question.
Time
Which of the following statements is the BEST description of the person’s action?
A. The person is walking up a large hill.
B. The person is walking faster as time increases.
C. The person is walking at a slowing speed up a hill.
D. The person is walking at a constant speed.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
16. Below is a velocity vs. time graph showing the movement of a train over time. Use this graph
to answer the following question.
0
Which of the following statements is the BEST description of the train’s motion?
A. The train is not moving in any direction.
B. The train is continuously accelerating.
C. The train is moving with a constant velocity.
D. The train is accelerating slowly.
17. Below is a velocity vs. time graph showing the movement of a bike over time. Use this graph
to answer the following question.
Which of the following statements is the BEST description of the bike’s motion?
A. The bike is traveling up a hill.
B. The bike is traveling at a constant velocity.
C. The bike is accelerating at a constant rate.
D. The bike is accelerating at an increasing rate.
5th Item Specification: Identify how an example may illustrate a change and/or redirection
of force where the amount of work remains unchanged.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
18. What is the definition of work?
A. Multiplying an object’s force times mass.
B. Multiplying an objects force times displacement.
C. An object moving in the same direction at a constant speed.
D. Picking up and returning an object to the same location.
19. Which of the following describes when the MOST work is done?
A. Moving a book from the table to the floor.
B. Pushing against a wall for 5 minutes.
C. Running one complete lap around a track.
D. Sitting still on a chair for 5 minutes.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
20. In which of the following situations is the MOST work done?
A. Lifting a 50 N box up 2 meters.
B. Lifting a 50 N box up 2 meters and then down 2 meters.
C. Lifting a 75 N box up 1 meter.
D. Lifting a 75 N box up 1 meter and then down 1 meter.
Content Benchmark P.12.B.1
Students know laws of motion can be used to determine the effects of forces on the motion of
objects. E/S
Answers to Sample Test Questions
1. D, DOK Level 1
2. C, DOK Level 1
3. D, DOK Level 2
4. B, DOK Level 2
5. B, DOK Level 1
6. C, DOK Level 2
7. A, DOK Level 1
8. C, DOK Level 1
9. B, DOK Level 2
10. D, DOK Level 1
11. B, DOK Level 1
12. A, DOK Level 2
13. A, DOK Level 2
14. B, DOK Level 1
15. D, DOK Level 1
16. C, DOK Level 2
17. C, DOK Level 2
18. B, DOK Level 1
19. A, DOK Level 1
20. A, DOK Level 2