Unit 2 Benchmark Test – Characteristics of Matter
Do not write on this test. Please number from 1-25 on a separate sheet of paper and record your answers
there. Remember to print your name and period number at the top of the page.
1. Identical sized particles of these four substances were dropped from the
same height and at the same time into a fast-moving stream. Based on your
prior knowledge and the evidence in the data table, which particle will settle
to the bottom of the stream first?
a. Plastic
b. Sand
c. Steel
d. Glass
Substance
Density
(g/ml)
Plastic
Sand
Steel
Glass
1.8
2.6
5.4
2.1
2. Which of these statements about atoms is an inference?
a. Atoms are too small to see.
b. All objects contain atoms.
c. Our model of the atom will probably change in the future.
d. Electrons orbit around the nucleus of an atom.
3. Which property of matter can be measured with a graduated cylinder?
a. Matter has inertia.
b. Matter has volume.
c. Matter has mass.
d. Matter is made of atoms.
4. When Carl dropped a banana into milk to make a smoothie, the banana moved to the bottom of
the blender. What inference is best supported by this evidence?
a. The banana sinks because it is a solid and the milk is liquid.
b. The banana sinks because it is more dense than the milk.
c. The banana sinks because it is less dense than the milk.
d. The banana sinks because it is at room temperature and the milk is chilled.
5. If a hollow tennis ball is filled with pennies, what change happens to the tennis ball?
a. The volume of the tennis ball increases.
b. The density of the tennis ball increases.
c. The volume of the tennis ball decreases.
d. The density of the tennis ball decreases.
6. Which of these questions about the sinking of the Titanic can be answered using a scientific method?
a. Who were the passengers on the Titanic?
b. Will the Titanic wreckage ever be brought to the surface?
c. What happens when a ship has a hole below the water line?
d. How did the survivors of the Titanic cope with losing loved ones?
A group of students were working on a lab activity in science class. A balloon was massed then filled with air
and tied off then massed again. The data gathered by three groups is below.
Mass of Empty Balloon
0.7 grams
0.8 grams
0.7 grams
Mass of Balloon with Air Inside
1.3 grams
1.7 grams
1.9 grams
7. Which question were the students MOST LIKELY assigned to answer?
a. Does a gas have mass?
b. Does a balloon have mass?
c. What is the volume of a gas?
d. How much air can a balloon hold?
8. Which of the following is an inference, not given as evidence in the data table?
a. Most of the balloons have a mass of about 0.7 grams.
b. The mass of a balloon increases when it is filled with air.
c. It is hard to fill each balloon with exactly the same amount of air.
d. This experiment was repeated three times.
A student is out collecting rocks for a science homework assignment. She picks rocks that will fit easily into
her graduated cylinder. She finds one rock that is particularly heavy for its size, and notes that its mass is
36 grams and its volume is 4 ml. She uses the data table below from a website by the USGS:
Density of Common Rocks
Rock Type
Galena
Granite
Quartz
Malachite
Density (g/cm3)
11
8
7
9
Color
Dark Gray
Black / White flecks
White, yellow, pink
Green
9. Based on the information, what type of rock do you think this student found?
a. Galena
b. Granite
c. Quartz
d. Malachite
10. If you had pieces of rock, all made of the same minerals, and placed them in the center of a fast-
moving river, which of these would be carried farthest downstream?
a. large boulder b. medium rocks
c. pebbles
.
d. particles of sand
……
11. If you pour two liquids together, and the yellow liquid layers on top of the red liquid, what do you
know about the red liquid?
a. It has more particles than the yellow liquid
b. it has more mass than the yellow liquid
c. It is a higher temperature than the yellow liquid
d. is has a greater density than the yellow liquid
12. What do you know about the mass of these cubes below?
a. The one on the right is less dense.
b. The one on the left has more volume.
c. The one on the right has more mass.
d. The one on the left is closer to the fulcrum.
13. Seismographs have been used to gather data for many years. Scientists have analyzed this evidence and
completed mathematical calculations to determine the Earth’s structure. What conclusions did the scientists
make about the composition of Earth?
a. The least dense metals are in the core of the earth.
b. The most dense gasses are at Earth’s center.
c. The most dense lava is in Earth’s core.
d. The most dense rocks are at Earth’s center.
14. Why might our model of the earth change in the future?
a. Scientists will want to make the structure more interesting.
b. The structure of the earth will change over time.
c. Research will provide additional information about the structure of the earth.
d. Scientists will discover information about the earth on the Internet.
A paper was found in the hallway of the school with the following graph on it:
Bubble Diameter in cm
Bubble Diameter of Various Gum Types
12
10
8
Bazooka
6
Big Bertha
4
Super Chomp
2
0
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
Test Repetition
15. What were the investigators trying to determine from this experiment?
a. How many times gum must be chewed in order to blow a big bubble.
b. Which brand of gum makes the biggest bubbles.
c. Which brand of gum tastes the best.
d. How to blow the biggest bubble.
16. Which of the following claims supported by data from the experiment?
a. Bazooka Bubble Gum produces the largest average bubble diameter.
b. Bazooka Bubble Gum is the best type of gum.
c. Bazooka Bubble Gum is the easiest gum to blow bubbles with.
d. Bazooka Bubble Gum is the most flavorful type of gum.
17. What was the diameter of the bubble produced by Big Bertha gum during trial 5?
a. 7.5 centimeters
b. 7.5 inches
c. 6.5 centimeters
d. 10.2 centimeters
18. Which of these observations is evidence that oil is less dense than water?
a. Oil has to be cleaned from the feathers of ducks after an oil spill in the ocean.
b. Oil has a darker color than water.
c. Oil droplets float on top of water and make a “prism” effect when they reflect the light.
d. Oil is actually more dense than water.
19. A student is collecting material from the Ogden River. He takes a gallon jug and scoops up pebbles, sand,
rocks and water from the bottom of the river. When his friend asks him to go play Frisbee, he forgets all about
his river experiment and leaves the water in the gallon jug. When he returns three hours later, how will the
material in the jug look?
a. The large rocks will be on the bottom, then the pebbles, sand, and water will be on top.
b. The sand will be on the bottom, then the pebbles and rocks with water on top.
c. The sand, pebbles, and rocks will not separate, but the water will be on top.
d. There will be no change at all.
20. Why is this model accepted today as a representation of the atom?
a. This model changed as natural laws changed.
b. This model shows exactly what an atom looks like.
c. This model has always been the one that was correct.
d. This model is based on demonstrated evidence.
21. A student is using a graduated cylinder to find the volume of a pebble. The water level in the graduated
cylinder before the pebble is dropped in is even with the “20” line on the cylinder. After the pebble is dropped
in, the water level rises to the “35” line on the cylinder. What is the volume of the pebble?
a. 20 ml
b. 35 ml
c. 15 ml
d. 55 ml
22. Why is it easier to float in the ocean than in Bear Lake?
a. Bear Lake water is colder than ocean water.
b. Bear Lake water contains more salt than ocean water.
c. Bear Lake water is less dense than ocean water.
d. Bear Lake is at a higher elevation than the ocean.
Use this data to answer the next two questions:
Substance
Oil
Water
Plastic
Rock
Aluminum
Density
.8 g/mL
1.0 g/mL
.9 g/ cm3
4.2 g/ cm3
2.3 g/ cm3
23. When mixed, what would be the order of the substances starting from the bottom and going up?
a. rock, aluminum, plastic, water, oil
b. rock, aluminum, water, plastic, oil
c. rock, plastic, oil, water, aluminum
d. rock, oil, aluminum, plastic, water
24. Where would a substance with a mass of 14 g and a volume of 20 mL float?
a. At the bottom
b. In the middle
c. At the top
d. below the water
The following is a synopsis of a Discover Magazine article published June, 2007:
1 In 1970 Russian geologists started drilling into the Kola Peninsula, near Finland, hoping to learn more about
the inside of the earth. 2 After 22 years of drilling, the work had to stop when the crust turned gooey under the
drill bit, only 7.6 miles down. 3 The rest of Earth’s interior remains as dark as it was 3 centuries ago when
Edmond Halley suggested that our planet was hollow and filled with life. 4 His ideas seem quite laughable
today, but when it comes to the inner earth, no one knows anything for sure.
25. Which of the previous sentences is an inference, not necessarily a fact?
a. sentence 1
b. sentence 2
c. sentence 3
d. sentence 4