School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Science, Grade 5

Skills and Processes | Earth/Space | Life | Chemistry | Physics | Environmental

Public Release Items: Public release items have appeared on MSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the content standards are assessed on the MSA.

Standard 4.0 Chemistry

Topic B. Conservation of Matter

Indicator 1. Cite evidence to support the statement that, "No matter how many parts of an object are assembled, the mass of the whole object made is always the same as the sum of the parts."

Objective c. Describe the relationship between the masses of whole objects to the sum of the mass of their parts using appropriate tools to gather supporting data.

Selected Response Item

The mass of a jar and lid with white marbles and black marbles is 1,500 grams. The mass of the marbles alone is 1/2 the total mass of the jar, lid, and marbles.

Which statement best explains the difference between the mass of the jar with the marbles and the total mass of only the marbles?

  1. The mass of the jar and lid is equal to the mass of the marbles alone.
  2. The mass of the jar and lid is equal to the mass of the white marbles.
  3. The mass of the white marbles is less than the mass of the black marbles.
  4. The mass of the white marbles is more than the mass of the black marbles.
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_097.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item

A student mixed 25 grams of salt into 1,000 grams of water.

What is the mass of the saltwater mixture?

  1. 975 grams
  2. 1,000 grams
  3. 1,025 grams
  4. 2,500 grams
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_001.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item

The Statue of Liberty was built in France and then taken apart into 350 pieces for shipping. When the pieces arrived in New York, the statue was put together.

Which statement describes the relationship between the mass of the 350 pieces and the mass of the whole statue?

  1. The mass of the pieces is greater than the mass of the statue.
  2. The mass of the pieces is the same as the mass of the statue.
  3. The mass of the statue is greater than the mass of the pieces.
  4. The mass of the statue is not related to the mass of the pieces.
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_134.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item

A student wants to show that the matter in a whole apple is equal to the matter in the pieces of the same apple.

Which process best describes how the student can demonstrate the relationship between the matter in the whole apple and the apple pieces?

  1. observing the apple pieces
  2. cutting the apple into more pieces
  3. observing the color of the whole apple, then observing the color of the apple pieces
  4. determining the mass of the whole apple, then determining the mass of the apple pieces
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_138.xml

Correct Answer:
D