TCAP Science — Grade 3

A student uses a pan balance to measure a wooden block. What property of the block is the student measuring?

• AMass
• BTemperature
• CVolume
• DLength

Liquid water is placed into a freezer at 0 degrees Celsius. What state change happens to the water?

• ALiquid turns into a gas
• BLiquid turns into a solid
• CSolid turns into a liquid
• DGas turns into a liquid

Which item will be attracted to a magnet?

• AA wooden pencil
• BA steel paperclip
• CA plastic ruler
• DA cotton string

A student pushes a heavy toy box across the classroom floor. What force causes the toy box to move?

• AGravity
• BA push force from the student
• CMagnetism
• DAir resistance

Which object is a primary source of light energy for the Earth?

• AThe Sun
• BThe Moon
• CA mirror
• DA metal spoon

Which statement correctly describes a solid?

• AIt has a definite shape and a definite volume.
• BIt takes the shape of its container and has no fixed volume.
• CIt expands to fill any container completely.
• DIt has a definite volume but takes the shape of its container.

A marble rolls across a smooth tile floor and then rolls onto a rough carpet. What happens to the speed of the marble on the carpet?

• AIt speeds up because carpet has less friction.
• BIt slows down because carpet creates more friction.
• CIt continues at the exact same speed.
• DIt stops immediately and flies into the air.

What happens when heat is added to an ice cube?

• AIt freezes into a gas.
• BIt melts into liquid water.
• CIt stays solid and gets colder.
• DIt gains weight.

Which form of energy powers a wall clock plugged into a socket?

• ASound energy
• BElectrical energy
• CLight energy
• DMagnetic energy

A student drops a plastic toy block and a glass marble of the same size into a bucket of water. The block floats, while the marble sinks. Why does the marble sink?

• AThe marble is less dense than water.
• BThe marble is more dense than water.
• CThe marble contains air bubbles.
• DThe marble is magnetic.

Rain leaves a shallow puddle on the school playground. By afternoon, the puddle has disappeared. Which process caused the water to disappear?

• AEvaporation
• BFreezing
• CMelting
• DCondensation

A student fills a graduated cylinder with 50 mL of water. She carefully drops a small stone into the cylinder, and the liquid level rises to 65 mL. What is the volume of the stone?

• A15 mL
• B50 mL
• C65 mL
• D115 mL

A heavy textbook rests still on a desk. Which statement best explains why the textbook does not move?

• ANo forces are acting on the book at all.
• BThe downward force of gravity equals the upward push of the desk.
• CThe desk exerts a stronger force than gravity.
• DGravity has stopped pulling on the book.

A student holds the North pole of one bar magnet near the North pole of another bar magnet. What will happen?

• AThe magnets will attract each other.
• BThe magnets will repel each other.
• CThe magnets will melt.
• DThe magnets will lose their magnetic force.

On a humid summer day, water droplets form on the outside of a cold glass of lemonade. Where did this water come from?

• AWater leaked through the glass from the inside.
• BWater vapor gas in the warm air cooled down upon touching the glass.
• CThe glass created water out of empty space.
• DMelting ice inside melted through the glass wall.

A musician plucks a guitar string, and a sound is produced. How does the guitar string produce sound?

• AThe string heats up rapidly.
• BThe string vibrates back and forth rapidly.
• CThe string absorbs light rays.
• DThe string changes into a gas.

A student places an apple on the left pan of a balance scale and 3 wooden cubes on the right pan. The balance stays level. What can the student conclude?

• AThe apple has a greater mass than 3 wooden cubes.
• BThe apple has the same mass as 3 wooden cubes.
• CThe apple has less mass than 3 wooden cubes.
• DThe wooden cubes take up more volume than the apple.

A metal spoon is left inside a cup of hot cocoa. After two minutes, the handle of the spoon feels warm. Why did the handle get warm?

• AHeat energy transferred from the hot cocoa through the metal spoon.
• BCold energy moved from the handle into the hot cocoa.
• CLight energy from the room heated the spoon.
• DThe spoon produced its own internal heat energy.

A student rubs a rubber balloon against a wool sweater and holds it near a classmate's hair. The hair stands up and moves toward the balloon. Which force is acting on the hair?

• AMagnetic force
• BStatic electric force
• CGravitational force
• DFrictional drag force

Which event is an example of a physical change that can be easily reversed?

• ABaking a cake from flour and eggs
• BMelting a chocolate bar in a warm room
• CBurning a piece of notebook paper
• DRUST forming on an iron nail

An apple breaks free from a high branch of an apple tree and falls to the ground. What force pulls the apple downward?

• AMagnetism
• BGravity
• CFriction
• DAir resistance

A student shines a flashlight beam at a flat glass mirror in a dark room. What happens to the light beam when it strikes the mirror?

• AIt passes straight through without stopping.
• BIt bounces off the surface of the mirror in a new direction.
• CIt turns into sound energy immediately.
• DIt disappears and becomes cold thermal energy.

A student pumps air into a basketball until it is firm. Which property of gas is demonstrated?

• AGas particles stay tightly packed in fixed rows.
• BGas expands to fill the container and takes its shape.
• CGas has a fixed shape that never changes.
• DGas has a constant volume regardless of container size.

A student tests how distance affects magnetic force by moving a magnet closer to a iron washer. What will the student observe?

• AThe magnetic pull gets stronger as the magnet gets closer.
• BThe magnetic pull gets weaker as the magnet gets closer.
• CThe magnetic pull remains completely unchanged at all distances.
• DThe iron washer changes into a magnet permanently.

A student puts identical ice cubes into a styrofoam cup and a thin metal cup at room temperature. After 10 minutes, the ice in the metal cup has melted much more than the ice in the styrofoam cup. What does this experiment demonstrate?

• AMetal is a better thermal insulator than styrofoam.
• BMetal is a better thermal conductor than styrofoam.
• CStyrofoam generates heat to freeze ice.
• DMetal absorbs cold from the ice faster.

Two students push on opposite sides of a cardboard box. Maya pushes to the right with a force of 15 Newtons. Sam pushes to the left with a force of 10 Newtons. In which direction will the box move?

• ATo the right, because Maya exerts a greater force.
• BTo the left, because Sam exerts a greater force.
• CIt will not move at all because the forces are balanced.
• DIt will move upward into the air.

A student seals 40 grams of ice cubes inside a airtight clear plastic bag and weighs it on a digital balance (total mass = 65 grams including bag). After the ice completely melts into liquid water inside the sealed bag, what will the scale read?

• A55 grams because liquid water weighs less than solid ice.
• B65 grams because mass is conserved in a closed system.
• C75 grams because liquid water is denser than ice.
• D25 grams because phase changes destroy matter.

A student holds three different plastic sheets up to a light bulb: Sheet X lets all light pass through clearly, Sheet Y lets blurry light pass through, and Sheet Z blocks all light completely. How should the student classify Sheet Y?

• ATransparent
• BTranslucent
• COpaque
• DReflective

A student releases a toy car from the top of a wooden ramp covered in smooth wax paper, and then releases the same car from the ramp covered in coarse sandpaper. The car travels much farther on the wax paper. Which conclusion is best supported?

• ASandpaper creates less friction than wax paper.
• BWax paper creates less friction than sandpaper.
• CGravity pulls harder on the car when it is on wax paper.
• DThe car has more mass on the sandpaper.

When a flashlight is switched on, stored chemical energy in the batteries converts into electrical energy, which then converts into light energy and heat. What scientific principle does this demonstrate?

• AEnergy can be created from nothing when a switch is flipped.
• BEnergy changes from one form to another.
• CBatteries destroy electrical energy over time.
• DLight energy can exist without any source of energy.

Which part of a plant is primarily responsible for absorbing water and minerals from the soil?

• ARoots
• BLeaves
• CFlowers
• DStems

Which list contains basic needs of all green plants for survival?

• ASunlight, water, air, and nutrients
• BMeat, shade, soda, and rocks
• CFire, darkness, sugar, and milk
• DFruit, juice, sand, and ice

What is the primary initial source of energy for almost all living organisms in a food chain?

• AThe Sun
• BDecomposers
• CSoil rocks
• DOcean waves

In a garden ecosystem, green grass makes its own food using sunlight. What role does the grass play in the food chain?

• AProducer
• BConsumer
• CDecomposer
• DPredator

Polar bears have thick fur and a heavy layer of fat. How do these physical traits help polar bears survive in the Arctic?

• AThey help the bear stay warm in extremely cold weather.
• BThey help the bear breathe underwater.
• CThey make the bear run faster on hot sand.
• DThey allow the bear to fly above the snow.

During which stage of a butterfly's life cycle does it exist as a caterpillar that eats leaves to grow?

• AEgg
• BLarva
• CPupa
• DAdult

Which trait is an example of an inherited physical characteristic passed from parent plants to offspring plants?

• AFlower petal color
• BBroken stem caused by wind
• CInsect bite marks on a leaf
• DSoil stain on the stem

What is a fossil?

• AThe preserved remains or traces of a living thing from long ago
• BA piece of plastic trash buried in the ground
• CA living animal hiding under a rock
• DA leaf that fell off a tree yesterday

Mushrooms and earthworms break down fallen leaves and dead trees in a forest. What is their role in the ecosystem?

• AProducers
• BConsumers
• CDecomposers
• DPredators

A snowshoe hare has brown fur in summer and white fur in winter. How does this color change help the hare survive?

• AIt helps the hare blend into its surroundings to hide from predators.
• BIt makes the hare run twice as fast.
• CIt keeps the hare from getting hungry.
• DIt attracts fish for the hare to eat.

Which plant part acts as the primary site for capturing sunlight to produce sugar food for the plant?

• ARoots
• BLeaves
• CSeeds
• DBark

Dandelion flowers produce light seeds attached to fluffy parachute-like structures. How are dandelion seeds primarily dispersed to new growing areas?

• ACarried by the wind
• BEaten by large ocean fish
• CBuried by moles underground
• DStuck to heavy river rocks

Which statement correctly compares the life cycle of a frog to the life cycle of a songbird?

• AFrogs hatch from eggs as aquatic tadpoles with gills, while songbirds hatch with lungs.
• BBoth frogs and songbirds hatch with wings and feathers.
• CSongbirds live underwater as larvae before growing legs.
• DNeither frogs nor songbirds hatch from eggs.

How does living in a large herd help wild animals like bison survive against predators?

• AMultiple animals watch for danger, making it harder for predators to attack unseen.
• BHerds allow animals to produce their own food without eating grass.
• CHerds change the animals' fur color to match green grass.
• DHerds allow animals to hibernate all year long.

A black bear eats berries, nuts, green plants, as well as fish and small mammals. How is the black bear classified based on its diet?

• AHerbivore
• BCarnivore
• COmnivore
• DProducer

Which trait of a domestic dog is a learned behavior rather than an inherited trait?

• ASitting on command when hearing a whistle
• BHaving brown floppy ears
• CHaving a wet nose
• DBarking when startled

Scientists discover fossils of ocean clam shells embedded in rock layers high on a mountain peak in Tennessee. What can scientists infer about the mountain's past environment?

• AThe mountain peak was once underwater covered by an ocean.
• BClams used to fly over mountains millions of years ago.
• CThe mountain was always a dry desert.
• DPeople buried freshwater clams on the mountain last year.

Ducks have webbed feet with skin stretched between their toes. How does this structural adaptation help ducks survive in aquatic habitats?

• AIt helps them push efficiently against water to swim.
• BIt helps them climb tall oak trees easily.
• CIt keeps their feathers dry in rainstorms.
• DIt helps them dig deep underground burrows.