RISE Science — Grade 7

A student pushes a heavy box across the classroom floor at a constant speed in a straight line. Which statement best describes the forces acting on the box?

• AThe forces are balanced because the speed and direction are not changing.
• BThe pushing force is greater than the friction force acting on the box.
• CGravity is the only force acting on the box while it moves.
• DThe forces are unbalanced because the box is in motion.

Two students are pulling on opposite ends of a rope attached to a sled on snow. Student A pulls with a force of 40 N to the left, and Student B pulls with a force of 25 N to the right. What is the net force acting on the sled?

• A15 N to the left
• B65 N to the left
• C15 N to the right
• D0 N (balanced forces)

During a science investigation, a student releases a steel ball and a plastic ball of the exact same size down identical ramps. How does friction affect the rolling balls on a carpeted surface compared to a smooth wooden surface?

• ACarpet exerts greater friction, which converts more kinetic energy into thermal energy an…
• BCarpet exerts less friction than wood because carpet fibers compress easily.
• CFriction depends only on gravity, so both surfaces exert identical frictional forces.
• DFriction speeds up the balls on carpet by creating extra grip.

An astronaut measures the mass and weight of a 10 kg equipment box on Earth and then takes it to the Moon, where gravity is one-sixth of Earth's gravity. How do the mass and weight of the box on the Moon compare to its mass and weight on Earth?

• AMass remains 10 kg, but weight decreases on the Moon.
• BBoth mass and weight decrease by one-sixth on the Moon.
• CMass decreases on the Moon, but weight remains constant.
• DBoth mass and weight remain unchanged anywhere in space.

A rubber balloon is rubbed against a wool sweater and then brought near small pieces of paper on a table. Without touching the paper, the balloon attracts the paper pieces. Which type of force is demonstrated?

• ANon-contact electrostatic force
• BContact friction force
• CNon-contact gravitational pull between masses
• DContact tension force

A bar magnet is placed on a smooth table. When the north pole of a second bar magnet is brought near the north pole of the first magnet, what phenomenon occurs?

• AThe magnets exert a non-contact repulsive force pushing them apart.
• BThe magnets exert a non-contact attractive force pulling them together.
• CThe magnets cancel each other's magnetic fields and become demagnetized.
• DA contact force of friction pulls the magnets toward each other.

A skateboarder pushes off the ground with a foot. According to Newton's Third Law of Motion, what causes the skateboarder to accelerate forward?

• AThe ground exerts an equal and opposite forward force on the foot.
• BThe foot exerts a forward force on the air surrounding the skateboard.
• CGravity pulls the skateboard forward along the ground.
• DThe skateboard's wheels generate an independent forward force without touching the ground.

A toy car is tested on a track. In Experiment 1, a 1.0 N force is applied to a 0.5 kg car. In Experiment 2, the same 1.0 N force is applied to a 1.0 kg car. How will the acceleration in Experiment 2 compare to Experiment 1?

• AThe acceleration in Experiment 2 will be half as much as in Experiment 1.
• BThe acceleration in Experiment 2 will be double that of Experiment 1.
• CThe acceleration in Experiment 2 will be identical to Experiment 1.
• DThe acceleration in Experiment 2 will be four times greater.

A student sets up an electromagnet using an iron nail, insulated copper wire, and a D-cell battery. Which modification would increase the strength of the magnetic field generated by the electromagnet?

• AIncreasing the number of wire coils wrapped around the iron nail
• BReplacing the iron core with a plastic rod of the same diameter
• CDecreasing the electrical current flowing through the circuit
• DUncoiling the wire so it runs straight alongside the nail

At the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, a rocket-powered land vehicle accelerates across the flat lakebed. If the engine provides a constant forward thrust of 5,000 N and air resistance plus friction total 2,000 N backward, what is the net force acting on the car?

• A3,000 N forward
• B7,000 N forward
• C3,000 N backward
• D5,000 N forward

A marble is rolled down a smooth wooden ramp into a box filled with dry sand. The marble travels 12 cm into the sand before stopping. When the experiment is repeated using wet, compacted sand, the marble travels only 4 cm. What explains this difference?

• AWet sand exerts greater resistive friction force, stopping the marble over a shorter dist…
• BDry sand has greater mass than wet sand, pushing the marble further.
• CThe marble lost mass when moving through wet sand.
• DGravity pulled harder on the marble when it touched dry sand.

Scientists map the gravitational attraction between Earth and artificial satellites in orbit. Which change would increase the gravitational force between Earth and a satellite?

• ADecreasing the distance between the satellite and Earth
• BDecreasing the mass of the satellite while keeping distance constant
• CIncreasing the speed of the satellite without changing orbit radius
• DMoving the satellite to a higher altitude orbit

A passenger sitting in a car moving at 60 mph bends forward when the driver suddenly applies the brakes. Which scientific concept explains why the passenger keeps moving forward when the car stops?

• AInertia, which is the tendency of a mass to resist changes in its state of motion
• BGravitational acceleration pulling the body forward
• CMagnetic repulsion between the seatbelt and the passenger
• DAction-reaction forces pushing the car backward into the passenger

A student hangs a iron washer from a spring scale. The scale reads 2.0 N. When a magnet is held directly below the washer without touching it, the scale reading increases to 3.5 N. What is the magnitude of the magnetic force exerted on the washer?

• A1.5 N downward
• B3.5 N upward
• C5.5 N downward
• D2.0 N upward

In an experiment testing magnetic fields, two students move two identical bar magnets closer together. They record the force required to hold the magnets at distances of 10 cm, 5 cm, and 2 cm. What pattern will their data reveal?

• AThe magnetic field force increases significantly as distance between magnets decreases.
• BThe magnetic field force remains constant regardless of distance.
• CThe magnetic field force decreases as magnets get closer together.
• DThe magnetic field force disappears completely at 2 cm distance.

A soccer ball sitting motionless on grass is kicked by a player. The ball rolls across the field for 20 meters before coming to a complete stop. Which sequence of force events explains this phenomenon?

• ABalanced forces initially → Unbalanced force from kick causes acceleration → Unbalanced f…
• BUnbalanced forces initially → Balanced force from kick → Gravitational pull stops the bal…
• CBalanced forces throughout the entire event.
• DUnbalanced friction forces accelerate the ball forward after the kick.

Two charged foam spheres, X and Y, hang from thin threads. When a positively charged glass rod is brought near sphere X, sphere X is repelled. When sphere X is brought near sphere Y, sphere X and Y attract each other. What are the electrical charges on sphere X and sphere Y?

• ASphere X is positive; sphere Y is negative.
• BSphere X is negative; sphere Y is positive.
• CBoth spheres X and Y are positive.
• DBoth spheres X and Y are neutral.

A 2,000 kg truck and a 1,000 kg compact car collide head-on. According to Newton's Third Law, how does the impact force exerted by the truck on the car compare to the impact force exerted by the car on the truck?

• AThe forces exerted on each other are exactly equal in magnitude.
• BThe truck exerts twice as much force on the car because of its greater mass.
• CThe car exerts twice as much force on the truck because it stops faster.
• DThe truck exerts four times more force on the car due to kinetic energy.

A student constructs an investigation to test how mass affects the distance a spring propels a cart. The student compresses a spring by 5 cm each trial and tests carts with masses of 100 g, 200 g, and 300 g. Which hypothesis is best supported by Newton's laws?

• AThe 100 g cart will achieve the highest acceleration and travel the furthest distance.
• BThe 300 g cart will travel the furthest because heavier objects have more energy.
• CAll three carts will travel the exact same distance because spring compression is equal.
• DThe 200 g cart will stop first because middle mass increases friction disproportionately.

A sky diver jumps from an airplane. As the sky diver falls, gravity pulls downward with a force of 700 N. Air resistance acts upward. When air resistance reaches 700 N upward, what happens to the sky diver's motion?

• AThe sky diver reaches terminal velocity and continues falling at a constant speed.
• BThe sky diver immediately stops moving and hovers in mid-air.
• CThe sky diver begins accelerating downward faster.
• DThe sky diver is pushed upward back toward the airplane.

A magnetic levitation (maglev) train hovers slightly above its track using superconducting electromagnets. Which combination of field forces and mechanical forces allows the maglev train to achieve extremely high speeds compared to conventional trains?

• AMagnetic repulsion eliminates mechanical friction between the train and tracks, reducing…
• BGravitational pull is completely eliminated around the train track by the magnetic field.
• CMagnetic fields increase air density around the train, pushing it forward faster.
• DElectrostatic attraction pulls the train upward, creating perpetual acceleration without…

An engineer designs a safety feature for cars where the front bumper crumples during a collision. How does increasing the time it takes for a car to stop during a crash affect the force experienced by passengers?

• AIncreasing collision duration decreases the net impact force on passengers for a given mo…
• BIncreasing collision duration increases the impact force because energy accumulates over…
• CCrumpling increases car mass, which eliminates Newton's Third Law forces.
• DStopping time has no relationship to impact force.

A space probe drifts through deep space between stars far from any major planets or stars. The probe's thrusters are turned off. What will happen to the speed and direction of the space probe?

• AIt will continue moving at the exact same speed and direction indefinitely.
• BIt will gradually slow down and stop because continuous force is required to maintain mot…
• CIt will instantly change direction toward the nearest distant star.
• DIt will spiral inward and accelerate rapidly without any external forces.

A student sets up two parallel wires carrying electric currents. When current flows through both wires in the same direction, a sensitive sensor records an attractive force pulling the wires together. What fundamental concept does this experiment demonstrate?

• AMoving electric charges create magnetic fields that interact through non-contact forces.
• BElectric current increases gravitational attraction between copper atoms.
• CStatic charges accumulate on wire surfaces, causing electrostatic repulsion.
• DCurrent flow destroys mass inside the copper wire, creating vacuum suction.

A box containing scientific instruments rests on a flat trailer. The truck towing the trailer accelerates forward at 4.0 m/s². If static friction between the box and trailer bed can provide a maximum force of 200 N, what is the maximum mass the box can have without sliding off backward?

• A50 kg
• B800 kg
• C500 kg
• D20 kg

Geologists examine a world map and note that the eastern coast of South America fits like a puzzle piece into the western coast of Africa. Which theory explains this phenomenon?

• APlate tectonics and continental drift
• BGlobal sea level rise flooding low valleys
• CMeteor impacts carving matching shorelines
• DVolcanic eruptions building identical coastlines

Identical fossils of the freshwater reptile Mesosaurus are found only in matching rock layers in southern Africa and eastern South America. How does this fossil evidence support plate tectonics?

• AMesosaurus could not swim across the Atlantic Ocean, proving the continents were joined w…
• BMesosaurus evolved independently in two identical mutations across the ocean.
• COcean currents carried living Mesosaurus reptiles across thousands of miles of saltwater.
• DBirds carried Mesosaurus eggs across the ocean to populate both continents.

Which type of tectonic plate boundary occurs where two tectonic plates pull apart from each other, allowing magma to rise and form new oceanic crust?

• ADivergent boundary
• BConvergent boundary
• CTransform boundary
• DSubduction zone boundary

The Wasatch Fault runs along the base of the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah. When sudden movement occurs along this fault line, what natural phenomenon directly results?

• AAn earthquake releasing stored elastic strain energy
• BA hurricane forming in the mountain valleys
• CA solar eclipse caused by dust release
• DImmediate formation of a new ocean basin

A hiker in Southern Utah observes sand dunes being blown across the desert, slowly wearing down exposed sandstone rock formations over many years. Which process is responsible for wearing down the rock?

• APhysical weathering caused by wind abrasion
• BSubduction of continental crust
• CChemical weathering by ocean saltwater
• DDeep mantle convection currents

Which type of rock forms when molten lava from a volcano cools and solidifies on Earth's surface?

• AExtrusive igneous rock
• BSedimentary rock
• CMetamorphic rock
• DIntrusive plutonic rock

According to the Law of Superposition, in an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rock layers, where are the oldest rock layers located?

• AAt the very bottom of the rock sequence
• BAt the very top of the rock sequence
• CIn the exact middle layer
• DRandomly distributed throughout all layers

Oceanic crust is composed mostly of dense basalt, while continental crust is composed mostly of less dense granite. What happens when an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate at a convergent boundary?

• AThe denser oceanic plate subducts underneath the less dense continental plate.
• BThe continental plate sinks under the oceanic plate into the mantle.
• CBoth plates float upward into high mountain plateaus without subduction.
• DThe plates bounce off each other and reverse direction.

Scientists measure the age of basaltic rock on the seafloor at varying distances from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Data show that rock samples collected 10 km from the ridge are 1 million years old, while samples collected 500 km away are 35 million years old. What process does this pattern support?

• ASeafloor spreading at a divergent plate boundary where new crust continuously forms at th…
• BSubduction carrying old rock into the ridge center
• CContinental crust dissolving into ocean water over time
• DGlacial erosion carving deep underwater canyons

The Himalayan Mountains were formed by the collision of the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian tectonic plate. What type of plate boundary and stress force created this massive mountain range?

• AConvergent boundary with compressional stress
• BDivergent boundary with tensional stress
• CTransform boundary with shear stress
• DHotspot boundary with volcanic uplift

The San Andreas Fault in California is a transform plate boundary where the Pacific Plate slides past the North American Plate horizontally. What geologic feature is most characteristic of transform boundaries?

• AFrequent earthquakes without creating or destroying crust
• BDeep oceanic trenches and volcanic island arcs
• CContinuous creation of new seafloor basalt
• DGiant mountain ranges formed by continental collision

What energy source drives the movement of Earth's tectonic plates in the asthenosphere?

• AConvection currents powered by thermal energy from Earth's mantle and core
• BSolar radiation heating the ocean surfaces
• CGravitational tidal pull from the Moon alone
• DWind currents pushing continents across oceans

In Dinosaur National Monument in Utah, fossilized dinosaur bones are discovered preserved inside layers of sandstone and shale. Which environment best describes how these fossils initially formed millions of years ago?

• ARiver systems buried animal remains under mud and sand sediments, which hardened into roc…
• BVolcanic lava flows incinerated dinosaur bodies, leaving hollow bone molds.
• CGlacial ice froze the dinosaurs intact inside solid mountain granite.
• DAcid rain dissolved dinosaur skeletons into liquid minerals.

A rock sample taken from deep inside the Uinta Mountains shows crushed, recrystallized mineral bands formed under extreme heat and pressure without melting. What type of rock is this?

• AMetamorphic rock
• BExtrusive igneous rock
• CSedimentary rock
• DEvaporite chemical rock

How do plants contribute to physical (mechanical) weathering of rocks?

• APlant roots grow into rock cracks and expand as they thicken, wedging rock layers apart.
• BLeaves absorb solar radiation, freezing the rock surface.
• CPlant roots secrete oxygen gas that melts silica minerals.
• DStems convert rock granite into liquid water during photosynthesis.

Rainwater absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere forms weak carbonic acid. When this acidic rainwater seeps underground into limestone formations, it dissolves calcium carbonate, carving out caverns. What process is taking place?

• AChemical weathering
• BPhysical frost wedging
• CTectonic plate subduction
• DThermal contraction

A geologist analyzes an exposed cliff face containing five horizontal sediment layers labeled A (bottom) to E (top). A vertical igneous dike cuts through layers A, B, and C, but does not enter layers D or E. Which statement is correct regarding the ages of these rock units?

• AThe igneous dike is younger than layer C, but older than layer D.
• BThe igneous dike is the oldest feature in the entire cliff.
• CLayer E is older than layer A.
• DLayer D is older than the igneous intrusion.

Which Earth process acts as a constructive mechanism building up new landforms on Earth's surface?

• AVolcanic lava accumulation forming a new island cone
• BGlacial ice scouring a mountain valley into a U-shaped trough
• CRiver water eroding canyon walls
• DWind deflation blowing topsoil away

Fossils of marine trilobites and coral reefs are found high on the cliff walls of the Rocky Mountains in Utah. What does this empirical evidence reveal about Utah's geological past?

• AUtah was covered by a shallow ocean millions of years ago before tectonic forces uplifted…
• BTrilobites crawled up dry mountain cliffs to build nests.
• CAncient mountain glaciers carried living sea life up into the peaks.
• DNative wildlife transported ocean shells into the mountains for food storage.

A student models the rock cycle using crayons. The student shaves crayons into small pieces (sediments), presses them firmly together into a solid block (sedimentary rock), heats the block under a heavy weight until squished and blended (metamorphic rock), and finally melts the block completely before letting it cool (igneous rock). What key limitation does this model have?

• ACrayons melt at much lower temperatures and take minutes rather than millions of years to…
• BCrayons cannot demonstrate solid state compaction.
• CThe model incorrectly shows melting lead to igneous structure.
• DCrayons convert into real mineral crystals when heated.

The Hawaiian Islands form a linear chain of volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific Plate. The island of Kauai in the northwest is 5 million years old and extinct, while the Big Island of Hawaii in the southeast is active and 0.5 million years old. What plate tectonic mechanism explains this age progression?

• AThe Pacific Plate moves northwest over a stationary mantle hotspot.
• BA divergent boundary is expanding eastward under the ocean.
• CThe Hawaiian Islands are sinking into a transform subduction trench.
• DThe hotspot moves southeast while the Pacific Plate remains stationary.

Geologists studying paleomagnetism discover alternating magnetic stripes aligned symmetrically on both sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. What causes these magnetic anomaly stripes?

• AEarth's magnetic field periodically reverses polarity as iron-rich cooling magma locks in…
• BLightning strikes magnetize ocean rocks at random intervals.
• CSolar flares alter ocean water chemistry near underwater ridge volcanoes.
• DOceanic currents deposit magnetized sand particles along the seafloor.