Sample Assessment Items
This is not meant to be printed off and given as a test…this document is to give you ideas of how this standard might be assessed. Please use these as an example when you are developing your own formative assessments. Remember formative assessment is to be given throughout the teaching of a standard to help you guide your instruction based on students needs. A good formative assessment should have a mix of multiple choice as well as open ended.
S5P2 Students will explain the difference between a physical change and a chemical change.
b. Recognize that the changes in state of water (water vapor/stream, liquid, ice) are due to temperature differences and are examples of physical change.
Multiple Choice:
Generally, an increase in temperature in a liquid makes a solute ______.
a. dissolve more slowly
b. dissolve more quickly
c. disappear altogether
d. increase the size of its particles
Answer: b
Marissa saw a muddy puddle in the street in the morning. By two o’clock, the puddle had disappeared.
Which is the best inference about what happened?
a. The water rolled down a hill.
b. It was windy throughout the day.
c. It was very cold throughout the day.
d. It was sunny and hot throughout the day.
Answer: d
People often put sugar in their tea to make it sweet. When will the sugar dissolve the fastest?
a. when the tea is hot
b. when the tea is dark
c. when the tea is cold
d. when the tea is in a tall glass
Answer: a
What is the fixed temperature at which a liquid changes into a solid?
a. boiling point
b. melting point
c. freezing point
d. sublimation point
Answer: c
Water changing from a liquid to a solid is an example of a ______.
a. physical change
b. chemical change
c. chemical reaction
d. precipitate forming
Answer: a
Which best describes what happens to particles in a substance as temperature decreases?
a. The particles disappear.
b. The particles stick together.
c. The particles become larger.
d. The particles move more slowly.
Answer: d
When liquid water is heated what will happen?
a. The water will freeze making ice.
b. The water will evaporate creating ice.
c. The water will evaporate creating steam.
d. The water will melt and remain liquid water.
Answer: c
When liquid water is cooled, what will happen?
a. The water will freeze, making ice.
b. The water will evaporate, creating ice.
c. The water will evaporate, creating steam.
d. The water will melt, and remain liquid water.
Answer: a
Open ended:
How do you distinguish between the three states of matter as seen in water?
How do different forms of water exist on Earth?
Explain how snow changes to form water vapor (gas). In your explanation, be sure to include
• changes in the state of matter
• the processes needed to change the states of matter