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Alaska Science Assessment · Grades 5, 8, and 10

Alaska Science Assessment Practice Test: Grades 5, 8, and 10

Build Alaska science assessment readiness with five focused 10-question practice sets covering physical science, life science, Earth and space science, engineering, and Alaska applications.

Alaska Science Assessment practice sets

This Alaska Science Assessment Practice Test page provides five short practice sets with 10 original multiple-choice questions each. The sets are designed for Grades 5, 8, and 10 review across physical science, life science, Earth and space science, engineering design, data interpretation, and Alaska-related phenomena.

Skills covered

  • Properties of matter, physical and chemical changes, forces, energy, waves, circuits, and density
  • Cells, photosynthesis, food webs, adaptations, populations, decomposers, genetics, and natural selection
  • Water cycle, seasons, rocks, plate tectonics, weather, climate, Moon phases, earthquakes, and greenhouse gases
  • Testable questions, variables, repeated trials, models, constraints, data displays, criteria, and evidence-based claims
  • Glaciers, permafrost, salmon ecosystems, Arctic daylight, volcanoes, snow data, invasive species, and field investigations

How to use this page

Complete one 10-question set at a time. Identify the evidence, connect it to the science idea, and check whether the conclusion is supported by the data. Review each explanation after responding.

This is supplemental State Test Practice, State Assessment Practice, and Standardized Test Practice. It does not replace current Alaska Department of Education and Early Development guidance, official assessment materials, accommodations, or testing schedules.

For the broader Alaska assessment hub, visit Alaska State Assessments.

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Alaska Science Assessment Practice Questions

A 10-question Alaska Science Assessment practice set on life science and ecosystems, with answers and explanations.

Read each science scenario carefully, use the evidence provided, choose one answer, and review the explanation after responding.

10 Questions
0/10 Questions0 %
Correct 0
Incorrect 0
Unanswered 10
1. QuestionMultiple choice

What is the basic unit of life?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is The cell.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: All living organisms are made of one or more cells, which are the basic units of life.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

All living organisms are made of one or more cells, which are the basic units of life.

2. QuestionMultiple choice

What do plants use during photosynthesis to make sugars?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is Light energy, water, and carbon dioxide.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: Plants use light energy to combine water and carbon dioxide into sugars and release oxygen.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

Plants use light energy to combine water and carbon dioxide into sugars and release oxygen.

3. QuestionMultiple choice

In most ecosystems, where does the energy that begins a food web come from?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is The Sun.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: Producers capture energy from sunlight and make it available to other organisms in the food web.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

Producers capture energy from sunlight and make it available to other organisms in the food web.

4. QuestionMultiple choice

How does thick fur help an Arctic fox survive in a cold environment?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is It helps reduce heat loss.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: Thick fur traps insulating air and helps the fox maintain body heat in cold conditions.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

Thick fur traps insulating air and helps the fox maintain body heat in cold conditions.

5. QuestionMultiple choice

Which trait is inherited rather than learned?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Blood type.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: Blood type is determined by genetic information passed from parents to offspring.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

Blood type is determined by genetic information passed from parents to offspring.

6. QuestionMultiple choice

What does the term population describe in an ecosystem?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is All members of one species living in an area.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: A population is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

A population is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area.

7. QuestionMultiple choice

What is a main role of decomposers?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is They break down dead matter and return nutrients to the environment.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: Decomposers process dead organisms and waste, helping recycle nutrients in an ecosystem.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

Decomposers process dead organisms and waste, helping recycle nutrients in an ecosystem.

8. QuestionMultiple choice

If the number of predators in an ecosystem decreases, what may happen first to their prey?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is The prey population may increase.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: With fewer predators hunting them, more prey may survive and reproduce for a period of time.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

With fewer predators hunting them, more prey may survive and reproduce for a period of time.

9. QuestionMultiple choice

What does DNA provide instructions for in an organism?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Inherited traits and many cell functions.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: DNA stores genetic information used to build proteins and influence inherited traits and cell functions.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

DNA stores genetic information used to build proteins and influence inherited traits and cell functions.

10. QuestionMultiple choice

How does natural selection affect a population over many generations?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is Helpful inherited traits become more common when they improve survival or reproduction.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data, or system described in the question.
  2. Apply the science idea: Individuals with inherited traits that help in an environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits on.
  3. Check the conclusion: Confirm that the answer is supported by the evidence and fits the scientific relationship.

Individuals with inherited traits that help in an environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits on.

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Frequently asked questions about Alaska Science Assessment Practice Test

Which grades are supported?

The page is organized for science review across Grades 5, 8, and 10, matching the listed Alaska Science Assessment grade span.

How many questions are included?

There are five practice sets with 10 questions each, for 50 questions in total. Each set can be completed separately.

Are these official Alaska assessment questions?

No. These are original supplemental practice questions. Check the latest Alaska Department of Education and Early Development information for official assessment dates, materials, accommodations, and policies.