NumicornNumicornLearn, solve, progress

California CAST · Grades 5, 8 & High School · Science

California CAST Science Practice Test

Build California CAST Science readiness with five focused 10-question practice sets covering life science, physical science, Earth and space science, engineering, and data analysis for Grades 5, 8, and high school.

CAST Science practice sets

This California CAST Science Practice Test page provides five short practice sets with 10 original multiple-choice questions each. The sets offer supplemental review across life science, physical science, Earth and space science, engineering and design, scientific practices, systems, and data analysis.

Science skills covered

  • Photosynthesis, natural selection, cells, heredity, ecosystems, energy flow, mutations, evolution, and experimental variables
  • Chemical and physical change, thermal energy, circuits, atomic structure, reactions, waves, collisions, work, and ions
  • Plate tectonics, climate, Moon phases, greenhouse gases, fossils, tides, volcanic ash, renewable resources, and redshift
  • Controlled experiments, engineering criteria and constraints, models, repeated trials, efficiency, controls, and claim-evidence-reasoning
  • Associations, systems, phase changes, surface energy, biodiversity, gas relationships, conservation of matter, simulations, carrying capacity, and uncertainty

How to use this page

Complete one 10-question set at a time. Identify the evidence, describe the mechanism, and review every explanation before moving to the next set. Use the grade-specific pages when you want more focused practice for Grade 5, Grade 8, or high school.

This is supplemental State Test Practice, State Assessment Practice, and Standardized Test Practice. It does not replace current California Department of Education guidance, official CAST blueprints, accommodations, or testing schedules.

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

Select a test

5 Tests
1. Test2. Test3. Test4. Test5. Test

3. Test

California CAST Science Practice Questions

A 10-question California CAST Science practice set on earth and space science, with answers and explanations for Grades 5, 8, and high school review.

Read each science task carefully, choose one answer, and review the explanation after responding.

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

What process most directly drives the movement of tectonic plates?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Convection in Earth’s mantle transfers heat and causes movement..

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: Heat-driven convection in the mantle contributes to plate movement.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

Heat-driven convection in the mantle contributes to plate movement.

2. QuestionMultiple choice

Why do coastal areas often have smaller temperature changes than inland areas?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is Water heats and cools more slowly than land..

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: Water has a high specific heat, so it changes temperature more slowly and moderates nearby air.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

Water has a high specific heat, so it changes temperature more slowly and moderates nearby air.

3. QuestionMultiple choice

Which evidence best supports the claim that climate is changing over a long period?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is Long-term records show trends in temperature, sea level, and ice coverage..

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: Climate claims rely on long-term patterns rather than one short-term weather event.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

Climate claims rely on long-term patterns rather than one short-term weather event.

4. QuestionMultiple choice

What causes the phases of the Moon?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is The changing portion of the Moon’s sunlit side visible from Earth..

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: The Moon is always half illuminated, but its position changes the visible portion.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

The Moon is always half illuminated, but its position changes the visible portion.

5. QuestionMultiple choice

Which statement describes the greenhouse effect?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Certain gases absorb and re-emit infrared energy, warming the lower atmosphere..

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: Greenhouse gases interact with outgoing infrared radiation and can warm the atmosphere.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

Greenhouse gases interact with outgoing infrared radiation and can warm the atmosphere.

6. QuestionMultiple choice

A rock layer contains fossils of organisms that lived in shallow seas, but the layer is now far inland. What can this evidence suggest?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is The area’s environment or location changed over geologic time..

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: Fossils preserve evidence that past environments differed from the current inland setting.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

Fossils preserve evidence that past environments differed from the current inland setting.

7. QuestionMultiple choice

What is the main cause of ocean tides on Earth?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is Gravitational forces from the Moon and Sun..

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: The Moon’s gravity, along with the Sun’s gravity, produces tidal patterns.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

The Moon’s gravity, along with the Sun’s gravity, produces tidal patterns.

8. QuestionMultiple choice

Why can volcanic ash affect climate for a short period after a major eruption?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is Ash and aerosols can reflect sunlight and reduce surface heating..

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: Particles in the atmosphere can reflect incoming sunlight and temporarily cool the surface.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

Particles in the atmosphere can reflect incoming sunlight and temporarily cool the surface.

9. QuestionMultiple choice

Which resource is renewable on a human time scale?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Solar energy.

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: Solar energy is replenished by the Sun, while the other resources form or exist in limited supplies.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

Solar energy is replenished by the Sun, while the other resources form or exist in limited supplies.

10. QuestionMultiple choice

A star’s light is shifted toward longer wavelengths as the star moves away from Earth. What is this called?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is Redshift.

  1. Identify the science idea: Determine whether the task focuses on a life, physical, Earth and space, engineering, or data concept.
  2. Use the evidence: Light from a receding source is shifted toward the red, or longer-wavelength, end of the spectrum.
  3. Check the choice: Make sure the answer explains the observed pattern, mechanism, or evidence rather than merely repeating a detail.

Light from a receding source is shifted toward the red, or longer-wavelength, end of the spectrum.

Previous testNext test

Choose your next study path

Elementary School Tests

Build foundational reading, math, science, and social studies skills for Grades 1–5.

Middle School Tests

Review grade-level ELA, math, science, and social studies skills for Grades 6–8.

High School Tests

Explore course and assessment preparation for Grades 9–12.

Pomodoro Timer

Use focused study intervals to work through your next practice set.

Frequently asked questions about California CAST Science Practice Test

Which grades does this CAST Science practice page support?

This hub provides mixed supplemental practice for the California CAST assessment areas used in Grade 5, Grade 8, and high school. Grade-specific pages can provide more targeted review.

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 CAST questions?

No. These are original supplemental practice questions. Check the latest California Department of Education information for official materials, standards, accommodations, and policies.