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Delaware State Assessments · DeSSA · Science · Grades 5, 8, and High School

Delaware DeSSA Science Practice Test

Build Delaware DeSSA Science readiness with five focused 10-question practice sets for Grades 5, 8, and high school, covering physical science, life science, Earth science, environmental systems, biology, data, and evidence.

Delaware DeSSA Science practice sets

This Delaware DeSSA Science Practice Test page provides five short practice sets with 10 original multiple-choice questions each. The sets are organized across Grade 5, Grade 8, and high school science themes so learners can review concepts, models, data, and evidence at an appropriate level.

Grade-band skills covered

  • Grade 5: matter, forces, energy, ecosystems, photosynthesis, weather, the water cycle, rocks, erosion, and Earth-Sun-Moon patterns
  • Grade 8 physical and Earth science: particles, thermal energy, circuits, forces, waves, chemical reactions, plate movement, rocks, currents, and measurement quality
  • Grade 8 life and environmental science: cells, DNA, specialization, food webs, variation, natural selection, water quality, biodiversity, and carrying capacity
  • High school biology: cellular respiration, gene expression, enzymes, inheritance, trophic energy, experimental controls, meiosis, mutations, and restoration evidence

How to use this page

Choose the practice set that matches your grade band. Read the scenario, identify the evidence, explain the scientific relationship, and review the solution after each response.

This is supplemental State Test Practice, State Assessment Practice, and Standardized Test Practice. It does not replace current Delaware Department of Education guidance, official DeSSA materials, accommodations, or testing policies.

For the Delaware assessment hub, visit Delaware State Assessments.

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Delaware DeSSA Science Practice Questions

A 10-question Delaware DeSSA Science practice set on grade 8 physical and earth science, with answers and explanations.

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

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

A metal spoon and a wooden spoon are placed in the same room. The metal feels colder. What is the best explanation?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Metal transfers thermal energy from the hand faster than wood..

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: Metal is a better thermal conductor, so it draws energy from the hand more quickly.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

Metal is a better thermal conductor, so it draws energy from the hand more quickly.

2. QuestionMultiple choice

What happens to the particles of a gas when its temperature increases in a flexible container?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is They move faster and usually spread farther apart..

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: Higher temperature means greater average particle motion, and a flexible gas can expand.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

Higher temperature means greater average particle motion, and a flexible gas can expand.

3. QuestionMultiple choice

A circuit has a battery, wires, and a bulb, but one wire is disconnected. Why is the bulb off?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is The circuit is open, so charge cannot complete a path..

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: A complete conducting path is needed for current to flow through the bulb.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

A complete conducting path is needed for current to flow through the bulb.

4. QuestionMultiple choice

Which change would increase the gravitational force between two objects?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is Decreasing the distance between them.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: Gravitational attraction becomes stronger as distance decreases, when masses stay the same.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

Gravitational attraction becomes stronger as distance decreases, when masses stay the same.

5. QuestionMultiple choice

A wave has a higher frequency than another wave traveling at the same speed. What is true about its wavelength?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Its wavelength is shorter..

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: Wave speed equals frequency times wavelength, so higher frequency at the same speed means shorter wavelength.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

Wave speed equals frequency times wavelength, so higher frequency at the same speed means shorter wavelength.

6. QuestionMultiple choice

Which evidence most strongly supports that a chemical reaction occurred?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is The products have different properties from the starting substances..

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: Different product properties can show that atoms were rearranged into new substances.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

Different product properties can show that atoms were rearranged into new substances.

7. QuestionMultiple choice

Why do tectonic plates move slowly over long periods?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is Heat-driven movement in Earths interior can transfer energy through the mantle..

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: Heat inside Earth contributes to convection and other forces that move plates over time.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

Heat inside Earth contributes to convection and other forces that move plates over time.

8. QuestionMultiple choice

Which rock is most likely to form when molten material cools and solidifies?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is Igneous rock.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: Cooling and solidification of magma or lava form igneous rock.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

Cooling and solidification of magma or lava form igneous rock.

9. QuestionMultiple choice

A model shows a warm ocean current moving toward a cooler coast. Which effect is most likely?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is The current can transfer thermal energy and influence coastal climate..

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: Ocean currents move thermal energy and can affect temperatures and weather near coasts.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

Ocean currents move thermal energy and can affect temperatures and weather near coasts.

10. QuestionMultiple choice

A scientist repeats a measurement several times and obtains values close together but slightly above the accepted value. What does this show?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is High precision but possible systematic error.

  1. Identify the evidence: Read the observation, model, data table, or description and identify the scientific relationship being tested.
  2. Apply the concept: Close repeated values indicate precision, while consistent offset can indicate systematic error.
  3. Check the claim: Choose the explanation best supported by the Delaware DeSSA Science practice task.

Close repeated values indicate precision, while consistent offset can indicate systematic error.

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Frequently asked questions about Delaware DeSSA Science Practice

Which grades are covered?

This page includes science practice sets for Grade 5, Grade 8, and high school biology and integrated science 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 DeSSA questions?

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