Physical Science for 2nd Graders: Explore Matter and Its Properties

Question 1

Which of these is NOT a state of matter that we often see around us?

Accepted Answer

Plasma

Answer

Liquid

Answer

Gas

Answer

Solid

Question 2

When you melt an ice cube, what happens to it? Does it become something new, or does it stay the same?

Accepted Answer

The ice cube stays the same, just in liquid form.

Answer

The ice cube becomes water, which is a different substance.

Answer

The ice cube turns into gas, which is a different substance.

Answer

The ice cube changes into vapor, which is a different substance.

Question 3

Which of these cannot be seen, touched, or tasted?

Accepted Answer

Plasma, like the sun

Answer

A solid, like a rock

Answer

A liquid, like water

Answer

A gas, like the air we breathe

Question 4

What are the three main forms that matter can take?

Accepted Answer

Solid, liquid, and gas

Answer

Hot, cold, and warm

Answer

Rough, smooth, and sticky

Answer

Soft, hard, and squishy

Question 5

Which of these is NOT a property of matter?

Accepted Answer

Color

Answer

Mass

Answer

Volume

Answer

Density

Question 6

What happens when you put water in the freezer?

Accepted Answer

It becomes solid.

Answer

It becomes liquid.

Answer

It becomes gas.

Answer

It becomes plasma.

Question 7

Which of these words describes something you can't see or touch, like air?

Accepted Answer

Invisible

Answer

Density

Answer

Color

Answer

Solubility

Question 8

Which of these is NOT a state of matter?

Accepted Answer

Energy

Answer

Solid

Answer

Liquid

Answer

Gas

Question 9

Which of these is NOT a state of matter?

Accepted Answer

Energy

Answer

Solid

Answer

Liquid

Answer

Gas

Question 10

Which of these is NOT a form that matter can take?

Accepted Answer

Energy

Answer

A solid, like a rock

Answer

A liquid, like water

Answer

A gas, like the air in a balloon

Question 11

When you melt an ice cube, what happens to the water inside?

Accepted Answer

It stays the same, just in a different form

Answer

It changes chemically, turning into a different substance

Answer

It changes color, becoming a different substance

Answer

It gets smaller, losing some of its water

Question 12

Which of these is NOT a state of matter that we commonly encounter in our daily lives?

Accepted Answer

Plasma

Answer

Solid

Answer

Liquid

Answer

Gas

Question 13

Which of these is NOT a form of matter?

Accepted Answer

Energy

Answer

Solid

Answer

Liquid

Answer

Gas

Question 14

Which of these is NOT a state of matter?

Accepted Answer

Energy

Answer

Solid

Answer

Liquid

Answer

Gas

Question 15

When you melt a popsicle, what type of change happens?

Accepted Answer

Physical change

Answer

Chemical change

Question 16

What can you drink that is a liquid?

Accepted Answer

A glass of juice

Answer

A big rock

Answer

A piece of wood

Question 17

Which property of matter tells us how easily it can change shape?

Accepted Answer

Flexibility

Answer

Hardness

Answer

Conductivity

Answer

Density

Question 18

What is a property of light?

Accepted Answer

Transfers energy

Answer

Has weight

Answer

Is a liquid

Question 19

When water turns from a liquid to a solid, like when it freezes into ice, what physical change is happening?

Accepted Answer

Solidification

Answer

Melting

Answer

Evaporation

Answer

Sublimation

Question 20

Which of these feels hard and keeps its shape?

Accepted Answer

Ice

Answer

Air

Answer

Water

Question 21

Which of these is NOT a form of matter that we can see or touch in everyday life?

Accepted Answer

Plasma (like a star's glow)

Answer

Solid (like ice)

Answer

Liquid (like water)

Answer

Gas (like air)

Question 22

Which property tells us how well a material can transfer heat and electricity?

Accepted Answer

Thermal and electrical conductivity

Answer

Density

Answer

Solubility

Answer

Magnetism

Question 23

What is a characteristic of matter?

Accepted Answer

It has weight.

Answer

It can change color.

Answer

It can make a noise.

Question 24

What causes the sound when you pluck a guitar string?

Accepted Answer

The string vibrating

Answer

The string moving through the air

Question 25

Which property describes how much space an object occupies?

Accepted Answer

Volume

Answer

Weight

Answer

Thickness

Question 26

Which of these is a solid? Something that has a definite shape and a definite volume.

Accepted Answer

Ice

Answer

Water

Answer

Air

Answer

Fire

Question 27

When something gets warmer, what happens to the tiny pieces that make it up?

Accepted Answer

They move faster and spread out.

Answer

They slow down and come closer together.

Answer

They turn into a different kind of piece.

Answer

They vanish.

Question 28

When water turns into ice, what type of change is happening?

Accepted Answer

Physical change

Answer

Chemical change

Answer

Biological change

Question 29

What action will turn a liquid into a gas?

Accepted Answer

Heat it up

Answer

Cool it down

Answer

Freeze it

Answer

Add salt to it

Question 30

What is a characteristic of a solid?

Accepted Answer

It has a fixed shape and volume.

Answer

It can be easily squeezed.

Answer

It can easily flow.

Question 31

Which of these is a solid? Something that has a definite shape and volume.

Accepted Answer

Ice

Answer

Water

Answer

Air

Question 32

Which of these is a liquid? Liquids can flow and take the shape of their container.

Accepted Answer

Water

Answer

Ice

Answer

Cloud

Answer

Rock

Question 33

Which of these is a liquid?

Accepted Answer

A glass of water

Answer

A block of wood

Answer

A cube of ice

Question 34

Which of these materials can a magnet attract?

Accepted Answer

Iron

Answer

Cotton

Answer

Gold

Question 35

You have a magnet and a mixture of sand and iron filings. How can you use the magnet to separate the iron filings from the sand?

Accepted Answer

Move the magnet over the mixture to collect the iron filings.

Answer

Stir the mixture in water to separate the iron filings from the sand.

Answer

Use a sieve to separate the sand from the iron filings.

Answer

Heat the mixture to melt the iron filings and pour the liquid iron into a separate container.

Question 36

When you turn on a light, what happens to the electricity that flows from the wall outlet to the light?

Accepted Answer

It changes into light and heat.

Answer

It stays the same.

Answer

It changes into sound.

Question 37

What property allows light to pass through a material?

Accepted Answer

Transparency

Answer

Hardness

Answer

Buoyancy

Answer

Solubility

Question 38

In the past, scientists believed there were only a few elements like earth, air, fire, and water. Why did scientists change their minds?

Accepted Answer

Scientists found new elements that didn't fit into the four-element system.

Answer

Scientists discovered that the four elements could be made from other substances.

Answer

Scientists realized that the four elements were not actually elements.

Question 39

Which of these is true about the characteristics of matter?

Accepted Answer

Matter's characteristics can change based on its form.

Answer

All matter shares the same characteristics.

Answer

It's impossible to measure the characteristics of matter.

Answer

The characteristics of matter are constantly changing.

Question 40

What makes a boat stay afloat on water?

Accepted Answer

Buoyancy

Answer

Magnetism

Answer

Density

Question 41

When you heat water, what happens to the energy of the water molecules?

Accepted Answer

They gain energy.

Answer

They lose energy.

Answer

It stays the same.

Answer

They give energy to the surroundings.

Question 42

What is a characteristic of metals?

Accepted Answer

Shiny

Answer

See-through

Answer

Easily broken

Answer

Does not conduct electricity

Question 43

In an electric circuit, which material lets electricity pass through it easily?

Accepted Answer

Metal

Answer

Wood

Answer

Rubber

Answer

Plastic

Question 44

Which state of matter has particles that are very close together, have a definite shape and size, and can only vibrate in place?

Accepted Answer

Solid

Answer

Liquid

Answer

Gas

Question 45

You have a toy car and a ramp. Design an experiment to show how the height of the ramp affects how far the car rolls.

Accepted Answer

Roll the car down the ramp from different heights and measure how far it rolls.

Answer

Roll the car down the ramp and measure how fast it goes.

Answer

Place the car at the bottom of the ramp and measure how long it takes to roll to the top.

Question 46

What's the difference between a permanent magnet and a temporary magnet?

Accepted Answer

A permanent magnet always has magnetic power, while a temporary magnet only has magnetic power when it's near another magnet.

Answer

A permanent magnet is made of a stronger material than a temporary magnet.

Answer

A temporary magnet can pick up metal objects, but a permanent magnet can't.

Answer

There's no difference between a permanent magnet and a temporary magnet.

Question 47

Gases can fill up the container they are put in, they have no definite shape, and they can be compressed. Which of the following best describes the key properties of gases?

Accepted Answer

Gases can be easily compressed and expand to fill their container

Answer

Gases have a definite volume and shape

Answer

Gases are not affected by temperature changes

Question 48

What material lets electricity flow through it easily?

Accepted Answer

Metal

Answer

Wood

Answer

Plastic

Answer

Rubber

Question 49

If you put an ice cube in warm water, what will happen?

Accepted Answer

It melts.

Answer

It stays frozen.

Answer

It turns into steam.

Question 50

What force causes a car to move as it drives down the street?

Accepted Answer

The car's engine

Answer

Gravity

Answer

Friction

Answer

Wind

Question 51

Which of these is NOT a type of chemical reaction?

Accepted Answer

Physical change

Answer

Synthesis

Answer

Decomposition

Answer

Combustion

Question 52

Which one of these is NOT a property of solids?

Accepted Answer

They can flow easily.

Answer

They hold their own shape.

Answer

They have a definite volume.

Answer

They take the shape of their container.

Question 53

Which of these objects is a good insulator?

Accepted Answer

A plastic ruler

Answer

A metal spoon

Answer

A wet towel

Answer

Salt water

Question 54

What takes place when a magnet is placed near a metal paperclip?

Accepted Answer

The paperclip is attracted to the magnet.

Answer

The paperclip moves away.

Answer

The paperclip does not move.

Answer

The magnet changes color.

Question 55

Which of these is NOT a state of matter?

Accepted Answer

Electricity

Answer

Solid

Answer

Liquid

Answer

Plasma

Question 56

What is the name of the force that pulls things toward each other?

Accepted Answer

Gravity

Answer

Magnetism

Answer

Inertia

Answer

Friction

Question 57

Which of these materials is transparent?

Accepted Answer

Glass

Answer

Wood

Answer

Metal

Answer

Paper

Question 58

What is the name of the process by which water changes from a liquid to a gas?

Accepted Answer

Evaporation

Answer

Condensation

Answer

Freezing

Answer

Melting

Question 59

When a solid is heated, what happens to the tiny particles inside it?

Accepted Answer

They move around more.

Answer

They get bigger.

Answer

They stick together more.

Question 60

What happens when a solid changes directly into a gas, skipping the liquid stage?

Accepted Answer

Sublimation

Answer

Freezing

Answer

Melting

Answer

Evaporation

Question 61

When planning an experiment to check how precise a pH meter is, which step is not needed?

Accepted Answer

Change the temperature of the solution

Answer

Calibrate the pH meter with a known pH solution

Answer

Use several samples of the same solution

Answer

Compare the results to a known pH value

Question 62

Which of these is NOT a special property of very tiny materials called nanomaterials?

Accepted Answer

They dissolve easily in water.

Answer

They are extremely small.

Answer

They can be very strong.

Answer

They can conduct electricity well.

Question 63

When you mix salt into water, what happens to the salt?

Accepted Answer

It dissolves and becomes part of the water.

Answer

It disappears and becomes invisible.

Answer

It turns into a different substance.

Question 64

What tool do we use to measure the length of an object, like a pencil?

Accepted Answer

Centimeters

Answer

Grams

Answer

Liters

Answer

Newtons