Elementary All Subjects: Science

Which is the correct opening of the aim of Science in the Elementary School Course of Study (小学校学習指導要領, 2017 notice), Science (理科)?

1. Becoming familiar with nature, developing scientific views and ways of thinking, and having children understand natural things and phenomena mainly through experiments
2. Becoming familiar with nature, using the views and ways of thinking of science, and carrying out observations and experiments with a clear outlook
3. Becoming familiar with nature, making use of views and ways of thinking related to daily life, through concrete activities
4. Exploring nature, using mathematical views and ways of thinking, and carrying out observations and experiments with a clear outlook

In the Course of Study, which problem-solving skill is mainly developed in Grade 3 Science?

1. The ability to come up with ways to solve a problem based on predictions or hypotheses
2. The ability to form a more valid idea
3. The ability to come up with well-grounded predictions or hypotheses based on what was learned before and daily experience
4. The ability to find problems based on differences and similarities

According to the Commentary on the Course of Study for Science (学習指導要領解説 理科編), which view is mainly used in the area built around 'particles'?

1. Qualitative and substantial view
2. Quantitative and relational view
3. View of commonality and diversity
4. Temporal and spatial view

In an experiment on how the number of coil turns affects the strength of an electromagnet, which is the most appropriate way of controlling variables?

1. Connect two batteries to the coil with more turns and one battery to the coil with fewer turns
2. Use a thick iron core in the coil with more turns and a thin core in the coil with fewer turns
3. Change only the number of turns, and keep the current, the total wire length and the iron core the same
4. Change the number of turns and the current at the same time to make the difference easier to see

In the Course of Study, which correctly shows the number of 'making things' (ものづくり) activities in teaching 'A: Matter and Energy'?

1. Grade 3: two or more; Grades 4 to 6: one or more each
2. Grade 3: three or more; Grades 4 to 6: two or more each
3. Three or more in every grade
4. Grades 3 and 4: two or more each; Grades 5 and 6: three or more each

Which statement about the 'handling of content' in the Course of Study is correct?

1. In Grade 3 'how plants grow', summer annual dicotyledonous plants are used
2. In Grade 4 'workings of electric current', only series connection is taught, not parallel
3. In Grade 5 'birth of animals', the process leading to human fertilization is taught in detail
4. In Grade 6 'use of electricity', only dry batteries are used as tools that make electricity

In the 'preparation of teaching plans and handling of content' of the Course of Study, which is stated about teaching observations and experiments?

1. Experiments using chemicals are limited to teacher demonstrations and children do not do them
2. Outdoor observation is risky, so it should be replaced with video materials as much as possible
3. To prevent accidents, experiments with heating are not done until Grade 6
4. Pay full attention to preventing accidents, and take appropriate measures for the environment and the chemicals used

In the Science section of the Course of Study, which learning is given as an example when doing activities to build logical thinking through experiencing programming?

1. Grade 3 'properties of magnets': sorting objects that stick to magnets
2. Grade 4 'the moon and stars': recording the movement of stars
3. Grade 6 'use of electricity': learning that there are tools using the properties and workings of electricity
4. Grade 5 'motion of a pendulum': measuring the time of one swing

On an experimental lever, a 30 g weight hangs at mark 4 and a 20 g weight at mark 2 on the left arm. What weight hung at mark 8 on the right arm will make it balance?

1. 10 g
2. 15 g
3. 20 g
4. 25 g

You want a pendulum to take longer for one swing (there and back). Which change is correct?

1. Make the pendulum longer
2. Make the weight heavier
3. Make the swing wider
4. Make the weight lighter and the swing narrower

The time for a pendulum to make 10 swings was measured three times: 14.2 s, 13.8 s and 14.0 s. Which is the most appropriate way to find the time for one swing?

1. Divide the shortest, 13.8 s, by 10 to get 1.38 s
2. Divide the average, 14.0 s, by 10 to get 1.4 s
3. Divide the total, 42.0 s, by 3 to get 14.0 s
4. Divide the longest, 14.2 s, by 10 to get 1.42 s

Which statement about a circuit with two dry batteries and one small bulb is correct?

1. In parallel connection, the bulb is brighter than with one battery
2. In both series and parallel connection, the bulb is twice as bright as with one battery
3. In series connection, the current in the circuit is smaller than with one battery
4. In series connection, the current is larger than with one battery and the bulb is brighter

Which is correct about how metal, water and air warm up?

1. Metal warms in order from the heated part, while in water and air the warmed part moves and the whole warms up
2. In metal, water and air alike, the heated part moves upward and the whole warms up
3. Water warms in order from the heated part, while in metal the warmed part moves and the whole warms up
4. Air hardly changes in volume when heated, so it warms where it is without moving

A beaker (80 g) holds 100 g of water. 15 g of salt is added and fully dissolved. What is the total mass, including the beaker?

1. 180 g
2. 185 g
3. 195 g
4. 200 g

A substance dissolves in 100 g of water up to 50 g at 60°C and 10 g at 20°C. If you dissolve as much as possible in 50 g of water at 60°C and then cool it to 20°C, how many grams come out as solid?

1. 5 g
2. 20 g
3. 25 g
4. 40 g

A candle burns in a closed jar until the flame goes out. Which is correct about the air in the jar afterwards?

1. All the oxygen is gone and only carbon dioxide remains
2. Nitrogen has been used up and oxygen has increased
3. The share of oxygen has decreased and the share of carbon dioxide has increased
4. The shares of the gases are the same as before; only the temperature has risen

Which statement about aqueous solutions is correct?

1. Salt water turns blue litmus paper red
2. Limewater is acidic and does not change red litmus paper
3. When carbonated water is evaporated, a white solid remains
4. Ammonia water turns red litmus paper blue, and nothing remains when it is evaporated

Which statement about insects is correct?

1. An adult's body has two parts, head and abdomen, and eight legs
2. An adult's body has three parts, head, thorax and abdomen, with six legs on the thorax
3. A grasshopper grows egg → larva → pupa → adult
4. A butterfly grows egg → larva → adult, with no pupa stage

In the Course of Study, which set of conditions is said to be related to the germination of plants?

1. Water, sunlight, fertilizer
2. Air, sunlight, soil
3. Water, air, temperature
4. Temperature, fertilizer, soil

A kidney bean seed is split and iodine solution is put on the cotyledon; it turns blue-purple. What is the most appropriate conclusion?

1. The cotyledon contains a lot of water
2. The cotyledon contains carbon dioxide
3. The cotyledon turns green when exposed to sunlight
4. The cotyledon contains starch, which is the nutrient for germination

Which is the correct way to tell male and female medaka (Japanese rice fish) apart?

1. The male has a notch in the dorsal fin and a large anal fin shaped like a parallelogram
2. The female has a notch in the dorsal fin and a large anal fin shaped like a parallelogram
3. The male is red and the female is black
4. Males and females have the same fins and can only be told apart by whether they lay eggs

Which is NOT listed in the Course of Study as one of the main organs taught in Grade 6 'structure and workings of the human body'?

1. Liver
2. Kidney
3. Brain
4. Small intestine

According to the Course of Study, what happens to water taken up by the roots?

1. It is stored in the roots and hardly leaves the plant
2. It is mainly released from the leaves by transpiration
3. It is mainly released from the flowers as nectar
4. It is all turned into starch in the stem

Two starch solutions are prepared, one with saliva and one without, warmed in water at about 40°C, then tested with iodine solution. Which result and conclusion is correct?

1. Both turned blue-purple, so saliva does not change starch
2. Only the one without saliva did not change colour, so starch disappears when warmed
3. Neither changed colour, so iodine solution does not work at high temperatures
4. Only the one with saliva did not change colour, so saliva changes starch into another substance

On a sunny day around 9 a.m., the shadow of a pole points northwest. Which correctly gives the direction of the sun and how the shadow moves toward noon?

1. The sun is in the southeast; the shadow turns toward the north
2. The sun is in the northwest; the shadow turns toward the south
3. The sun is in the southeast; the shadow turns toward the west
4. The sun is in the northeast; the shadow turns toward the east

Which is most appropriate about the weather and daily temperature change?

1. On rainy days, the daily temperature change is larger than on sunny days
2. On both sunny and rainy days, the temperature peaks exactly at noon and changes in the same way
3. On sunny days, it is low in the morning and evening and high in the early afternoon, so the daily change is large
4. On cloudy days, the temperature is highest at night

Which correctly describes a place where a river bends?

1. On the outside, the flow is slow and stones and sand pile up to form a gravel bar
2. On the outside, the flow is fast and the bed and bank are eroded and become deep
3. On the inside, the flow is fast and cliffs form easily
4. The flow speed is the same on the outside and inside, and the landforms do not differ

Which statement about strata (layers of land) is correct?

1. Volcanic ash grains are rounded because they are carried by flowing water
2. In grain size, mud is the largest and gravel the smallest
3. Strata never contain fossils
4. Conglomerate, sandstone and mudstone are taught as rocks formed by flowing water

In the evening, a half moon is seen in the southern sky. Which is correct about how it looks?

1. Its western (right) side is lit
2. Its eastern (left) side is lit
3. It cannot be seen because it is in the same direction as the sun
4. Its whole face is lit, like a full moon

In the Course of Study, which is correct about the movement of stars learned in Grade 4?

1. Groups of stars change both their arrangement and position depending on the time
2. Groups of stars keep their arrangement but change their position depending on the time
3. Groups of stars keep their position but change their arrangement depending on the time
4. Stars stay in the same position all day; only the visible stars change with the season