5th Grade Science Midterm Exam Study Guide 2025

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary terms and definitions for the 5th Grade Science Midterm Exam.

Mass

Measured in grams or kilograms, tells the amount of matter in an object.

Matter

Anything that has mass and takes up space.

Volume

The amount of space that an object takes up.

Atom

Tiny pieces or particles that make up matter.

Element

A substance made up of only one type of atom that cannot be broken down into other ingredients.

Molecule

When two or more atoms of the same type join together.

Compound

When two or more atoms of different types join together.

Solid

Relatively rigid, definite volume and shape; does not take the shape of its container.

Liquid

Definite volume but able to change shape by flowing; takes the shape of its container.

Gas

No definite volume or shape; takes the shape and volume of its container.

Melting Point

The temperature at which a solid turns into a liquid.

Boiling Point

The temperature at which a liquid turns into a gas.

Freezing Point

The temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid.

Density

How much stuff is packed into a certain space.

Hardness

How tough or firm something is.

Texture

The way something feels when you touch it.

State

The form that something is in, like solid, liquid, or gas.

Magnetism

The ability of something to attract or repel other objects.

Conductivity

How well something lets electricity or heat pass through it.

Flexibility

How easily something can bend without breaking.

Opacity

How much light can pass through something.

Homogeneous Mixture

A type of mixture that is evenly mixed with no visible particles.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A type of mixture that is not evenly mixed and may have visible particles.

Solution

The uniform mixture that the dissolved substance and liquid make.

Solubility

The ability of a substance to dissolve in a liquid.

Solute

The substance that is dissolved in a liquid.

Solvent

The liquid that the substance is dissolved in.

Insoluble

A substance that does not dissolve in another substance.

Soluble

When a substance dissolves into another substance.

Saturation Point

The point at which no more solute can dissolve into a solvent.

Dissolve

To become a part of another substance.

Physical Change

Refers to a modification in the size, shape, or state of matter that does not create a new substance.

Chemical Change

Describes how a substance behaves during a chemical reaction.

Physical Property

A characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured.

Chemical Property

Occurs when a new substance with unique properties is formed.

Cells

The smallest unit with the basic properties of life.

Unicellular

An organism that is made of only one cell.

Multicellular

An organism that is made up of many cells.

DNA

The material inside cells that carries all of the information about how an organism will look and function.

Reproduction

The process by which one organism makes one or more new organisms.

Ecology

The branch of science that deals with the study of living things and their relationship with the environment.

Ecosystem

All the living and nonliving things in a given area that interact with each other.

Organism

An individual living thing, such as an animal or plant.

Biotic factors

The living parts of an ecosystem.

Abiotic factors

The nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

Producer

An organism that makes its own food using photosynthesis.

Consumer

An organism that gets its energy from consuming, or eating, other living things.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead or rotting materials into small particles.

Herbivore

An animal that eats only plants.

Carnivore

An animal that eats only other animals.

Omnivore

An animal that eats both plants and animals.

Food chain

A model that shows how energy moves from one living thing to another in a line.

Primary consumer

The first animal to eat in a food chain, which consumes producers and is usually herbivorous.

Secondary consumer

The second animal to eat in a food chain, which consumes primary consumers and may be carnivorous or omnivorous.

Tertiary consumer

The third animal to eat in a food chain, which consumes secondary consumers and is typically carnivorous.

Food web

Shows all of the food chains in a single ecosystem.