6th grade Science Midterm Review Questions [2026 version]

watershed

The area of land, including water, that drains into a larger body of water is called a ___________.

Croton

Yorktown is part of the ___________ Watershed.

riffle

An area of the stream where water bubbles over rocks is called a _______.

biomonitoring

Studying living organisms to determine the quality or health of a stream or ecosystem is __________.

True

True or False: Macroinvertebrates live in riffles because they provide shelter, food, and oxygen.

Macroinvertebrates

Animals that are used to determine water quality are called ___________.

taxa 2

Organisms that are somewhat pollution tolerant and found in fair quality water belong in _________.

taxa 1

Pollution sensitive organisms found in good quality water belong in _________.

taxa 3

Pollution tolerant organisms and can live in poor quality water belong in __________.

biodiversity

Different forms of life living in an ecosystem is referred to as _____________.

pH

The level of acidity or alkalinity (basic) found in the stream (substance) is the ________.

False

True or False: Pesticides are not harmful to stream.

cohesion

When molecules of the same substance (ex. water) combine, this is the property of ___________.

water cycle

The process(es) of evaporation, precipitation, and condensation are involved with the _____________.

adhesion

The process in which a water molecule "adheres" or sticks to another object is known as ___________.

surface tension

The "skin-like" layer across the surface of water created by polor molecules linking together is called _______________.

specific heat

The amount of heat it takes to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius is called _____________.

dissolve

___________ means when a substance is absorbed by another substance.

Example: Water dissolves Alka-Seltzer.

condensation

The change in state from a gas to a liquid is known as ______________. The temperature at which this occurs is known as the "Dew Point."

evaporation

The change of a liquid to a gas is known as ____________.

precipitation

Any form of water (hail, snow, sleet, or rain) that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface is referred to as __________.

0 [zero]

Water changes from a liquid to solid at ________ degrees Celsius.

100

Water changes from a liquid to a gas at _______ degrees Celsius.

water vapor

Water, in the form of a gas, is called _______.

volume

____________ is the amount of space a 3-dimensional object or substance has or takes up.

density

__________ is the amount of matter within a 3-dimensional space. The formula is mass/volume.

mass

The amount of matter [stuff] there is in an object is its __________.

triple beam balance

Which tool is used to determine the mass of an object?

liquid capacity

The amount of liquid a container can hold is referred to as __________. The metric units are L or mL.

graduated cylinder

Which tool is used to determine the volume of liquids?

linear measurement

Measuring distance or length of lines is known as ______. The units used are mm, cm, m, or km.

gravity

The force of ____________ pulls the moon and Earth toward each other.  Factors that control gravitational force include mass and distance.

24

It takes Earth ____ hours to rotate on its axis (at a 23.5 degrees tilted angle) for one full rotation

365

It takes Earth _____ days to revolve around the Sun.

equinox

During a(n) __________ there are equal hours of daylight and darkness all over the Earth. (ex. spring or fall).

neap

A ________ tide occurs when the sun is at right angles to the line between Earth and the moon (moon phases: first quarter & last quarter) .

spring

A ______ tide occurs when the sun, moon, and Earth line up. (The highest and the lowest tides ~ full moon and new moon)

solstice

The shortest day of the year is during the summer ______ and the longest day of the year is during the winter _______.

rotation

The spinning of Earth on its axis is called __________.

revolution

The movement of an object around another object is called __________. Example ~ The Earth moving around the Sun.

True

True or False: During the summer or winter solstice, the sun is farthest north or south of the equator.

False

True or False: We have seasons because the Earth revolves around the moon tilted on its axis.

Winter

Which season is being represented in the model (picture)?

Summer

Which season is being represented in the model (picture)?

Spring and Fall

Which seasons are being represented in the model (picture) below?

claim

A _______________ is an assertion or statement believed to be true.

evidence

Scientific data used to support the claim is called _____________.

Reasoning

_____________ is a statement or statements that connect the evidence to the claim.

hypothesis

The ______________ is the expected outcome of an experiment that is used as a starting point for further investigation. It is written as an if-then statement.

independent variable

The _____________ is a factor that scientist changes during a controlled study.

dependent variable

The ____________ is a factor that is measured by the scientist and depends on the independent variable.

Qualitative data

_______________ is data that is not measurable. It is collected using the senses [touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight].

Quantitative data

________________ is measurable data that is collected with instruments [examples: temperature, height, mass, and volume].

type of fertilizer

A student wanted to see if the type of fertilizer made sunflowers grow larger. What is the independent variable?

accuracy

A student wants to see if their stance affects their accuracy. What is the dependent variable?

dependent variable

A student wonders if the length of a rubber band affects how far it can travel.  The distance it can travel is the ________.

independent variable

A student wonders if the length of a rubber band affects how far it can travel.  The length of the rubber band is the _________.

controlled variables

The _________ are the factors that remain the same in order to create a valid experiment.

Ecosystem

__________ is an environment made up of living and nonliving things interacting together in the same habitat.

nonliving factors

Abiotic factors are the ________ in an ecosystem.

living factors

Biotic factors are the ___________ in an ecosystem.

Population

__________ is all of the individuals of the same species within an ecosystem.

Species

__________ are a group of living organisms that have similar features and can reproduce with one another.

orbit

The path Earth follows as it revolves around the sun is referred to as ________.

solar eclipse

When the sun is blocked by the moon, there is a ___________.

lunar eclipse

When the Earth is blocking the sun there is a ________.

greater

Objects with _________ mass have __________ gravitational pull.

more

The Sun has ________ gravitational pull than the Earth.

distance between them

The strength of the force of gravity between two objects depends on the two factors: the masses of the objects and the _________.

decreases

As the distance between objects ___________, gravitational pull decreases.

Water

____________ is the only substance on Earth that commonly exists in all of its different phases (solid, liquid, or gas).

sun

The energy for the water cycle originally comes from the ____________.

Matter

____________ can exist in different states such as solid, liquid, and gas.

solid

Which phase of matter holds its shape and has a fixed volume?

liquid

Which phase of matter has definite volume, but no definite shape?
A __________ will take the shape of a container.

gas

Which phase of matter has no definite volume and no definite shape?
A __________ will expand to fill any container and it can also be compressed.