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Four White Powders is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on identifying materials by testing their properties, aligned to Common Core standard 5-PS1-3. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 11 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Four White Powders

5-PS1-3

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.Two unknowns give identical results on every test you ran. What follows?
  • A.The tests were wrong
  • B.You need a new test, or they may be the same material
  • C.They are definitely different
2.Powder C fizzes with vinegar and the others do not. What is that test good for?
  • A.Identifying all four
  • B.Nothing useful
  • C.Separating C from the rest
3.Two powders both dissolve in water. What does that tell you?
  • A.They are the same substance
  • B.Not enough to tell them apart; another test is needed
  • C.One must be sugar
4.You have four tests and four unknowns. What is the aim?
  • A.Use every test on one powder
  • B.Get four fizzes
  • C.Find a combination of results unique to each unknown
5.What is a property, in this test?
  • A.What it is called
  • B.Where it was bought
  • C.Something the material does that can be observed and compared
6.What makes an identification trustworthy?
  • A.One striking result
  • B.Several properties agreeing, tested the same way each time
  • C.A confident guess
7.Why must the same amount of each powder be used?
  • A.To use up the powders
  • B.So the results can be compared fairly
  • C.It does not matter
8.Why is colour a weak property for identifying these powders?
  • A.All four are white, so it separates none of them
  • B.Colour cannot be observed
  • C.Colour is not a property

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Four White Powders

Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.You need a new test, or they may be the same material
  2. 2.Separating C from the rest
  3. 3.Not enough to tell them apart; another test is needed
  4. 4.Find a combination of results unique to each unknown
  5. 5.Something the material does that can be observed and compared
  6. 6.Several properties agreeing, tested the same way each time
  7. 7.So the results can be compared fairly
  8. 8.All four are white, so it separates none of them

More practice for 5-PS1-3

Identify a material by its properties.

Teaching this next? Four White Powders is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-PS1-3 of the Next Generation Science Standards.