Testing Whether Air Is Matter is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on using test results as evidence that air takes up space and has mass, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 5-PS1-1. It prints 7 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 10 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Testing Whether Air Is Matter
5-PS1-1
NameDate
Read the record, then answer the questions.
1.Read the record, then answer the questions.
Testing Whether Air Is Matter
Results from four tests the class ran on air, each done twice.
FOUR TESTS ON AIR
Syringe, end blocked: plunger pushed from 20 ml to 12 ml, then sprang back to 20 ml when let go
Soccer ball weighed flat: 418 g. Weighed again after pumping it hard: 423 g
Cup with a tissue in it, pushed upside down into water: the tissue stayed dry
The same cup tilted under water: bubbles rose and water went into the cup
Sealed empty plastic bottle left in a freezer for an hour: its sides pulled in a little
1. What would the bottle do when it warmed up again?
2. Why was each test done twice?
3. Where did the 5 g the soccer ball gained come from?
4. Why did the plunger spring back when it was let go?
2.Why can you feel the air when you wave your hand quickly?
A.Your hand makes the air
B.Your hand is pushing against the air, which is matter
C.Air can only be felt outdoors
3.Where is there air?
A.Only when the wind blows
B.Only outside
C.All around us, even in an "empty" room
4.A dry sponge is pushed under water and bubbles rise. What are they?
A.Water turning into gas
B.Air that was in the sponge's holes
C.Soap
5.Why does a bicycle tire feel hard when it is pumped up?
A.The rubber has frozen
B.The tire is empty
C.It is packed with air pushing outwards
6.A kite stays up on a windy day. What is holding it up?
A.Nothing at all
B.The string pushing it up
C.Moving air pushing against it
7.Wet washing dries faster on a windy day. Why?
A.The wind adds heat from the sun
B.The moving air carries the water vapor away from the cloth
C.The wind makes the washing heavier
LessonPrint · 5-PS1-1 · Set 10 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Testing Whether Air Is Matter
Set 10. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Its sides would push back out as the air inside warmed. 2. So one odd result could not mislead the class about the tests. 3. From the air pumped into it, because air has mass. 4. The air squeezed inside pushed back as it spread out again.
2.Your hand is pushing against the air, which is matter
3.All around us, even in an "empty" room
4.Air that was in the sponge's holes
5.It is packed with air pushing outwards
6.Moving air pushing against it
7.The moving air carries the water vapor away from the cloth
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-PS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.