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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 16 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.

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. 1. What would the bottle do when it warmed up again?
  2. 2. Why did the plunger spring back when it was let go?
  3. 3. Where did the 5 g the soccer ball gained come from?
  4. 4. What happened to the tissue in the cup?
2.Why do divers carry tanks of air underwater?
  • A.Air can be squeezed into a tank, and they need it to breathe
  • B.The tanks make them sink faster
  • C.There is air in the sea for them already
3.Why can you feel the air when you wave your hand quickly?
  • A.Your hand makes the air
  • B.Air can only be felt outdoors
  • C.Your hand is pushing against the air, which is matter
4.Why does a parachute fall slowly?
  • A.Parachutes weigh nothing
  • B.Gravity stops working
  • C.Air pushes up against its wide canopy
5.A blown-up balloon is let go with its neck open. Why does it shoot off?
  • A.Gravity pulls it sideways
  • B.The balloon is magnetic
  • C.Air rushing out pushes it the other way
6.Why does a bicycle tire feel hard when it is pumped up?
  • A.The tire is empty
  • B.It is packed with air pushing outwards
  • C.The rubber has frozen
7.What is wind?
  • A.Trees waving their branches
  • B.Air moving from one place to another
  • C.Clouds bumping together

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-1 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Testing Whether Air Is Matter

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Its sides would push back out as the air inside warmed. 2. The air squeezed inside pushed back as it spread out again. 3. From the air pumped into it, because air has mass. 4. The tissue stayed dry.
  2. 2.Air can be squeezed into a tank, and they need it to breathe
  3. 3.Your hand is pushing against the air, which is matter
  4. 4.Air pushes up against its wide canopy
  5. 5.Air rushing out pushes it the other way
  6. 6.It is packed with air pushing outwards
  7. 7.Air moving from one place to another

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-PS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.