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

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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 do the four tests show about air?
  2. 2. Why was each test done twice?
  3. 3. Why did the tissue stay dry?
  4. 4. Why did the plunger spring back when it was let go?
2.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
3.Why do divers carry tanks of air underwater?
  • A.The tanks make them sink faster
  • B.There is air in the sea for them already
  • C.Air can be squeezed into a tank, and they need it to breathe
4.A windmill's sails turn. What makes them move?
  • A.Wind, which is moving air, pushing on the sails
  • B.Sunlight on the sails
  • C.Electricity from the windmill
5.Wet washing dries faster on a windy day. Why?
  • A.The moving air carries the water vapor away from the cloth
  • B.The wind adds heat from the sun
  • C.The wind makes the washing heavier
6.Why does a parachute fall slowly?
  • A.Gravity stops working
  • B.Air pushes up against its wide canopy
  • C.Parachutes weigh nothing
7.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

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-1 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Testing Whether Air Is Matter

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Air takes up room and has weight, even though nobody can see it. 2. So one odd result could not mislead the class about the tests. 3. Air trapped in the cup filled it, so the water could not get in. 4. The air squeezed inside pushed back as it spread out again.
  2. 2.It is packed with air pushing outwards
  3. 3.Air can be squeezed into a tank, and they need it to breathe
  4. 4.Wind, which is moving air, pushing on the sails
  5. 5.The moving air carries the water vapor away from the cloth
  6. 6.Air pushes up against its wide canopy
  7. 7.Moving air pushing against it

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