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 5 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. Where did the 5 g the soccer ball gained come from?
2. Why was each test done twice?
3. What claim does this record support?
4. Why did the tissue stay dry?
2.A blown-up balloon is let go with its neck open. Why does it shoot off?
A.Air rushing out pushes it the other way
B.Gravity pulls it sideways
C.The balloon is magnetic
3.What is wind?
A.Clouds bumping together
B.Trees waving their branches
C.Air moving from one place to another
4.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
5.Wet washing dries faster on a windy day. Why?
A.The wind makes the washing heavier
B.The moving air carries the water vapor away from the cloth
C.The wind adds heat from the sun
6.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
7.Where is there air?
A.Only outside
B.Only when the wind blows
C.All around us, even in an "empty" room
LessonPrint · 5-PS1-1 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Testing Whether Air Is Matter
Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. From the air pumped into it, because air has mass. 2. So one odd result could not mislead the class about the tests. 3. Air is matter: air takes up space and has mass. 4. Air trapped in the cup filled it, so the water could not get in.
2.Air rushing out pushes it the other way
3.Air moving from one place to another
4.Your hand is pushing against the air, which is matter
5.The moving air carries the water vapor away from the cloth
6.Air that was in the sponge's holes
7.All around us, even in an "empty" room
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-PS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.