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 8 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. What do the four tests show about air?
4. Where did the 5 g the soccer ball gained come from?
2.Where is there air?
A.Only when the wind blows
B.Only outside
C.All around us, even in an "empty" room
3.A dry sponge is pushed under water and bubbles rise. What are they?
A.Air that was in the sponge's holes
B.Water turning into gas
C.Soap
4.A kite stays up on a windy day. What is holding it up?
A.Moving air pushing against it
B.Nothing at all
C.The string pushing it up
5.Why does a bicycle tire feel hard when it is pumped up?
A.The rubber has frozen
B.It is packed with air pushing outwards
C.The tire is empty
6.Why can you feel the air when you wave your hand quickly?
A.Your hand is pushing against the air, which is matter
B.Air can only be felt outdoors
C.Your hand makes the air
7.Wet washing dries faster on a windy day. Why?
A.The wind makes the washing heavier
B.The wind adds heat from the sun
C.The moving air carries the water vapor away from the cloth
LessonPrint · 5-PS1-1 · Set 8 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Testing Whether Air Is Matter
Set 8. 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. Air takes up room and has weight, even though nobody can see it. 4. From the air pumped into it, because air has mass.
2.All around us, even in an "empty" room
3.Air that was in the sponge's holes
4.Moving air pushing against it
5.It is packed with air pushing outwards
6.Your hand is pushing against the air, which is matter
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.