Sample Test Questions Grades 3 and 4
Below are sample questions from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) achievement tests in Science administered to twenty-six countries. TIMSS is a research project sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). These questions may be used in the classroom, as a tool for evaluation, or to provide examples of test-question writing.
Sample Questions from Earth Science, Life Science, Physical Science, and The Environment
 
Earth Science

1. This table shows the temperature and precipitation (rain or snow) in four different towns in the same day.

  Town A Town B Town C Town D
Lowest Temperature 13 Degrees C -9 Degrees C 22 Degrees C -12 Degrees C
Highest Temperature 25 Degrees C -1 Degrees C 30 Degrees C -4 Degrees C

Precipitation (rain or snow)

0 cm 5 cm 2.5 cm 0 cm
Where did it snow?
A. Town A
B. Town B
C. Town C
D. Town D
 
Answer: B

2. The moon produces no light, and yet shines at night. Why is this?

A. The moon reflects the light from the sun.

B. The moon rotates at a very high speed.
C. The moon is covered with a thin layer of ice.
D. The moon has many craters.
 
Answer: A

3. Sometimes mountains can still have snow on their tops when the snow on the lower parts of the mountains has melted. What makes this happen?
 
Answer: A correct response would mention that the air is colder higher up on a mountain top.

4. The sun is bigger than the moon, but they appear to be the same size when you look at them from the Earth. Why is this?
 
Answer: A correct response would include the idea that the sun is farther away than the moon.

5. Which one of these refers only to living things?
A. clouds, fire, rivers
B. fire, rivers, trees
C. rivers, birds, trees
D. birds, trees, worms
E. trees, worms, clouds
 
Answer: D

6. Your temperature is taken when you are not sick. Which temperature is CLOSEST to what the thermometer would show?
A. 29 Degrees C
B. 37 Degrees C
C. 100 Degrees C
D. 212 Degrees C
 
Answer: B

7. A baby chick grows inside an egg for 21 days before it hatches. Where does the baby chick get it's food before it hatches?
A. It is fed by the mother hen.
B. It doesn't need any food.
C. It makes it's own food.
D. It uses food stored in the egg.
E. It eats the egg shell.
 
Answer: D

8. John kept some seeds on moist cotton in a dish. Mike put the same kind of seeds in a dish beside John's dish, and covered them with water. After two days, John's seeds sprouted, but Mike's did not.
Which is the most likely reason?
A. Mike's seeds needed more air.
B. Mike's seeds needed more light.
C. Mike did not put the dish in a warm enough place.
D. Mike should have used a different kind of seed.
 
Answer: A

9. Which animal produces milk for it's young?
A. Chicken
B. Frog
C. Monkey
D. Snake
 
Answer: C

10. Birds are different from insects in that birds have
A. wings
B. legs
C. eyes
D. eggs
E. feathers
 
Answer: E

11. Seeds develop from which part of a plant?
A. Flower
B. Leaf
C. Root
D. Stem
 
Answer: A

12. What is the BEST reason for including fruits and leafy vegetables in a healthy diet?

A. They have a high water content.

B. They are the best source of protein.
C. They are rich in materials and vitamins.
D. They are the best source of carbohydrates.
 
Answer: C

13. When an animal breathes faster and its heart beats faster, the animal is MOST likely
A. cold
B. frightened
C. resting
D. sleeping
 
Answer: B

Life Science
 
1. What is the MOST important reason for people to use a sunscreen when they are out in the sunlight?
A. It protects the skin against dangerous rays from the sun.
B. It makes the skin more tanned.
C. It makes the skin smooth.
D. It makes the skin feel cooler.
 
Answer: A

2. Which one of these groups contains only animals with a backbone?
A. Earthworm, snake, crayfish
B. Spider, clam, dragonfly
C. Crayfish, snake, horse
D. Clam, fish, earthworm
E. Horse, snake, fish
 
Answer: E

3. Write down one thing that your heart does that helps the other parts of your body.
 
Answer: Correct answers include pumping blood in a circulating system out to the body and back to the heart.

4. Write down the reason why we get thirsty on a hot day and have to drink a lot.
 
Answer: A correct response would refer to perspiration, its cooling effect, and the need to replace water.

5. The human brain is inside the skull. Write down one advantage of the skull being thick and strong.
 
Answer: A correct response refers to protection against concussion and injuries of the brain.

6. Write down one reason why animals could NOT live in a world without plants.
 
Answer: A correct response shows some understanding of the food chain.

7. This chart shows four groups of animals. In which group do fish belong?
  Land Animal Water Animal
Does have bones A B
Does not have bones C D
Answer: B

8. Write down two changes that occur in children's bodies as they become adults.
 
Answer: A correct response refers to growth such as increases in height, weight, strength, etc.

9. One way for animals to protect themselves is by escaping (running, flying, or swimming away). What are two other ways they protect themselves?
 
Answer: Correct responses include general action such as defense, attack, and fight.

10. Keisha is pushing her bicycle up a hill. Where does Keisha get the energy to push her bicycle?
A. From the food she has eaten.
B. From the exercise she did earlier.
C. From the ground she is walking on.
D. From the bicycle she is pushing.
 
Answer: A

11. A powder made up of both white and black specks is most likely to be
A. a solution
B. a pure compound
C. a mixture
D. an element
 
Answer: C

12. In a box there is a mixture of iron fillings and sand. Which is the easiest way to separate the iron fillings from the sand?
A. Pour water on the mixture.
B. Use a magnifying glass.
C. Use a magnet.
D. Heat the mixture.
 
Answer: C

13. Which is not used as an energy source?
A. Flowing water
B. Iron ore
C. Sun
D. Oil
 
Answer: B

Physical Science
 
1. Which travels fastest?
A. A train
B. An airplane
C. Sound
D. Light
 
Answer: D

2. Some things were buried in wet ground. Several years later they were dug up. Which things were most likely to have stayed the same?
A. An egg shell
B. A plastic cup
C. A paper plate
D. An orange peel
 
Answer: B

3. Ken put a thermometer in a glass filled with hot water. Why does the liquid inside the thermometer rise?
A. Gravity pushes it up.
B. Air bubbles are released.
C. Heat from the water makes it expand.
D. Air pressure above the water pulls it up.
 
Answer: C

4. Which makes its own light?
A. A mirror
B. A candle flame
C. A diamond ring
D. A magnifying lens.
 
Answer: B

5. One advantage of solar energy is that it
A. does not pollute
B. is not renewable
C. is efficient in any climate
D. is available at all times
 
Answer: A

The Environment
 
1. Write down one example of how computers help people do their work.
 
Answer: Should refer to writing or editing text, for example: "With a computer you can write faster and neater."

2. To find out whether seeds grow better in the light or dark, you could put some seeds on a piece of paper and
A. keep them in a warm, dark place
B. keep one group in a light place and another in a dark place
C. keep them in a warm, light place
D. put them in a light or dark place that is cool
 
Answer: B

3. Four children can feel and smell an object inside a bag, but they cannot see it. Which of the following is NOT an observation about the object?
A. "It is flat at one end and round at the other."
B. "It smells like a peppermint."
C. "It has a bump on it."
D. "I hope it is candy."
 
Answer: D

4. Some children were trying to find out which of three lightbulbs was the brightest. Which one of these gives the best START towards finding the answer?
A. "One bulb looks bright to me, so I already know the answer."
B. "All the bulbs look bright to me, so there cannot be an answer."
C. "It would help if we had a way to measure the brightness of a lightbulb."
D. "We can take a vote and each person will vote for the bulb he or she thinks is the brightest."
 
Answer: C

5. Write down two different things that people can do to help reduce air pollution.
 
Answer: Could include reduced use of airplanes, cars and motor boats or more walking, hiking, and public transportation.

6. Write as completely as possible why oil spills in rivers and seas are harmful to the environment.
 
Answer: Could include oil kills living things, water gets polluted, air and/or beaches get polluted.