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Can You Pass This Quiz of 4th Grade Science Questions?

Elementary school science is probably where you learned a lot of what you know about how the natural world works. Take this quiz to see how well you remember the basics!

1 / 30
Into the forest. Nature composition.
djgis/Shutterstock

What type of scientist studies all living things?

A. Biologist

B. Geologist

C. Meteorologist

2 / 30
Close up of biologist's hand with protective gloves holding young plant with root above petri dish with soil. Green background. Biotechnology, plant care and protection concept
Budimir Jevtic/Shutterstock

A. Biologist

Geologists study the Earth and meteorologists study the atmosphere. If you passed the fourth grade, you should know that biologists study all living organisms. It’s not a shock, however, if you don’t know these 25 science facts they don’t teach in school.

3 / 30
Field of cosmos flower
Tonio_75/Shutterstock

What is the main purpose of a plant’s flower?

A. To soak up water

B. To produce seeds

C. To support the plant

4 / 30
purple flower
David Cohen 156/Shutterstock

B. To produce seeds

Flowers are the reproductive part of plants, which is why their main purpose is producing seeds.

5 / 30
Green plant
Patty Chan/Shutterstock

What is the green pigment in plants that absorbs and converts sunlight into energy?

A. Mitochondrion

B. Starch

C. Chlorophyll

6 / 30
water plant under the microscope, chlorophyll
Barbol/Shutterstock

C. Chlorophyll

Yes, the green plant color is thanks to chlorophyll. Thankfully you’ll know so many science facts after this quiz and after reading about the 17 science “facts” that are actually not true.

7 / 30
Landscape with Milky way galaxy. Sunrise and Earth view from space with Milky way galaxy. (Elements of this image furnished by NASA)
Nuttawut Uttamaharad/Shutterstock

The Sun is a:

A. Planet

B. Star

8 / 30
The Sun in Space - Elements of this Image Furnished By Nasa
Aphelleon/Shutterstock

B. Star

The Sun is a yellow dwarf star and a hot ball of glowing gases. It’s about 4.5 billion years old, according to NASA. Already knew that? If you can answer half of these 12 other science trivia questions correctly, you might be a genius.

9 / 30
heavy rain and tree in the parking lot
ND700/Shutterstock

Which term describes the process when materials are broken down by rain, wind, and chemical reactions?

A. Weathering

B. Erosion

C. Crushing

10 / 30
Raining on street
Yutthana Korchai/Shutterstock

A. Weathering

Weathering and erosion are often paired together, but they aren’t synonymous. In fact, weathering is the process that dissolves or wears away rock into smaller pieces. Erosion, however, is when rocks are picked up and moved to another place by ice, water, wind, or gravity.

11 / 30
Rain storm
serkan senturk/Shutterstock

What is the energy source of the water cycle?

A. The Sun

B. Rain

C. Soil

12 / 30
water drops
irin-k/Shutterstock

A. The Sun

The water cycle describes the processes of water moving on, above, or below the surface of the Earth. The continuous process includes six steps. The energy from the Sun drives the cycle by evaporating water from lakes, rivers, and even soil. The Sun is such an essential part of life for living things. You’re probably well aware of how important the Sun is, but there are plenty of other astronomy facts you didn’t learn in school.

13 / 30
European Wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in lovely green vegetation surroundings with white flowers
Rudmer Zwerver/Shutterstock

When an animal changes a behavior or habit for better survival in its environment, what is this change called?

A. Biome

B. Niche

C. Adaptation

14 / 30
snow rabbit, hare winter
Peyker/Shutterstock

C. Adaptation

Animals also have physical adaptations that help them survive, such as camouflage. As the environment changes, only animals that adapt survive. The adaptations of some one-of-a-kind animals have helped scientists solve big mysteries.

15 / 30
landscape with mountains, forest and a river in front. beautiful scenery
Mike Pellinni/Shutterstock

What type of rock would normally form at the bottom of a river?

A. Sedimentary

B. Metamorphic

C. Igneous

16 / 30
Detail, geological layers of sedimentary rock, exposed along the highway, Salt River Canyon, Arizona
steve estvanik/Shutterstock

A. Sedimentary

Sedimentary rocks form after years of sediment compacting together. Examples of sedimentary rock include shale, limestone, and sandstone. Check out these 13 unsolved mysteries easily solved by science.

17 / 30
Space, Sun and planet Earth. Western hemisphere. This image elements furnished by NASA.
buradaki/Shutterstock

How long does it take the Earth to revolve around the Sun?

A. One month

B. One year

C. One week

18 / 30
The concept of the new year. The first of January is marked on the calendar 2019 with an orange marker.
ilikeyellow/Shutterstock

B. One year

Technically, it takes 365.25 days for the Earth to revolve around the Sun. It takes Mercury 88 days, and Venus takes 224 days, to revolve around the Sun, per NASA. Although we know more about space than ever before, there are still some science mysteries no one has figured out.

19 / 30
Mother bear fishing with cubs in Chilkoot river, Haines Alaska
Jef Wodniack/Shutterstock

What do you call an animal that eats both plants and animals?

A. Carnivore

B. Herbivore

C. Omnivore

20 / 30
Beautiful close up portrait of the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos), one of the most common subspecies of the brown bear
Dennis van de Water/Shutterstock

C. Omnivore

Carnivores are animals that eat other animals, herbivores are animals that only eat plants, and omnivores are animals that eat both plants and other animals. If dogs aren’t omnivores (trust us, they’re not), then why do they still eat grass?

21 / 30
banner for website, Pieces of crushed ice cubes on black background. Including clipping path.
AllaSaa/Shutterstock

What energy needs to be removed from liquid water to change it to a solid?

A. Heat

B. Light

C. Chemical

22 / 30
warm fireplace with lots of trees ready for barbecue
AlexKZ/Shutterstock

A. Heat

Removing heat causes liquid water to freeze and form ice. Water also exists as a gas or a vapor, too. Here are 20 chemistry jokes every science nerd will appreciate.

23 / 30
The imprint of the ancient trilobites in a stone. 500 million Year old Trilobite. Trilobites meaning three lobes are a fossil group of extinct marine arachnomorph arthropods, form the class Trilobita.
Merlin74/Shutterstock

How much time must pass for plant or animal remains to be considered a fossil?

A. 60 years

B. 100,000 years

C. 10,000 years

24 / 30
Fish fossil
I love photo/Shutterstock

C. 10,000 years

Calling someone a fossil might seem like a great joke, but it’s definitely inaccurate since it takes some 10,000 years for plant or animal remains to be a fossil.

25 / 30
Electricity Pylon - UK standard overhead power line transmission tower at sunset.
Lukasz Pajor/Shutterstock

Which of the following actions allows electrical energy to change to another energy form?

A. Sleeping in a cold room

B. Turning on a light in a dark room

C. Cooking food on an open campfire

26 / 30
Two switches turned on and one turned off on a panel.
Stacey Newman/Shutterstock

B. Turning on a light in a dark room

And when you turn a light off, it goes away by being quickly converted to heat and other forms of energy.

27 / 30
Aerial view of Munjack Cay with bay and beach in Abaco, Bahamas. Green turtles and stingrays inhabit the area.
pics721/Shutterstock

Which of the following is an example of climate, not weather?

A. The Bahamas are tropical

B. It’s raining in San Francisco

C. It’s sunny in New York

28 / 30
Soft beautiful ocean wave on sandy beach. Background.
Lidiya Oleandra/Shutterstock

A. The Bahamas are tropical

The big difference between weather and climate is one of the pairs of nature words everyone mixes up. Up next, challenge yourself by guessing which of these inventions came first (it’s not as obvious as it would seem!).

29 / 30
fresh kale in garden
This Is Me/Shutterstock

Which part of the kale plant do we actually eat?

A. The leaves

B. The seeds

C. The flowers

30 / 30
Kale Leaf on a Marble Countertop
Candice Bell/Shutterstock

A. The leaves

Kale is a member of the cabbage family. If you passed this quiz with flying colors—or ten or more correct answers—you really are as smart as a fourth-grader. Now, see if you can also pass this quiz of fourth-grade spelling words.

Emily DiNuzzo
Emily DiNuzzo is a former staff writer at Reader’s Digest. There’s a 90% chance Emily is drinking tea right now, but when she’s not writing about food and health with a cuppa by her side, you can find her lifting at the gym, listening to murder mystery podcasts and liking one too many astrology memes.