Download 6th Grade Science Semester Exam Review The semester exam will

6th Grade Science Semester Exam Review
The semester exam will consist of 40 questions (griddable or multiple choice) that reflect
information covered in the first semester according to the list of topics below. In addition to
knowing specific content, many of the questions require students to apply scientific
investigation and reasoning skills to arrive at the answer. Students should be able to:
Solar System

describe the physical properties, locations, and movements of the Sun, planets, Galilean
moons, meteors/meteoroids, asteroids, and comets
Define: Sun. Planets, Galilean Moons, Meteors, Meteoroids, Asteroids, Gravity, and Comets
Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars (Inner Planets) /Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (Outer
Planets)
1. Planets: a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star.
2. Galilean Moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto (Jupiter’s Moons)
3. Meteors: a piece of rock from space that enters Earth’s atmosphere and burns
4. Meteorite: a piece of rock that lands on Earth
5. Meteoroids: a small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it
entered the earth's atmosphere.
6. Asteroids: objects of rocks, metal, and ice that are smaller than planets and revolve
around the Sun
7. Gravity: force of attraction between any two objects
8. Comets: made of ice which orbits the Sun

describe the history and future of space exploration, including the types of equipment
and transportation needed for space travel;
o to describe:
 What was the International Space Station? a large spacecraft. It orbits
around Earth. It is a home where astronauts live. The space station is also a
science lab.
 What is the Space Shuttle Endeavor? is a retired orbiter from NASA's Space
Shuttle program and the fifth and final operational shuttle built.
 What is the Hubble Space Telescope? is a large telescope in space
 What was the Apollo 11 Rocket? the first Lunar landing mission
o What is the only place visited by man? Moon
Earth

identify the structural layers of Earth, including the inner core, outer core, mantle, crust,
asthenosphere, and lithosphere using a model
Outer Core
Mantle
Crust
Lithosphere
Inner Core
Asthenosphere
Define the following:







Crust: Outermost, rocky layer of Earth
Lithosphere: outermost layer of Earth’s surface, which is rocky and solid; includes
crust and the rigid part of the upper mantle
Asthenosphere: layer in the upper part of Earth’s mantle that is made of material
that can be reshaped and deformed, and on which the continents move
Mantle: a layer of Earth’s surface, lying just below the crust and above the inner
core
Outer core: Layer inside Earth, between the mantle and inner core, which has
some properties of a liquid
Inner core: Innermost part of Earth, made of solid iron and nickel
Identify the major tectonic plates, including Eurasian, African, Indo-Australian, Pacific,
North American, and South American
Eurasian
North
American
Plate
African
Pacific
South
American
Antarctica Plate
IndoAustralian

Differentiate between:
o Divergent- plates that move away from each other
 Creates
o Rift valleys
o Mid-ocean ridges
o Convergent- plates that move towards each other
 Creates
o mountains

Subduction-process in which one lithospheric plate slides under another
 Creates
o Volcanoes
o transform boundaries- plates that slide past each other
 Creates
o earthquakes

Explain how plate tectonics causes major geological events such as:
o ocean basins: depression under sea level
o Earthquakes: Caused from transform boundaries sliding past each other
o volcanic eruptions: Caused from plates sliding under each other
o mid-ocean ridge: Caused from pates moving away from each other
o mountain building: Caused when plates collide into each other
Rocks and Minerals
Review Formation of Sedimentary Rocks and Fossil Fuels (TEK 5.7A)




Sedimentary rock form from when sediment is being pressed and cemented
together naturally over time
Igneous Rock form from cooled magma
Metamorphic rock form from heat and pressure
Rock Cycle (TEK 6.10B)
o by the processes of their formation, classify rocks as:
 igneous
 sedimentary
 metamorphic
 Three types of sedimentary
o Detrital made of grains of minerals
or pieces of other rocks
o Organic: -form when living matter
dies piles up and is compressed into
rock like coal
o Chemical when water evaporates
ex. stalactites
 Two types of igneous
o Extrusive: formed when magma
cools INSIDE the crust. Ex:
Granite.
o Intrusive: formed when lava
cools on the earth’s surface. Ex:
basalt.

 Two types of metamorphic
o Foliated: the minerals in the
rock have been heated and
squeezed into parallel layers.
Ex: Slate.
o Non-foliated do not have
distinct layers or bands Ex:
marble.
Define the physical properties of minerals:
o Hardness: relative ability of a solid, such as a mineral, to resist scratching
o streak – the color of a mineral in powder form
o Luster- how the surface of a mineral appears when it reflects light
 metallic
 opalescent
 dull
o color: light of various wavelengths