Gravity — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
Gravity pushes objects up and away from the Earth all the time.
Corrected: Gravity pulls objects down toward the Earth all the time.
In Grade 5 science, gravity is a force of attraction that pulls objects toward Earth's center.
2. Fix the sentence:
Astronauts float in space because there is no air to hold them.
Corrected: Astronauts float in space because the pull of gravity feels very weak there.
Grade 5 students learn that without strong gravity acting on them, objects appear to float instead of fall.
3. Fix the sentence:
Your weight is the amount of matter that is inside of your body.
Corrected: Your weight is the pull of gravity acting on your body.
Grade 5 science separates mass (matter) from weight (the gravity force pulling on that mass).
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The force that pulls a ball back down after you toss it up is called gravity.
Grade 5 students name gravity as the downward pull from Earth on every object.
2. Gravity pulls every object that has mass toward the center of the Earth.
Grade 5 science teaches that gravity acts on all objects with mass, no matter how small.
3. When you stand on a scale, the number you see is your weight.
Grade 5 learners read a scale as showing weight, the force of gravity on the body.
4. Without gravity, people and objects would float instead of staying on the ground.
Grade 5 students explain that gravity keeps things on the ground; without it, they drift.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. Explain in your own words what gravity does to objects on Earth.
Sample answer: Gravity is a pulling force that pulls every object with mass toward the center of the Earth, which is why things fall down when we drop them and why we stay on the ground.
Grade 5 science expects students to describe gravity as a downward pull acting on all objects with mass.
2. Why do we feel heavier on Earth than astronauts feel inside the space station?
Sample answer: On Earth, gravity pulls strongly on our bodies, and that pull is what we feel as our weight; in the space station, the pull of gravity does not press astronauts onto a floor, so they float and feel weightless.
Grade 5 students connect the strength of the gravity pull to how heavy or light a body feels.