3-PS2-1 | Balanced and Unbalanced Forces · NYS standard · Grade 5 test questions

3-PS2-2 →

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Clarification statement: Examples could include an unbalanced force on one side of an object can make it start moving; and, balanced forces (including friction) acting on a stationary object from both sides will not produce any motion at all.

Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to one variable at a time: number, size, or direction of forces. Assessment does not include quantitative force size, only qualitative and relative. Assessment is limited to gravity being addressed as a force that pulls objects down.

Grade 5 Science Test Questions

Released New York State Grade 5 science test questions that assess 3-PS2-1 are listed here by test and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.

Exam	Cluster	Question
Spring 2025 Grade 5 Test	Investigations with Balloons	Question 31
Spring 2025 Grade 5 Test	Investigations with Balloons	Question 34
Spring 2024 Grade 5 Test	Motion of Golf Balls	Question 6

Vocabulary

Terms from the Elementary Science Glossary that come from this standard or from the released Grade 5 Science Test questions that assess it.

From this standard

balanced force
controlled variable
data
direction of a force
evidence
explanation
fair test
force
friction
gravity
investigation
motion
number of forces
phenomenon
plan and conduct an investigation
qualitative
quantitative
size of a force
trial
unbalanced force
variable

From released test questions

data table – Spring 2024
interaction – Spring 2025
material – Spring 2025
net force – Spring 2025
speed – Spring 2024

Performance Level Descriptions

Every Grade 5 Science Test question on 3-PS2-1 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.

Level 1: From the data collected during an investigation, identify the given evidence that shows the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. Spring 2025 Question 34

Level 2: Conduct an investigation that identifies the evidence that shows the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. Spring 2025 Question 31

Level 3: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Level 4: Plan and conduct an investigation, using fair tests in which variables are controlled and the number of trials is considered, to collect evidence that shows the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. Use the evidence to construct an explanation of this phenomenon.

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of 3-PS2-1.

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Page contributors: Conrad Richman

Grades 3–5 science standards | 3. Forces and Interactions