Will the Bulb Light? is a free printable Grade 4 science worksheet on evidence that an electric current carries energy only around a complete loop, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 4-PS3-2. It prints 7 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 10 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Will the Bulb Light?
4-PS3-2
NameDate
Read the record, then answer the questions.
1.Read the record, then answer the questions.
Will the Bulb Light?
Results from one battery, one bulb and some wires, set up eight different ways.
ONE BATTERY, ONE BULB, EIGHT SET-UPS
All the wires joined in a loop ............ bulb lit
One wire left loose ....................... bulb off
A foil strip across the gap ............... bulb lit
A wooden lolly stick across the gap ....... bulb off
A steel paperclip across the gap .......... bulb lit
A plastic ruler across the gap ............ bulb off
A buzzer added into the loop .............. bulb lit dimly, buzzer sounded
Bulb taken out, buzzer still in the loop .. buzzer silent
After a minute, the lit bulb felt warm.
Same battery, same bulb, same wires every time.
1. What happened when the foil strip was put across the gap?
2. What happened with the plastic ruler across the gap?
3. Why did the bulb light with the foil strip but not the lolly stick?
4. When did the bulb light?
2.A battery, a switch and a small motor are joined in a loop. What happens when the switch closes?
A.Nothing, motors need no energy
B.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
C.The battery turns instead
3.A doorbell rings when its button is pressed. What does pressing it do?
A.It makes the battery bigger
B.It closes the loop, so the current reaches the bell
C.It winds up a spring
4.A flashlight will not light, but the bulb is fine. What should you check first?
A.How heavy the flashlight is
B.Whether every part of the loop is joined
C.The color of the flashlight
5.Where does the energy that lights a flashlight bulb come from?
A.The batteries, which store energy
B.The bulb itself
C.The switch
6.Why is the metal in a wire covered in plastic?
A.To make it carry more energy
B.Plastic does not let the current through, so it is safe to hold
C.To make it brighter
7.A bulb lights at the far end of a long wire. What does that show?
A.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery
B.The wire made its own light
C.The bulb stored the energy beforehand
LessonPrint · 4-PS3-2 · Set 10 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Will the Bulb Light?
Set 10. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The bulb lit. 2. The bulb stayed off. 3. The foil carried the current across the gap and completed the loop; the wooden lolly stick did not. 4. Only when the loop was complete, joined by wire, foil or a steel paperclip.
2.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
3.It closes the loop, so the current reaches the bell
4.Whether every part of the loop is joined
5.The batteries, which store energy
6.Plastic does not let the current through, so it is safe to hold
7.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 4-PS3-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.