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 11 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 claim does this record support?
2. What was kept the same in every set-up?
3. Why did the bulb light with the foil strip but not the lolly stick?
4. What happened with the plastic ruler across the gap?
2.Why are electrical wires made of metal inside?
A.Metal lets the current through, so energy can travel along it
B.Metal makes the wire heavier
C.Metal is the cheapest material
3.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
4.A doorbell rings when its button is pressed. What does pressing it do?
A.It closes the loop, so the current reaches the bell
B.It winds up a spring
C.It makes the battery bigger
5.A bulb lights at the far end of a long wire. What does that show?
A.The bulb stored the energy beforehand
B.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery
C.The wire made its own light
6.A battery, a switch and a small motor are joined in a loop. What happens when the switch closes?
A.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
B.The battery turns instead
C.Nothing, motors need no energy
7.A thin heater wire glows red. What has the current carried to it?
A.Nothing at all
B.Water
C.Energy, given out as heat and light
LessonPrint · 4-PS3-2 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Will the Bulb Light?
Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The battery sends energy around a complete loop, and the bulb gives it out as light and heat. 2. The same battery, the same bulb and the same wires. 3. The foil carried the current across the gap and completed the loop; the wooden lolly stick did not. 4. The bulb stayed off.
2.Metal lets the current through, so energy can travel along it
3.Plastic does not let the current through, so it is safe to hold
4.It closes the loop, so the current reaches the bell
5.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery
6.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
7.Energy, given out as heat and light
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 4-PS3-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.