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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 17 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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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. 1. When did the bulb light?
  2. 2. What claim does this record support?
  3. 3. Why did the bulb light with the foil strip but not the lolly stick?
  4. 4. Why did the buzzer go silent when the bulb was taken out?
2.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
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.Where does the energy that lights a flashlight bulb come from?
  • A.The switch
  • B.The batteries, which store energy
  • C.The bulb itself
5.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.Nothing, motors need no energy
  • C.The battery turns instead
6.What does a switch do in a circuit?
  • A.It makes the battery stronger
  • B.It stores the energy
  • C.It opens or closes a gap in the loop
7.A buzzer and a bulb are in the same loop. The wire breaks. What happens?
  • A.Both stop, because the loop is no longer complete
  • B.Both get louder and brighter
  • C.Only the buzzer stops

LessonPrint · 4-PS3-2 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Will the Bulb Light?

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Only when the loop was complete, joined by wire, foil or a steel paperclip. 2. The battery sends energy around a complete loop, and the bulb gives it out as light and heat. 3. The foil carried the current across the gap and completed the loop; the wooden lolly stick did not. 4. Taking the bulb out broke the loop, so nothing could reach the buzzer.
  2. 2.Plastic does not let the current through, so it is safe to hold
  3. 3.It closes the loop, so the current reaches the bell
  4. 4.The batteries, which store energy
  5. 5.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
  6. 6.It opens or closes a gap in the loop
  7. 7.Both stop, because the loop is no longer complete

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 4-PS3-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.