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 21 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 with the plastic ruler across the gap?
2. What happened when the foil strip was put across the gap?
3. Why did the buzzer go silent when the bulb was taken out?
4. What would a steel key across the gap probably do?
2.A bulb lights at the far end of a long wire. What does that show?
A.The wire made its own light
B.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery
C.The bulb stored the energy beforehand
3.Which shows electric current turning into sound?
A.A buzzer sounding when the switch closes
B.A heater warming a room
C.A bulb glowing
4.What does a switch do in a circuit?
A.It makes the battery stronger
B.It opens or closes a gap in the loop
C.It stores the energy
5.A battery, a switch and a small motor are joined in a loop. What happens when the switch closes?
A.The battery turns instead
B.Nothing, motors need no energy
C.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
6.Where does the energy that lights a flashlight bulb come from?
A.The switch
B.The batteries, which store energy
C.The bulb itself
7.A doorbell rings when its button is pressed. What does pressing it do?
A.It winds up a spring
B.It closes the loop, so the current reaches the bell
C.It makes the battery bigger
LessonPrint · 4-PS3-2 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Will the Bulb Light?
Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The bulb stayed off. 2. The bulb lit. 3. Taking the bulb out broke the loop, so nothing could reach the buzzer. 4. Light the bulb, like the steel paperclip did.
2.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery
3.A buzzer sounding when the switch closes
4.It opens or closes a gap in the loop
5.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
6.The batteries, which store energy
7.It closes the loop, so the current reaches the bell
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 4-PS3-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.