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 23 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. Why did the bulb light with the foil strip but not the lolly stick?
2. When did the bulb light?
3. What was kept the same in every set-up?
4. What happened when the foil strip was put across the gap?
2.A flashlight will not light, but the bulb is fine. What should you check first?
A.The color of the flashlight
B.How heavy the flashlight is
C.Whether every part of the loop is joined
3.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.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
C.Nothing, motors need no energy
4.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
5.Why is the metal in a wire covered in plastic?
A.Plastic does not let the current through, so it is safe to hold
B.To make it carry more energy
C.To make it brighter
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 bulb lights at the far end of a long wire. What does that show?
A.The wire made its own light
B.The bulb stored the energy beforehand
C.Energy traveled along the wire from the battery
LessonPrint · 4-PS3-2 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Will the Bulb Light?
Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. The foil carried the current across the gap and completed the loop; the wooden lolly stick did not. 2. Only when the loop was complete, joined by wire, foil or a steel paperclip. 3. The same battery, the same bulb and the same wires. 4. The bulb lit.
2.Whether every part of the loop is joined
3.The motor turns, using energy carried from the battery
4.Metal lets the current through, so energy can travel along it
5.Plastic does not let the current through, so it is safe to hold
6.The batteries, which store energy
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.