Instructions
Read each question carefully. For the first part, circle the best answer. For the second part, write or draw your answer in the space provided. Good luck!
Part 1: Choose the Best Answer
- Electricity needs a complete path to travel along. This path is called a:
(A) Road
(B) Circuit
(C) River - What part of a circuit provides the power or energy?
(A) Bulb
(B) Wire
(C) Battery - A material that lets electricity pass through it easily is called a:
(A) Conductor
(B) Insulator
(C) Resistor - Which of these is an example of an insulator?
(A) Copper Penny
(B) Paper Clip
(C) Rubber Eraser - What do we use to safely open and close a circuit?
(A) A switch
(B) A fork
(C) Our hands - If a circuit is "open," the light bulb will:
(A) Be very bright
(B) Turn on
(C) Not light up - If a circuit is "closed," the electricity can:
(A) Flow
(B) Stop
(C) Escape - In a ________ circuit, there is only ONE path for the electricity to flow.
(A) Parallel
(B) Series
(C) Open - In a ________ circuit, there are multiple paths for the electricity to flow.
(A) Parallel
(B) Series
(C) Short - If you have a string of old holiday lights and one bulb burns out, all the other lights go out too. This is an example of a:
(A) Series circuit
(B) Parallel circuit
(C) Strong circuit - The lights in your house are wired in a parallel circuit. This means if one bulb burns out, the others:
(A) Also go out
(B) Get brighter
(C) Stay on - What connects all the parts of a circuit together?
(A) Air
(B) Wires
(C) Glue - True or False: A light bulb is a source of power.
(A) True
(B) False - True or False: Metal is a good conductor of electricity.
(A) True
(B) False - True or False: Wood and plastic are good conductors.
(A) True
(B) False - True or False: A closed circuit is a complete circuit.
(A) True
(B) False - True or False: It is safe to plug in a cord with a frayed or broken wire.
(A) True
(B) False - What is the job of a light bulb in a circuit?
(A) To provide power
(B) To turn electricity into light
(C) To stop the electricity - An electrical ________ is something that uses the electricity, like a bulb, motor, or buzzer.
(A) load
(B) path
(C) source - Which of these will NOT work if the circuit is open?
(A) A battery
(B) A wire
(C) A flashlight bulb
Part 2: Write or Draw Your Answer
- What is the difference between an open circuit and a closed circuit?
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- Name two things in your kitchen that use electricity.
1. ____________________
2. ____________________ - Why should you not touch electrical outlets with wet hands?
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- Draw a simple, closed circuit. Label the battery, bulb, and wires.
- What would happen to the bulb in your drawing above if you cut one of the wires? Why?
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- In your own words, what is a series circuit?
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- Draw a simple series circuit with one battery and TWO bulbs.
- In your own words, what is a parallel circuit?
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- Draw a simple parallel circuit with one battery and TWO bulbs.
- Which type of circuit would be better for the lights in a house: a series circuit or a parallel circuit? Explain why.
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Answer Key
Part 1: Choose the Best Answer
- (B) Circuit
- (C) Battery
- (A) Conductor
- (C) Rubber Eraser
- (A) A switch
- (C) Not light up
- (A) Flow
- (B) Series
- (A) Parallel
- (A) Series circuit
- (C) Stay on
- (B) Wires
- (B) False (It uses power)
- (A) True
- (B) False (They are insulators)
- (A) True
- (B) False (This is very dangerous)
- (B) To turn electricity into light
- (A) load
- (C) A flashlight bulb
Part 2: Write or Draw Your Answer (Sample Answers)
- In a closed circuit, the path is complete and electricity can flow. In an open circuit, there is a break in the path and electricity cannot flow.
- (Any two valid kitchen appliances) e.g., Refrigerator, Microwave, Toaster, Blender.
- Water is a conductor of electricity, so you could get a dangerous electric shock.
- (Drawing should show a loop with a battery symbol, a circle for a bulb, and lines for wires, all connected without any breaks.)
- The bulb would go out because cutting the wire creates an open circuit, and the electricity can no longer flow.
- A series circuit is an electrical path where the electricity has only one way to go.
- (Drawing should show a battery and two bulbs all connected in a single loop.)
- A parallel circuit is an electrical path that splits into two or more branches, giving electricity more than one way to go.
- (Drawing should show a battery, then the path splitting to go through two separate bulbs before joining back together.)
- A parallel circuit is better. If one light bulb burns out, the other lights in the house will stay on because the electricity has other paths to follow.