Energy

1. A person wants curtains that let in some light but prevent people outside from seeing into the house.
The best choice of material would be one that is (S8P4d)

A. opaque
B. reflecting
C. transparent
D. translucent

2. The major reason for burning gasoline in an automobile engine is to convert (S8P2c)

A. chemical energy to mechanical energy

B. kinetic energy to potential energy
C. radiation to electrical energy
D. thermal energy to electrical energy

3. Which test would determine that an electric current is flowing in a straight copper wire connected to a
battery? (S8P5c)

A. Touch the wire.

B. Hold a flashlight bulb near the wire.
C. Hold a small compass near the wire.
D. Disconnect the wire form the battery.

Use the picture to answer the following question.

4. Three identical light bulbs are connected in parallel with a battery, as shown above, and all are lit. If
bulb I is unscrewed and removed, what will happen to the other two light bulbs? (S8P5b)

A. Both will stay lit.

B. II will go out, but III will stay lit.
C. II will stay lit, but III will go out.
D. Both will go out.

Page 1 of 16
5. Denny pedals his bicycle to the top of a small hill and stops to rest. What kind of energy does Denny’s
bicycle now have? (S8P2b)

A. all kinetic energy

B. all potential energy
C. some potential energy and some kinetic energy
D. no energy at all

6. Which item is the best conductor of heat? (S8P2d)

B.
A.

C. D .

7. Which picture could show the direction of the electrical current in the circuit? (S8P5b)

A.
B.

C. D.

8. Which color reflects all colors of light? (S8P4c)

A. black
B. white
C. green
D. red
Page 2 of 16
9. As Maria stood knee-deep in the ocean, she noted how high the waves came up on her compared to the
day before. Which property of waves was Maria observing? (S8P4f)

A. frequency
B. wavelength
C. amplitude
D. speed

10. Materials that absorb all light hitting them are (S8P4b)

A. opaque
B. transparent
C. luminous
D. translucent

11. The color red that we see depends upon the (S8P4c)

A. speed of the red light wave

B. wavelength of the red light wave
C. temperature of the red light wave
D. direction of the red light wave

12. Which occurs when light bounces off a smooth, hard surface? (S8P4b)

A. absorption
B. reflection
C. magnetism
D. magnification

13. A student rides a bike at night and wants to add a light to the front of the bike. A good power source
for the light will be (S8P2a)

A. an electromagnet
B. an electric motor
C. a generator
D. a transformer

14. Which of the following best explains why the end of a spoon sticking out of a cup of hot water also
gets hot? (S8P2d)

A. The hot water causes a chemical reaction to take place in the spoon.

B. The heat from the hot water is conducted to the spoon

C. The hot water heats the air surrounding the upper part of the spoon.

D. The hot water causes a physical change in the spoon handle.

Page 3 of 16
Use the pictures below to answer the following question.

15. When do the waves created by a rock dropped into a puddle of water have the least amount of
energy? (S8P4a)

A. when they are farthest from the source

B. when they are closest to the source

C. when the object hits the water

D. when they are halfway to the edge of the pond

16. When a rock is thrown straight up into the air, it reaches its highest point and briefly comes to a
complete stop before it starts to fall back to the ground. Which is greatest at the point where the rock
stops? (S8P2b)

A. potential energy

B. kinetic energy

C. force due to gravity

D. friction due to moving air

17. When Marcia yelled from the top of a canyon, an echo was created. This happened because the sound
waves of her voice bounced back from the canyon walls. Which property of waves occurred? (S8P4b)

A. diffraction

B. reflection

C. interference

D. refraction

18. When walking along an asphalt street after sundown, a person often feels heat coming off the
pavement. The heat is moving from the asphalt to the person by (S8P2d)

A. conduction

B. convection
Page 4 of 16
 C. expansion

D. radiation

19. Which material is translucent? (S8P4b)

A. clear glass

B. clean air

C. concrete

D. waxed paper

20. Which tool should a class use to separate light into the visible spectrum? (S8P4b)

A. magnifying glass

B. prism

C. microscope

D. mirror

21. Why are light-colored clothes cooler to wear in the summer than dark-colored clothes? (S8P4b)

A. Light-colored clothes let more air in.

B. Light-colored clothes prevent sweating.

C. Light colored clothes are not as heavy as dark-colored clothes.

D. Light-colored clothes reflect more light than dark-colored clothes.

22. When light hits a dark object, most of the light is (S8P4b)

A. absorbed

B. reflected

C. diffused

D. refracted

Use the picture below to answer the following question.

Page 5 of 16
23. A family is building an outdoor shower at their cottage by hanging a plastic container from a post, as
shown above. The container will be exposed to full sunlight. What color should the container be to make
the water as warm as possible? (S8P4b)

A. white

B. yellow

C. black

D. red

24. Which of these will reflect the most light? (S8P4b)

A. an apple

B. a mirror

C. a book

D. a dog

25. Which demonstrates that light travels in straight lines? (S8P4a)

A. the forming of shadows

B. the speed of light

C. the rainbow effect

D. the brightness of the Sun

26. Which is an example of an opaque material? (S8P4b)

A. clear glass

B. brick wall

C. waxed paper
Page 6 of 16
 D. colored paper

27. In which circuit will the bulb light up? (S8P5b)

A. B.

C. D.

28. Which electromagnet will pick up the most paper clips? (S8P5c)

A. B.

C. D.

29. Which material is the best conductor of electricity? (S8P1d)

A. wood

B. rubber

C. plastic

D. copper

Use the picture below to answer the following question.

Page 7 of 16
30. The batteries in a flashlight make electricity using (S8P2a)

A. chemical energy

B. solar energy

C. heat energy

D. mechanical energy

31. When electricity moves through a metal wire, the wire is (S8P2d)

A. a conductor

B. an insulator

C. a generator

D. a multiplier

32. Which is an insulator? (S8P2d)

A. copper coin

B. aluminum ladder

C. glass

D. water

33. An advantage of an electromagnet compared to a permanent magnet is that it is (S8P5c)

A. less complex

B. smaller

C. easily turned off

D. safer

Page 8 of 16
 34. Which diagram is a parallel circuit? (S8P5b)

A. B.

D.
C.

35. Which item would conduct electricity? (S8P1d)

A. a glass cup

B. a chicken feather

C. a plastic straw

D. a metal fork

36. An electromagnet has just enough strength to pick up five paper clips. Which would most likely
happen if ten more loops of wire were wrapped around the nail? (S8P5c)

A. Exactly two clips would fall off the nail.

B. All of the clips would fall off the nail.

C. The electromagnet would be able to pick up more clips.

D. The strength of the electromagnet would stay the same.

37. A farmer is building an electric fence. Which material would be best to attach the fence wire to trees
so the trees are protected from the electricity? (S8P1d)

A. plastic

B. aluminum

Page 9 of 16
 C. copper

D. gold

Use the picture below to answer the following question.

38. The bulb in the electric circuit will NOT light because (S8P5b)

A. the switch is too far away from the bulb

B. the bulb has to be larger

C. the wires are not long enough

D. there is no energy source

39. In old movies, people sometimes put their ear on a railroad track to see if a train is coming. This
works because the iron rail (S8P4e)

A. is heated by friction

B. carries sound better than air

C. is cooler than air

D. is connected directly to the train

Page 10 of 16
Use the wave chart below to answer the following question.

40. At which point in the series of waves is the frequency the lowest? (S8P4f)

A. point A

B. point B

C. point C

D. point D

41. A guitar string makes a higher-pitched sound when you tighten the string. Which of the following
explains why tightening the string causes this change? (S8P4e)

A. It changes the shape of the guitar.

B. It causes the string to get thinner.

C. Tightening the string makes it vibrate faster.

D. Tightening the string makes it longer.

42. Sound does not move through (S8P4e)

A. air

B. outer space

C. rocks

D. water

Use the diagrams below to answer the following question.

Page 11 of 16
43. Sound A has a shorter wavelength than Sound B. This means that Sound A will (S8P4e)

A. be louder than Sound B.

B. be softer than Sound B.

C. have a lower pitch than Sound B.

D. have a higher pitch than Sound B.

44. Sound can travel fastest through (S8P4e)

A. air

B. metal

C. water

D. outer space

45. Hilda shouts “hello” in an empty hall at the shopping mall. The sound bounces off the walls and she
hears “hello” over and over again. Hilda has just made (S8P4e)

A. a recording

B. an echo

C. a circuit

D. a wavelength

46. Sound waves are produced by (S8P4e)

A. gravity

B. heat

C. vibration

D. light
Page 12 of 16
47. When heat is added to water, the water gets (S8P2a)

A. warm

B. cool

C. light

D. dark

48. Which uses electricity to make sound? (S8P2a)

A. B.

C. D.

49. When you run fast, you feel hot. Where does this heat come from? (S8P2a)

A. clothes you wear

B. food you eat
C. water you drink
D. heat from the ground

50. Four different spoons were put into a pan of boiling water. Which spoon will have a hot handle first?
(S8P2d)

A. metal spoon
B. rubber spoon
C. wooden spoon
D. plastic spoon

51. Jane put a glass of water in the sun. She measured the temperature every minute. Jane made this
table. (Good question on predicting.)

The temperature at Minute 3 is MOST LIKELY

A. 18C
B. 20C
Page 13 of 16
 C. 21C
D. 24C

52. Heat, light, and electricity are all forms of (S8P2a)

A. atoms
B. energy
C. cells
D. motion

53. When one end of a steel rod is held in a flame, the other end also gets hot. This happens because steel
(S8P2d)

A. makes its own heat

B. is a good conductor of heat
C. makes the flame hotter
D. keeps cold away from the flame

Use this picture to answer the question below:

54. Which graph shows how hot the fire makes each person feel? (S8P2d)

A.

B.

C.

Page 14 of 16
 D.

55. Jo’s hot chocolate is too hot to drink, so she puts an ice cube in it. Why does the drink get cooler?
(S8P2d)

A. Heat from the ice is lost to the drink.

B. Heat from the drink is lost to the ice.
C. The ice gives the drink a larger volume.
D. The ice gives the drink a pale color.

Use this picture to answer the question below:

56. On a sunny day, which takes the longest to get warm? (S8P2a)

A. the rocks
B. the sand
C. the lake
D. the sidewalk

57. When water gets very hot it changes to (S8P1d)

A. air.
B. ice.
C. steam.
D. liquid.

58. When a hot rock is put in cool water (S8P2d)

A. the water gets warmer and the rock cools down.

B. the water cools down and the rock gets warmer.
C. the water and rock both get warmer.
D. the water and rock both get cooler

Page 15 of 16
59. In the pictures below, the candle is heating the water in the tank. Which picture shows how the water
will move as it gets hot? (S8P2d)]

A.

B.

C.

D.

Page 16 of 16