mid-year study guide › 15693...a plucked guitar string causes vibrations in the air. b. a car...

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Mid-Year Test 1 Grade 4 • Assessment Guide © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Test A

Mid-Year

Mid-Year Study Guide

Read each question. Follow the instructions to answer the questions.

1. Sam turns on a flashlight. This starts

to transformation energy from the

batteries of the flashlight to the bulb.

How is this energy transformed?

Circle the letter of the correct answer.

A. by heat

B. by light

C. by sound

D. by electric current

2. Sue rolled the same marble across a

table three times. She recorded how

fast the marble rolled.

Which statement is supported by the

data?


A. The fastest marble had the most

energy.

B. Trial 1 had the slowest marble, with

no energy.

C. Trial 3 had the most marbles, so it

had the most energy.

D. The same marble was used, so each

marble had the same energy.

3. Eli wants to move a ball as far as he

can using a rubber band. He places a

rubber band on two sticks and places

the ball on the rubber band. Which

picture shows how far back he should

pull the rubber band?


A.

B.

C.

D.

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Test A

Mid-Year

4. Some technology has changed over time. Which change in technology met the new

needs of people over time?


A. older technology: flashlights; newer technology: lamps

B. older technology: rulers; newer technology: calculators

C. older technology: bandage tape; newer technology: skin glue

D. older technology: metal forks; newer technology: wooden chopsticks

5. The energy of each object is listed in

meters per second (m/s).

Number the objects in order from 1 to

4 with the least energy as 1 and the

most energy as 4.

6. Which explanation describes how a

solar panel produces electricity?


A. Electric currents in sunlight are

collected by solar panels and stored

for use.

B. Energy from sunlight is absorbed

and converted to electricity by the

solar panels.

C. The solar panels use magnetic

waves from sunlight to produce an

electric current.

D. Energy waves from the sun cause

vibrations that produce electricity in

the solar panels.

Name: Date:


Test A

Mid-Year

7. Sara rolled a bowling ball. The ball hit the pins, and all of them fell over. Sara heard a

noise when the ball hit the pins. Some energy moved from the ball to other places.

What was the movement of energy when the ball hit the pins?

Circle the letter of the correct motion.

A. heat to motion B. motion to motion

8. Henry’s dog has trouble getting up the stairs. Henry wants to build a ramp for the dog.

Which criteria are important for building the ramp?

Write one X in the correct box in the table for each criterion.

Criteria Important Not Very

Important

A. The cat must like using the ramp, too.

B. The ramp must not be too big or too small.

C. The ramp must be covered in blue carpet.

D. The ramp must be comfortable and safe for the dog to use.

Name: Date:


Test A

Mid-Year

9. Kara studied the motion of two toy cars. She followed these steps.

1. Placed car 1 and car 2 on a flat surface

2. Rolled car 1 into a stationary car 2

3. Measured the speed of car 1 in centimeters per second (cm/s) before it hit car 2

4. Measured the distance in centimeters (cm) that car 2 moved

5. Listened for the sound of cars hitting

Kara wrote down her results.

Write the letters of the words and numbers to correctly complete the table.

1. and 2.

A. 2 cm

B. 4 cm

C. 6 cm

D. 8 cm

3. and 4.

E. Very Soft

F. Soft

G. Loud

10. Lynn wants to build her own flashlight. She wants it to work off solar energy. Which

goals should Lynn set before building the flashlight?

Circle the letter of the logical goals for building this flashlight.

A. work at night

B. be safe to use

C. look nicer than store-bought flashlight

D. change sunlight energy into electrical energy

Name: Date:


Test A

Mid-Year

11. Olivia put a glass inside a tub. She filled water of different temperatures in each, as

shown.

What should she measure to know that energy transfer happened?

Circle the letter of the 2 steps that Olivia should take.

A. Measure the force of the glass on the tub over time.

B. Measure the mass of the tub and glass of water over time.

C. Measure the temperature of the water in the tub over time.

D. Measure the temperature of the water in the glass over time.

12. Selma and Thad are in two rooms. Selma picked up a hand bell and moved it back and

forth. Thad heard the bell ring. What energy transformation took place that allowed

Thad to hear the sound?


A.

Energy from the bell’s motion changed into sound.

The sound traveled through the air into the next room.

B.

Sound energy from the bell moved through the electrical currents in the wall.

Thad heard the sound from a speaker located in the second room.

C.

The bell’s movement became heat that warmed the air around the bell.

The warm air rose and traveled to the other room.

D.

The bell created sound energy that vibrated the air until reaching the other room.

The energy was destroyed when it touched Thad’s ears.

Name: Date:


Test A

Mid-Year

13. Examples of energy are listed in the table. Are the examples of energy in motion or

stored energy?

Write one X in the correct box for each example.

Examples of Energy Energy in

Motion

Stored

Energy

A. A plucked guitar string causes vibrations in the air.

B. A car battery holds energy that is used to start the engine.

C. A tank holds propane gas that is burned to cook food on a grill.

14. Three toy cars are lined up on the floor. Each car is pushed forward by a different

student. All three cars roll forward, as shown in the picture. The results in centimeters

per second, cm/s, are shown in the table.

Read each statement. Write your answer on the lines.

Order the cars from least energy to greatest energy.

Explain why the cars moved at different speeds.

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Test A

Mid-Year

Directions: Read the passage, then answer the questions that follow.

The Toy Boat

Alex made a toy boat. It runs off solar power. An electric motor turns the propeller. The

propeller should spin under the water. This spinning will make the boat move forward. Alex

has a battery in case the solar panels do not work.

15. Alex put the battery in her flashlight. What is the energy transformation in the

flashlight?


A. solar → electrical → light

B. electrical → light → chemical

C. light → chemical → electrical

D. chemical → electrical → light

16. Alex wants the boat to move faster. She wants to add more solar panels to the boat.

Before building, Alex should test her ideas. Which questions should Alex test?

Write the letters of the questions in the box. Some letters may not be used.

Questions Alex Could Test

A. How heavy are the solar panels?

B. Will solar panels float in water?

C. Is there room for solar panels?

D. Do more solar panels increase speed?

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Test A

Mid-Year

17. Look at the picture of the toy boat in the water. Would each change listed help prevent

the problem the boat is having?

Write one X in the correct box for each sentence.

Sentence Yes No

A. Add another solar panel.

B. Place a shade over the solar panel.

18. The motor on the toy boat becomes too warm. Alex decides to use a battery instead.

What is the energy transformation?

Write one letter in each blank to correctly complete the sentence.

The 1. __________ energy from the battery changed into 2. __________ energy.

A. chemical B. electrical C. solar D. thermal

19. Solar panels moved the toy boat. Read each statement. Write your answer on the lines.

Identify the energy change from the sun to the solar panels.

Identify the energy change from the solar panels to the propeller.

Name: Date:


Test A

Mid-Year

20. Anna wants to build a bird feeder. She wants a lot of birds to visit the feeder. A lot of

squirrels should not visit the feeder. Anna can only spend $30. She has only 2 hours to

build the feeder. Anna reads a study about three bird feeder designs. She writes down

what she learns.

Which statements are true for Designs A, B, and C?

Write an X in the correct box for each sentence in the table. Some sentences may have

more than one X.

Sentence Design A Design B Design C

A. has the most bird visits

B. costs $30 or less to build

C. takes more than 2 hours to build

D. best design to meet the needs of Anna

21. Ms. Owens owns a supermarket. She notices that the metal shopping carts have rolled

into cars. Ms. Owens wants to reduce the damage to the cars done by the carts. She does

not want to spend more than $12 per cart. She wants her solution to last as long as

possible. She has to decide among three solutions.

Number the solutions in order from 1 to 3 with 1 as most helpful and 3 as least helpful.

Solution 1: Buy new carts made from a flexible plastic material. The

carts may still cause minor scratches on cars, but they will not cause

serious scratches or dents. The carts have to be replaced every 10 years.

Cost per cart: $25

Solution 2: Buy new metal carts that are just like the old ones. The

carts have to be replaced every 25 years.

Cost per cart: $25

Solution 3: Keep the metal carts. Place plastic bumpers on the fronts of

the carts. The bumpers will reduce scratches and dents to cars. The

bumpers have to be replaced every 10 years.

Cost per cart: $12

Name: Date:


Test A

Mid-Year

22. Meg wants to build a ramp for her toy car to roll down and onto the floor. She makes a

model of the ramp and lists some things the ramp must have.

Meg showed the model to her friends and listened to their advice. Which advice should

she follow?


A. widen the ramp

add more books

B. remove some of the books

tape the ramp to the top book

C. add another ramp

buy new materials to make the new ramp

D. remove the brick

tape the bottom of the ramp to the floor

Name: Date:


Test A

Mid-Year

23. The pairs of sentences are examples of energy transfer.

Circle the letter in each pair that is an example of the greatest energy.

Pair 1

A. Arial kicks a soccer ball with her foot.

B. Arial taps a soccer ball with her finger.

Pair 2

C. Earth spins on its axis every 24 hours.

D. The moon spins on its axis every 27 days.

Pair 3

E. A toy car moving 0.5 meters per second hits a wall.

F. A toy car moving 1.0 meter per second hits a door.

Pair 4

G. A young boy uses a bat to hit a baseball sitting on a stand.

H. A baseball player uses a bat to hit a baseball that is pitched to him.

24. The diagram shows a wind turbine connected to a house.

Which energy transfers take place?

Write one X in the correct box in for each description.

Description True False A. At point A, energy from electricity is changed into motion of the wind

turbine.

B. At point B, energy is being moved by electrical currents.

C. At point C, motion of the wind turbine is changed into light energy.

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Test A

Mid-Year

25. Rey rolled a skateboard down a ramp and into a ball. He wrote down what he did and

saw.

1. put skateboard at point A and let go

2. ball moved slowly after hit by skateboard

3. put skateboard at point B on the ramp and let go

4. the ball moved quickly after hit by skateboard

Rey rolled the skateboard from point C. What happened to the ball when the skateboard

hit it?

Choose all of the correct answers.

A. It moved slower than when hit by the skateboard released at point A.

B. It moved faster than when hit by the skateboard released at point B.

C. It gained less energy because the skateboard was higher on the ramp.

D. It gained more energy because the skateboard was higher on the ramp.

26. The table lists four types of energy. Which example matches the type of energy?

Write the letter of the example in the box that describes the type of energy.

electrical

heat

light

sound

A. energy released from the sun

B. energy that flows in a circuit

C. energy stored in a battery

D. energy that you hear

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Test A

Mid-Year

27. Jeremy wanted to study energy transfer. He set up two identical beakers of sand. A

thermometer was placed into each beaker. Jeremy placed beaker B beneath a lamp, as

shown.

Jeremy took the temperature of the beakers every five minutes for one hour. The

temperature of beaker A remained the same. The temperature of the sand in beaker B

became hotter.

Read each statement. Write your answer on the lines.

Identify one form of energy in the setup.

Describe one energy transformation that took place in the investigation.

Identify the evidence that supports the energy transformation.

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Test A

Mid-Year

28. José rolls a ball toward a second ball, as shown in the picture.

Which description is correct for each ball?

Write one X in the correct box for each description.

Description Plain

Ball

Ball with

Dots

A. The energy of this ball increases when two balls collide.

B. The energy of this ball decreases when two balls collide.

C. This ball transfers its energy of motion to the other ball.

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Test A

Mid-Year

29. Hayden wants to punch an “H” in a pie pan. He uses a nail and hammer to make the

holes. The diagram shows the holes made in the tin.

Hayden made hole 2 by moving the hammer at a speed of 5 meters per second (5 m/s).

How fast was the hammer moving when he made the other holes?

Write the letters of the words and numbers into the spaces to complete the diagram.

A. 1 m/s C. 6 m/s E. hole 3.

B. 3 m/s D. hole 1. F. hole 4.

Name: Date:


Test A

Mid-Year

30. Engineers make objects for people. People’s wants and needs change over time. The

table shows some things that were designed for people but then changed. Complete the

table.

Write the letters in the boxes to correctly complete the table.

1., 2. and 3.

A. Match

B. Mobile phone

C. Electric flashlight

D. Steam-engine train

4.

E. Cook food quickly

F. See things far away

G. Change water into steam

mid-year study guide › 15693...a plucked guitar string causes vibrations in the air. b. a car...

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