Primary 4 · Science · Diversity: Materials
Diversity: Materials questions for Primary 4 Science
10 questions to work through online, 2 of them written out the way the paper asks. Answer and you get the working straight away, then a score at the end. No sign-up, and you can retake it as often as you like.
- Two properties at once
- Why a material suits a job
- The same material, different jobs
- Testing strength fairly
- Fair testing materials
- Choosing against a constraint
- Naming a property
- Explaining a design choice
| Material | Flexible | Waterproof | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Q | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| R | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| S | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Same picture as the question above.
| String | Mass held before breaking (g) |
|---|---|
| J | 450 |
| K | 1200 |
| L | 780 |
| M | 990 |
Answers and explanations for all 10 questions
Every answer with the reasoning behind it. Worth reading after you have tried the set — or on its own, if you are a parent marking it.
Which material in the table above is most suitable for a garden hose?
Answer: R
A hose has to bend, hold water in and take the pressure, so it needs all three properties. R is the only material with all three.
Using the same table, which material would be least suitable for a rope used to pull a heavy box?
Answer: P
A rope must be strong above all, and P is the only material in the table that is not strong. It would snap under the load.
A bicycle tyre is made of rubber. Which two properties make rubber suitable?
Answer: A and B only
A tyre has to keep water out of the wheel and hold the road in the wet. Being transparent or conducting heat would make no difference to either job.
Metal is used both for a saucepan and for the wire inside an electric cable. Which property is being used in both cases?
Answer: Metal lets things pass through it easily — heat in one case, electricity in the other.
Metals are good conductors. The saucepan uses that for heat and the cable uses it for electricity — the same underlying property, put to two different jobs.
Based on the table above, which conclusion is correct?
Answer: String K is the strongest of the four.
The strongest string is the one that held the most before breaking, and K held 1200 g — more than any of the others.
To compare how well two materials keep out rain, which two things must be kept the same?
Answer: A and B only
Everything except the material must match — same piece size, same water poured — so that any difference in what gets through is down to the material itself.
A cup for a young child must not shatter if it is dropped, and the child must be able to see how much juice is left. Which material is best?
Answer: clear plastic
The cup needs two properties at once: it must not shatter and it must be transparent. Clear plastic is the only one of these with both.
A material can be pressed into a new shape and stays in that shape afterwards, like clay. What property does this describe?
Answer: flexible
A material that can be pressed into a new shape is flexible.
A window is made of a material you can see through clearly. What property does this describe?
Answer: transparent
A material you can see through clearly is transparent.
Why is the outside of an electrical plug made of plastic rather than metal?
Answer: Plastic does not let electricity pass through, so it is safe to hold.
Electricity passes easily through metal but not through plastic. A plastic casing keeps the electricity in the pins, so the plug is safe to hold.