Name: ________________________ Class: ___________________ Date: __________

ID: A

6th Grade 3rd Quarter Benchmark Assessment

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. Which is an example of mechanical energy?
a. the fire from the burner on a stove
b. pushing a box across the floor
c. green plants making their own food
d. I the flow of energy from a hot pan to your
hand

6. When electric current flows through the metal

fliament of a light bulb, electrical energy is
converted to
a. heat energy only.
b. heat and light energy.
c. light and motion energy.
d. light energy only.

2. Heat, light, and sound are all different forms of

a. fuel
b. energy
c. matter
d. electricity

7. Iron filings and bar magnets were placed on a sheet

of paper. The following diagram shows the pattern
made on the paper.

3. A solar panel is used to collect energy from the Sun

and change it into other forms of energy. The
picture below shows some solar panels on the roof
of a building.

a.
b.
c.
d.

At which location is the magnetic field the

strongest?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4

wind
heat
magnetic
light

4. A lamp converst electrical energy to light energy.

In addition to the light energy, much of this
electrical energy is also converted to
a. mechanical energy
b. chemical energy
c. heat energy
d. nuclear energy

8.
Which of the following is shown above?
a. electromagnet
b. electric motor
c. electric generator
d. transformer

5. Which of the following converts electrical energy

into motion?
a. light switch
b. electric stove
c. light bulb
d. electric fan

Name: ________________________

ID: A
11. Students are gathering materials and building an
electrical circuit.

9. Which of the following electromagnets would

have the greatest magnetic field?

a.

Which material will allow electricity to flow

between the battery and the light bulb?
a. copper wire
b. wooden rod
c. cotton string
d. rubber tube

b.

12. Four students made the electric circuit shown

below. Each student then tried to explain why the
light bulb did not glow.

c.

d.
10. A person cuts down a living oak tree. The person
burns the wood from the oak tree to boil water.
Which sequence correctly orders the energy
transformations that occurred from the living tree to
the boiling of water?
a. light energy chemical energy heat energy
b. heat energy chemical energy light energy
c. chemical energy mechanical energy
electrical energy
d. electrical energy
mechanical energy
chemical energy

Which student best explained why the light bulb

did not glow?
a. Student 1
b. Student 2
c. Student 3
d. Student 4
13. Which process transfers heat when particlces
collide in a solid?
a. convection
b. conduction
c. radiation
d. evaporation
2

Name: ________________________

ID: A

14. A metal spoon was left in a pot of boiling soup. The

cook burned a finger by touching the spoon. Why
did the finger get burned?
a. The metal spoon chemically reacted with the
cooks hand.
b. The metal spoon chemically reacted with the
cooks hand.
c. The metal spoon conducted heat to the cooks
hand.
d. The metal spoon insulated the cooks hand.

18.

Which is an example of work being done in a

scientific sense?
a. pushing against a stationary box
b. lifting a box
c. doing homework
d. carrying a box

19. The diagram below represents a person pushing a

50-kg box up a ramp. Which two simple machines
are being used in the diagram?

15. The teacher set up an investigation using three

wires, a light bulb, a battery, and Mixture 1 as
shown below. When the teacher connected the
wires to the battery, the light bulb glowed.
a.
b.
c.
d.

inclined plane; pulley

inclined plane; wheel and axle
lever; pulley
lever; wheel and axle

20. Choose the word that means: a simple machine

consisting of a wheel with a groove in which a rope
can run to change the direction or point of
application of a force applied to the rope.
a. screw
b. pulley
c. inclined plane
d. wedge
21. The diagram represents a person pushing a 30-kg
box up a ramp.

Mixture 1 is best described as

a. strong
b. magnetic
c. heat conductor
d. electricity conductor
16. _______ happens when a force causes an object to
move in the same direction that
the force is applied.
a. Work
b. Heat
c. Power
d. Energy

Which force will decrease if the surface of the ramp

is made smoother?
a. gravity
b. magnetism
c. friction
d. electricity

17. Elena lifts a heavy box and moves it. She did work
on the box because ______.
a. she used force
b. she used energy
c. she was strong
d. she moved the box
3

Name: ________________________

ID: A

22. The diagram below shows a hammer being used by

a person to remove a nail from a piece of
wood.

The hammer is being used as which type of simple

machine?
a. wheel and axle
b. incline plane
c. lever
d. pulley
23. A faucet handle is an example of a
_____________.
a. pulley
b. wheel and axle
c. incline plane
d. lever
24. The illustration below shows a student approaching
the door to a building.

Which two simple machines are being used to

enable the student to reach the door?
a. inclined plane and pulley
b. lever and wheel-and-axle
c. pulley and lever
d. wheel-and-axle and inclined plane