Name___________________________
Grade 5
Standard 4: Students will understand features of static and current
electricity.
Objective 1: Describe the behavior of static electricity as observed in
nature and everyday occurrences.
1. Why is static electricity NOT widely used by people?
A. It has no energy.
B. It is not really electricity.
C. It cannot be produced.
D. It is stationary.
2. Why does static electricity move from you to a metal object after you have walked over new
carpet? Static electricity is attracted to…
A. the metal.
B. your hair.
C. the carpet.
D. your feet.
3. How can you tell when static electricity has been discharged?
A. The object begins to spin rapidly when it is shocked.
B. Static electricity gives off many different colors.
C. Light is released and you can feel a shock.
D. Heat is released and the heat can be felt.
4. Which of the following “I Wonder…” statements would explain the connection of static
electricity to lightning?
A. I wonder if water is a stronger conductor than a piece of metal.
B. I wonder if the hairs on a person’s arm or head really stand up when lightning is about
to strike.
C. I wonder if lightning is seen better from the shuttle in space or standing on the surface
of the Earth.
D. I wonder if certain animals really start acting strangely just before lightning strikes,
like dogs barking wildly.
CDASTM—G5 S4 O1
A joint project between Park City SD, Murray SD, and Life Long Learning & Associates. All rights reserved. 5-2009
1
5. Which is a form of static electricity that appears in nature?
A. rain
B. ocean currents
C. lightning
D. volcanoes
6. Which example best shows how static electricity can be used?
A. A student rubbing socks on the carpet to turn on the lights.
B. A student rubbing a balloon on his or her hair to “stick” balloons to the wall.
C. A parent plugging in a toaster to make toast for breakfast.
D. A scientist turning on a microscope to look at water samples.
7. Which of the following questions could be answered by reading more about static electricity?
A. Why does a wire get hot when you use it to connect one side of the battery to the
other?
B. Why do clothes taken from a dryer stick together?
C. Why does a fuse short out sometimes when too many things are plugged into one
outlet?
D. Why do electric companies use alternating currents for sending electrical energy over
long distances?
8. Two objects have collected static electricity with the same charge. What would the objects do
when placed near each other?
A. repel
B. attract
C. nothing
D. stick together
CDASTM—G5 S4 O1
A joint project between Park City SD, Murray SD, and Life Long Learning & Associates. All rights reserved. 5-2009
2
9. Use the information on the chart below to answer the question:
Examples of Static Electricity
1. Rubbing a balloon on your head
before placing it on the wall to stick.
Examples of Current Electricity
1. Building a circuit to light a bulb
using aluminum foil and an empty
Polaroid film cartridge.
2. Sliding your feet along the carpet
and touching your little sister to
shock her.
2. Making a bulb shine brighter by
adding more batteries to the circuit.
3. Pulling two socks apart that were
stuck together after being in a dryer
and hearing them ‘snap and crackle’.
3. Putting more than two bulbs on
the same pathway or circuit.
Based on the given three examples of static electricity, which of the following statements
is true about generating static electricity?
A. You must have at least one battery to create a shock.
B. Static electricity can make a bulb shine brighter.
C. A circuit is necessary to carry static electricity.
D. Friction between two objects can create static electricity.
CDASTM—G5 S4 O1
A joint project between Park City SD, Murray SD, and Life Long Learning & Associates. All rights reserved. 5-2009
3
Grade 5 Standard 4 Objective 1—Answer Key
1. D
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. B
7. B
8. A
9. D
CDASTM—G5 S4 O1
A joint project between Park City SD, Murray SD, and Life Long Learning & Associates. All rights reserved. 5-2009
4