Grade 6 Science Test: Understanding
Energy
Part 1: Multiple Choice Questions (1 mark each)
1. Which object has the most kinetic energy?
a) A sleeping dog
b) A flying soccer ball
c) A parked car
d) A book on a table
Answer: b
2. Gravitational potential energy increases when:
a) An object cools down
b) An object falls
c) An object is lifted higher
d) An object moves faster
Answer: c
3. Which variable affects both potential and kinetic energy?
a) Color
b) Speed
c) Mass
d) Shape
Answer: c
4. A roller coaster car has the most potential energy at:
a) The lowest point
b) The middle of the ride
c) The top of the first hill
d) Just before stopping
Answer: c
5. Which of these represents kinetic energy?
a) A stretched rubber band
b) A moving bicycle
c) A battery in a drawer
d) A book on a shelf
Answer: b
6. As a ball falls, its potential energy:
a) Increases
b) Disappears
c) Stays the same
d) Is converted into kinetic energy
Answer: d
7. Which is a form of stored energy?
a) Electrical
b) Chemical
c) Light
d) Sound
Answer: b
8. What unit is used to measure energy?
a) Newton
b) Joule
c) Watt
d) Gram
Answer: b
9. The formula for gravitational potential energy is:
a) GPE = mass × speed × height
b) GPE = force × time
c) GPE = mass × gravity × height
d) GPE = energy ÷ volume
Answer: c
10. Which type of energy is present in batteries?
a) Mechanical
b) Electrical
c) Chemical
d) Sound
Answer: c
11. What happens to energy in a closed system?
a) It disappears
b) It is destroyed
c) It is conserved
d) It becomes potential
Answer: c
12. When you rub your hands together, mechanical energy turns into:
a) Chemical energy
b) Thermal energy
c) Light energy
d) Sound energy
Answer: b
13. Which transformation occurs in a flashlight?
a) Light to chemical
b) Mechanical to electrical
c) Chemical to light
d) Electrical to sound
Answer: c
14. A lightbulb gives off:
a) Only heat energy
b) Light and chemical energy
c) Only light energy
d) Light and thermal energy
Answer: d
15. The energy in food is a type of:
a) Thermal energy
b) Kinetic energy
c) Chemical energy
d) Sound energy
Answer: c
16. Which of the following is not a form of energy?
a) Light
b) Magnetism
c) Force
d) Sound
Answer: c
17. Which energy transformation happens when a toaster is turned on?
a) Electrical -> Mechanical
b) Electrical -> Thermal
c) Chemical -> Electrical
d) Thermal -> Light
Answer: b
18. Kinetic energy depends on:
a) Volume
b) Speed and mass
c) Temperature
d) Height and shape
Answer: b
19. Which form of energy travels in waves?
a) Chemical
b) Electrical
c) Sound
d) Gravitational
Answer: c
20. The faster an object moves, the more:
a) Light energy it has
b) Kinetic energy it has
c) Potential energy it stores
d) Heat it loses
Answer: b
21. What is always true about energy in a system?
a) It disappears over time
b) It is constant
c) It always becomes sound
d) It is only kinetic
Answer: b
22. Which tool measures temperature, a form of thermal energy?
a) Stopwatch
b) Thermometer
c) Ruler
d) Balance scale
Answer: b
23. What form of energy allows you to see objects?
a) Mechanical
b) Light
c) Thermal
d) Electrical
Answer: b
24. A wind turbine transforms:
a) Electrical -> Kinetic
b) Kinetic -> Electrical
c) Thermal -> Light
d) Sound -> Chemical
Answer: b
25. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only:
a) Stored
b) Transformed
c) Increased
d) Used up
Answer: b
Part 2: Short Answer (2 marks each)
26. Name two factors that affect the amount of gravitational potential energy an object
has.
Sample Answer: Mass and height.
27. Explain the relationship between speed and kinetic energy.
Sample Answer: As speed increases, kinetic energy increases non-linearly.
28. Classify each object by its main energy type:
- Flashlight turned on: _______________
- Toasting bread: _______________
- Ball rolling downhill: _______________
Sample Answer: Flashlight: Electrical
Toasting bread: Thermal
Ball: Kinetic
29. What does it mean to conserve energy in a system?
Sample Answer: Energy is not lost; it changes form but remains in the system.
30. Describe what happens to the energy of a bouncing ball after it hits the ground.
Sample Answer: It converts from kinetic to sound and thermal energy.
31. Why does a moving truck have more kinetic energy than a bicycle moving at the
same speed?
Sample Answer: Because the truck has more mass.
32. Identify one energy transformation that occurs when a person eats food and runs.
Sample Answer: Chemical energy from food -> Kinetic energy for movement.
33. Use the law of conservation of energy to explain why a swinging pendulum
eventually stops.
Sample Answer: Energy transforms into other types like thermal and sound until motion
stops.
34. How can models help scientists understand energy transformation?
Sample Answer: They help visualize and predict energy changes.
35. Give one example of an energy transfer between two objects.
Sample Answer: Example: Heat transfer from hot metal to cold water.