Physics
P.L.O.s
It is expected that students will:







state the relationships between charged objects
demonstrate how electricity results from the movement of charged particles such
as electrons and ions
describe the interactions between magnetism and electricity and relate these to
common devices
use apparatus to determine the relationships between current, voltage, and
resistance in different types of circuits
relate power and energy to common electrical devices
describe the distribution and safety considerations of electricity from its generated
source to its use within the home
apply knowledge and data to make recommendations for reducing energy waste
Sample questions
1. Neutral objects are attracted to positive charges, but are repelled by negative charges.
A. True
B. False
Use the following information to answer questions 2 and 3.
2. The condition of air in the room probably contributed to the shock.
A. This statement is supported by the information.
B. This statement is refuted by the information.
C. This statement is neither supported nor refuted by the information.
3. The speed she was walking affected the shock.
A. This statement is supported by the information.
B. This statement is refuted by the information.
C. This statement is neither supported nor refuted by the information.
4. A parallel circuit has only one conducting pathway for the current.
A. True
B. False
5. Which of the following describes static electricity?
A. stationary atoms
C. movement of charged particles
B. movement of atoms
D. an excess of charge on an object
6. Which of the following is the best electrical insulator?
A. iron
B. dry air
C. copper
D. salt water
7. A battery of two cells connected in parallel has less voltage than a battery of the
same two cells connected in series.
A. True
B. False
Use the following diagram to answer question 8.
8. The diagram illustrates static electricity.
A. True
B. False
9. Increasing the current through a solenoid will increase the strength of the
magnetic field.
A. True
B. False
Use the following circuit diagram to answer question 10.
10. Which direction will the needle point if a compass is placed beside the coil
as shown?
Use the following diagram of a simple circuit to answer question 11.
11. What is the direction of the magnetic field at the point indicated on the diagram?
12. Which of the following is an advantage of connecting cells in series?
A. The voltage will stay the same.
B. Cells in series take up less space.
C. The voltage in the circuit will be increased.
D. If one cell fails, the current will not change.
13. If a voltmeter and an ammeter are used in a simple circuit, which of the following can
be calculated using only the two meter readings?
A. time
B. charge
C. energy
D. resistance
Use the following diagram to answer question 14.
14. At what position should an ammeter be placed to measure the current passing
through resistor R1?
A. W
B. X
C. Y
D. Z
15. Which of the following explains why some flashlight batteries are connected in
series?
A. To create a brighter light
B. To evenly distribute the voltage
C. To extend the life of the batteries
D. To protect the bulb from power surges
Use the following circuit diagrams to answer question 16.
Circuit I Circuit II
16. What will happen to Lamp 1 if Circuit I is changed to Circuit II?
A. Lamp 1 will go out.
B. Lamp 1 will become dimmer.
C. Lamp 1 will become brighter.
D. Lamp 1 will stay the same brightness.
17. Which of the following is not a symbol for a unit of energy?
A. J
B. kJ
C. W
D. kW h 

18. Which of the following is the best estimate of the energy used by a 250 W light bulb
that is used to light a yard 12 hours per night for a month?
A. 1 kW h 
B. 10 kW h 
C. 100 kW h 
D. 1000 kW h 
19. Which electrical appliance uses the most energy in 10 minutes of operation?
A. stove
B. stereo
C. computer
D. television
20. What will happen to the current flowing through a table lamp if its 50 W light bulb is
replaced with a 100 W light bulb?
A. The current becomes a quarter as much.
B. The current becomes half as much.
C. The current does not change.
D. The current becomes twice as much.
21. A 240 V appliance draws 20 A of current. How much electrical energy does the
appliance consume in 2.0 hours?
A. 4 800 J
B. 9 600 J
C. 576 000 J
D. 34 560 000 J
22. A circuit breaker trips to disconnect a circuit. Which of the following
should be done first?
A. remove the circuit breaker
B. determine why the breaker tripped
C. replace the circuit breaker with a fuse
D. replace the circuit breaker with a new one
23. Which of the following best describes how a fuse protects electrical devices?
A. A portion of the fuse melts.
B. The fuse bends when heated.
C. The fuse expands when heated.
D. An electromagnet opens the circuit.
24. A step-up transformer is used at a power generating station before transmitting
electricity over long distances.
A. True
B. False
25. A toy train operates on 12 V. If the train is powered by household current, which
of the following devices makes this possible?
A. a fuse
B. a voltmeter
C. a step-up transformer
D. a step-down transformer
26. Which of the Energuide labels below indicates the highest cost of operation?
27. If the heat drying cycle of a dishwasher is used, the operating cost is increased.
Which of the following best explains this?
A. heat loss is reduced
B. drying time is increased
C. more energy is necessary
D. less hot water is necessary
28. How does a modern high-efficiency 18 W light bulb save energy when compared to
an older incandescent 60 W light bulb?
A. The 18 W light bulb draws less current.
B. The 18 W light bulb has less resistance.
C. The 18 W light bulb produces less light.
D. The 18 W light bulb operates at a lower voltage.
29. Two positively charged objects are attracted to each other.
A. True
B. False
30. A positively charged object and a neutral object are attracted to each other.
A. True
B. False
31. Which of the following is a good electrical conductor?
A. gold
C. rubber
B. glass
D. plastic
32. When a piece of acetate plastic is rubbed with a cotton cloth, some electrons are
transferred from the plastic to the cloth. Which of the following is true of the acetate
plastic?
A. It is now neutral.
B. It is now positively charged.
C. It is now negatively charged.
D. It has gained protons from the cotton cloth.
33. Which of the following combinations of plastic sticks will repel?
A. I and II
B. V and VI
C. I, II and III
D. IV, V and VI
34. Which of the following is true?
A. Protons repel neutrons.
B. Electrons repel protons.
C. Electrons repel neutrons.
D. Electrons repel electrons.
35. A lightning bolt is an example of electrons in motion.
A. True
B. False
36. Which of the following is correct?
A. A battery measures power.
B. An ammeter measure current.
C. A compass measures magnetism.
D. An ohmmeter measures heat flow.
37. In a circuit where voltage is constant, a resistor determines the current.
A. True
B. False
Use the following diagram showing ammeters A1, A2, and A3 placed in a circuit
to answer questions 38 to 42.
38. Resistor R1 and R2 are connected in parallel.
39. Two dry cells are connected in series.
40. The total voltage produced by the dry cells is 9 volts.
41. Ammeter A3 has a reading of 1 amp.
42. This circuit used 4 joules of energy.
43. Dry cells were added to the following circuit, increasing the voltage.
Which of the following graphs best represents the relationship between voltage and
current?
44. A 120 volt CD player draws 0.6 amperes of current. What is the resistance of the CD
player?
A. 200 ohms
B. 600 ohms
C. 1600 ohms
D. 2400 ohms
Use the following comparison to answer question 45.
45. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Portable radio #1 uses more power.
B. Portable radio #2 uses more power.
C. The power of the two radios is equal.
D. Power cannot be determined from the information given.
46. A 240 V appliance draws 10 A of current. How much electrical energy does the
appliance consume in 2 hours?
A. 2 400 J
B. 48 000 J
C. 288 000 J
D. 17 280 000 J
47. What is the amount of electrical energy needed to operate a 1.4 kW appliance for
2.5 hours?
A. 0.56 kW h
B. 1.8 kW h
C. 3.5 kW h
D. 3.9 kW h
Use the following comparison to answer question 48.
48. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Circuit I uses more energy.
B. Circuit II uses more energy.
C. Both circuits use equal energy.
D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given.
49. Which of the following explains why electricity is transmitted to homes at a
high voltage?
A. High voltage is transmitted more quickly.
B. High voltage is a safer way to transmit energy.
C. Less current in the lines results in less energy lost.
D. More current in the lines results in less energy lost.
50. Which of the following devices decreases voltage to a level that can be used in a
house?
A. motor
B. solenoid
C. generator
D. transformer
51. Circuit breakers help protect your home from the possibility of an electrical fire.
A. True
B. False
52. Which of the following is a unit of energy?
A. W
B. kW
C. kW/h
D. kW h ◊
53. Which material would not be used to make a permanent magnet?
A. iron
B. cobalt
C. sulfur
D. nickel
54. A current travelling through an electrical conductor will produce a magnetic field.
A. True
B. False
55. A coil of wire carrying a current is a solenoid.
A. True
B. False
56. If conventional current is being conducted out of the page, which diagram correctly
represents the direction of the magnetic field?
57. Which of the following changes mechanical energy into electrical energy?
A. a motor
B. a resistor
C. a generator
D. a transformer