Light and Sound
Each subtopic includes About section, revision page link, 10 preview questions, and practice CTAs.
Light Sources and Reflections
SubtopicLight Sources and Reflections under Light and Sound for Grade 3 IB.
Preview questions (no answers)
- 1.
Stars can be seen at night because they are:
A.Reflecting the Moon's light
B.Natural sources of light
C.Man-made lamps in the sky
D.Large mirrors
- 2.
If you want to reflect light to signal for help, which of these would work best?
A.A woolen blanket
B.A small glass mirror
C.A plastic water bottle
D.A dark backpack
- 3.
Which of these describes a beam of light from a lighthouse?
A.It moves in a straight path
B.It bends around the waves
C.It moves in a circle around the bulb
D.It travels in loops
- 4.
When light from a lamp hits a wall, the wall does not look like a mirror because it is:
A.Too smooth
B.Not smooth enough to reflect light in one direction
C.Creating its own light
D.Transparent
- 5.
A student places a toy between two mirrors that are facing each other. They are surprised to see a long line of many reflections of the toy stretching into the distance. Why does this happen?
A.The mirrors are actually clear glass windows that show more toys in a different room.
B.Light bounces back and forth many times between the two shiny surfaces.
C.The toy is a light source that produces its own rays of light inside the glass.
D.The mirrors are curved, which makes one toy look like it is many different toys.
- 6.
Which of these surfaces would be the most likely to create a 'distorted' reflection that makes you look funny?
A.A flat wall mirror
B.The back of a shiny metal spoon
C.A piece of clear window glass
D.A flat sheet of white paper
- 7.
Sometimes we see beams of light when sunbeams enter a dusty room. Why is the light visible?
A.The dust particles are light sources
B.The light is reflecting off the tiny dust particles
C.The dust is making the light move in curves
D.The light is being absorbed by the dust
- 8.
If you hold a mirror up to a book, the words look backwards. If you then hold a second mirror up to the first mirror, what happens to the words in the second mirror?
A.The words become invisible.
B.The words look the same as they do in the first mirror.
C.The words look normal and readable again.
D.The words turn upside down.
- 9.
A shadow is formed when an object blocks light. Why is the shadow of a mirror different from the shadow of a piece of wood?
A.A mirror does not have a shadow because it reflects all light.
B.The mirror's shadow is much darker because it absorbs more light.
C.The shadow is similar, but the mirror reflects light onto other surfaces nearby.
D.Wood reflects more light than a mirror.
- 10.
When you look into a pool of water, you can sometimes see both your reflection and the bottom of the pool. Why?
A.Water is both a light source and a reflector.
B.Water reflects some light and allows some light to pass through.
C.Your eyes are seeing two different worlds at the same time.
D.The bottom of the pool is a mirror.
Download the worksheet for Light and Sound - Light Sources and Reflections to practice offline. It includes additional chapter-level practice questions.
How Shadows are Formed
SubtopicHow Shadows are Formed under Light and Sound for Grade 3 IB.
Preview questions (no answers)
- 1.
If you use a triangle-shaped block to block the light, what shape will the shadow be?
A.A circle
B.A square
C.A triangle
D.A wavy line
- 2.
What is the name for the straight beams that light travels in?
A.Light waves
B.Light rays
C.Light circles
D.Light strings
- 3.
Why do shadows on the ground change their position during a sunny day?
A.Because the light source (the Sun) appears to move across the sky
B.Because the ground is moving up and down
C.Because the shadows are tired of staying in one place
D.Because the wind blows the shadows away
- 4.
If you turn on two different lamps in a room and stand between them and a wall, what might you see?
A.Zero shadows
B.Two different shadows
C.One very bright shadow
D.A rainbow on the wall
- 5.
Why does a window usually not cast a shadow on the floor during a sunny day?
A.Because it is too heavy
B.Because it is transparent and lets almost all light pass through
C.Because it is always in the shade
D.Because glass reflects all light back to the sun
- 6.
If you want to use a shadow to tell the time (like a sundial), what is the most important thing to keep track of?
A.The brightness of the sun
B.The temperature of the shadow
C.The position and length of the shadow as the sun moves
D.The color of the stick being used
- 7.
What happens to the shadow of a stick if you place a second light source directly opposite the first one?
A.The shadow becomes twice as dark
B.A second shadow forms on the opposite side
C.The stick becomes invisible
D.The shadows merge into a circle
- 8.
If you shine a flashlight at a solid wooden door that is slightly open, what happens to the light that doesn't hit the door?
A.It stops at the door.
B.It passes through the gap and creates a bright area on the floor inside.
C.It turns into a shadow.
D.It bends around the door to light up the whole room.
- 9.
A student holds a comb in front of a light. As she moves the comb further from the wall, what happens to the shadows of the comb's teeth?
A.They become clearer and easier to count.
B.They begin to overlap and look like one solid shadow.
C.They turn white.
D.They get shorter.
- 10.
Which material would create a shadow where you can still see the color of the object appearing faintly within the shadow area?
A.Opaque
B.Translucent
C.Reflective
D.Absorbent
Download the worksheet for Light and Sound - How Shadows are Formed to practice offline. It includes additional chapter-level practice questions.
Vibrations and Sound Production
SubtopicVibrations and Sound Production under Light and Sound for Grade 3 IB.
Preview questions (no answers)
- 1.
If a drummer stops the drum skin from moving with their hand, what happens to the sound?
A.It gets louder
B.The sound stops
C.The pitch gets higher
D.Nothing changes
- 2.
What is the best way to describe a sound's 'pitch'?
A.How heavy an object is
B.How high or low a sound is
C.How bright a sound looks
D.How much a sound weighs
- 3.
If you are in a room with a lot of soft pillows and carpets, the sounds usually seem quieter. This is because soft materials:
A.Absorb or soak up the vibrations
B.Make more vibrations
C.Are very loud themselves
D.Create more light
- 4.
Whales can communicate with each other over long distances in the ocean. This proves that:
A.Sound can travel through water
B.Whales use cell phones
C.There is no sound in the ocean
D.Whales do not need to vibrate to make sound
- 5.
What part of a radio is responsible for vibrating to create the sound we hear?
A.The plastic case
B.The volume knob
C.The speaker cone
D.The electrical wire
- 6.
How can you change the pitch of the sound made by a rubber band stretched over a box?
A.By changing how much of the rubber band is allowed to vibrate
B.By changing the color of the box
C.By looking at the rubber band while you pluck it
D.By plucking it in the dark
- 7.
Which of the following would produce the softest sound?
A.A feather falling onto a pillow
B.A hammer hitting a nail
C.A balloon popping
D.A whistle blowing
- 8.
A scientist uses a machine to look at sound waves. They see that Wave X has peaks that are very close together, while Wave Y has peaks that are far apart. What can they conclude?
A.Wave X is a louder sound than Wave Y.
B.Wave Y is a higher pitched sound than Wave X.
C.Wave X is a higher pitched sound than Wave Y.
D.Wave Y is a louder sound than Wave X.
- 9.
Look at the diagram of the string vibration. If the string moves from Position A to Position B more quickly, which of the following is true?
A.The pitch of the sound will increase.
B.The sound will become quieter.
C.The string will stop producing sound.
D.The pitch of the sound will decrease.
- 10.
Why do some animals, like dogs, react to whistles that humans cannot hear?
A.The whistle doesn't vibrate at all, so humans miss it.
B.The whistle vibrates so slowly that only dogs can feel it.
C.The whistle vibrates at a frequency that is too high for human ears to detect.
D.Humans can only hear sounds that come from other humans.
Download the worksheet for Light and Sound - Vibrations and Sound Production to practice offline. It includes additional chapter-level practice questions.
Pitch and Volume
SubtopicPitch and Volume under Light and Sound for Grade 3 IB.
Preview questions (no answers)
- 1.
Which of these would produce the lowest pitch sound?
A.Tapping a small nail
B.Hitting a large metal pipe
C.Dropping a pin
D.Whistling
- 2.
If a sound has a very high volume, it is considered:
A.Quiet
B.Loud
C.High pitched
D.Low pitched
- 3.
How does light usually travel?
A.In circles
B.In straight lines
C.In wavy zig-zags
D.It stays in one spot
- 4.
A mouse squeaking has a high pitch. A lion roaring has a ____ pitch.
A.High
B.Low
C.Soft
D.Silent
- 5.
If you are humming a very high note and then switch to a very low note, what have you changed about your vocal cords?
A.You made them vibrate with more force.
B.You made them vibrate more slowly.
C.You made them vibrate more quickly.
D.You stopped them from vibrating.
- 6.
When you turn the volume 'up' on a television, what are you physically changing about the sound waves?
A.You are making the vibrations happen more frequently.
B.You are making the vibrations happen less frequently.
C.You are making the vibrations larger (more amplitude).
D.You are making the vibrations smaller (less amplitude).
- 7.
Based on the diagram of these two whistles, which statement is true about the sounds they make?
A.Whistle A has a lower pitch than Whistle B.
B.Whistle B has a higher pitch than Whistle A.
C.Whistle A has a higher pitch than Whistle B.
D.Both whistles have the exact same pitch.
- 8.
A student blows into a long tube and hears a low sound. They then cut the tube in half and blow into it again with the same force. What is the most likely result?
A.The pitch is higher, but the volume is about the same.
B.The pitch is lower, and the volume is much louder.
C.The pitch is the same, but the volume is much quieter.
D.Both the pitch and the volume are lower.
- 9.
If you are watching a slow-motion video of a guitar string vibrating, you see it moving back and forth 10 times every second. If the string is tightened, what will you see in the next slow-motion video?
A.It will move back and forth more than 10 times every second.
B.It will move back and forth fewer than 10 times every second.
C.It will move back and forth exactly 10 times but a further distance.
D.It will stop moving and only vibrate up and down.
- 10.
An orchestra has many instruments. A flute is small and thin, while a double bass is huge and thick. Why do they sound so different?
A.Small objects vibrate faster, creating higher pitches.
B.Large objects vibrate faster, creating higher pitches.
C.Small objects always create louder sounds than large objects.
D.The size of the instrument only changes the volume, not the pitch.
Download the worksheet for Light and Sound - Pitch and Volume to practice offline. It includes additional chapter-level practice questions.