Grade 3 Science Practice Test: Simple Machines
- Simple Machines
- 10 questions
- 13 minutes
Ten questions on the six simple machines and how they make work easier. Tip: ask yourself whether the machine changes how hard you push, which way you push, or both.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
Workers roll a heavy barrel up a long, slanted board into the back of a truck. Which simple machine are they using?
Correct answer: B
A slanted board that lets you raise a load by moving it along a slope is an inclined plane, or ramp. A pulley would use a rope and a wheel instead.
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Question 2
At school, a flag goes up the pole when someone pulls down on a rope that runs over a small wheel at the top. Which simple machine is at the top of the pole?
Correct answer: D
A wheel with a rope running over it is a pulley. This pulley changes the direction of the force: you pull down and the flag goes up.
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Question 3
A seesaw is a lever. What is the point called where the seesaw rests and turns?
Correct answer: A
Every lever turns on a fixed point called the fulcrum. The load is what gets lifted, and the effort is the push you give.
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Question 4
Which simple machine is the sharp blade of an axe that splits a log?
Correct answer: C
A wedge is thick at one end and thin at the other, so pushing it into wood forces the wood apart. The handle is not what splits the log; the blade does.
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Question 5
When you turn a round doorknob, a thin rod inside the door turns too. Which simple machine is a doorknob?
Correct answer: C
The large knob is the wheel and the thin rod is the axle. Turning the big wheel takes less force than turning the thin rod by itself.
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Question 6
Two ramps reach the same loading dock. Ramp 1 is long and gentle. Ramp 2 is short and steep. Lin pushes the same box up each ramp.
Which statement is true?
Correct answer: A
A gentle ramp trades distance for force: the push is smaller, but you push for longer. A steep ramp is shorter but needs a harder push.
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Question 7
Which sentence best describes a screw?
Correct answer: B
If you follow the thread of a screw, it is a ramp that winds around a post. Turning the screw moves it forward a little at a time.
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Question 8
Maya uses a long board and a small log as a lever to lift a heavy rock. She pushes down on the far end of the board.
Where should she put the log so that she needs the smallest push?
Correct answer: D
When the fulcrum is near the load, the long side of the board is on her side, so a small push lifts the heavy rock. Moving the log toward her hands makes the push harder.
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Question 9
How do simple machines make work easier?
Correct answer: A
A simple machine lets you push with less force or in a more useful direction. It does not change the object's weight and cannot create energy.
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Question 10
A pair of scissors is made of two simple machines. Which two?
Correct answer: B
The two handles turn on a pin like levers, and the sharp blades are wedges that cut. Scissors have no rope, wheel or winding thread.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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