Skill: course-build → write-mcqs → write-explanation, design-check-sequence @ b0fa825
Topic 9 — How a circuit makes a bulb light — the PP100's twelve question types, with their exemplars
v3 (2 October 2026). The v2 re-read's six draw constraints are added below and PP-47 has one non-metal distractor. v2 (2 October 2026). The three reviews are applied; the table, the exemplars, the constraints and the bar list below are the v2 state (52 items; the v1 → v2 renumbering is in BUILD_RECORD_G4T09.md, "v2 — reviews applied"). Item numbers on this page are v2 numbers.
What this page is. James reads a bank as its question TYPES first (vault: A bank is reviewed as its question types first, one exemplar each). Under the Grade 4 standing brief the bank is built straight away (52 items in content/G4T09_pp100_bank.py); this sheet is the way in. Each type line says what the stem asks, what the four options (or the accept list) are, and prints one exemplar in full. Tags follow depth of reasoning — easy = one-step sort or recall; medium = the rule applied to a fresh case, or the reason picked; hard = two ideas chained, a change predicted, a fix chosen, or a coined term recalled — and rise with the atom's order: ENE4-060 carries easy and medium only; ENE4-066, the capstone, is mostly hard. Every hard item carries a one-line "hard because" in the bank file.
Rulings already applied. Four options on every MCQ; no option bundles a verdict with its reason; every stem is a positive question, at most two sentences below hard; a drawn circuit on an item carries a WHITE bulb, no chips and no ring (the state is the answer; the blind bundler gets the fault in words); "electrical conductor" and "electrical insulator" are chosen among sister words, never typed (on the hard-to-spell list, RECALL_BY_MCQ); the five typed keys are lexicon words (circuit · complete · gap · loop · metals); one multi-select, hard, where the answer truly is a set; one order item (the build routine); every item names ONE atom; US spelling.
The bar list (real things a generated item must never name as a conductor or an insulator): water, salt water, the human body, air, glass as a conductor, graphite by that name, "all metals are magnetic", a coin as an insulator, a wet anything — the topic sorts only metal (and pencil lead as the named surprise), plastic, wood and rubber; glass and paper enter only with the bulb's verdict in the stem. No item needs "current", a switch, a second bulb, brightness, or any part the lessons never showed — with ONE ruled exception (blind read, 2 Oct 2026): the order item's receiver is a buzzer with a screw at each side, "like a bulb holder", so the build routine is tested on a fresh instance and not on L03-q4's.
The twelve types
| Type | Items | Atom | Tags | Form | The stem asks… | The options / the accept | Exemplar scene |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | ENE4-060 | easy | MCQ; two drawn (route-B cards, no twin or mirror of a quiz card) | what a bulb needs; which is a circuit; where the loop starts and ends; what is true of / missing from a drawn loop | four things or four statements about the loop | a drawn complete loop; a drawn one-wire loop |
| 2 | 2 | ENE4-060 | easy | MCQ | one wire only, or a lit circuit carried to the floor: what happens to the bulb | It lights. / It stays dark. / It lights only while someone holds the wire. / It gets warm but stays dark. (four different outcomes) | Dexter's one wire; Dominic's circuit carried to the floor |
| 3 | 7 | ENE4-061 | easy, medium | MCQ, drawn (blind note = neutral data: where each clip sits) | where the gap is, if there is one | at the end of the battery with no clip on it / at a screw of the bulb holder / in the middle of a wire / There is no gap. | a cut wire; both clips on one end; a clip on the glass; a clip on the side; a loose clip; a complete loop |
| 4 | 7 | ENE4-060, 061, 066 | easy, medium | MCQ | why a bulb went dark; which is true of a claim (one wire is enough; the electricity will jump across); why a clip on the glass leaves it dark; the rule's missing word (gap), chosen; why a plastic brick leaves the bulb dark | four single statements, parallel in length; or four loop words | the battery lifted from its clips; Dominic's "jump across"; the plastic toy brick |
| 5 | 4 | ENE4-061 | easy → hard | MCQ | what to do about a found gap; where the gap is when both clips share an end; what pressing cut ends together does; what a fix that did not work tells you | four actions or four statements | a clip on the battery's side (its paper wrapper); a second gap |
| 6 | 5 | ENE4-062 | easy, medium | MCQ, two drawn; one order item | where the first clip goes; where the second wire goes (drawn: the step-2 card); how many wires at the fewest; which two things the LEFT wire joins (drawn); the four steps in the order the rule gives | four places; 1 / 2 / 3 / 4; four pairs of things; the four steps | Dexter's buzzer build, tapped in the rule's order |
| 7 | 8 | ENE4-062, 066 | medium, hard | MCQ, two drawn | what to do first when the bulb is dark; what to do with a free clip (drawn); what to change; what happens when a material goes in the gap; what happens after a change to a working circuit; the one change that lights a drawn loop | four actions, parallel in length, or the type-2 set | two wires on one screw; a thumbtack in the gap; a clip moved next to the other clip |
| 8 | 2 | ENE4-062 | easy, medium | MCQ | what is safe to build with; why batteries only | four sources (the outlet, a plugged-in phone charger, a small battery, the wall switch); four reasons | the wall outlet crossed out |
| 9 | 5 | ENE4-066 | easy → hard | MCQ | what kind of material metal / plastic is; which thing lets electricity through; what a safe handle is made of; what else is true of a hot metal pan's metal | four materials or the four sister words | a zipper's teeth; a comb; a bottle cap; a handle to hold; a metal pan |
| 10 | 4 | 060, 062, 066 | medium, hard | typed text | the name of the loop; the missing lexicon word | circuit · complete (whole, closed, joined, connected, a complete loop…) · loop (circuit, wire, path) · metals (metal) — "gap" is no longer typed: nearly every bank item prints the word (blind read) | "the bulb lights only when the loop is ___" |
| 11 | 2 | ENE4-066 | hard | MCQ keyed on the term | a material lets electricity through / blocks it: what is it called | an electrical conductor / an electrical insulator / a heat insulator or heat conductor / a receiver or giver | a metal spring; a rubber band |
| 12 | 1 | ENE4-066 | hard | multi-select | select the two things electricity passes through | a metal key ring / a wooden bead / a metal washer / a plastic button → the two metal things | (the set) |
Hard because — type 5 (pressed cut ends): a cut is a gap AND metal touching metal closes it; (the second gap): a fix that did not work means another gap. Type 7 (the moved wire): the outcome of a change to a working circuit is predicted — both clips end up on one end; (the plastic button): the gap is found in a MATERIAL, and the fix picks the right class. Type 9 (the handle): the sort is run for a job, so the student wants the insulator; (heat and electricity): two topics are linked. Type 10 (metals): the class in the rule is produced; (loop): the check step's object is produced. Type 11: the term is recalled from its meaning. Type 12: the answer is a set.
One exemplar per type, in full
Type 1 (easy, ENE4-060, drawn). Look at the drawing. What is missing from the loop? — a second battery / a second bulb / nothing, the loop is complete / a second wire, from the bare screw to the bare battery end. Why: A circuit is a complete loop from one end of the battery, through the bulb, back to the other end. Only one wire is on, so one screw and one battery end are bare. So a second wire from the bare screw to the bare end is missing. (figure pp_circ_one_wire: white bulb, no chips)
Type 2 (easy, ENE4-060). Dexter joins a battery to a bulb with one wire and nothing else. What happens to the bulb? — It lights. / It stays dark. / It lights only while someone holds the wire. / It gets warm but stays dark. Why: The bulb lights only when the loop is complete. One wire leaves a gap between the bulb and the battery's other end. So no electricity flows, and the bulb stays dark.
Type 3 (medium, ENE4-061, drawn). Look at the drawing. Where is the gap, if there is one? — at the end of the battery with no clip on it / at a screw of the bulb holder / in the middle of a wire / There is no gap. Why: Electricity goes into the bulb only through the holder's two metal screws. One clip is on the bulb's glass, so one screw is bare. So the gap is at a screw of the bulb holder. (figure pp_circ_glass)
Type 4 (medium, ENE4-060). Dexter says a bulb needs only one wire to the battery. Which is true? — One wire is enough if it is thick. / One wire is enough if it is short. / The bulb needs no wire at all. / The bulb needs a second wire back to the battery. Why: Electricity flows around a loop only when the loop is complete. One wire leaves a gap between the bulb and the battery's other end. So the bulb needs a second wire back to the battery, and Dexter is not right.
Type 5 (hard, ENE4-061). Dominic's bulb stays dark. He moves the clip on the battery's side onto the battery's end, and the bulb still stays dark. What does that tell him? — The battery's end was the wrong place. / There is another gap somewhere in the loop. / The bulb needs two batteries. / The wire is too long. Why: If there is a gap anywhere in the loop, the bulb stays dark. Dominic closed one gap, and the bulb still stays dark. So there is another gap somewhere in the loop.
Type 6 (medium, ENE4-062, order). Dexter builds a circuit with a battery and a buzzer that has a screw at each side, like a bulb holder. Tap his steps in the order the rule gives, first to last. — Clip one end of a wire to one end of the battery. → Clip that wire's other end to one screw of the buzzer. → Clip one end of a second wire to the buzzer's other screw. → Clip the second wire's other end to the other end of the battery. Why: The first wire goes from one end of the battery to one screw of the buzzer. The second wire goes from the other screw back to the other end of the battery.
Type 7 (hard, ENE4-062). Dexter's circuit is lit. He takes one clip off the battery and clips it onto the battery's other end, next to the other clip. What happens to the bulb? — It lights. / It stays dark. / It lights only while someone holds the wire. / It gets warm but stays dark. Why: Now both clips are on one end of the battery. The other end has no clip, so the loop has a gap. So the bulb stays dark.
Type 8 (medium, ENE4-062). Why does the class build circuits with batteries only, never with the wall outlet? — Outlets have no electricity. / Wires do not fit an outlet. / Batteries are small. / The electricity from an outlet can hurt you. Why: We build circuits with batteries only. The electricity from a wall outlet can hurt you. So the class never puts a wire near an outlet.
Type 9 (hard, ENE4-066). Dexter wants a handle for his wire clips that he can hold safely while the bulb is lit. What should the handle be made of? — metal / a metal rod / plastic / a metal chain. Why: A material that blocks electricity is called an electrical insulator. Plastic blocks electricity, so none reaches his hand. Metal, a metal rod and a metal chain are electrical conductors, so plastic is the safe handle.
Type 10 (hard, ENE4-066, typed). Finish the rule: ___ are electrical conductors. Type the missing word. — accept: metals · metal · all metals · the metals (and three child spellings). Why: Metals are electrical conductors. Plastic, wood and rubber are electrical insulators.
Type 11 (hard, ENE4-066). A wooden clothespin blocks electricity. What is a material like that called? — a heat conductor / an electrical conductor / a giver / an electrical insulator. Why: A material that blocks electricity is called an electrical insulator. An electrical conductor lets electricity pass through. A heat conductor lets heat move through it quickly.
Type 12 (hard, ENE4-066, multi-select). Select the two things that let electricity pass through. — a metal key ring / a wooden bead / a metal washer / a plastic button. Why: Metals are electrical conductors, so electricity passes through the metal key ring and the metal washer. The bead is wood, and the button is plastic, so both block electricity.
Design-move inventory (the move, the scene kind, the nearest lesson-side instance)
| Move | Scene kind in the bank | Nearest lesson-side instance (not reused) |
|---|---|---|
| say what a bulb needs / which thing is a circuit / what is true of or missing from a drawn loop | a drawn complete loop (default shape); a drawn one-wire loop (mirrored); four things offered | L01: Derek's one wire, the second wire, longer wires, the slipped clip; quiz: two drawn loops (wide; one wire mirrored), a loop in words, a bare screw, Dexter's long wires |
| predict the bulb after one wire only / shorter wires | Dexter's one wire; Dominic's circuit carried to the floor | L01 VQ: Dominic's one wire (yes / no form); quiz q4–q7 (yes / no) |
| find the gap on a drawing | side, glass, cut (mirrored; wide), same end (and wide, mirrored), loose (flipped and mirrored; wide), complete (narrow flipped; wide) — route-B renders, none a twin or mirror of a quiz card (geometry check in the build record) | L02 quiz: five yes / no drawn items and two where-is-the-gap items on the q_circ renders; practice: loose, complete flipped |
| judge a claim (one wire; through the air) as a four-statement truth item | Dexter's one-wire claim; Dominic's air claim | L01 q8 (Dominic's one-wire claim, yes / no), q9 (Dexter's air claim, yes / no) — the bank's are the four-statement form: draw-one-per-test with L01-q8 and L01-q9 |
| why a bulb went dark / why a clip on the glass leaves it dark | a slipped clip; the glass clip | L01 article (the slipped clip); L02 article (Derek's glass clip) — the bank asks WHY with four reasons, the lessons stated it |
| what to do about a found gap; a second gap; pressed cut ends | the clip on the battery's side; two gaps; the cut ends pressed | L02 q10 (both clips on one end: move one) — the bank's PP-29 shares the scene kind: draw-one-per-test with L02-q10 |
| the build routine's steps, its count, its two joins, its order | Dexter's buzzer build (ordered); the step-2 card drawn; a one-battery circuit | L03 quiz: Dexter's scaffolded build, Dominic's order item — the bank's order item is a fresh wording of the same move: draw-one-per-test with L03-q4 |
| first thing to do when the bulb is dark; free clips; two wires on one screw; a change to a working circuit; the one change that lights it | Dexter's first move; a drawn free clip; one screw; Dexter's moved clip; a drawn both-clips-on-one-end loop | L03 q5 (free clips), q6 (what first) — the bank's PP-32 and PP-34 share the scene kind: draw-one-per-test with L03-q5 / L03-q6 |
| the safe source; why batteries only | the outlet; the plugged-in phone charger; the wall switch | L03 q8 (which can the class use) — draw-one-per-test with PP-18 |
| sort a material / pick the material for a job / link heat and electricity | a zipper's teeth; a comb; a bottle cap; a plastic toy brick; a thumbtack; a rubber ball; a handle; a spring; a wooden clothespin; a key ring; a washer; a bead; a button; a metal pan | L04 quiz: spoon, ruler, wooden block, key, foil, marble, paper strip, the wire's cover, the heat link (q10) — PP-47 shares q10's move: draw-one-per-test with L04-q10; practice: nail, plastic cup, wooden stick |
| produce the lexicon word | circuit; complete; metals; loop (gap is now chosen, type 4) | practice PR-12 (circuit typed) — PP-24 asks it as a question, PR-12 as a sentence: draw-one-per-test |
⟂ draw constraints (never in one PP100 draw), v2 numbers: PP-23 ⟂ PP-24 (two claim items); PP-25 ⟂ PP-26 (circuit, complete: one gives the other's frame); PP-25 ⟂ PP-7 ⟂ PP-1 (the definition printed as an option); PP-26 ⟂ PP-3 ⟂ PP-1 ("the loop is complete" printed); PP-3 ⟂ PP-20 (one drawing, two asks); PP-46 ⟂ PP-32 (the check step printed as an option); PP-50 ⟂ PP-21 ⟂ PP-37 ⟂ PP-41 (metal + "lets electricity pass" printed); PP-29 ⟂ PP-11 (two cut-wire drawings); PP-30 ⟂ PP-13 ⟂ PP-45 (both clips on one end: drawn, in words, drawn); PP-42 ⟂ PP-43 (Dominic's cut wire / Dominic's second gap); PP-44 ⟂ PP-45 (a moved clip / the drawn one change); PP-48 ⟂ PP-49 (the two term items); PP-50 ⟂ PP-51 (metals typed / the multi-select names metals in its why); PP-51 ⟂ PP-52 (a plastic button in both); PP-10 ⟂ PP-11 ⟂ PP-12 ⟂ PP-13 ⟂ PP-27 ⟂ PP-28 ⟂ PP-29 share the WHERE4 set — at most two in one draw. PP-25's typed "circuit" sits medium because ENE4-060 carries no hard tier (for James).
Added by the v2 re-read (Reader C, 2 October 2026; v3): PP-15 ⟂ PP-05 ⟂ PP-09 ⟂ PP-43 (PP-15 chooses the word "gap", which PP-05's stem, PP-09's key and PP-43's key print); PP-02 ⟂ PP-23 (Dexter's one wire: the outcome item and the claim item); PP-25 ⟂ PP-07, PP-26 ⟂ PP-03, PP-46 ⟂ PP-32 and PP-50 ⟂ PP-21 ⟂ PP-41 were already on the list above and are confirmed. PP-47's distractors are now metal / pencil lead / a metal chain (v3): pencil lead is named as a material once in the bank, never as a scene.