Topic 6 · How a circuit does a job — the question types, for your rulings

Skill: course-build → write-mcqs → write-explanation, design-check-sequence @ cca3af6

Topic 6 — How a circuit does a job — the PP100's question types, with their exemplars

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 5 standing brief the bank is built straight away (52 items in content/G5T06_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 below.

Rulings already applied. Four options on every MCQ (fixed sets: what-is-missing "an energy source / a complete loop / a part that works / nothing is missing", the fix set "Put in a new battery. / Close the gap in the loop. / Put in a new part. / Leave it as it is.", the out set "It gives out light and heat. / It gives out sound. / It makes something move. / It gives out nothing." and, for a HEATER item, the heat set "It gives out heat. / It gives out sound. / It makes something move. / It gives out nothing." — each declared in KEY_TELL_EXEMPT_SETS, the key moving; the two sets exist because light and heat are never rival options (James, 5 Oct 2026): a bulb item never offers "heat" alone beside "light and heat", and a heater item never offers "light and heat" beside "heat" — non-author review, 8 Oct 2026); no option bundles a verdict with its reason (the two claim items are "X is wrong. What is the correct reason?" with four single-statement reasons; PP-39 and PP-50, which had carried "…, because …" options, now take the out set — no exception item); hard items are typed where typing produces (battery, loop, sound, light, heat — every typed key a lexicon word, S30 fail=0) or a two-step MCQ with its "hard because" line; light and heat are never rival options; one atom per item; difficulty rises with the atom's position; every item a fresh instance (no lesson, quiz, attached or practice scene); claim-makers Gemma and Gideon once each; US places and spelling.

The bar list (real things a generated item must never use): "electrical energy" (James, 25 Sep 2026: electricity carries energy); a loop with NO part in it (a short circuit); a flat battery (Topic 5's atom); "gives out motion" (the motor moves); a doorbell (Topic 7's example); "cord", "outlet", "plug it in" for a battery loop; the Grade 4 Topic 10 scenes (bike light, smoke alarm, toothbrush, flashlight, toy robot, hand-held fan, night light).

The eleven types

Type	Items	Atom	Tier	Form	The stem asks…	The options / the accept	Exemplar scene
1	5	010	easy	MCQ, drawn loop, the missing set	what the pictured circuit is missing (no battery / cut wire / open switch / broken bulb / nothing)	an energy source / a complete loop / a part that works / nothing is missing	five item loops (pp_loop_*)
2	4	010	easy	MCQ, the missing set	what a described circuit is missing	the same set	a model lighthouse in Maine; a mouse-chewed wire in a Texas garage; a model Ferris wheel; a toy drum machine
3	4	010	easy, medium	MCQ, the fix set	which fix makes the circuit work	Put in a new battery. / Close the gap in the loop. / Put in a new part. / Leave it as it is.	tent lights in Colorado; a model train in Illinois; a Georgia science table; a model crane
4	5	011	easy	MCQ	which part is drawn first; where the first wire starts; which drawing is one unbroken loop (pp_pair_bulb); where the last wire goes; the check step	four single answers	an Ohio boy; a girl in Oregon
5	4	011	medium, hard	MCQ	why a drawing is wrong; what a circuit built from a faulty drawing would do; where a switch is drawn; (hard) a loop drawn with an open switch	four single statements	the stops-short wire; two wires from one end; the switch on the wire
6	5	012	easy, medium	MCQ, the out set (the heat set for the heater) and energy types	what a part does in a working circuit; which type of energy the moving / hot thing has	the out set (heater: the heat set); kinetic / chemical / thermal / elastic energy	a door alarm in Florida; a model car in Arizona; a heated glove; a music box dancer; a dog's heated bed in Minnesota
7	4	012	medium	MCQ, drawn chain strip	what goes in the blank box (the part; the energy source); what carries the energy; why the bulb is warm	four single answers	pp_chain_blank_part, pp_chain_blank_source; a model boat; a small lamp
8	6	013	easy, medium	MCQ, the out set	what the circuit gives out after a swap (buzzer → bulb; motor → buzzer; bulb → heater, the heat set; drawn pp_predict_buzzer; buzzer → motor; which part was put in)	the out set (heater: the heat set); four parts	a toy boat; a model house; a robot toy
9	5	013	medium, hard	MCQ	what stays the same (the battery and the wires); the broken-part swap; the battery-for-battery swap (the out set); (hard) swap + open switch (the out set, keyed nothing); swap + silent buzzer	four single statements, or the out set	a model fire truck; two chained cases
10	8	010, 011, 012, 013	hard	typed	the missing part's name; the shape's name; the first part of the routine; what the buzzer / bulb / heater gives out; what the swapped circuit gives out	battery / loop / sound / light (+ heat) / heat, each with article, plural and child spellings	a model streetlight; a bicycle horn; a model helicopter; heated socks; a model ambulance
11	2	010, 012	hard	MCQ, correct-reason claim	a named child's claim is wrong: what is the correct reason (the new-battery belief; the only-light belief — ENE5 register SD-2)	four single-statement reasons	Gemma's model fan (a loose wire); Gideon's model greenhouse heater

⟂ draw constraints (never in one test together): PP-1 (cut wire) with PP-45 (typed "loop" from a broken loop); PP-13 (pp_pair_bulb) with PP-24 (two wires from one end described); PP-26 (blank part = buzzer) with PP-47 (typed "sound" from a buzzer); PP-42 (Gemma, a loose wire) with PP-7 (the chewed wire); the two claim items with each other.

The exemplars (one per type, printed in full)

Type 1 — exemplar PP-1 (ENE5-010, easy, pp_loop_cut_bulb)

Stem. Here is a circuit drawn as a diagram. What is the circuit missing?

• an energy source
• a complete loop ← key
• a part that works
• nothing is missing

Why. A circuit needs one complete loop. The bottom wire is cut, so the loop has a gap. So the circuit is missing a complete loop.

Type 2 — exemplar PP-6 (ENE5-010, easy)

Stem. A model lighthouse in a classroom in Maine has a bulb at the top, joined by wires to an empty battery holder, and the bulb is dark. What is the circuit missing?

• an energy source ← key
• a complete loop
• a part that works
• nothing is missing

Why. A circuit needs an energy source. The battery holder is empty, so nothing provides energy. So the circuit is missing an energy source.

Type 3 — exemplar PP-10 (ENE5-010, easy)

Stem. A string of small bulbs on a tent in Colorado is dark because the switch on its battery pack was left open. Which fix makes the bulbs light?

• Put in a new battery.
• Close the gap in the loop. ← key
• Put in a new part.
• Leave it as it is.

Why. An open switch leaves a gap in the loop. The battery and the bulbs are fine. So closing the gap, by closing the switch, makes the bulbs light.

Type 4 — exemplar PP-11 (ENE5-011, easy)

Stem. A boy in Ohio is about to draw a circuit with a battery, a switch and a motor. Which part does he draw first?

• the motor
• the switch
• the battery ← key
• the wire

Why. To draw a circuit, draw the battery first. So the battery is the part he draws first.

Type 6 — exemplar PP-16 (ENE5-012, easy)

Stem. A doorstop alarm in Florida has a battery and a buzzer inside. When the door moves, what does the circuit do?

• It gives out light and heat.
• It gives out sound. ← key
• It makes something move.
• It gives out nothing.

Why. A buzzer gives out sound. The alarm's circuit has a buzzer in it. So the circuit gives out sound.

Type 8 — exemplar PP-19 (ENE5-013, easy)

Stem. A working loop in a toy has a buzzer in it, and the buzzer is swapped for a bulb that works. What does the circuit give out now?

• It gives out light and heat. ← key
• It gives out sound.
• It makes something move.
• It gives out nothing.

Why. When the part is swapped, the circuit gives out what the new part gives out. A bulb gives out light and heat. So the circuit now gives out light and heat.

Type 5 — exemplar PP-23 (ENE5-011, medium)

Stem. A drawing of a circuit shows a battery, a wire to a buzzer, and a wire from the buzzer that stops before it reaches the battery. Why is this drawing wrong?

• The drawing has no switch in it.
• The buzzer is drawn before the battery.
• The drawing is not one unbroken loop. ← key
• The wire starts at the wrong end of the battery.

Why. A circuit drawing is one unbroken loop from one end of the battery through each part and back to the other end. The last wire stops short, so the drawing has a gap. So the drawing is wrong because it is not one unbroken loop.

Type 7 — exemplar PP-26 (ENE5-012, medium, pp_chain_blank_part)

Stem. Here is the energy chain for a working circuit, with one box blank. Which part goes in the blank box?

• a bulb
• a heater
• a motor
• a buzzer ← key

Why. The part gives the energy out. The chain ends in sound, and a buzzer gives out sound. So the blank box is a buzzer.

Type 9 — exemplar PP-36 (ENE5-013, medium)

Stem. A working loop's buzzer is swapped for a motor. Which of these stays the same after the swap?

• the part in the loop
• the battery and the wires ← key
• what the circuit gives out
• the sound that comes out

Why. When the part is swapped, the battery and the wires stay the same. The part changes, and what the circuit gives out changes with it: the motor moves, and no sound comes out. So the battery and the wires stay the same.

Type 10 — exemplar PP-40 (ENE5-010, hard)

Stem. A model streetlight has a complete loop and a bulb that works, but nothing in the loop provides energy. Type the name of the part that is missing.

Typed; accept: battery, a battery, the battery, batteries, battry, batery, baterry, an energy source, energy source, the energy source

Why. The battery provides the energy. Nothing in this loop provides energy. So the missing part is the battery.

Hard because. the student produces the part's name from its job, with no options to pick from

Type 11 — exemplar PP-42 (ENE5-010, hard)

Stem. Gemma's model fan stopped when a wire came loose from the motor. Gemma says the fan needs a new battery, but she is wrong. What is the correct reason?

• The motor is burned out.
• The loose wire left a gap in the loop. ← key
• The battery is in upside down.
• The fan blades are too heavy.

Why. A wire that has come loose leaves a gap in the loop, so the circuit is missing a complete loop. The battery still provides energy. So the correct reason is that the loose wire left a gap in the loop, and clipping it back on is the fix.

Hard because. a documented belief (ENE5 register SD-2: a failed circuit is always missing a battery) judged by its correct reason

Belief source. ENE5 register SD-2: 'A circuit that fails is always missing a battery'; Lesson 1 addressed it ('A new battery would not help, because the loop would still have the gap.')

Type counts, recomputed

type	items
1	5
2	4
3	4
4	5
5	4
6	5
7	4
8	6
9	5
10	8
11	2

Per atom: {'ENE5-010': 16, 'ENE5-011': 10, 'ENE5-012': 13, 'ENE5-013': 13} · per tier: {'easy': 19, 'medium': 20, 'hard': 13} · typed: 8 · claim items: 2.

Non-author review, 8 October 2026

Skill: review-questions @ cca3af6. The out set split into the out set and the heat set (light and heat are never rival options: PP-19 had keyed "light and heat" over a distractor "heat", true of a bulb); PP-39 and PP-50 lost their "…, because …" options and take the out set; PP-36 asks what stays the same and keys "the battery and the wires" (the old key, "the energy the current carries", claimed the amount stays the same, which a different part does not keep); PP-21 no longer tells the student a new battery fails; PP-23's distractors are errors in the drawing routine; PP-44's stem no longer calls an open-switch drawing "one unbroken loop"; PP-48's scene was a quiz buzzer (a model traffic light with no bulb was contrived), then, at adjudication, Gideon's model greenhouse heater, so the bank no longer echoes L03's buzzer scene or L03-08's verdict; PP-42 is Gemma's model fan with a loose wire for the same reason (L01-07); PP-13 asks for the loop "from one end of the battery to the other end". Record: REVIEW_G5T06_2026-10-08.md.