Topic 12 · What the tiny pieces explain — the question types, for your rulings

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Topic 12 — What the tiny pieces explain — 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 (50 items in content/G5T12_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 fact or a one-step pick; medium = the rule applied to a fresh case, or a reason picked; hard = a word produced, a claim judged by its correct reason, two ideas chained, or a set — and rise with the atom's order for the three taught atoms: MAT5-081 (the spreading smell) nine easy, four medium; MAT5-082 (draw the gas) six easy, five medium, three hard; MAT5-083 (where the sugar goes, the capstone) four easy, seven medium, five hard. MAT5-084 (scientists call the smallest pieces atoms) is RECOGNITION ONLY by the register's cross note, so its seven items are all easy whatever its position — the checker's S31 WARN is answered in the build record. Every hard item carries a one-line "hard because" (hb) in the bank file.

Rulings already applied. Four options on every MCQ (six fixed sets, each listed in KEY_TELL_EXEMPT_SETS, the key moving within the set: how-a-smell-reaches H4; which-drawing J4; what-is-wrong W4; where-the-pieces-are D4; why-it-seems-gone Y4; the-name N4); no option bundles a verdict with its reason (the two bank claims are "X is wrong. What is the correct reason?" with four single-statement reasons; the 8 Oct verdict-and-reason conflict is applied as the 28 Sep tiers written, so no exception is named); every stem is a positive question of at most two sentences (no "Why can you not see…": the ask is "Why does it seem to be gone?"); "atom" is never typed (RECALL_BY_MCQ: recognition only); the one typed key, "nothing", is a lexicon word ("with nothing between them"), closed, with "air" as its own feedback line (the student's habit, met in Lesson 2 (Drawing the tiny pieces of a gas)); one multi-select, where the answer is genuinely a set; every item names ONE atom; US spelling; units as words; no claim-maker from another topic (Marco voices the one child's claim; the salt-cube claim is a plain "A boy says…" so each of the three children voices at most one claim across the topic). MCQ keys A 13 · B 12 · C 12 · D 11 (48 MCQs); the typed item and the multi-select carry no letter.

The bar list (real things a generated item must never use): constant particle MOTION ("the pieces are always moving", "bump about" — grades 6-8; MAT5-081's cross note); "molecules", "what an atom is made of", "atoms join" (MAT5-084 is recognition only); "the sugar melted" as a KEY (it is Grade 4 Topic 14's documented belief and appears only as a distractor with its correction); water drawn as a blue FILL with the sugar's dots on top (the "raisins in dough" trap — the water is drawn as pieces too); "lift", "leak", "snap"; any lesson scene (Marco's toast and stairs, Miss Lindqvist's orange, Mabel's syringe, Marisol's glass of sugar water at the kitchen table, the pot of salted water, the classroom's desk / window / bottle of water, the intro's popcorn and iced tea); any quiz, attached, summary or practice scene (the candle in a hallway, garlic soup, the painted wall, the wet dog, Marisol's flower, the vinegar, the skunk, the cookies, the pizza; the balloon / bottle / box / room / jar / three-jars / two-boxes / soccer-ball drawings; the hard candy in tea, salt in soup, salt in a mug, red drink powder in a pitcher, salt in cold water, the two salty-water zooms, honey in a jar; the steel spoon, the milk, the brick wall and sink, the gold ring; the chair and cooler and coffee retrievals, the onions, the air freshener, the glass vase, the toy chest, the warm milk, the salted bowl, the lemonade, the warm tea, the copper coin, the swimming pool; the chili, the bicycle tire, the salt jug).

The eleven types (fewer would be better; the smell atom needs the how / who-first / what-through forms, the drawing atom the judge / what-is-wrong / what-is-between forms, the capstone the where / why / chained forms, and the recognition atom the name and made-of forms)

Type	Items	Atom	Tags	Form	The stem asks…	The options / the accept	Exemplar scene
1	4	081	easy	MCQ, the H4 set	how the smell of a named thing reaches a person across a room or street	Tiny pieces leave it and spread through the air / Nothing leaves it; the smell is in the air already / The air near it turns into the thing itself / A nose pulls the smell out of it from far away	bacon and a girl in the den; cut grass at a window; a bakery door; a peppermint in a car
2	6	081	easy, medium	MCQ	who smells it first; where the smell is strongest; where the pieces were before; why the smell takes a minute; why near and far differ; why it is faint across the street	four single statements	nail polish on a porch; cinnamon rolls in a mall; a squeezed lemon; a barn across a field; a fish market; a candy shop
3	3	081	easy, medium	MCQ	what the pieces spread through; what is true of each piece that left the thing; how a dog knew its bowl was filled	the air / the sidewalk / the sunlight / the cart; far too small to see / a tiny red berry / a drop of juice / as big as a seed	a hot dog cart; strawberries; a dog's food bowl
4	4	082	easy	MCQ, the J4 set	which drawing shows the air in a named closed container as it really is	a few dots spread through the whole container, nothing between them / shaded gray, no dots / shaded gray with dots on top / all the dots heaped at the bottom	a closed drawer; a cookie tin; a cupboard; a zipped tent
5	5	082	easy, medium	MCQ, the W4 set and kin	what is wrong with a described drawing (gray under dots; dots in one corner; dots packed and touching; gray with no dots)	Nothing should be shaded between the dots / There should be no dots at all / The dots should all touch each other / The dots should spread through the whole container	a blown-up bag; an empty fish tank; a car; a drum; a suitcase
6	5	082	medium, hard	MCQ, typed	what is between the dots; which sentence is right about shading; Marco's "raisins in dough" claim — the correct reason; what to change to turn a solid's drawing into a gas's; the typed word for what is between the pieces	nothing at all / more air, too thin to draw / gray smoke / water; accept nothing, nothing at all, empty space, space…	a mailbox; a bucket with a lid; Marco's claim; a closed trunk; a closed drawer
7	4	083	easy	MCQ, the D4 set	where a dissolved solid's tiny pieces are now	spread out among the liquid's pieces / lying in a heap at the bottom / floating in a layer at the top / turned into the liquid	sugar in cocoa; a hummingbird feeder; fish-tank salt; a hiker's cup
8	6	083	medium	MCQ, the Y4 set and kin	why the dissolved stuff seems to be gone; how two spoonfuls taste; which sentence is true of the water sprayed from a sprayer of dissolved plant food; which sentence is true of dissolved salt	Each piece is far too small to see / It has turned into the liquid / It has left as a gas / The liquid hides it from view	a broth cube; brown sugar; Epsom salt; fruit juice; a plant sprayer; a pan for boiling eggs
9	6	083	medium, hard	MCQ, multi-select	which zoomed drawing is right; why a grain is easy to see; the salt-cube claim — the correct reason; the red mix in two cups; the half-dissolved cube; the TWO true sentences	four single statements; the set	apple juice; a grain of salt; a boy's claim; red drink mix in a bowl; a sugar cube in cold water; salt in a mug
10	3	084	easy	MCQ, the N4 set	what the smallest pieces of a named thing are called	atoms / cells / grains / specks	a plastic toy; a gray rock; juice in a cup
11	4	084	easy	MCQ	which of three kinds of matter are made of atoms (all three); a true statement about an apple; which sentence is true of a bike looked at through a magnifying glass (an atom is far too small to see)	four single statements	a pencil, a cat and tire air; sea water, a marble and a tree; an apple; a bike

Hard because — type 6: the "raisins in dough" belief is judged by its correct reason against reasons that keep part of the belief; two conventions (packed = solid, few and spread = gas) are told apart and the fix chosen; the word "nothing" is produced against the student's habit "air". Type 9: two ideas chained (the packed grain is visible, one spread piece is not); the register's "each piece has the everyday properties" belief judged by its correct reason; the color evidence and the taste prediction chained from one rule; two pieces of evidence read into a part-way state; a set of two true statements held together.

One exemplar per type, in full

Type 1 (easy, MAT5-081). Bacon fries in a pan in the kitchen, and a girl in the den smells it. How does the smell of the bacon reach her? — Tiny pieces leave it and spread through the air. / Nothing leaves it; the smell is in the air already. / The air near it turns into the thing itself. / A nose pulls the smell out of it from far away. Why: A smell reaches you because tiny pieces leave the thing and spread out through the air to your nose. Tiny pieces leave the frying bacon. So the pieces spread through the air to the den, and she smells the bacon. (nearest lesson-side instance: Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room)-V1, the pizza, two options — here the set is four)

Type 2 (medium, MAT5-081). A barn door opens, and a girl in a house across a field smells the barn about a minute later. Why does the smell take a minute to reach her? — The smell waits for the wind to start blowing. / The tiny pieces take time to spread out through the air to the house. / The pieces cannot leave the barn until the door is wide open. / The smell has to grow bigger before she can smell it. (nearest: Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room), question 7, the skunk, three options)

Type 3 (easy, MAT5-081). A boy smells strawberries from across a kitchen. Which of these is true about each tiny piece that left the strawberries? — It is a tiny red berry you could see up close. / It is far too small to see. / It is a drop of red juice. / It is as big as a seed. (nearest: none in the quizzes — the fact is the lesson's "far too small to see" line)

Type 4 (easy, MAT5-082). A girl wants to draw the air inside a closed drawer as tiny pieces. Which drawing shows the air as it really is? — a few dots spread through the whole container, with nothing between them / the whole container shaded gray, with no dots / the whole container shaded gray, with dots on top / all the dots heaped at the bottom of the container. (nearest: Lesson 2 (Drawing the tiny pieces of a gas), question 8, the three jars drawn, left / middle / right)

Type 5 (easy, MAT5-082). A drawing of the air in a blown-up plastic bag shades the whole bag gray and puts dots on top. What is wrong with the drawing? — Nothing should be shaded between the dots. / There should be no dots at all. / The dots should all touch each other. / The dots should spread through the whole container. (nearest: Lesson 2 (Drawing the tiny pieces of a gas), question 6, the jar drawn gray with dots, three options)

Type 6 (hard, MAT5-082, typed). In a good drawing of the air in a closed drawer, the tiny pieces are drawn as a few small dots. Type the one word that says what is between the pieces. — accept: nothing, nothing at all, there is nothing, nothing is between them, empty space, space, nothin, nothing between them; "air" → "The dots are the air. Between the pieces there is nothing at all."; "gas", "water", "gray" each with their own line. Hard because: the word is produced, and the student's own habit, "air", is the trap. (nearest: PP-34, the mailbox, where "nothing at all" is picked)

Type 7 (easy, MAT5-083). A spoonful of sugar is stirred into a mug of hot cocoa until none can be seen. Where are the sugar's tiny pieces now? — spread out among the liquid's pieces / lying in a heap at the bottom / floating in a layer at the top / turned into the liquid. (nearest: Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes), question 1, the hard candy in tea, three options)

Type 8 (medium, MAT5-083). A gardener stirs plant food powder into a plant sprayer full of water until none can be seen, and then sprays some of the water onto a leaf. Which sentence is true about the sprayed water? — Plant food pieces are spread all through the sprayed water. / The plant food lies at the bottom of the sprayer. / The plant food is gone once it cannot be seen. / Only the first spray carries plant food. (nearest: Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes), question 2, the two spoonfuls of soup)

Type 9 (hard, MAT5-083). A boy says each tiny piece of salt in a bowl of salty water is a tiny white cube, too small to see. He is wrong. What is the correct reason? — A white cube of salt is countless tiny pieces packed together. / Salt pieces in water are not cubes but tiny white balls. / Salt pieces in water turn clear and lose their white color. / There are no salt pieces left in the water once salt dissolves. Hard because: the register's "each piece has the everyday properties" belief is judged by its correct reason against three reasons that keep part of the belief. (nearest: Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes), question 4, Mabel's white grain as bare yes / no)

Type 10 (easy, MAT5-084). A plastic toy is made of tiny pieces far too small to see. What are the smallest of those pieces called? — atoms / cells / grains / specks. (nearest: Lesson 4 (What scientists call the smallest pieces), question 4, the term item on "matter", four options)

Type 11 (easy, MAT5-084). A pencil, a cat and the air in a tire are all matter. Which of them are made of atoms? — only the pencil / only the pencil and the cat / all three of them / only the cat. (nearest: Lesson 4 (What scientists call the smallest pieces), question 1, the brick wall, the air and the water, three options)

Draw constraints (⟂ = never in the same twenty-item draw)

A later item never gives away an earlier answer. Read from stems, keys and option text: PP-34 ⟂ PP-45 (the mailbox's key "nothing at all" is the typed word) · PP-35 ⟂ PP-45 (the bucket item's key states "nothing should be shaded between them") · PP-43 ⟂ PP-34 and PP-43 ⟂ PP-35 (Marco's correct reason, "between them there is nothing at all", answers both) · PP-46 ⟂ PP-47 (the grain's reason, "countless tiny pieces packed close together", is the salt-cube key's phrase) · PP-39 ⟂ PP-48 (both spoonfuls sweeter; both cups the same — the one spreading evidence twice) · PP-26 ⟂ PP-27 (the all-three answer repeats across two scenes; draw one). The claim stems PP-43 and PP-47 quote the claim first, state the verdict, and ask for the correct reason; no reason is printed in a stem.

Design-move inventory (move · scene kind · nearest earlier item)

Every bank item's move was written first and read against the quizzes, the attached questions, the practice set and the lessons' own cases. Moves the atom forces to repeat (a smell is spreading pieces; a gas is few spread dots with nothing between; dissolved stuff is pieces spread among the liquid's pieces) are kept apart by scene KIND — a kitchen, a street, a car, a field, a shop; a drawer, a tin, a cupboard, a tent, a bag, a tank, a car, a drum, a suitcase, a mailbox, a bucket, a trunk; a cocoa mug, a bird feeder, a fish tank, a hiker's cup, a broth cube, syrup, a foot bath, fruit juice, a sprayer, an egg pan, apple juice, a bowl of red mix, a cube in cold water — and by the ask (how / who first / where strongest / why a minute / what through / what is true of a piece; which drawing / what is wrong / what is between / what to change; where / why gone / how it tastes / does the spray carry it / which zoom / why the grain shows / which two are true). Items sharing a move with a scene kind that differs only a little are the ⟂ pairs above.

PP	Move	Scene kind	Nearest earlier
1–4	how the smell reaches a person	kitchen→den; lawn→window; bakery→sidewalk; car back→front	Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room)-V1 pizza (2-opt)
5	who smells it first	porch, nail polish	Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room), question 2 garlic soup
6	where strongest	mall, cinnamon rolls	Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room), question 3 painted wall
7	where the pieces were before	picnic lemon	NEW
8	what the pieces spread through	hot dog cart	NEW (the lexicon's "through the air")
9	what is true of each piece	strawberries	Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room), question 8 (cut) — NEW in the bank
10–13	which drawing is right	drawer, tin, cupboard, tent	Lesson 2 (Drawing the tiny pieces of a gas), question 8 three jars
14–15	what is wrong (gray under dots; dots in a corner)	bag; fish tank	Lesson 2 (Drawing the tiny pieces of a gas), question 6 jar; Lesson 2 (Drawing the tiny pieces of a gas), question 7 bottle heap
16–19	where the pieces are	cocoa, feeder, fish tank, hiker's cup	Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes), question 1 hard candy
20–22	the name of the smallest pieces	toy, rock, juice	Lesson 4 (What scientists call the smallest pieces), question 4 / Lesson 4 (What scientists call the smallest pieces), question 5
23–24	which of three are made of atoms	pencil-cat-tire; sea water-marble-tree	Lesson 4 (What scientists call the smallest pieces), question 1 wall-air-sink
25	a true statement about a thing	apple	Lesson 4 (What scientists call the smallest pieces), question 3 milk
26	can one atom be seen (magnifying glass)	bike	Lesson 4 (What scientists call the smallest pieces), question 2
27	why a minute	barn across a field	Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room), question 7 skunk
28	why near first, far later	fish market	Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room), question 2
29	why faint across the street	candy shop	Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room), question 3
30	how the dog knew	dog bowl	Lesson 1 (How a smell crosses a room), question 4 wet dog
31–33	what is wrong (packed; gray no dots; gray with dots)	car; drum; suitcase	Lesson 2 (Drawing the tiny pieces of a gas), question 6, PR-6 vase
34	what is between the dots	mailbox	Lesson 2 (Drawing the tiny pieces of a gas) article line
35	which sentence is right about shading	bucket with a lid	PR-6 vase
36–38	why it seems gone	broth cube; syrup; Epsom salt	Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes), question 3 salt in a mug
39	how two spoonfuls taste	fruit juice cup	Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes), question 2 soup
40	does the sprayed water carry it	plant sprayer	NEW
41	which sentence is true of dissolved salt	egg pan	Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes)-V1 salt in a pot
42	which zoomed drawing is right	apple juice	Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes), question 7 two zooms
43	Marco's claim — correct reason	the raisins-in-dough belief	NEW (bank only)
44	what to change: solid's drawing → gas's	closed trunk	Lesson 2 (Drawing the tiny pieces of a gas), question 9 two boxes
45	typed: what is between the pieces	closed drawer	PP-34
46	why the grain is easy to see	grain of salt	Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes) article (grain zoom)
47	the salt-cube claim — correct reason	bowl of salty water	Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes), question 4 Mabel's grain
48	red mix in two cups	bowl of red mix	Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes), question 5 red powder (pitcher)
49	the half-dissolved cube	sugar cube in cold water	NEW
50	the TWO true sentences	salt in a mug	Lesson 3 (Where the sugar goes) rule line

Key strings (adjudication, 8 Oct 2026)

Bank MCQ keys by the module's option order, PP-01 to PP-50 (the typed PP-45 and the multi-select PP-50 skipped): ABCD BCDA BACB DABA BCDA CDCA BDBA CDAB BCDA CDBA CDAC BADC — A 13 · B 12 · C 12 · D 11, no three alike in a row. The H4 run PP-01 to PP-04 sits at A B C D and the J4 run PP-10 to PP-13 at A C B D. The blind bundle shuffles every item's options with one fixed seed, so its letters (A A A A on PP-01 to PP-04; D on PP-10 and PP-12) are the bundler's, not the bank's; the student page shuffles with its own seed too.