Topic 19 · How shadows change through the day — the question types, for your rulings

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Topic 19 — How shadows change through the day — 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/G5T19_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 sort; medium = the rule applied to a fresh case, a reason picked, a drawn graph, fan or table read (James, 8 Oct 2026: reading a drawn graph in any MCQ form, and any MCQ whose options are numbers, is medium); hard = a produced number that needs two steps, a claim judged by its correct reason, a set answer, or two ideas chained — and rise with the atom's order: SPA5-001 (length) eight easy, three medium; SPA5-002 (direction) four easy, six medium; SR5-022 (construct a line graph) two easy, six medium, two hard; SPA5-003 (graph a day of shadows, the capstone) five medium, five hard; SR5-006 (experiment or observation study) nine medium, two hard (adjudication 8 Oct 2026: the bird-count change, the two term-from-definition items and the two-studies multi-select retagged medium — each is answered by matching "on purpose" in the stem or an option — and moved to the end of the medium block, so old PP-49–52 are PP-40–43 and old PP-40–48 are PP-44–52). Every hard item carries a one-line "hard because" (hb) in the bank file.

Rulings already applied. Four options on every MCQ (fixed sets: the four times "8 in the morning / noon / 2 in the afternoon / 6 in the evening"; the four directions "toward the north / east / south / west"; the three drawn shadows plus "all three shadows"; the four kinds "an experiment / an observation study / a measurement / a pattern"; the four dot moves; the four colored dots — each declared in KEY_TELL_EXEMPT_SETS, key varies); no option bundles a verdict with its reason (every bank claim is "X is wrong … What is the correct reason?" with four single-statement reasons); every stem is a positive question of at most two sentences unless tagged hard; a drawn item's blind text lists the drawn data (bearings and lengths, dot positions, table cells), never a verdict word; "experiment" and "observation study" are recalled by MCQ (RECALL_BY_MCQ); the typed keys are numbers read or worked from a drawn graph (meters, hours), with accept lists carrying the bare number, the number with its unit word and the word form; two multi-selects, where the answer is genuinely a set; every item names ONE atom; US spelling; units as words in prose, numerals with the unit word on drawings. MCQ keys A 12 · B 16 · C 9 · D 10 (after the non-author review of 8 Oct 2026: PP-24's dots re-laid so the red dot is the key; PP-25's key moved to D so no letter is over 35 %).

⟂ draw constraints (an item that would help another), in the ids AFTER the 8 Oct adjudication's re-sort: PP-18 ⟂ PP-19 (both read the Nevada fan; the first's key is noon, the second's 3 in the afternoon — draw one per test); PP-31 ⟂ PP-50 (both read the Oregon bench graph; 110 centimeters at 11 / 4 hours after 9); PP-41 ⟂ PP-42 (the two term-from-definition items name the sister term as a distractor); PP-49 (the multi-select on the rule's two halves) ⟂ PP-33 and PP-34 (the flat-or-dip pair and the dots-drop item, whose keys are the same two sentences applied); PP-04 (the sentence that describes a day of shadows) ⟂ PP-01, PP-02, PP-05, PP-15, PP-17 (its key is the rule those items apply); PP-48 (Samir's lowest-dot reason: "the lowest dot is the shortest reading") ⟂ PP-30, PP-32, PP-46 (the shortest-time and shortest-length reads).

The bar list (real things a generated item must never use): any lesson scene (Salma's flagpole in San Antonio, the tape measure, the chalk lines, the whiteboard and the yard's temperatures, Sienna's bird feeder and the storm); any quiz, attached, summary, practice or recall-bank scene (the Ohio fence post panels, the Georgia tree, the Kansas basketball hoop, the Arizona sign post, the Oregon goal post table, the Florida lamp post, the Michigan tree, Sienna's own shadow in Colorado; the Ohio tree at 8 am, the Nevada fence post, Samir's Utah fan, the Kansas mailbox, the Georgia park, the Idaho girl; Sienna's cocoa, the Maine snow, the river's depth, Samir's pond; the Georgia fence-post graph, the Iowa mailbox graph, the Vermont bar graph, the Alabama lamp post, the Texas lowest dot; Samir's cars, the toy car on two ramps, the Kentucky bean plants, the Oregon clouds, the Maine ducks and the dog, the Idaho nest; the Nebraska tree, the Oklahoma post, the Maine boy's dots, the Missouri class, the Oregon ants, the Utah pole, the Arkansas tree, the Ohio pond; the toy horse, the lake birds' bar graph, the New Mexico street sign, the Montana barn, the Nebraska water tower, the bathtub, the Idaho young tree, the lighthouse graph, Samir's geese, the Michigan ice cubes and street lights, Samir's music plants; the Florida beach, the mug and lamp, the Kansas rain bar graph, the Tuesday rain gauge, the Oregon ramp car, the paper towels); "why" the Sun's position changes (Topic 20); "independent / dependent variable"; a claim-maker other than Samir; "biggest / smallest" for a length or a time; a shadow at night; a compass bearing in degrees in student text.

The twenty-four types (fewer would be better; the five atoms each need their read, apply and reason forms, and the capstone its produced numbers)

Type	Items	Atom	Tags	Form	The stem asks…	The options / the accept	Exemplar scene
1	2	001	easy	MCQ, the four-time set	at which time is the shadow shortest / longest	8 in the morning / noon / 2 in the afternoon / 6 in the evening	a scarecrow in Iowa; a tent pole in Wyoming
2	1	001	easy	MCQ, drawn three panels	which drawn shadow is the 7 o'clock shadow (times hidden)	the left / middle / right shadow / all three shadows	a bike rack post in Maine
3	1	001	easy	MCQ	which sentence describes a day of shadows	four sentence shapes of the pattern	a tall gate post
4	6	001	easy, medium	MCQ	which part of the day; which length could it be (from one reading, from two, from a drawn table)	before noon / after noon / … ; four lengths	a swing set; a bus stop sign; a cactus; a boy in Oklahoma; a streetlight's table (drawn); a Wisconsin post
5	3	002	easy	MCQ, the four-direction set	which way the shadow points, given where the Sun is	toward the north / east / south / west	a chimney at 8 am; a tent at 5 pm; a stop sign at noon
6	1	002	easy	MCQ	where the Sun is, given where the shadow points	in the west / east / north / straight overhead	a boy in Indiana
7	2	022	easy	MCQ	what goes along the bottom / up the side of the line graph	the time / the width / the name / the weather …	a puddle in Delaware; a sunflower in Ohio
8	2	022	medium	MCQ, drawn	which colored dot is the reading's right place; which dot a boy put in the wrong place against his table	the red / blue / green dot / every dot; the four dots by their times	a puddle frame (drawn); a candle's table and graph (drawn)
9	4	022	medium	MCQ	how many lines join six dots; the last step; what the line between two dots shows; what a wordless graph is missing	four single answers	a tomato plant; a Utah class; a plant measured on Mondays; a girl's graph
10	2	002	medium	MCQ, drawn fan	which time belongs to a line with no time	four times	a flag's fan in Nevada (two lines, ⟂)
11	4	002	medium	MCQ	the order of the swing; how the direction changes; where it points later; about what time it is from a short north shadow	four lists / four descriptions / four directions / four times	a tree; a flag in Georgia; a girl in Maine
12	4	003	medium	MCQ, drawn graph or bar graph	at which time the shadow was shortest; which of two graphs could be a day of shadows; which way the dots go	four times; the top / bottom / both / neither; the four dot moves	a barn in Wisconsin; a road sign in Kansas (bars); a tree's two graphs; a flag in Montana
13	1	003	medium	MCQ, drawn graph	how long the shadow was at a named time	four lengths	a park bench in Oregon
14	4	006	medium	MCQ, the four-kind set	which kind of investigation this is	an experiment / an observation study / a measurement / a pattern	cars at a corner; a ball on carpet and tile; the Moon's shape; two radish plants
15	1	006	medium	MCQ, the four-kind set	the near miss: something changed, but nobody changed it on purpose	the same four kinds	squirrels and a felled tree in Virginia
16	1	022	hard	MCQ, reason	Samir is wrong to say every point on the line was measured: the correct reason (SR5 SD-2)	four single-statement reasons	Samir's graph
17	1	022	hard	MCQ	two ideas chained: five readings, a value read between two dots — which sentence is true	four statements	an icicle measured through a day
18	3	003	hard	typed numeric	the shortest shadow's length; the difference between two readings; the hours from 9 to the lowest dot	7 meters / 12 meters / 4 hours, each with its word forms	a windmill in Kansas; a flag in Arizona; the Oregon bench (⟂)
19	1	003	hard	MCQ, reason	Samir is wrong to say the lowest dot shows the longest shadow: the correct reason (a routine error, no catalogue needed)	four single-statement reasons	Samir's graph
20	1	003	hard	multi-select	the TWO sentences that describe a correct day-of-shadows graph	drop toward the middle / climb again after it / stay level / climb all day	the rule's two halves
21	2	006	hard	MCQ, reason	Samir is wrong to call an hourly temperature record an experiment; wrong to say only experiments are real science (SR5 SD-1; the Florida line)	four single-statement reasons	a class's record; Samir's claim
22	1	006	medium	MCQ	which change would turn a bird count into an experiment	four changes, one on purpose	a park in Oregon
23	2	006	medium	MCQ, the four-kind set (recall)	the term from its definition	the same four kinds	a scientist who changes nothing; a scientist who changes one thing
24	1	006	medium	multi-select	which TWO of four investigations are observation studies	geese counted / glue tested / noon temperature written down / plants watered differently	the set

Hard because — type 16, 19, 21: the claim is judged by its correct reason, held against the rule. Type 17: count the readings, then say what the line between two dots is. Type 18: two steps on the graph (find, then read; read twice, then subtract; find the time, then count the hours). Type 20, 24: a set held together. Type 22: the student supplies the change that crosses the boundary. Type 23: the coined term recalled from its definition (by MCQ: RECALL_BY_MCQ).

One exemplar per type, in full

Type 1 (easy, SPA5-001). A scarecrow stands in a field in Iowa on a clear day. At which time is its shadow the shortest? — 8 in the morning / noon / 2 in the afternoon / 6 in the evening. Why: Through the day, a shadow is shortest around the middle of the day. Noon is the middle of the day. So the scarecrow's shadow is shortest at noon. (nearest lesson-side instance: Lesson 1 (A shadow is long, then short, then long again), question 2, the Georgia tree, three options — here the set is four and fixed)

Type 2 (easy, SPA5-001, drawn). Here is a bike rack post in Maine at 7 in the morning, at noon, and at 3 in the afternoon, in a mixed-up order. Which shadow is the 7 o'clock shadow? — the left shadow / the middle shadow / the right shadow / all three shadows. (figure pp_posts_maine: three panels, shadows 1.0, 3.6 and 2.0 meters, no times; the blind text lists the three lengths; nearest: Lesson 1 (A shadow is long, then short, then long again), question 1, the Ohio fence post, which asks for the noon shadow)

Type 3 (easy, SPA5-001). Which sentence describes a tall gate post's shadow through a clear day? — the same length all day / short, then longest around the middle of the day, then short again / long, then shortest around the middle of the day, then long again / longer and longer all day. (nearest: the Lesson 1 (A shadow is long, then short, then long again) rule line itself; here the pattern is picked among three wrong shapes, one of them the documented belief)

Type 4 (medium, SPA5-001, drawn). Here is a table of a streetlight's shadow in Tennessee, with the noon reading missing. Which of these could it be? — 2 meters / 5 meters / 7 meters / 9 meters. (figure pp_table_lamp: 8 am 9, 10 am 5, noon empty, 2 pm 5, 4 pm 9; nearest: Lesson 1 (A shadow is long, then short, then long again), question 6, the Oregon goal post table with the 1 o'clock reading missing)

Type 5 (easy, SPA5-002). At 8 in the morning in Oregon, the Sun is low in the east. Which way does a chimney's shadow point? — toward the north / toward the east / toward the south / toward the west. (nearest: the Lesson 2 (A shadow swings round through the day) attached question, the Oklahoma post, two options)

Type 6 (easy, SPA5-002). A boy's shadow in Indiana points toward the east. Where is the Sun? — in the east / in the north / straight overhead / in the west. (nearest: Lesson 2 (A shadow swings round through the day), question 1, the Ohio tree, three options)

Type 7 (easy, SR5-022). A boy in Delaware measures a puddle's width every hour and wants to draw a line graph. What goes along the bottom of his graph? — the time / the width, in centimeters / the puddle's name / the weather. (nearest: Lesson 3 (Construct a line graph), question 1, the cocoa table, the scaffold item)

Type 8 (medium, SR5-022, drawn). Here is a table of a candle's height every 10 minutes, and the line graph a boy drew from it. Which dot did he put in the wrong place? — the 0-minute dot / the 10-minute dot / the 20-minute dot / the 30-minute dot. (figure pp_candle_check: the table says 14 at 20 minutes; the graph's 20-minute dot sits on the 11 line; the blind text lists both; nearest: Lesson 3 (Construct a line graph), question 3, the colored dots on the cocoa frame)

Type 9 (medium, SR5-022). A girl has six readings of a tomato plant's height, one for each day from Monday to Saturday, and draws a line graph. How many straight lines join her dots? — six / five / seven / one. (nearest: Lesson 3 (Construct a line graph), question 8, how many dots for six readings — here the lines between them)

Type 10 (medium, SPA5-002, drawn). Here are a flag's shadow lines in Nevada, one each hour, seen from above, and two lines have no time. Which time belongs to the line between the 10 o'clock line and the 1 o'clock line? — 9 in the morning / noon / 3 in the afternoon / 6 in the evening. (figure pp_fan_nevada; nearest: Lesson 2 (A shadow swings round through the day), question 3, Samir's Utah fan with one line unlabelled)

Type 11 (medium, SPA5-002). A girl in Maine notices that her shadow is short and points north. About what time is it? — about 7 in the morning / about 9 in the morning / about 6 in the evening / around noon. (nearest: Lesson 2 (A shadow swings round through the day), question 4, the Kansas mailbox at noon — here the time is inferred from the shadow)

Type 12 (medium, SPA5-003, drawn). Here are two line graphs of a tree's shadow through one day, the top graph and the bottom graph. Which graph could be a day of shadows? — the bottom graph / the top graph / both graphs / neither graph. (figure pp_graphs_rise_dip: the top climbs all day, the bottom dips at noon; nearest: Lesson 4 (Graph a day of shadows), question 2, the flat graph beside the dipping one)

Type 13 (medium, SPA5-003, drawn). Here is a line graph of a park bench's shadow in Oregon. How long was the bench's shadow at 11 in the morning? — 90 centimeters / 110 centimeters / 130 centimeters / 200 centimeters. (figure pp_graph_bench; nearest: Lesson 4 (Graph a day of shadows)'s numeric item, the Iowa mailbox at 10 am — here the read is an MCQ, so medium)

Type 14 (medium, SR5-006). A girl drops the same ball on a carpet and then on a tile floor, on purpose, and measures how high it bounces each time. Which kind of investigation is this? — an experiment / an observation study / a measurement / a pattern. (nearest: Lesson 5 (Experiment, or just watching?), question 2, Samir's toy car on two ramps, two options)

Type 15 (medium, SR5-006). A girl counts the squirrels in her yard in Virginia each morning, and one week a neighbor cuts down a tree, so she counts fewer squirrels. Nobody changed anything on purpose, so which kind of investigation is this? — an experiment / an observation study / a measurement / a pattern. (nearest: Lesson 5 (Experiment, or just watching?), question 5, the ducks and the dog)

Type 16 (hard, SR5-022). Samir is wrong to say that every point on the line of his graph was measured. What is the correct reason? — Only the dots were measured. / The line was measured, not the dots. / Nothing on a graph is measured. / The dots were drawn after the line. Hard because: the claim is judged by its correct reason, held against the construct routine. (source: register SR5 SD-2; Lesson 3 (Construct a line graph)'s lines; nearest: Lesson 3 (Construct a line graph), question 5, Samir on the cocoa graph as bare yes / no)

Type 17 (hard, SR5-022). A girl measured the length of an icicle at 7, 9 and 11 in the morning and at 1 and 3 in the afternoon, and drew a line graph. Her brother reads a length at 10 in the morning off the line. Which sentence is true? — The 10 o'clock reading is the most exact. / Nobody measured at 10 in the morning. / The graph has six dots. / The 9 and 11 dots should not be joined. Hard because: two ideas chained — count the readings, then say what the line between two dots is.

Type 18 (hard, SPA5-003, typed). Here is a line graph of a flag's shadow in Arizona. How much shorter was the shadow at noon than at 8 in the morning? Type the number of meters. — accept: 12, 12 meters, 12 m, twelve, twelve meters. Why: Find 8 am along the bottom, go up to its dot, and follow across: 22 meters. Find noon and do the same: 10 meters. 22 − 10 = 12 meters. So the shadow was 12 meters shorter at noon. Hard because: two readings taken off the graph, then the difference. (figure pp_graph_flag_az)

Type 19 (hard, SPA5-003). Samir is wrong to say that the lowest dot on a line graph of a day of shadows shows the longest shadow. What is the correct reason? — The lowest dot is the first reading. / The lowest dot is the last reading. / The lowest dot is the shortest reading. / The lowest dot is the warmest reading. Hard because: a routine error judged by its correct reason, held against the graph's meaning.

Type 20 (hard, SPA5-003, multi-select). Which TWO sentences describe a correct line graph of a day of shadows? — The dots drop toward the middle of the day. / The dots climb again after the middle of the day. / The dots stay level all the way through the day. / The dots climb all the way through the day. Hard because: a set answer — both halves of the rule must be picked.

Type 21 (hard, SR5-006). Samir is wrong to say that a class recording the temperature every hour is doing an experiment. What is the correct reason? — The class did not use a thermometer. / The class changed nothing on purpose. / Recording numbers is never science. / An experiment must take a week. Hard because: the claim is judged by its correct reason, held against the deciding feature. (source: register SR5 SD-1; Lesson 5 (Experiment, or just watching?)'s closing return)

Type 22 (medium, SR5-006). A boy counts the birds in a park in Oregon every morning. Which change would turn his bird count into an experiment? — He counts the birds for two weeks instead of one. / He writes the counts in a table. / He puts out two kinds of seed, on purpose. / He counts in the evening as well. Hard because: the student must supply the change that crosses the boundary, not sort a given case.

Type 23 (medium, SR5-006, recall by MCQ). A scientist changes nothing on purpose, and only watches and records what happens. What is her investigation called? — an experiment / an observation study / a measurement / a pattern. Hard because: the coined term is recalled from its definition. (nearest: Lesson 5 (Experiment, or just watching?), question 8, the same term from its definition with three options)

Type 24 (medium, SR5-006, multi-select). Which TWO of these are observation studies? — counting the geese on a lake every morning / testing two kinds of glue, on purpose / writing down the noon temperature every day / watering one plant more than another, on purpose. Hard because: a set answer — two cases sorted together, with two experiments beside them.