Choosing the Right Material Worksheet

When we are making something, it is important to choose the right materials. You could build a good strong bridge from stone, but a bridge made of chocolate wouldn’t carry much weight.

It is OK to make a house from ice if you live near the North Pole but it wouldn’t be a good idea if you lived in a rainforest.

If you are building a place to live, choosing the right material for the job is very important!

In order to decide which materials are right for each job, we have to know something about the properties of the materials. This worksheet will help to test what you know about materials and their properties.

Why is glass a good material for making windows? (Select all of the options that you think are correct).

It is transparent - light passes through it easily

It is strong

It is easily cut into different shapes and sizes

It can be made easily from inexpensive materials

Which of these materials would be good for making an umbrella?

Paper

Cloth

Iron

Wood

Which if these materials would you use for making a mug?

Cardboard

Chocolate

Clay

Chalk

Which TWO of the properties below would you look for in a material for making clothes?

soft

brittle

warm

hard

Why would you not make nails from wood?

You couldn't make then sharp enough

They wouldn't be strong enough

They might catch fire

Complete the following sentence:

Plastic is useful for making many things because.........

it is easy to dig out of the ground

it can be made in any shape or colour

plastic plants are easy to grow

ANSWERS

Question 1

Why is glass a good material for making windows? (Select all of the options that you think are correct).

CORRECT ANSWER

It is transparent - light passes through it easily
It is strong
It is easily cut into different shapes and sizes
It can be made easily from inexpensive materials

EDDIE SAYS

All of these properties of glass make it good for making windows, but perhaps the most important is that you can see through it!

ANSWERS

Question 2

Which of these materials would be good for making an umbrella?

CORRECT ANSWER

Cloth

EDDIE SAYS

Waterproof cloth is good for umbrellas because it is light and easy to fold up. Paper would get soggy and fall apart, and iron and wood are much too heavy. They would also be hard to fold up!

ANSWERS

Question 3

Which if these materials would you use for making a mug?

CORRECT ANSWER

Clay

EDDIE SAYS

Most of the cups that we use are made from clay that has been shaped and then fired in a very hot oven called a kiln to make it hard.

ANSWERS

Question 4

Which TWO of the properties below would you look for in a material for making clothes?

CORRECT ANSWER

soft
warm

EDDIE SAYS

Soft, warm clothes are much nicer to wear than hard, brittle ones!

ANSWERS

Question 5

Why would you not make nails from wood?

CORRECT ANSWER

They wouldn't be strong enough

EDDIE SAYS

Wood is a very strong material but it isn't strong enough to make nails. A wooden nail would snap when you hit it with a hammer.

ANSWERS

Question 6

Complete the following sentence:

Plastic is useful for making many things because.........

CORRECT ANSWER

it can be made in any shape or colour

EDDIE SAYS

One of the many useful properties of plastics is that they can be made in any shape or colour. Plastics are made from chemicals, they are not found naturally, either in the ground or in plants.