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  1. Science
  2. Year 4
  3. States of Matter
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Identifying Solids and Liquids

In this worksheet, students will answer questions about familiar solids and liquids we use every day.

'Identifying Solids and Liquids' worksheet

Key stage:  KS 2

Curriculum topic:  States of Matter

Curriculum subtopic:  Solids, Liquids and Gases

Difficulty level:  

down

Worksheet Overview

QUESTION 1 of 10

Many of the common everyday materials around us can be grouped as SOLIDS or LIQUIDS.

 

Pouring liquid

 

Liquids take the shape of their container, they have a flat surface and they can be poured.

Pile of sand

 

This pile of sand is made of small, hard pieces. It does not have a flat surface and will not flow back if you push your finger into it.

 

OK, let's get stuck into solids and liquids!

Which THREE of these are liquids?

salt

blackcurrant juice

'squirty' soap

butter

milk

Some liquids are 'runnier' than others.

 

Cooking oil Shower gel Lemonade
Cooking Oil Shower Gel Lemonade

 

 

Starting with the 'runniest', which is the correct order of these three liquids?

oil, lemonade, shower gel

shower gel, oil, lemonade

lemonade, oil, shower gel

Which THREE of these are solids?

flour

sand

tomato ketchup

sweet and sour sauce

cornflakes

Which TWO of these are usually COLOURLESS liquids?

 

("Colourless" is the proper scientific word for something that you might call clear or see-through; it basically means that the substance has no colour, like glass in a window).

lemonade

cola

blackcurrant juice

water

Which THREE are coloured liquids? 

tap water

brown sauce

milk

clear nail varnish

cranberry juice

Which THREE of these are solids if they are sitting in your kitchen? 

glass

fruit yoghurt

wood

wax

paint

Which THREE of these statements are true for SOLIDS? 

they have a flat surface

they can be poured

they have a definite shape

they do not take the shape of their container

they do not have a flat surface

Which THREE statements are true about LIQUIDS? 

they flow back if 'pushed'

they have a definite shape

they do not pour

their surface is flat

they take the shape of their container

Bowl of cornflakes

 

What is between the pieces of dry cereal in this bowl?

nothing

air

sugar

Some solids which are made up of small pieces appear to 'flow'.

 

Which THREE of these solids are made up of small pieces which 'flow'? 

marbles

salt

caster sugar

paperclips

dry sand

  • ANSWERS
  • Question 1

Which THREE of these are liquids?

CORRECT ANSWER
blackcurrant juice
'squirty' soap
milk
EDDIE SAYS
Great! Salt is a grainy solid and butter (in the fridge at least!) is fairly solid, with a definite shape. The other three all take on the shape of whatever container they're put in: jug, glass, saucer. Yes?
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 2

Some liquids are 'runnier' than others.

 

Cooking oil Shower gel Lemonade
Cooking Oil Shower Gel Lemonade

 

 

Starting with the 'runniest', which is the correct order of these three liquids?

CORRECT ANSWER
lemonade, oil, shower gel
EDDIE SAYS
That needs some thought! Lemonade pours quickly and easily, the oil is a little thicker and pours more slowly, while the shower gel is what you might call "gloopy" in that it flows very slowly and even needs a squeeze to help it out of the bottle.
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 3

Which THREE of these are solids?

CORRECT ANSWER
flour
sand
cornflakes
EDDIE SAYS
The size of the pieces in solids can be very small, eg flour, or larger, eg cereals. Sometimes you have to think a bit about whether something is a solid or not, especially if it's made of tiny particles, like flour.
Can you think of some other examples?
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 4

Which TWO of these are usually COLOURLESS liquids?

 

("Colourless" is the proper scientific word for something that you might call clear or see-through; it basically means that the substance has no colour, like glass in a window).

CORRECT ANSWER
lemonade
water
EDDIE SAYS
OK, so lemonade and water have no colour, so you can call them COLOURLESS. Cola is sort of browny while blackcurrant juice is purple. Many common liquids have a colour, but to stay safe, never drink any liquid you are not sure of!
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 5

Which THREE are coloured liquids? 

CORRECT ANSWER
brown sauce
milk
cranberry juice
EDDIE SAYS
There you go! Water and clear varnish = COLOURLESS, while milk is white, cranberry juice is red and brown sauce is, er ... brown!
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 6

Which THREE of these are solids if they are sitting in your kitchen? 

CORRECT ANSWER
glass
wood
wax
EDDIE SAYS
Can you pour yoghurt or paint? Yes? Liquids, then. Can you pour glass, wood or candlewax (remember, at room temperature)? Do they keep their shape? They are solids. Happy?
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 7

Which THREE of these statements are true for SOLIDS? 

CORRECT ANSWER
they have a definite shape
they do not take the shape of their container
they do not have a flat surface
EDDIE SAYS
OK, so solids don't have to have a flat surface (a rock is a solid) and they can never be poured. That means they never change shape to fit their container and they have a definite shape. You can change that shape by doing something to them (like squashing some plasticene), but they have a shape of their own. Getting there?
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 8

Which THREE statements are true about LIQUIDS? 

CORRECT ANSWER
they flow back if 'pushed'
their surface is flat
they take the shape of their container
EDDIE SAYS
Yes, liquids pour, so they 'flow back', and they become jug-shaped in a jug, bottle-shaped in a bottle, and so on. The top of a liquid is always flat whilst in its container (but, of course, that doesn't really work for big things like the sea being blown by the wind and creating waves!). Science is not always 100% straightforward, is it?
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 9

Bowl of cornflakes

 

What is between the pieces of dry cereal in this bowl?

CORRECT ANSWER
air
EDDIE SAYS
Solids do not 'fill' their container because there are air gaps between the pieces of solid material. Makes sense, really. Just needs some thought....
  • ANSWERS
  • Question 10

Some solids which are made up of small pieces appear to 'flow'.

 

Which THREE of these solids are made up of small pieces which 'flow'? 

CORRECT ANSWER
salt
caster sugar
dry sand
EDDIE SAYS
Yes! Sometimes solids can appear to behave like a liquid - like you can "pour" sand out of your hand. However, that's because what you're holding in your hand is millions of tiny pieces of sand, each one with a definite shape, volume, etc.. The salt, sugar and sand are all made of tiny pieces while marbles are big glass balls and paperclips are pieces of metal wire.
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