A student shines a flashlight at a smooth bathroom mirror. The bright spot appears on the opposite wall instead of passing through the mirror. What does the light mostly do at the mirror?

Sunlight falls on a piece of black cloth during an outdoor test. The cloth looks dark and becomes warmer than a white cloth beside it. What does the black cloth mostly do to the light?

A classroom window is clean, clear glass. Students can see trees outside while sunlight comes into the room. What does the clear glass mostly do to visible light?

A flashlight shines through a sheet of frosted glass. A bright patch appears, but the beam spreads out and details behind the glass are blurry. What does the frosted surface mostly do?

During a theater setup, a black curtain is placed behind the stage lights. Very little light bounces back toward the seats. What behavior best explains the curtain's effect?

A white wall is lit by a lamp, and students across the room can see the wall from many angles. What does the wall mostly do to the light that reaches it?

A shiny metal spoon on a table shows a small, bright image of the window. What light behavior at the spoon makes that image visible?

A student can read a sign clearly through one plastic sheet. The letters keep their sharp edges and colors. What term best describes this sheet?

A bathroom window lets daylight in, but people outside appear only as fuzzy shapes. What term best describes the glass?

A closed wooden cabinet door blocks light from a flashlight, so no objects inside can be seen. What term best describes the door?

A greenhouse roof must let sunlight reach plants and allow workers to see the plants clearly from outside. What material would best meet this need?

A lamp shade should hide the bright bulb while still letting a soft glow spread into the room. What kind of material is best for the shade?

A science box needs a cover that keeps stored photo paper from receiving any room light. What material property should the cover have?

A red apple sits under white classroom light. Students see it as red from across the table. Why does the apple look red?

A blue backpack is seen under white sunlight on the playground. What explanation best matches how people see its color?

In a completely dark storage room, a red ball sits on a shelf. No lamp, window, or glowing object is present. Why can't a student see the ball?

A black phone case and a silver phone case sit in sunlight for 20 minutes. The black case feels warmer. What is the best explanation?

A green leaf is lit by white light during an indoor plant study. What mainly reaches a person's eyes from the leaf?

A yellow shirt looks yellow outside at noon. What happens to much of the other visible light that hits the shirt?

A white index card and a black index card are placed under the same lamp. The white card stays easier to see. Why is the white card brighter?

A dark, polished tabletop shows a reflection of the window, but the reflection is much dimmer than in a mirror. Why is it dimmer?

A sheet of aluminum foil is crumpled and then flattened again. It still looks bright, but no clear image appears in it. What does the crumpled surface do to the light?

On a still morning, a lake surface shows a sharp picture of the hills behind it. Later, wind ripples the water and the picture breaks up. What has changed about the light at the surface?

An asphalt road surface becomes very hot on a sunny afternoon while a light-colored path beside it stays cooler. What is the asphalt mostly doing with the sunlight?

A lamp is switched on behind a single sheet of white paper. A glow appears on the other side, but the lamp's shape cannot be made out. What does the paper do to the light?

The inside of a telescope tube is coated with flat black paint so stray light does not bounce around inside it. What behavior does that coating rely on?

A thin sheet of clear plastic is placed over a printed page. The letters stay sharp and easy to read through it. What does the sheet mostly do to the light from the page?

A piece of waxed paper is laid over a printed page. A pale glow shows through, but the letters cannot be read. What term best describes the waxed paper?

A car windshield lets the driver see the road clearly while daylight passes into the car. What term best describes the windshield glass?

A brick garden wall stops all daylight, so nothing on the far side can be seen at any time of day. What term best describes the wall?

A door needs a panel that lets daylight into a hallway while stopping people outside from seeing who is in it. Which material meets that need?

Light passes through the curved glass lens of this camera to form a picture inside it. What does the lens do to the light?

Three sheets are tested over the same word: through the first the word is sharp, through the second it is a blur of light, and through the third nothing shows. In order, what are the three sheets?

A white shirt is placed under a stage lamp that gives out only red light. What color does the shirt appear, and why?

A charcoal briquette looks black even in bright sunlight. What does the black appearance tell you about the light reaching it?

A wooden chair does not give out light of its own, yet students across the room can see it clearly. How does the chair become visible?

A student explains that we see a book because our eyes send out rays that reach it. What is wrong with that explanation?

A purple flower is seen under white light. What happens to most of the other colors in that white light at the petals?

This mirror is a sheet of glass with a thin, shiny metal coating on the back. What is the job of the metal coating?

A sheet of white paper and a sheet of red paper lie under the same white lamp. Why does the white sheet look brighter?