Science · Unit 2
Everyday Materials
What things are made of and why
Everything around you was chosen. Someone decided that a window should be glass and a saucepan handle should not be metal, and those decisions follow from properties that can be tested.
The unit covers the common materials and what distinguishes them, the properties that matter in practice - hardness, flexibility, transparency, whether it floats - and how you would match a material to a job.
This unit breaks down into 22 short steps and 132 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 2. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.
- Steps
- 22
- Questions
- 132
- Difficulty
- 1-2
What this unit covers
- Wood, Metal, Plastic and Glass
- Bending and Stretching
- Sink or Float
- Properties of Materials
- Choosing the Right Material
Where this fits
An early unit needing nothing beforehand. Solids, Liquids and Gases builds on it directly.
Where people slip
Heavy and dense are not the same. A large piece of wood outweighs a small nail and still floats, because floating depends on density rather than on weight.
How the unit is structured
Everyday Materials runs as 22 short steps that unlock in order. 16 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 2 as you progress.
Challenge rounds
Example questions
30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 132 in the unit altogether.
Bending and Stretching
- Build the sentenceLevel 1
1. Build a sentence about how materials change shape.
Answer: Some things bend and some are stiff
Some materials bend easily while others stay stiff.
- Fact or fibLevel 1
2. A glass window bends easily like rubber.
Answer: False
Glass is stiff and breaks instead of bending.
- Fill the blankLevel 1
3. When you squash a lump of soft clay, it becomes ____.
- flatcorrect
- harder
- metal
- bigger
Squashing soft clay presses it flat.
- Match the pairsLevel 1
4. Match each material to how it acts when you push or pull it.
Answer: Rubber band = Stretchy; Metal wire = Bendy; Wooden stick = Stiff; Sponge = Squashy
Different materials stretch, bend, squash, or stay stiff.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
5. Which of these can STRETCH when you pull it?
- A rubber bandcorrect
- A glass cup
- A brick
- A metal spoon
A rubber band stretches longer when you pull it and snaps back.
- Guess the numberLevel 2
6. You fold a flat sheet of paper in half one time. How many layers of paper are there now?
Answer: 2 layers
Folding the paper in half once makes two layers.
Choosing the Right Material
- Choose all that applyLevel 1
7. Which materials keep water out (are waterproof)? Pick all that apply.
- Plasticcorrect
- Metalcorrect
- Glasscorrect
- Cotton cloth
Plastic, metal, and glass keep water out; cotton cloth soaks water up.
- Fill the blankLevel 1
8. We build strong chairs and tables from ____ because it is strong and easy to shape.
- woodcorrect
- jelly
- paper
- water
Wood is strong and easy to cut into shapes, so it is used for furniture.
- Match the pairsLevel 1
9. Match each object to the best material for making it.
Answer: Warm winter coat = Wool; Bouncy ball = Rubber; Fish tank = Glass; Hammer head = Metal
We pick each material because it is good for that job.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
10. Why do we make umbrellas from plastic or coated cloth?
- To keep the rain outcorrect
- To make them heavy
- To make them shiny
- So they float
Umbrellas use waterproof materials so the rain cannot soak through.
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
11. Build a sentence about why we wear rubber boots in puddles.
Answer: Rubber boots keep feet dry
Rubber is waterproof, so rubber boots keep your feet dry.
- Fact or fibLevel 2
12. A chair with legs made of soft cotton wool would hold you up well.
Answer: False
Chair legs need a strong, stiff material like wood or metal, not soft cotton wool.
Properties of Materials
- Choose all that applyLevel 1
13. Which words tell how a material feels? Pick all that apply.
- Roughcorrect
- Smoothcorrect
- Softcorrect
- Loud
We feel if something is rough, smooth, or soft; loud is a sound, not a feel.
- Fact or fibLevel 1
14. Ice feels warm.
Answer: False
Ice feels cold, not warm.
- Fill the blankLevel 1
15. Sandpaper is bumpy and feels ____.
- roughcorrect
- smooth
- soft
- wet
Rough materials feel bumpy, like sandpaper.
- Match the pairsLevel 1
16. Match each word to its opposite.
Answer: Hard = Soft; Shiny = Dull; Heavy = Light; Wet = Dry
Materials can be hard or soft, shiny or dull, heavy or light, wet or dry.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
17. Which of these feels soft?
- A cotton pillowcorrect
- A brick
- A metal key
- A glass cup
Soft things squish when you press them, like a pillow.
- Odd one outLevel 1
18. Which word does NOT describe a material?
- Hungrycorrect
- Hard
- Shiny
- Bendy
Hungry is a feeling in your tummy, not a way to describe a material.
Sink or Float
- Fact or fibLevel 1
19. A small metal coin floats on water.
Answer: False
A metal coin is heavy for its size, so it sinks.
- Fill the blankLevel 1
20. A boat is hollow and full of air so it can ____ on water.
- floatcorrect
- sink
- melt
- fly
Being hollow and full of air helps a boat float.
- Guess the numberLevel 1
21. You drop 4 things in water: a cork, a leaf, a nail, and a stone. How many SINK?
Answer: 2 things
The nail and the stone are heavy and sink; the cork and leaf float, so 2 sink.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
22. What usually happens to a heavy rock in water?
- It sinkscorrect
- It floats
- It flies
- It melts
Heavy, solid rocks sink to the bottom of the water.
- Odd one outLevel 1
23. Three of these float. Which one SINKS and does not belong?
- A heavy iron nailcorrect
- A cork
- A dry twig
- A plastic bottle
The iron nail is heavy metal and sinks; the others float.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
24. Which of these will float on water? Pick all that apply.
- Wooden stickcorrect
- Leafcorrect
- Foam ballcorrect
- Brick
Light things like wood, leaves, and foam float, but a heavy brick sinks.
Wood, Metal, Plastic and Glass
- Choose all that applyLevel 1
25. Which of these are usually made of wood? Pick all that apply.
- Pencilcorrect
- Wooden spooncorrect
- Tree housecorrect
- Glass bottle
Pencils, wooden spoons, and tree houses are all made from wood.
- Fact or fibLevel 1
26. Wood comes from trees.
Answer: True
We get wood by cutting the trunks and branches of trees.
- Fill the blankLevel 1
27. ____ comes from trees and is used to make pencils and paper.
- Woodcorrect
- Metal
- Glass
- Water
Wood comes from trees and is used for paper, pencils, and furniture.
- Guess the numberLevel 1
28. Look at these 4 things: a spoon, a fork, a key, and a wooden chair. How many are made of metal?
Answer: 3 things
The spoon, fork, and key are metal; the chair is wood, so 3 are metal.
- Match the pairsLevel 1
29. Match each object to the material it is made of.
Answer: Broom handle = Wood; Comb = Plastic; Marble = Glass; Spoon = Metal
Each object is made from a common material we see every day.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
30. Which material is light and used to make many toys and buckets?
- Plasticcorrect
- Metal
- Glass
- Stone
Plastic is light and easy to shape, so it is used for lots of toys.
Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.
How you practise
This unit mixes 14 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.
- Build the sentence
- Choose all that apply
- Fact or fib
- Fill the blank
- Guess the number
- Match the pairs
- Multiple choice
- Odd one out
- Picture question
- Put in order
- Sort into groups
- Spell it
- True or false
- Type the answer
Practise Everyday Materials
132 questions across 22 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.
Play this unitRead about Everyday Materials
Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.
- Why Is Glass Transparent? A Solid That Never Quite FrozeGlass lets light through because its electrons cannot absorb visible photons and its structure has no grain to scatter them. What glass is, and why sand is not.September 14, 2026 · 5 min read
- Why Some Objects Float and Others SinkFloating depends on density and the upward force created by displaced fluid. Shape matters because it changes how much water an object can push aside.July 24, 2026 · 5 min read
More units in Science
- What is Science?Observing the world and thinking like a scientist
- Living and Non-livingTelling what is alive and what living things need
- My Body and HealthKeeping your body healthy and safe
- Solids, Liquids and GasesStates of matter and everyday changes
- Energy All AroundForms of energy and where it comes from
- Forces and MovementPushes, pulls and how things move
- Light and SoundHow we see and hear the world
- The Scientific MethodHow scientists ask questions and test ideas