Sound: Vibrations, Pitch and Volume — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 5 energy, light, sound & electricity worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 5 · Science · Energy, Light, Sound & ElectricitySound: Vibrations, Pitch and Volume — Answers
Part A: What is sound?
Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.
Every sound is made by something vibrating (moving quickly back and forth). When you pluck a guitar string, it vibrates. When you speak, parts of your throat called vocal cords vibrate. Put your fingers gently on your throat and hum: you can feel the vibrations.
The vibrations pass from particle to particle through a material, so sound can travel through gases (like air), liquids (like water) and solids (like wood or a wall). Sound cannot travel through empty space, because there is nothing to pass the vibrations along.
Pitch is how high or low a sound is. Faster vibrations make a higher pitch. On a stringed instrument, shorter, tighter or thinner strings vibrate faster and make higher notes.
Volume is how loud or soft a sound is. Bigger vibrations make a louder sound. Plucking a string harder makes it louder, not higher.
We hear when sound vibrations travel into our ear and make the thin eardrum vibrate. Messages then travel to the brain. Very loud sounds can damage our hearing, so it is wise to protect our ears.
- Alight
- Bvibrations
- Cheat
- Dmagnets
Answer: vibrations
Every sound is made by something vibrating (moving quickly back and forth).
- AThe pitch gets higher.
- BThe pitch gets lower.
- CThe sound stops.
- DThe sound gets quieter.
Answer: The pitch gets higher.
Faster vibrations make a higher-pitched sound.
- AThe pitch gets much higher.
- BThe drum stops vibrating.
- CThe sound is louder because the vibrations are bigger.
- DThe sound travels more slowly.
Answer: The sound is louder because the vibrations are bigger.
Hitting harder makes bigger vibrations, so the sound is louder (the volume increases).
- ASpace is too cold.
- BSpace is too bright.
- CTheir helmets are too thick.
- DSpace has no air, so there is nothing for sound to travel through.
Answer: Space has no air, so there is nothing for sound to travel through.
Sound needs a material (a solid, liquid or gas) to travel through. Space is almost empty, so sound cannot travel across it.
- ALight travels much faster than sound.
- BThunder is made after the lightning ends.
- COur eyes are closer to the sky than our ears.
- DSound travels faster than light.
Answer: Light travels much faster than sound.
Lightning and thunder happen at the same moment, but light reaches us almost instantly while sound travels much more slowly.
Part B: Pitch and volume
- vibration
- pitch
- volume
- eardrum
- how high or low a sound is
- a quick back-and-forth movement
- a thin layer in the ear that vibrates when sound reaches it
- how loud or soft a sound is
Answer: vibration → a quick back-and-forth movement; pitch → how high or low a sound is; volume → how loud or soft a sound is; eardrum → a thin layer in the ear that vibrates when sound reaches it
Answer: space
Answer: higher
Shorter strings vibrate faster, which makes a higher pitch.
Answer: The volume: plucking harder makes bigger vibrations, so the sound is louder. The pitch stays the same.
Part C: True or false?
Write True or False.
Answer: True
Sound travels through liquids. Whales and dolphins use sound to communicate underwater.
Answer: False
Volume and pitch are different. A sound can be loud and low (like a big drum) or soft and high.
Answer: True
The vibrations pass through the solid door to the air on your side.
Answer: False
Sound cannot travel through empty space at all. It needs a material to travel through.
Part D: Working scientifically: the twanging ruler
You can try this at home with a plastic or wooden ruler and a table.
Leo holds a ruler flat on a table with part of it hanging over the edge. He presses the end on the table down firmly and flicks the free end to make it twang. He tries this with a long, a medium and a short length hanging over the edge.
Answer: The length of ruler hanging over the edge of the table.
Answer: The pitch of the sound (how high or low it is).
Answer: Any two of: the same ruler, pressing the ruler down firmly in the same way, plucking it with the same strength, the same table, listening from the same place.
Model answer: The shorter the part of the ruler hanging over the edge, the higher the pitch. A shorter length vibrates faster, and faster vibrations make a higher-pitched sound.
Success criteria:
- States the pattern: shorter overhang gives a higher pitch
- Explains that the shorter part vibrates faster
- Links faster vibrations to higher pitch
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
Great work. Here's what to try next: