Lesson T5.1.1

T5.1.1 Current in series and parallel circuits Quiz: KS3 Physics, Unit 5

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson T5.1.1, Current in series and parallel circuits: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Physics (National Curriculum), Unit 5: Electricity and magnetism, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is an electric current?

    • The flow of heat energy along a wire, which carries warmth from the battery to each component
    • The flow of electric charge around a circuit
    • The voltage across a component, which measures how hard the battery pushes the charge along
    • A stored quantity of charge that stays still in the wire until it is released by a switch

  2. What unit is electric current measured in?

    • Volts (V), which is the unit used for the energy given to each coulomb of charge in a circuit
    • Amperes (A)
    • Watts (W), which is the unit used for the rate at which energy is transferred by a device
    • Ohms (Ω), which is the unit used for how strongly a component opposes the flow of current

  3. In a series circuit, how does the current at different points compare?

    • It is larger after each component, because each component adds to the current flowing round the loop.
    • It is the same at all points.
    • It is smaller after each component, because each component uses up a part of the current as it passes.
    • It is different only at the battery, because the current changes only where it leaves the cell.

  4. In a parallel circuit, what happens to the current at a junction where a branch splits off?

    • The current stops at the junction and restarts in each branch, which resets it to zero there.
    • The current in the main circuit doubles at the junction, because two branches always double it.
    • The current splits, and the currents in the branches add up to the current entering.
    • The current is the same in every branch, whatever the resistance of each branch happens to be.

  5. Where should an ammeter be placed in a circuit?

    • In parallel across the component being measured, which lets it sense the voltage across the component
    • Across the battery only, so that it reads the total energy stored in the cell of the circuit
    • Away from all components on a separate wire, so that it can read the current without any contact
    • In series with the component being measured

  6. A current of 2 A flows for 30 seconds. How much charge flows? (Charge = current × time)

    • 60 C
    • 15 C, which is found by dividing the current by the time and then by the number of seconds
    • 600 C, which is found by multiplying the current by the time and then by ten for safety
    • 32 C, which is found by adding the current and the time together before doing the sum

  7. Three lamps are connected in a series circuit with a battery. What happens to the current at each lamp?

    • The current is largest at the last lamp, because the charge builds up as it moves round.
    • The current is the same through each lamp.
    • The current is zero at each lamp except the first, because the others block the flow of charge.
    • The current is largest at the first lamp, because the battery pushes the most charge there.

  8. Two identical lamps are connected in parallel to a battery. How does the current through the battery compare with one lamp alone?

    • It is twice as large.
    • It is the same, because the two lamps together draw no more current than a single lamp alone.
    • It is half as large, because the two lamps share the current between them and reduce it.
    • It is zero, because the lamps share the current so that the battery supplies none of it at all.

  9. Which way does conventional current flow in a circuit?

    • From the negative terminal to the positive terminal, which is the direction electrons are taken to move
    • From the positive terminal of the cell, round the circuit to the negative terminal
    • Equally in both directions at the same time, which keeps the charge from moving on overall
    • Only in the bulbs and not in the wires, which is where the charge is used up by the circuit

  10. What is the circuit symbol for a cell?

    • A circle with a cross inside, which is the symbol used for a lamp in most circuit diagrams
    • A long line and a short line, one after another
    • A circle with a curved line inside, which is the symbol used for a motor in most circuit diagrams
    • A box with a zigzag inside, which is the symbol used for a resistor in most circuit diagrams

  11. In a parallel circuit, if one branch is broken, what happens to the other branches?

    • They continue to work because they still have a complete path.
    • They reverse the direction of their current, which lets the broken branch restart on its own.
    • They stop working because the whole circuit is broken, since every part shares the same loop.
    • They become brighter because they receive more current from the battery when one branch fails.

  12. In a series circuit with two lamps, what happens if one lamp is removed?

    • The other lamp is unchanged, because the lamps in a series circuit do not depend on each other.
    • The current doubles through the remaining lamp, which is why it becomes much brighter than before.
    • The other lamp goes out because the circuit is broken.
    • The other lamp becomes brighter, because removing one lamp leaves more current for the remaining one.

  13. The total current from a battery is 0.6 A and it splits equally into two identical branches. What is the current in each branch?

    • 0.12 A in each branch, because the current is divided by the number of branches and then by five
    • 0.6 A in each branch, because the full current from the battery flows through every branch in turn
    • 0.3 A in each branch
    • 1.2 A in each branch, because each branch receives the total current added to itself again

  14. Which quantity is equal to charge divided by time?

    • Potential difference, which is the energy transferred per unit of charge passing a component
    • Resistance, which is the ratio of potential difference to current in a component of a circuit
    • Power, which is the rate at which energy is transferred by a device in a circuit
    • Current

  15. Which of these is the flow of charge in a circuit?

    • Resistance, which is how strongly a component opposes the flow of charge through it
    • Energy stored in the battery, which is released slowly as the charge flows around the circuit
    • Potential difference, which is the energy transferred for each unit of charge in a circuit
    • Current

  16. What happens to the current in a series circuit when another lamp is added?

    • It stays exactly the same for a fixed battery, because the battery always supplies a set current.
    • It decreases, because the total resistance increases.
    • It becomes zero as the lamps share the current, leaving none to flow round the circuit at all.
    • It increases, because there is more load on the battery and so it supplies more current.

  17. Why is an ammeter connected with very low resistance?

    • So that it does not significantly change the current in the circuit.
    • So that it stores charge for the circuit, which then releases it to the components slowly.
    • So that it makes the current larger in the circuit, which lets the meter read a bigger value.
    • So that it turns the current into voltage, which is needed for the meter to display a reading.

  18. Which statement describes a parallel circuit correctly?

    • It has more than one path for the current to take.
    • It never has current flowing through its components, because the branches only carry the voltage.
    • It has only one path for the current to take, so the current follows a single loop only.
    • It always has the same current in each branch as the battery supplies, whatever the branch is.

  19. What is the unit of charge?

    • Coulomb (C)
    • Volt (V), which is the unit of potential difference, the energy given to each unit of charge
    • Ampere (A), which is the unit of current, the rate of flow of charge around a circuit
    • Ohm (Ω), which is the unit of resistance, a measure of how a component opposes current

  20. A battery supplies a current to a circuit with two identical lamps in series. If the battery is replaced with one that gives twice the voltage, what happens to the current?

    • It stays the same, because the current in a series circuit depends only on the number of lamps.
    • It becomes zero, because the higher voltage blocks the flow of charge through the series loop.
    • It doubles, if the lamps keep the same resistance.
    • It halves, because the larger voltage pushes the charge more slowly through the lamps in series.

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