Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

2013, High School Technology/Engineering

Question 44: Open-Response

Reporting Category: Electrical and Communication Systems
Standard: 5.2 - Identify and explain the components of a circuit including sources, conductors, circuit breakers, fuses, controllers, and loads. Examples of some controllers are switches, relays, diodes, and variable resistors.

Some basic electrical components found on motherboards and video cards of personal computers are listed below.

diode
battery
resistor
fuse

Select three of the electrical components in the list. Describe the basic function of each component in an electrical circuit of a personal computer.

Some circuit components found in personal computers are also used to build simple circuits in a classroom.

In your Student Answer Booklet, draw a circuit diagram that uses a battery, a switch, and two resistors. Make sure that in your diagram current always passes through one resistor, but only passes through both resistors when the switch is closed. Be sure to label each component.

Scoring Guide and Sample Student Work

Select a score point in the table below to view the sample student response.

Score	Description
4	The response demonstrates a thorough understanding of the components of an electrical circuit. The response clearly describes the basic functions of three electrical components in a circuit of a personal computer, and provides a correct circuit diagram for a circuit that uses a battery, a switch, and two resistors according to the parameters given.
4
3	The response demonstrates a general understanding of the components of an electrical circuit.
2	The response demonstrates a limited understanding of the components of an electrical circuit.
1	The response demonstrates a minimal understanding of the components of an electrical circuit.
0	Response is incorrect or contains some correct work that is irrelevant to the skill or concept being measured.

Note: There are 2 sample student responses for Score Point 4.

High School Technology/Engineering

Question 11: Construction and Manufacturing

Question 23: Fluid and Thermal Systems

Question 33: Fluid and Thermal Systems

Question 44: Electrical and Communication Systems

Question 45: Engineering Design

Return to the 2013 MCAS Sample Student Work: High School Technology/Engineering

Last Updated: July 20, 2022