How a Plane Gets Off the Ground: teacher key

Airplanes, grade 4 edition, written for 4th grade. What holds a plane up and what pushes it along? Learn about the four forces, wings, jet engines, and the Wright brothers' years of tests before their first flight in 1903.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What do a plane's engines make?
   • Lift
   • Thrust (answer)
   • Weight
2. What does a wing do to the air, and what does the air do to the wing?
   • The wing pushes the air down, and the air pushes the wing up (answer)
   • The wing pulls the air up, and the air pulls the wing down
   • The wing stops the air, and the air stops the wing
3. What happens to the air as a plane goes higher?
   • It gets thicker
   • It gets thinner (answer)
   • It gets warmer
4. What do the ailerons control?
   • Roll (answer)
   • Yaw
   • Pitch
5. How long did the Wright brothers test gliders at Kitty Hawk before they tried an engine?
   • One week
   • Three years (answer)
   • Twenty years
6. Why do you think the Wright brothers chose Kitty Hawk?
   • It had steady winds and soft sand for landing (answer)
   • It had tall buildings
   • It had no wind at all

Words

• thrust: forward push
• drag: air pushing back
• inlet: front opening
• turbofan: engine with fan
• ailerons: hinged wing parts
• rudder: tail turning part