Sorting and Classifying — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Maya sorts toys by color. Then she adds a size rule. What changes?
A) Items sort by color AND size now
B) All toys mix together
C) Color stops mattering
D) Nothing changes at all
Adding size keeps color sorting and adds a second rule, so items now sort by both attributes.
2. Toys: red ball, blue ball, red car. Sort first by shape. What groups form?
A) Red and blue groups
B) Balls and cars groups
C) Big and small groups
D) All toys in one group
Sorting by shape groups balls together and cars together, ignoring color until a new rule is added.
3. After sorting balls together, Sam adds a color rule. What happens to the balls?
A) They all stay together
B) They unsort completely
C) They split by color into smaller groups
D) They become cars
Adding color splits the ball group into red balls and blue balls, making smaller, careful sub-groups.
4. A bin holds: teddy, block, car, doll. Sort by 'has wheels.' Which goes in YES?
A) teddy bear
B) wooden block
C) soft doll
D) toy car
Only the toy car has wheels and rolls, so it is the only YES item under the wheel rule.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. Sorting first by shape, then color uses two steps.
Two rules applied in order means two sorting steps, building careful multi-step classification.
2. If you sort balls and then add a size rule, you get smaller groups.
Each new rule splits existing groups into smaller subgroups, making the sort more detailed.
3. A toy with wheels rolls; a toy without wheels does not.
Wheels are needed for rolling, so a toy without wheels does not roll under this sort rule.
4. Adding a new rule makes more, smaller groups.
Each rule cuts groups into smaller pieces, so adding one creates more, smaller, careful sub-groups.
5. Sorting by 'has wheels' makes a YES group and a NO group.
Yes-or-no rules always create two groups: those that match and those that do not match.