Cause and Effect - Grade 4 Reading Worksheet - Thunder and Lightning - Practice Questions

Oct 12, 2026

Uploaded by Kurz

Grade 4 reading worksheet teaching cause-and-effect using the topic of thunder and lightning. It explains why people once used myths, then describes the scientific sequence: warm and cold air movement, electric charge buildup in clouds, lightning release, rapid heating that creates an expanding shockwave, and the speed difference between light and sound. Students answer five cause-effect questions and one reflection about what changes when they are farther from the storm.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Cause and Effect

Thunder and Lightning

Practice Questions and Answers

Cause and effect Grade 4 Reading Worksheet | The cause is why something happened.
For example:
There was a lot of wind last night. | The effect is what happened.
For example:
A tree fell down on our street. | | --- | --- | Read about thunder and lightning, and think about cause and effect: Thunder and Lightning Long ago, people made up myths and legends to explain what causes lightning and thunder. Having an explanation for something can make it less frightening. Lightning and thunder can be very frightening, especially because they often happen just before a big rainstorm. We now know what causes lightning and thunder. Have you ever noticed that you often hear thunder just a few seconds after you see lightning? This is because it is lightning that causes thunder. If the storm is far away from you, there are a few seconds between the lightning and the thunder. If the storm is close to you, you hear the thunder almost at the same time that you see the lightning. Lightning is caused by electricity building up inside a cloud. When a large mass of warm air and a large mass of cold air come together high above the Earth, it causes a lot of movement in the air. The cold air moves down while the warm air moves up, which creates something like friction. An electric charge builds up in the clouds. The charge gets stronger and stronger until it is released in a powerful spark called lightning. When the lightning flashes, the air around it can reach temperatures about five times hotter than the surface of the Sun. The heated air expands into the cooler air around it, causing the shockwave that we call thunder. Even though we usually see lightning before we hear the thunder that it causes, the two events happen just a fraction of a second apart. In addition, both light and sound travel through the air in waves. However, light waves travel faster than sound waves, so the light waves from the lightning get to us first. A tiny version of an event similar to lightning and thunder can happen when you brush your feet along a carpet and then touch a doorknob. You can sometimes hear the little sizzle of mini-thunder and see the flash of mini-lightning. Then answer the following questions: 1. Cause: A warm air mass and a cold air mass come together above the earth. What is the effect? a. Cold air moves up. b. Warm air moves down. c. Greater air movement occurs. 2. Cause: Greater air movement occurs. What is the effect? a. The air becomes extremely cold. b. The air becomes extremely hot. c. Friction is created. 3. Cause: Lightning flashes. What is the effect? a. The air becomes extremely cold. b. The air becomes extremely hot. c. Friction is created. 4. Cause: Heated air expands into the cooler air around it. What is the effect? a. Lightning occurs. b. Thunder occurs. c. Rain occurs. 5. Think about it! You travel farther away from the site of a thunderstorm. Now you see lightning, but you have to wait to hear the thunder. What is the effect of traveling farther away from the storm? | | | --- | | | Answers 1. Cause: A warm air mass and a cold air mass come together above the earth. What is the effect? a. Cold air moves up. b. Warm air moves down. c. Greater air movement occurs. 2. Cause: Greater air movement occurs. What is the effect? a. The air becomes extremely cold. b. The air becomes extremely hot. c. Friction is created. 3. Cause: Lightning flashes. What is the effect? a. The air becomes extremely cold. b. The air becomes extremely hot. c. Friction is created. 4. Cause: Heated air expands into the cooler air around it. What is the effect? a. Lightning occurs. b. Thunder occurs. c. Rain occurs. 5. Think about it! You travel farther away from the site of a thunderstorm. Now you see lightning, but you have to wait to hear the thunder. What is the effect of traveling farther away from the storm? There is more time betwee

FAQs

Why do you hear thunder a few seconds after you see lightning during a storm?

Because lightning is seen first: light travels faster than sound. If the storm is far away, the time gap is longer; if it is close, the sounds arrive almost at the same time.

What causes lightning according to the worksheet?

Electricity builds up inside a cloud. Warm air rises and cold air sinks, creating movement that helps charges strengthen until they release as a powerful spark called lightning.

What causes thunder when lightning flashes?

The air around lightning becomes extremely hot, expands into the cooler surrounding air, and creates the shockwave known as thunder.

Oct 12, 2026

Uploaded by Kurz