Sorting materials by their properties

Object and material are different words

A spoon is an object; the metal it is made of is the material. The same object can be made of different materials, and the same material can make many objects. Checkpoint questions often hinge on noticing which of the two is being asked about.

Properties you can test

Hard or soft, bendy or stiff, rough or smooth, waterproof or not, see-through or not. Each of these can be checked by a simple test, which is why they count as science and not opinion.

Choosing a material for a job

A raincoat is made of a waterproof material; a window of a transparent one; a tyre of a bendy, tough one. The right answer to “why is it made of…” always names a property and links it to the job.