3rd grade electricity and magnetism

Question 1

A ring magnet floats above another on a pencil. Why doesn't it fall down?

• A. There is no gravity on a pencil.
• B. The top magnet is very light air.
• C. The facing poles are the same, so they push apart.
• D. The pencil is magnetic.

Question 2

You walk across a carpet in socks and touch a metal door handle. You feel a tiny shock. What happened?

• A. Charge built up on you and jumped to the metal.
• B. The carpet is wet.
• C. The door handle is plugged in.
• D. Your socks are magnetic.

Question 3

True or false? Magnets can hold things in place without glue.

• A. True
• B. False

Question 4

A magnet still pulls a paperclip through a sheet of paper. What does this show?

• A. The paperclip is made of paper.
• B. Magnets need to touch to work.
• C. Paper is magnetic.
• D. Magnetic force can act through some materials and across a gap.

Question 5

Do these attract or repel: a charged comb and bits of paper?

• A. attract
• B. repel

Question 6

Which circuit needs to be complete for a bulb to light?

• A. an unbroken loop from the cell through the bulb and back
• B. one wire from the cell to the bulb
• C. a bulb on its own
• D. two cells with no wires

Question 7

Which metal is most often used for electrical wires in homes?

• A. copper
• B. gold
• C. lead
• D. iron

Question 8

The south pole of one magnet is brought near the north pole of another. Do they attract or repel?

• A. attract
• B. repel

Question 9

Would a magnet help with this job: sticking a poster to a wooden door?

• A. a magnet would help
• B. a magnet would not help

Question 10

If you put salty water in the gap in a circuit, would it conduct electricity or insulate?

• A. conductor
• B. insulator

Question 11

A class held a magnet at different distances above a pile of paperclips and counted how many it picked up. How many paperclips did it pick up at 2 cm?

Answer 

Question 12

You hold two bar magnets so that the north pole of one faces the south pole of the other. What happens?

• A. attract (pull together)
• B. repel (push apart)

Question 13

True or false? Two north poles attract each other.

• A. True
• B. False

Question 14

What pattern does this data show?

• A. Distance makes no difference to a magnet.
• B. Magnets only work when they are 3 cm away.
• C. The further away the magnet, the stronger its pull.
• D. The further away the magnet, the weaker its pull.

Question 15

True or false? A charged balloon sticks to a wall because of glue.

• A. True
• B. False

Question 16

Circuits: which statement is NOT true?

• A. Adding more cells makes a bulb brighter.
• B. An open switch stops the current.
• C. Electricity is used up as it goes round a circuit, so less comes back.
• D. A cell (battery) pushes the current around a circuit.