3rd grade electricity and magnetism

Question 1

Is a steel paper clip attracted to a magnet?

• A. magnetic
• B. not magnetic

Question 2

Why should you never poke anything into a mains socket?

• A. Sockets have no electricity
• B. It might break the toy
• C. It is not dangerous
• D. Mains electricity can give a dangerous, even deadly, electric shock

Question 3

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

• A. conductor
• B. insulator

Question 4

Do these attract or repel: a positive charge and a negative charge?

• A. attract
• B. repel

Question 5

How can you find out which end of an unlabelled magnet is north?

• A. Bring it near the north pole of a labelled magnet: the end that is pushed away is north.
• B. Weigh it.
• C. Smell it.
• D. Look at its colour.

Question 6

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

• A. attract
• B. repel

Question 7

Lightning is a giant spark of static electricity. Where does the charge build up?

• A. in rainbows
• B. in storm clouds, as ice and water drops rub and bump
• C. inside trees
• D. in the Moon

Question 8

True or false? Two north poles attract each other.

• A. True
• B. False

Question 9

True or false? A magnet can pick up a wooden spoon.

• A. True
• B. False

Question 10

A gold ring is placed in the gap in this circuit and the switch is closed. Will the bulb light?

• A. yes
• B. no

Question 11

Circuits: which statement is NOT true?

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

Question 12

Look at the circuit. Will the bulb light?

• A. yes
• B. no

Question 13

Would a magnet help with this job: sorting steel cans from aluminium cans?

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

Question 14

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 1 cm?

Answer 

Question 15

Why does the class repeat each distance three times and use the average?

• A. Three is the only allowed number.
• B. To use up more paperclips.
• C. Repeating makes the results more reliable.
• D. Because the magnet gets stronger each time.

Question 16

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

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