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Tamil Nadu (TNBSE)Class 6 Science★ 6-10 marks in the TN Class 6 Term 3 exam through book-back MCQs, fill-ups, true/false and short answers

Magnetism

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 6 Science — Term 3 Chapter 1, Magnetism. Natural and artificial magnets, magnetic and non-magnetic materials, the two poles, attraction and repulsion, the mariner's compass and how to store magnets, with the actual book-back questions, common mistakes and quick revision.

⏱ 14 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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Key points, glossary and the questions most likely to show up.

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Differentiate natural and artificial magnets
2Classify magnetic and non-magnetic materials
3State the law of poles (like repel, unlike attract)
4Explain the mariner's compass and the North-South rest direction
5Describe how to store magnets

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Why this chapter matters

Magnetism explains magnets, poles and the compass — ideas used in navigation and electronics. Poles, attraction/repulsion and the mariner's compass are directly tested book-back content in the TN Class 6 Term 3 exam.

Before you start — revise these

A 5-minute refresher here will save you 30 minutes of confusion below.

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Term 2 — Electricity

Physics basics.

Magnetism — Class 6 Science (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 6 Science, Term 3 — Chapter 1. Magnets and their wonderful behaviour.

1. About this chapter

This chapter covers natural and artificial magnets, magnetic and non-magnetic materials, the poles of a magnet, attraction and repulsion, the mariner's compass, and how to store magnets.

2. Magnets and materials

A natural magnet is lodestone (an ore of iron). Artificial magnets are made in useful shapes — bar magnet, horseshoe magnet, ring magnet.
Magnetic substances are attracted by a magnet (iron, nickel, cobalt — like pins). Non-magnetic materials are not (paper, rubber, wood).

3. Poles, attraction and repulsion

Every magnet has two poles — a North pole and a South pole. The pull is strongest at the poles.
Like poles repel; unlike (opposite) poles attract.
A magnet can lose its magnetism if it is heated, hammered or dropped roughly.

4. The mariner's compass

A freely suspended magnet always rests in the North–South direction. This is the basis of the mariner's compass, used to find direction.
The Chinese made the first mariner's compass; long ago, lodestones were used to find direction.

5. Storing magnets

Magnets are stored in pairs with unlike poles together, separated by a piece of wood, with two soft-iron keepers placed across the ends — this is keeping/storing magnets so they do not lose strength.

6. Worked examples

Example 1. Which is attracted by a magnet — a plain pin or a paper? The plain pin (iron is magnetic).

Example 2. What happens when two North poles are brought close? They repel (like poles repel).

Example 3. In which direction does a freely suspended magnet rest? North–South.

7. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)

I. Choose the correct answer

An object that is attracted by a magnet is a — (a) plastic / (b) plain pin. Ans: (b) plain pin.
The people who made the mariner's compass for the first time were the — (a) Indians / (b) Chinese. Ans: (b) Chinese.
A freely suspended magnet always comes to rest in the — (a) East–West / (b) North–South direction. Ans: (b) North–South.
A magnet loses its property when it is — (a) kept still / (b) hit with a hammer. Ans: (b) hit with a hammer.
A mariner's compass is used to find the — (a) weight / (b) direction. Ans: (b) direction.

II. Fill in the blanks 6. Materials attracted by a magnet are called magnetic substances. 7. Paper is a non-magnetic material. 8. A magnet has two poles.

III. True or False 9. Similar (like) poles of a magnet repel each other. — True. 10. A cylindrical magnet has only one pole. — False (it has two). 11. Rubber is a magnetic material. — False (it is non-magnetic).

IV. Answer briefly 12. Name the three artificial magnets. — Bar magnet, horseshoe magnet and ring magnet.

8. Common mistakes

Mistake: Thinking a magnet has only one pole. Fix: Every magnet has two poles — North and South.
Mistake: Saying like poles attract. Fix: Like poles repel; unlike poles attract.
Mistake: Calling paper or rubber magnetic. Fix: Paper, rubber and wood are non-magnetic.

9. Quick revision

Term 3 · Ch 1 · magnetism.
Natural magnet = lodestone; artificial = bar, horseshoe, ring.
Two poles (N and S); like repel, unlike attract; strongest at poles.
Freely suspended magnet rests North–South → mariner's compass (Chinese) finds direction.
Heating/hammering destroys magnetism; store in pairs with soft-iron keepers.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Magnets

natural = lodestone; artificial = bar, horseshoe, ring

Made in shapes.

Poles

two poles: North and South; strongest at poles

Like repel, unlike attract.

Compass

freely suspended magnet rests North-South

Finds direction.

Loss of magnetism

heating, hammering, dropping

Store with soft-iron keepers.

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Thinking a magnet has only one pole

✓ Every magnet has two poles — North and South.

WATCH OUT

✗ Saying like poles attract

✓ Like poles repel; unlike poles attract.

WATCH OUT

✗ Calling paper or rubber magnetic

✓ Paper, rubber and wood are non-magnetic.

NCERT exercises

Every NCERT exercise from this chapter — what it covers and how many questions to expect.

Choose the correct answer

Book-back MCQs on attracted objects, the compass, North-South, loss of magnetism and direction.

Questions

Fill in the blanks

Magnetic substances, non-magnetic paper and two poles.

Questions

True or False

Like poles, cylindrical magnet poles and rubber.

Questions

Practice problems

Work through this chapter's problems as a readiness check — reveal each solution, mark yourself honestly, and get your gap report at the end.

Readiness check

Are you exam-ready for Magnetism?

6 problems from this chapter. Try each one, reveal the worked solution, mark yourself honestly — get your gap report at the end.

6 questions~4 min worth ~10 marks in Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) exams

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•Term 3 Chapter 1 of Samacheer Kalvi Class 6 Science.
•A natural magnet is lodestone; artificial magnets are bar, horseshoe and ring shaped.
•Magnetic substances (iron, nickel, cobalt) are attracted; paper, rubber and wood are non-magnetic.
•Every magnet has two poles (North and South); like poles repel, unlike poles attract.
•A freely suspended magnet rests in the North-South direction — the basis of the mariner's compass (made first by the Chinese) used to find direction.
•Heating, hammering or dropping destroys magnetism; magnets are stored with soft-iron keepers.

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 6-10 marks across book-back MCQ, fill-ups, true/false and short answers

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
MCQ / Fill / T-F	1	5-7	Magnets, poles, compass
Short Answer	2	1-2	Artificial magnets, storage

Prep strategy

Sort materials into magnetic and non-magnetic
Remember like repel, unlike attract
Recall the North-South rest direction
Learn the artificial magnet shapes

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Navigation

The mariner's compass uses a magnet to find direction.

Electronics

Magnets are used in speakers, motors and fridges.

Sorting

Magnets separate iron from waste.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

Sort materials into magnetic and non-magnetic

Quote like repel, unlike attract

State the North-South rest direction

Name the artificial magnet shapes

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

STRETCH

Explain why breaking a magnet gives two smaller magnets, each with two poles.

STRETCH

Describe an experiment to show the poles have the strongest pull.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

TN Class 6 Term 3 ExamHigh

NMMS / Foundation ScienceMedium

School unit testsHigh

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Questions students ask

The real ones — pulled from the Q&A community and tutor sessions.

The Earth itself behaves like a giant magnet, so a freely suspended magnet aligns with the Earth's magnetic field and comes to rest pointing in the North-South direction — this is used in the compass.

Storing two magnets with unlike poles together and soft-iron keepers across their ends keeps the magnetism from weakening over time.

Practice more, ask doubts, find a tutor

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