Class 6 Science Chapter 6 Materials Around Us Extra Questions

Extra practice questions for Class 6 Science Chapter 6, “Materials Around Us”, to reinforce understanding of material properties and grouping beyond the textbook’s own exercises. These Class 6 Science Chapter 6 important questions are handy for last-minute exam practice.

Very Short Answer Questions

Q1. What is lustre?
Answer: The shine or glow on the surface of a material.

Q2. Name two lustrous materials.
Answer: Gold and steel (any two metals).

Q3. Define matter.
Answer: Anything that has mass and occupies space.

Q4. Give an example of a translucent material.
Answer: Butter paper (or frosted glass).

Q5. Is glass transparent or translucent?
Answer: Transparent — clear glass allows light to pass through fully and objects can be seen clearly through it.

Short Answer Questions

Q6. Differentiate between soluble and insoluble substances with one example each.
Answer: A soluble substance dissolves completely in a liquid and cannot be seen separately, e.g., sugar in water. An insoluble substance does not dissolve and remains visible/settles, e.g., sand in water.

Q7. Why do some objects float on water while others sink?
Answer: Objects less dense than water (like dry wood, cork, plastic) float, while objects denser than water (like iron, stone) sink.

Q8. How can you test whether a material is hard or soft?
Answer: By trying to scratch, press, or dent it — a hard material resists scratching/denting (e.g., stone), while a soft material can be easily pressed or reshaped (e.g., sponge).

Q9. Explain with an example why the same material can be used to make different objects.
Answer: Because a material’s properties can suit many purposes — for example, plastic is light, waterproof, and mouldable, so it is used to make buckets, chairs, toys, and bottles.

Q10. Is air matter? Give a reason.
Answer: Yes, air is matter because it has mass and occupies space — for example, it can inflate a balloon, showing it takes up volume.

Long Answer / Reasoning Questions

Q11. A shopkeeper wants to pack liquid soap in a bottle. Should the bottle be made of a transparent or opaque material? Explain your reasoning considering both visibility and protection from light.
Answer: A transparent or translucent bottle lets customers see the liquid level and colour, which helps with buying decisions and checking how much is left. However, if the soap can be affected by strong light, a translucent (rather than fully transparent) material may be preferred as a middle ground — this shows how material choice depends on balancing multiple needs.

Q12. Classify the following into lustrous/non-lustrous, hard/soft, and soluble/insoluble (in water) where applicable: (a) a coin (b) a cotton ball (c) sugar (d) a wooden block (e) a steel spoon.
Answer: (a) Coin — lustrous, hard. (b) Cotton ball — non-lustrous, soft. (c) Sugar — soluble in water. (d) Wooden block — non-lustrous, hard (compared to cotton), insoluble. (e) Steel spoon — lustrous, hard.

Q13. Explain why grouping materials by their properties (rather than by what object they form) is useful in everyday life and industry.
Answer: Grouping by properties (like hardness, transparency, or solubility) helps us choose the right material for a new purpose — for example, knowing a material is both hard and lustrous helps decide it may be suitable for jewellery or cutlery, while knowing a material is soluble helps decide it should not be used for waterproof packaging. This property-based thinking is the basis for materials selection in manufacturing.

Q14. A student says, “Heat can pass through some materials better than others.” Is this idea part of the official properties covered in this chapter? Explain.
Answer: This chapter’s official set of properties covers lustre, hardness, transparency, solubility, and behaviour with water (float/sink), along with the ideas of mass, volume, and matter — it does not include a dedicated “heat conduction” property as a core section. While it is true in general science that some materials conduct heat better than others, this specific chapter does not formally test or teach that property.

Practice more:

• Extra Questions for Class 6 Science Chapter 1: The Wonderful World of Science
• Class 6 Science Chapter 2 Diversity in the Living World Extra Questions
• Class 6 Science Chapter 3 Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body Extra Questions
• Class 6 Science Chapter 4 Exploring Magnets Extra Questions
• Class 6 Science Chapter 5 Measurement of Length and Motion Extra Questions

Written by Satish

NCERTBooks.org is an independent educational resource run by a small team focused on making official NCERT textbooks easy to find, read, and download for students, parents, and teachers across India. We are not affiliated with NCERT or the Ministry of Education -- we organise publicly available NCERT content by class and subject, verify links against official sources, and build tools (like our in-browser reader) that make studying more convenient. Every guide we publish is written and reviewed by our team based on the actual NCERT curriculum and syllabus.