Correct answer: north-south directions
Explanation:
A compass needle is a small magnet, and when it is freely suspended, it aligns itself with the Earth's magnetic field.
The Earth acts like a giant magnet with its magnetic south near the geographic North Pole and magnetic north near the geographic South Pole.
Thus, the compass needle aligns itself along the geographic north-south direction, with the north pole of the needle pointing towards the geographic north.
Hence, the correct answer is: north-south directions.