Periodic Table Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Why do elements in the same vertical group often have similar chemical properties?
They have approximately the same atomic mass
They occur in the same physical state at room temperature
They contain the same number of occupied electron shells
They have similar arrangements of valence electrons
2. What does an element’s atomic number represent?
The average number of neutrons across its naturally occurring isotopes
The total number of protons and neutrons in its most common isotope
The number of occupied electron shells in a neutral atom
The number of protons in each atom of the element
3. Sodium and magnesium are next to each other in Period 3. Which generally has the smaller atomic radius?
Sodium, because atomic radius generally decreases down a group
Sodium, because alkali metals have fewer valence electrons
Magnesium, because atomic radius generally decreases from left to right across a period
Magnesium, because it has one fewer occupied electron shell
4. An element is located directly below fluorine in the periodic table. Which element is it?
Oxygen
Chlorine
Neon
Sulfur
5. Based on the general trend within Group 16, which element has the greatest electronegativity?
Oxygen
Tellurium
Selenium
Sulfur
6. Which element is commonly classified as a metalloid?
Aluminum
Silicon
Magnesium
Sulfur
7. An atom has electrons arranged as 2, 8, 1 across its occupied shells. To which group does it belong?
Group 2, the alkaline earth metals
Group 17, the halogens
Group 1, the alkali metals
Group 18, the noble gases
8. A neutral atom contains 17 protons. Which element is it?
Fluorine
Argon
Sulfur
Chlorine
9. Where are most transition metals located on the periodic table?
In the central d-block
In the two detached rows only
In the far-right column containing the noble gases
Along the upper-right region occupied mainly by nonmetals
10. Two atoms have different numbers of neutrons but belong to the same element. What must they have in common?
The same mass number
The same number of protons
The same number of electrons, even if either atom is ionized
The same radioactive stability
11. Which symbol represents potassium?
K
Po
Pt
P
12. Which pair would be expected to have the most similar chemical behavior because the elements occupy the same group?
Sodium and magnesium
Potassium and calcium
Sodium and potassium
Magnesium and aluminum
13. For a ground-state main-group atom, what does its period number most directly indicate?
Its typical number of chemical bonds
Its number of valence electrons
Its number of naturally occurring isotopes
Its highest occupied principal energy level
14. A particle has 12 protons and 10 electrons. How should it be identified?
A neutral magnesium atom because it has 12 protons
A magnesium ion with a positive two charge
A neon ion because it contains 10 electrons
A sodium ion with a positive one charge
15. An unknown solid is shiny but brittle and behaves as a semiconductor. Which broad classification best matches these properties?
Metalloid
Halogen
Noble gas
Alkali metal
16. A chemist needs an element that is especially unreactive because it has a filled outer electron shell. Which choice best fits?
Chlorine
Sodium
Argon
Oxygen