1 Which of the following contain acids?

(1) Ketchup
(2) Soft drinks
(3) Toilet cleaners
A (1) and (2) only
B (1) and (3) only
C (2) and (3) only
D (1), (2) and (3)

2 Which of the following plant parts can be used to make acid-alkali indicators?
(1) Red cabbage leaves
(2) Violet petals
(3) Onion skins
A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only
C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

3 Which of the following liquids turn(s) red litmus paper blue?

(1) Lemon juice (2) Bleach (3) Distilled water

A (1) only
B (2) only
C (1) and (2) only
D (1), (2) and (3)

4 Liquid X does not turn blue litmus paper red. X may be

(1) soft drink.
(2) soap solution.
(3) distilled water.
A (1) only B (2) only
C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

5 Which of the following statements about the pH is INCORRECT?

A A solution of pH 7 is neutral.
B The higher the pH value of a solution, the more acidic the solution is.
C The pH value of a solution can be found by using universal indicator.
D A solution of pH 0 turns blue litmus paper red.

*6 A gas is produced when substance P is added to dilute hydrochloric acid.

Substance P may be
(1) aluminium.
(2) copper.
(3) marble.
A (1) only B (1) and (2) only
C (1) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)
7 Which of the following air pollutants cause acid rain?
(1) Sulphur dioxide
(2) Carbon dioxide
(3) Nitrogen oxides
A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only
C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

8 Which of the following containers is NOT suitable for holding dilute

hydrochloric acid?
A B C D

iron bucket glass bottle plastic cup clay pot

9 Which of the following substances is NOT a salt?

A Sodium chloride B Sodium hydroxide
C Potassium nitrate D Magnesium sulphate

10 Acids can be used to preserve food because

A they can neutralize the alkalis in food.
B they can remove the toxic substances produced by the micro-organisms in food.
C they can lower the pH value of food.
D they can stop the growth of micro-organisms in food.
Structural Questions
1 Amy has four flasks of solutions. She uses pieces of red and blue litmus paper to
test the four solutions. The results are shown in the table below.

A B C D

Solution Change of red litmus paper Change of blue litmus paper

A Turns blue No change

B No change No change

C No change Turns red

 D No change Turns red

a i Which solution(s) is/are alkaline? (2 marks)

ii Which solution(s) is/are acidic? (2 marks)
b Suggest a substance that solution B may be. (1 mark)
c Which solution has the highest pH value? (1 mark)
*d Briefly describe how you can measure the pH values of solutions A to D.
(3 marks)

2 Andy is doing an experiment to study the reaction between dilute hydrochloric acid
and marble. His experimental set-up is shown below.

dilute
hydrochloric acid

marble chips lime water

tube A tube B
 a State TWO safety procautions that Andy should take before the experiment.
(2 marks)
b What is observed in tube A? (1 mark)
c i What is observed in tube B? (1 mark)
ii What does the observation in c i show? (1 mark)
d Name the substance in marble that reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid.
(1 mark)
e Marble is often used as a building material. Suggest another building
material that reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid in the same way as marble.
(1 mark)
*f According to the result of this experiment, what should we pay attention to
when we use cleaners to clean marble surfaces? (2 marks)

3 The photo below shows some plants destroyed by acid rain.

Y
Y

a Describe briefly how acid rain is formed. (4 marks)

*b Why is the global acid rain problem getting worse in recent years?(3 marks)
c How does acid rain affect the growth of plants? (3 marks)
d Suggest ONE way to make the acidic soil suitable for plants to grow.
(1 mark)
e Suggest TWO ways that we can do to help control acid rain. (2 marks)
4 Mary has got a stomach ache. The doctor diagnoses that it is caused by excess
acids in her stomach.

a How do the excess acids affect the stomach? (1 mark)

b The doctor prescribes some antacid tablets for Mary. How does antacid help
relieve the pain? (2 marks)
c The acid produced in the stomach is hydrochloric acid. The antacid tablets
contain magnesium hydroxide. Write a word equation for the reaction
between hydrochloric acid and magnesium hydroxide. (3 marks)

5 The diagram below shows a bottle of concentrated household cleaner which

should be diluted before use.

a What hazard warning label should be put on this bottle of cleaner? (1 mark)
*b Describe the proper steps in diluting the concentrated cleaner. (3 marks)
c Give THREE safety precautions that should be taken when diluting the
concentrated cleaner. (3 marks)
d State ONE emergency treatment when we spill some cleaner onto our skin
accidentally. (1 mark)
Reading Article
Read the article about an accident involving acids below and answer the questions.

A secondary 6 student got hurt in a Chemistry practical lesson in a school

yesterday. The student had completed the experiment and was writing up his
laboratory report. He had taken off his safety goggles but was still wearing a
laboratory coat. His classmate was heating some sulphuric acid nearby.
Unexpectedly, some acid spurted out (噴出) from the test tube and splashed onto
the first student’s left eye, right forearm and left thigh (大腿).

The accident was reported to the

teacher at once. The student washed the
1 Why is sulphuric acid dangerous? (2 marks)
*2 What should have been done by the two students to avoid the accident?
a The victim (2 marks)
b The victim’s classmate (2 marks)
*3 A student suggested that the test tube should be stoppered well during heating so
as to prevent the solution inside the test tube from spurting out. Do you agree
with this student? Explain your answer. (2 marks)
4 Other than putting on a laboratory coat and safety goggles, state TWO safety
precautions that we should take when doing experiments involving acids.
(2 marks)

Multiple-choice questions (20 marks)

1 D 2 D 3 B 4 C 5 B
6 C 7 B 8 A 9 B 10 D

Questions (45 marks)

1 a i Solution A 2m
ii Solutions C and D 2m
b Distilled water (Accept other reasonable answers.) 1m
c Solution A 1m
d Add a drop of the solution into universal indicator. / Add a drop
the solution to a piece of pH paper. 2m
By matching the colour of the indicator or the pH paper against the
pH colour chart, we can find the pH value of the solution. 1m

2 a Wear a laboratory coat. 1m

Put on protective gloves. 1m
(Accept other reasonable answers.)
b Gas bubbles are formed. 1m
c i The lime water turns milky. 1m
ii The gas produced in tube A is carbon dioxide. 1m
 d Calcium carbonate 1m
e Limestone / sandstone 1m
f We should avoid using acidic cleaners to clean marble surfaces. 2m

3 a Vehicles, power stations and factories release large amounts of

acidic air pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. 2m
When these substances dissolve in water droplets in air, acids are
formed. 1m
The acidic droplets join to form clouds and later fall as acid rain. 1m
b As industries develop and cities become densely populated, more
fuels are burnt. 2m
As a result, more sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are
produced. This makes the problem worse. 1m
c When acid rain falls onto the soil, it may dissolve certain minerals
in the soil and wash them away. 2m
This hinders the growth of plants. 1m
d Add lime to the acidic soil to raise the soil pH. 1m
e Use public transport instead of private cars. 1m
Switch off electrical appliances when not using them. 1m
(Accept other reasonable answers.)

4 a The excess acids irritate the stomach wall, causing a stomach ache. 1m
b Antacid is alkaline. 1m
It can neutralize the excess acids so as to reduce the irritation to
the stomach wall. 1m
c Hydrochloric acid + magnesium hydroxide 
magnesium chloride + water 3m

5 a Corrosive 1m
b Pour water into a plastic basin to about half-full. 1m
Slowly pour the right amount of concentrated cleaner into the
water. 1m
Gently stir the mixture in the basin. 1m
c Wear a pair of plastic gloves. /
Carry out the dilution in a well-ventilated area. /
Continuously stir the solution. /
Slowly add the concentrated cleaner to a large amount of water.
(Any three) (Accept other reasonable answers.) 3m
d Wash the affected area under running water for at least 10 minutes. 1m

Reading article (10 marks)

1 Sulphuric acid is a strong acid. 1m
It is corrosive. 1m
2 a He should wear safety goggles even if he had completed the
experiment. 2m
b He should point the test tube away from his classmate when
heating the acid. 2m
3 No. The air pressure inside the test tube will become very high if the
test tube is stoppered. 1m
 The high air pressure will break the test tube or cause the stopper to
1m
jump out which is dangerous.
4 Fill no more than one-third of the test tube with acids. 1m
Wear protective gloves. 1m
(Accept other reasonable answers.)