Periodic Table and Trends

Comprehensive Exam

1. Anions of a particular element are generally larger than the atoms of the same
element. Which of the following statements best explains this difference?
A. Ions are always larger than atoms of any element regardless of whether they are
anions or cations.
B. Anions are actually smaller than atoms. Cations are larger than atoms of the
same element because the loss of electrons redistributes electrons and makes
the ion bigger than the atom.
C. Anions gain electrons without gaining protons. This increased negative charge
with no increase in positive charge allows electrons to orbit farther from the
nucleus; therefore the ions are larger.
D. None of the above.

2. The arrangement of elements in the periodic table_____.

A. provides organization to the elements
B. shows trends in properties of the elements
C. allows one to locate elements with properties similar to other elements
D. All of the above

3. The arrangement of an atom’s electrons is known as the atom’s _____.

A. electronic frequency
B. electron configuration
C. electronic map
D. electron diagram

4. The s-, p-, d- and f-blocks relate to

which property of the elements?
A. the number of neutrons
B. the most common ions
C. the electron configurations
D. None of the above

5. The core of an atom is called the ____, which is made up of ____ and ____. The
_____ are found outside of the atom’s core.
A. neutron, protons, electrons, the nucleus
B. proton, electrons, neutrons, the nucleus
 C. electron, protons, neutrons, the nuclues
D. nucleus, protons, neutrons, electrons

6. Electrons travel around the nucleus of an atom in regions related to different energy
levels.
A. True
B. False

7. The reason one can determine the number of electrons from the atomic number is
_____.
A. the atomic number is based on the negative charge from electrons, therefore the
atomic number is, in essence, based on the number of electrons
B. atoms presented in the periodic table are electrically neutral, meaning that there
are exactly as many electrons as the protons , and atomic number is based on
the number of protons
C. ions carry a positive or negative charge
D. None of the above.

8. An element’s atomic number can be used to determine ______.

A. the number of protons in an atom
B. the number of electrons in an atom
C. The number of years until an element decays.
D. A and B only.

9. Early attempts at organizing the

elements arranged them according
to_____.
A. properties of the elements
B. atomic mass
C. electron configuration
D. Both A and B

10. In the modern periodic table, one unit of atomic mass equals 1/12 the mass of the
12
C atom; therefore hydrogen, which is approximately twelve times lighter than carbon,
has an atomic mass of approximately _____.
A. six
B. two
C. one
D. twelve

11. Elements are chemically pure; they cannot be separated into simpler substances.
A. True
B. False
12. “Dobereiner’s triads” refers to _____.
A. an early arrangement of elements in which J.W. Dobereiner arranged them by
their atomic mass in groups of three
B. a disease resulting in the growth of a third set of abdominal muscles
C. J.W. Dobereiner’s triangular arrangement of the elements
D. The three advertisements J.W. Dobereiner posted to find someone who could
develop a periodic table

13. “Newlands’ octaves” refers to _____.

A. the eight lobes of the orbitals J.A.R. Newlands found to describe the path of
electrons around the nucleus
B. the musical notes generated by the Newlands piano
C. the pattern in which J.A.R. Newlands organized elements into a table where their
properties repeated every eight element
D. eight classes of birds in Newfoundland

14. The person commonly credited as being the father of the periodic table is _____.
_____ also created a very similar table, but it was published a little later.
A. Dmitri Mendeleev, Lothar Meyer
B. Lothar Meyer, Dmitri Mendeleev
C. Albert Einstein, Max Plank
D. Linus Pauling, Erwin Schrödinger

15. Mendeleev’s periodic table was accurate enough that he was able to use it to
predict the existence and several properties of certain elements that had not yet been
discovered.
A. True
B. False

16. The modern periodic table arranges

elements by _____.
A. atomic mass
B. atomic number
C. number of isotopes
D. electron mass

17. An element’s atomic number is based on _____.

A. the number of neutrons in its atoms
B. the arrangement of electrons in its atoms
C. the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in its atoms
D. the number of protons in its atoms
18. The following statement, “a periodic pattern appears in the physical and chemical
properties of the elements when they are arranged in order of increasing atomic
number,” is known as _____.
A. the Einstein equation
B. Plank’s constant
C. the periodic law
D. the periodic table

19. Most modern periodic tables arrange elements by atomic number into seven
horizontal rows, called _____, and eighteen vertical columns, called_____.
A. lines, rungs
B. periods, groups
C. groups, periods
D. elements, chemicals

20. Atomic mass represents the weight of an atom’s protons, neutrons, and electrons.
However, the atomic mass is generally used to refer to just the number of protons and
neutrons. Why?
A. Electrons weigh much more than protons and neutrons, and therefore it is easy
to subtract the weight of the electrons from the atomic mass.
B. The weight of an electron is negligible compared to that of protons and neutrons.
C. Electrons are very difficult to remove from atoms for determining the weight.
D. None of the above.

21. Atoms of the same element that have a different number of neutrons, and
therefore a different atomic mass, are known as _____.
A. isomers
B. ions
C. anions
D. isotopes

22. Another name for the d-block

elements is the _____.
A. transistor elements
B. transition metals
C. nonmetal elements
D. None of the above.

23. The lanthanides and actinides are

known as the _____.
A. inner transition metals (inner
transition elements)
B. inner transistor metals
C. f-block
D. Both A and C
24. The alkali metals react with oxygen and form compounds that dissolve in water to
produce solutions that are _____ on the pH scale.
A. acidic
B. neutral
C. basic
D. None of the above.

25. The highly reactive elements in group

7A, which are known for forming salts, are
the _____.
A. metals
B. solids
C. halogens
D. noble gases

26. The nonreactive elements at the far

right of the periodic table that contain an
octet of electrons in their valence shell are
_____.
A. halogens
B. noble solids
C. mobile metals
D. noble gases

27. The noble gases are almost completely nonreactive; for this reason they are
sometimes called the _____ gases.
A. inept
B. idle
C. inert
D. enduring

28. The first element in each period

represents electrons starting to fill the s-
orbital of a new energy level.
A. True
B. False

29. Each electron orbital can contain a maximum of _____ electron(s).

A. one
B. two
C. three
 D. four

30. The first period in the periodic table represents elements that possess only the first
energy level s orbital; therefore this period contains _____ element(s).
A. four
B. three
C. two
D. one

31. Elements on the right side of the periodic table with electrons sequentially filling the
porbitals of their valence shells are collectively known as the _____.
A. s-block elements
B. d-block elements
C. f-block elements
D. p-block elements

32. Electrons that exist in an atom’s highest occupied energy level are known
as _____.
A. antimatter
B. valiant electrons
C. valence electrons
D. protons

33. Noble gases have less stable electronic configurations than all other elements in the
periodic table.
A. True
B. False

34. Which statement best describes the reason helium (He) is not located with the other
s-block elements?
A. Helium has electrons filling the first energy level s-orbital, but there’s not room to
place it above the other s-block elements in the modern periodic table.
B. Helium behaves chemically like the halogens because it has electrons in a p-
orbital.
C. Helium has a closed shell for the first energy level; therefore it exhibits properties
similar to those of the noble gases.
D. Helium is actually placed above these elements.

35. Which of the following periods contain elements with electrons in s, p, d, and f
orbitals?
A. periods 1-3
B. periods 1-5
C. periods 6-7
D. periods 3-5
36. To determine the energy level of the d-orbitals in a particular period, one should
_____.
A. subtract one from the period number
B. add one to the period number
C. subtract two from the period number
D. add two to the period number

37. To determine the energy level of the f-

orbitals in a particular period, one should
_____.
A. subtract one from the period number
B. add one to the period number
C. subtract two from the period number
D. add two to the period number

38. The reason there are fourteen different f-block elements in a period can best be
described by which of the following statements?
A. There are fourteen different f-orbitals.
B. There are seven different f-orbitals and each orbital can possess two electrons.
C. There are five d-orbitals and two s-orbitals in the f-block, and each orbital can
possess two electrons.
D. There are seven different s-orbitals in the f-block.

39. At room temperature there are only two

elements, bromine (Br) and mercury (Hg),
that exist as _____.
A. solids
B. gases
C. semimetals
D. liquids

40. The term luster is most closely associated with which type of element?
A. metals
B. nonmetals
C. semimetals
D. None of the above.

41. Metals are said to be malleable because _____.

A. they can be drawn into wire
B. they can be hammered or rolled into shapes
 C. they conduct electricity
D. they conduct heat

42. Which of the following properties are characteristic of metals?

A. they are ductile
B. they are malleable
C. they conduct heat and electricity
D. All of the above

43. Nonmetal elements _____.

A. can be drawn into wire or hammered into shapes
B. lack luster and are poor conductors of electricity
C. are good conductors of both heat and electricity
D. Both A and C

44. Which of the following type of elements are used as semiconductors?

A. metals
B. nonmetals
C. semimetals
D. liquids

45. Measuring the distance between two nuclei in a diatomic molecule and dividing this
number by two gives a rough estimate of the _____.
A. ionic radii
B. atomic radii
C. electronegativity
D. electron affinity

46. The energy required to remove an electron from an atom is called the _____.
A. electron affinity
B. ionization energy
C. electronegativity
D. None of the above

47. The energy change that occurs when an atom gains electrons is called the _____.
A. electron affinity
B. ionization energy
C. electronegativity
D. None of the above

48. An increased distance of the electrons from the nucleus causes them to be affected
_____ by the nucleus’ positive charge so it is easier to remove them; therefore the
ionization energy _____.
A. more, increases
B. less, decreases
C. less, increases
D. more, decreases
49. Atomic radii decrease moving from left to right across a period. As a result, the
electrons become closer to the nucleus. What effect does this have on the ionization
energy – the amount of energy required to remove an electron from an atom?
A. the ionization energy stays the same
B. the ionization energy decreases
C. the ionization energy increases
D. electrons have no effect on ionization energy

50. Successive ionization energies relate to _____.

A. the energy required to remove more than one electron from atoms
B. the energy required to remove a single electron from different types of atoms
C. the energy required for ions to form bonds
D. All of the above.

51. Which statement best describes why the halogens in group 7A have such high
electron affinities (as represented by large negative values)?
A. They tend to lose electrons easily.
B. They gain electrons easily in order to begin filling a new valence shell with
electrons.
C. They gain electrons easily because they are just a single electron away from
attaining a stable, octet, of electrons.
D. The halogens actually have low electron affinities.

52. An atom’s relative ability to attract electrons shared in a chemical bond is known as
its _____.
A. ionization energy
B. electron affinity
C. ion potential
D. electronegativity

53. Fluorine is the most electronegative element. Therefore, when it forms bonds with
another element, the electrons are _____.
A. split in half
B. pushed away from the fluorine atom toward the other atom in the bond
C. more strongly attracted to the fluorine atom than the other atom in the bond
D. positioned exactly half way between the fluroine atom and the other atom in the
bond

54. The more electronegative an element, the more _____.

A. it attracts electrons involved in a bond
B. it pushes away electrons involved in a bond
C. metallic the element
D. malleable the element