Electron Configurations Pre Test
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. The product of the frequency and the wavelength of a wave equals the
a. number of waves passing a point in a second.
b. speed of the wave.
c. distance between wave crests.
d. time for one full wave to pass.
2. Visible light, X rays, infrared radiation, and radio waves all have the same
a. energy.
c. speed.
b. wavelength.
d. frequency.
3. For electromagnetic radiation, c (the speed of light) equals
a. frequency minus wavelength.
c. frequency divided by wavelength.
b. frequency plus wavelength.
d. frequency times wavelength.
4. The speed of an electromagnetic wave is equal to the product of its wavelength and its
a. mass.
c. velocity.
b. color.
d. frequency.
5. Because c, the speed of electromagnetic radiation, is a constant, the wavelength of the radiation is
a. proportional to its frequency.
c. inversely proportional to its frequency.
b. equal to its frequency.
d. double its frequency.
6. The frequency of electromagnetic radiation is measured in waves/second, or
a. nanometers.
c. hertz.
b. quanta.
d. joules.
7. As it travels through space, electromagnetic radiation
a. exhibits wavelike behavior.
c. varies in speed.
b. loses energy.
d. releases photons.
8. If electromagnetic radiation A has a lower frequency than electromagnetic radiation B, then compared to B,
the wavelength of A is
a. longer.
c. equal.
b. shorter.
d. exactly half the length of B's wavelength.
9. The distance between two successive peaks on adjacent waves is its
a. frequency.
c. quantum number.
b. wavelength.
d. velocity.
10. A quantum of electromagnetic energy is called a(n)
a. photon.
c. excited atom.
b. electron.
d. orbital.
11. Max Planck proposed that a hot object radiated energy in small, specific amounts called
a. quanta.
c. hertz.
b. waves.
d. electrons.
12. For an electron in an atom to change from the ground state to an excited state,
a. energy must be released.
b. energy must be absorbed.
c. radiation must be emitted.
d. the electron must make a transition from a higher to a lower energy level.
13. If electrons in an atom have the lowest possible energies, the atom is in the
a. ground state.
c. excited state.
b. inert state.
d. radiation-emitting state.
____ 14. According to Bohr, electrons cannot reside at ____ in the figure below.
____ 15.
____ 16.
____ 17.
____ 18.
____ 19.
____ 20.
____ 21.
____ 22.
a. point A
c. point C
b. point B
d. point D
The French scientist Louis de Broglie theorized that
a. electrons could have a dual wave-particle nature.
b. light waves did not have a dual wave-particle nature.
c. the natures of light and quantized electron orbits were not similar.
d. Bohr's model of the hydrogen atom was completely correct.
Which model of the atom explains the orbitals of electrons as waves?
a. the Bohr model
c. Rutherford's model
b. the quantum model
d. Planck's theory
The region outside the nucleus where an electron can most probably be found is the
a. electron configuration.
c. s sublevel.
b. quantum.
d. electron cloud.
All of the following describe the Heisenberg uncertainly principle except
a. it states that it is impossible to determine simultaneously both the position and velocity of
an electron or any other particle.
b. it is one of the fundamental principles of our present understanding of light and matter.
c. it helped lay the foundation for the modern quantum theory.
d. it helps to locate an electron in an atom.
According to the quantum theory of an atom, in an orbital
a. an electron's position cannot be known precisely.
b. an electron has no energy.
c. electrons cannot be found.
d. electrons travel around the nucleus on paths of specific radii.
The quantum number that indicates the position of an orbital about the three axes in space is the
a. principal quantum number.
b. angular momentum quantum number.
c. magnetic quantum number.
d. spin quantum number.
How many quantum numbers are needed to describe the energy state of an electron in an atom?
a. 1
c. 3
b. 2
d. 4
The main energy levels of an atom are indicated by the
a. orbital quantum numbers.
b. magnetic quantum numbers.
c. spin quantum numbers.
d. principal quantum numbers.
____ 23. The angular momentum quantum number indicates the
a. orientation of an orbital around the nucleus.
b. shape of an orbital.
c. direction of the spin of the electron in its orbital.
d. main energy level of an orbital.
____ 24. The number of sublevels within each energy level of an atom is equal to the value of the
a. principal quantum number.
b. angular momentum quantum number.
c. magnetic quantum number.
d. spin quantum number.
____ 25. The spin quantum number indicates that the number of possible spin states for an electron in an orbital is
a. 1.
c. 3.
b. 2.
d. 5.
____ 26. The set of orbitals that are dumbbell shaped and directed along the x, y, and z axes are called
a. d orbitals.
c. f orbitals.
b. p orbitals.
d. s orbitals.
____ 27. A spherical electron cloud surrounding an atomic nucleus would best represent
a. an s orbital.
b. a px orbital.
c. a combination of px and py orbitals.
d. a combination of an s and a px orbital.
____ 28. The number of orbitals for the d sublevel is
a. 1.
c. 5.
b. 3.
d. 7.
____ 29. The total number of orbitals that can exist at the second main energy level is
a. 2.
c. 4.
b. 3.
d. 8.
____ 30. How many electrons can occupy the s orbitals at each energy level?
a. two, if they have opposite spins
b. two, if they have the same spin
c. one
d. no more than eight
____ 31. The statement that an electron occupies the lowest available energy orbital is
a. Hund's rule.
c. Bohr's law.
b. the Aufbau principle.
d. the Pauli exclusion principle.
____ 32. "Orbitals of equal energy are each occupied by one electron before any is occupied by a second electron, and
all electrons in singly occupied orbitals must have the same spin" is a statement of
a. the Pauli exclusion principle.
c. the quantum effect.
b. the Aufbau principle.
d. Hund's rule.
____ 33. The statement that no two electrons in the same atom can have the same four quantum numbers is
a. the Pauli exclusion principle.
c. Bohr's law.
b. Hund's rule.
d. the Aufbau principle.
____ 34. The atomic sublevel with the next highest energy after 4p is
a. 4d.
c. 5p.
b. 4f.
d. 5s.
____ 35. Which of the following lists atomic orbitals in the correct order they are filled according to the Aufbau
principle?
a. 1s 2s 2p 3s 4s 3p 3d 4p 5s
b. 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 4s 3d 4p 5s
c. 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 4s 4p 3d 4d
d. 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 3d 4s 4p 5s
____ 36. The element with electron configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2 is
a. Mg (Z = 12).
c. S (Z = 16).
b. C (Z = 6).
d. Si (Z = 14).
____ 37. The electron notation for aluminum (atomic number 13) is
a. 1s2 2s2 2p3 3s2 3p3 3d1.
b. 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 2d1.
c. 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1.
d. 1s2 2s2 2p9.
____ 38. If the s and p orbitals of the highest main energy level of an atom are filled with electrons, the atom has a(n)
a. electron pair.
c. empty d orbital.
b. octet.
d. electron in an excited state.
____ 39. If the s and p sublevels of the highest main energy level of an atom are filled, how many electrons are in this
main energy level?
a. 2
c. 16
b. 8
d. 32
____ 40. An element with 8 electrons in its highest main energy level is a(n)
a. octet element.
c. Aufbau element.
b. third period element.
d. noble gas.
____ 41. The letter "p" in the symbol 4p indicates the ____.
a. spin of an electron
c. principle energy level
b. orbital shape
d. speed of an electron
____ 42. What is the number of electrons in the outermost energy level of an oxygen atom?
a. 2
c. 6
b. 4
d. 8
____ 43. How many unpaired electrons are in a sulfur atom (atomic number 16)?
a. 0
c. 2
b. 1
d. 3
____ 44. How many half-filled orbitals are in a bromine atom?
a. 1
c. 3
b. 2
d. 4
____ 45. What is the basis for exceptions to the aufbau diagram?
a. Filled and half-filled energy sublevels are more stable than partially-filled energy
sublevels.
b. Electron configurations are only probable.
c. Electron spins are more important than energy levels in determining electron
configuration.
d. Some elements have unusual atomic orbitals.
____ 46. Which of the following electron configurations of outer sublevels is the most stable?
a. 4d 5s
c. 4d 5s
b. 4d 5s
d. 4d 5s
____ 47. How does the speed of visible light compare with the speed of gamma rays, when both speeds are measured
in a vacuum?
a. The speed of visible light is greater.
b. The speed of gamma rays is greater.
c. The speeds are the same.
d. No answer can be determined from the information given.
____ 48. Which color of visible light has the shortest wavelength?
a. yellow
c. blue
b. green
d. violet
____ 49. Which of the following electromagnetic waves have the highest frequencies?
a. ultraviolet light waves
c. microwaves
b. X-rays
d. gamma rays
____ 50. Which type of electromagnetic radiation includes the wavelength 10 m?
a. gamma ray
c. radio wave
b. microwave
d. visible light
____ 51. How are the frequency and wavelength of light related?
a. They are inversely proportional to each other.
b. Frequency equals wavelength divided by the speed of light.
c. Wavelength is determined by dividing frequency by the speed of light.
d. They are directly proportional to each other.
____ 52. The atomic emission spectra of a sodium atom on Earth and of a sodium atom in the sun would be ____.
a. the same
b. different from each other
c. the same as those of several other elements
d. the same as each other only in the ultraviolet range
____ 53. What is the approximate energy of a photon having a frequency of 4
a. 3 10
c. 2 10
J
J
b. 3 10
d.
J
3 10 J
10 Hz? (h = 6.6
10
J s)
____ 54. What is the approximate frequency of a photon having an energy 5 10
J? (h = 6.6 10
J s)
a. 8 10 Hz
c. 3 10
Hz
b. 3 10
d.
Hz
1 10
Hz
____ 55. Which of the following quantum leaps would be associated with the greatest energy of emitted light?
a. n = 5 to n = 1
c. n = 2 to n = 5
b. n = 4 to n = 5
d. n = 5 to n = 4
____ 56. What are quanta of light called?
a. charms
c. muons
b. excitons
d. photons
____ 57. Which scientist developed the quantum mechanical model of the atom?
a. Albert Einstein
c. Niels Bohr
b. Erwin Schrodinger
d. Ernest Rutherford
____ 58. The quantum mechanical model of the atom ____.
a. defines the exact path of an electron around the nucleus
b. was proposed by Niels Bohr
c. involves the probability of finding an electron in a certain position
d. has many analogies in the visible world
____ 59. According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, if the position of a moving particle is known, what other
quantity CANNOT be known?
a. mass
c. spin
b. charge
d. velocity
____ 60. Which of these particles has a positive charge?
a. atom
b. proton
c. neutron
d. electron
____ 61. Very energetic particles that move in all directions around the nucleus of an atom are
a. charges.
b. neutrons.
c. electrons.
d. protons.
____ 62. Electrons involved in bonding between atoms are
a. valence electrons.
b. inside the nucleus.
c. closest to the nucleus.
d. positively charged.
____ 63. What is the greatest number of valence electrons an atom can have?
a. 1
b. 3
c. 8
d. 100
____ 64. The elements in a column of the periodic table
a. are in the same family.
b. are in the same period.
c. have the same atomic mass.
d. have the same chemical symbols.
____ 65. Where are metals located in the periodic table?
a. to the left of the zigzag line
b. to the right of the zigzag line
c. in the top rows
d. in the middle rows
____ 66. Most metals are NOT
a. ductile.
b. good conductors of heat and electricity.
c. liquid at room temperature.
d. malleable.
____ 67. Dalton incorporated the law of conservation of mass into his atomic theory by asserting that
a. atoms are indivisible.
b. atoms of different elements have different properties.
c. matter is composed of atoms.
d. atoms can be destroyed in chemical reactions.
____ 68. Which of the following is not part of Dalton's atomic theory?
a. Atoms cannot be divided, created, or destroyed.
b. The number of protons in an atom is its atomic number.
c. In chemical reactions, atoms are combined, separated, or rearranged.
d. All matter is composed of extremely small particles called atoms.
____ 69. Whose series of experiments identified the nucleus of the atom?
a. Rutherford
c. Chadwick
b. Dalton
d. Bohr
____ 70. Because most particles fired at metal foil passed straight through, Rutherford concluded that
a. atoms were mostly empty space.
c. electrons formed the nucleus.
b. atoms contained no charged particles.
d. atoms were indivisible.
____ 71. Because a few alpha particles bounced back from the foil, Rutherford concluded that they were
a. striking electrons.
b. indivisible.
c. repelled by densely packed regions of positive charge.
d. magnetic.
____ 72. Rutherford's experiments led him to conclude that atoms contain massive central regions that have
a. a positive charge.
c. no charge.
b. a negative charge.
d. both protons and electrons.
____ 73. A nuclear particle that has about the same mass as a proton, but with no electrical charge, is called a(n)
a. nuclide.
c. electron.
b. neutron.
d. isotope.
____ 74. An atom is electrically neutral because
a. neutrons balance the protons and electrons.
b. nuclear forces stabilize the charges.
c. the numbers of protons and electrons are equal.
d. the numbers of protons and neutrons are equal.
____ 75. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different
a. principal chemical properties.
c. numbers of protons.
b. masses.
d. numbers of electrons.
____ 76. The tritium atom consists of
a. one proton, two neutrons, and two electrons.
b. one proton, one neutron, and one electron.
c. one proton, two neutrons, and one electron.
d. two protons, one neutron, and one electron.