Practice Exam I
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. Which of the following is not matter?
a. the air in your lungs
b. the blood in your arteries
c. the sunlight coming through the window
d. none, all of these are matter
2. Which of the following is a physical change?
a. burning of fuel oil
b. melting of ice
c. both (a) and (b)
d. neither (a) nor (b)
3. Which of the following is a chemical property of water?
a. ice floats
b. water boils at 100C
c. water reacts violently with sodium
d. all of these are chemical properties
4. Which of the following is synonymous with "fact"?
a. a hypothesis
b. an observation which is reproducible
c. an observation which is not reproducible
d. none of these
5. The quotation, "Chance favors the prepared mind," is attributed to the great French scientist Louis Pasteur.
This most closely means which of the following?
a. A careful experimenter will obtain reliable results.
b. A careful experimenter will sometimes make an unexpected but significant observation.
c. Intense study is required to obtain good examination grades.
d. Nothing can be accomplished without appropriate preparation.
6. The area of Asia is approximately 16.8 million square miles. Which of the following is the correct way to
express this number in scientific notation?
a. 1.68  105
b. 1.68  106
c. 1.68  107
d. none of these
7. In one second light travels 2.998  108 meters. Which of the following is the correct way to write this in
conventional notation?
a. 0.00000002998 meters/second
b. 2,998,000 meters/second
c. 299,800,000 meters/second
d. none of these
8. Sometimes the same word can have different meanings. In the United States the word billion means "a
thousand million" but in Britain the word billion means "a million million." Which of the following
corresponds to the "British Billion"?
a. 1  10- 9
b. 1  10-6
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c. 1  109
d. 1  1012
9. How many milligrams (mg) are there is 1 kilogram (kg)?
a. 1  10-12
b. 1  10- 6
c. 1  106
d. 1  1012
____ 10. How many liters (L) are there in 1 microliter (L)?
a. 1  10-12
b. 1  10-6
c. 1  106
d. 1  1012
____ 11. One long distance Olympic race is the 10,000 meter run. Which of the following is most nearly the length of
this run in feet? [1 meter is slightly longer than 39 inches]
a. 6.09  103 feet
b. 6.22  103 feet
c. 1.00  104 feet
d. 3.28  104 feet
____ 12. The length of an American football field is 100 yards. Which of the following is most nearly this distance
expressed in meters? [1 meter is slightly longer than 39 inches]
a. 9.14 meters
b. 10.9 meters
c. 91.4 meters
d. 109 meters
____ 13. The dimensions of a room are typically given in feet, but carpeting is sold by the square yard. How many
square yards of carpet are required to cover the floor of a room which is 12 feet by 18 feet?
a. 12 square yards
b. 18 square yards
c. 24 square yards
d. 216 square yards
____ 14. The area of Europe is 1.05  107 km2. Which of the following shapes has an area equal to the area of Europe?
a. a rectangle 2100 km by 5000 km
b. a square 3240 km on a side
c. a rectangle 2625 km by 4000 km
d. all of these
____ 15. A can of soda has a volume of 355 mL. The area of a circle is given as A = r2, where r is the radius of the
circle, so the volume of the can is given by V = (r2)h, where h is the height of the can. If a particular can has
a height of 12.2 cm what is the radius of the can?
a. 3.04 mm
b. 3.04 cm
c. 9.26 mm
d. 9.26 cm
____ 16. A common piece of laboratory glassware is a 125 mL beaker. What is this volume in the English system of
units? [1 quart = 946. liter = 32 fl oz]
a. 0.423 fl oz
b. 0.423 quarts
c. 4.23 fl oz
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d. 4.23 quarts
The dimensions of a piece of wood are 2.8 meters x 14 cm x 120 mm. What is the volume of this piece of
wood?
a. 4.7  103 mm3
b. 4.7  103 cm3
c. 4.7  104 cm3
d. 4.7  103 m3
What is the mass of a quarter pound hamburger, expressed in the metric system? [1 pound = 453.6 grams]
a. 113 mg
b. 113 g
c. 1814 g
d. 0.1814 kg
An object weighs 75.7 kg. What is the weight of this object expressed in the English system? [1 pound =
453.6 grams]
a. 16.7 pounds
b. 34.3 pounds
c. 167 pounds
d. 343 pounds
At what temperature do the temperatures on the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales have the same numerical value?
a. -40
b. 0
c. 32
d. at no value
At what temperature do the temperatures on the Celsius and Kelvin scales have the same numerical value?
a. -40
b. 0
c. 32
d. at no value
What centigrade temperature is the same as 77.0oF?
a. 25.0oC
b. 74.8oC
c. 106.6oC
d. none of these
The boiling point of octane is 126oC. What is this temperature on the Fahrenheit scale?
a. 52.2oF
b. 102oF
c. 259oF
d. 284oF
The boiling point of liquid nitrogen is 77K. What is this temperature on the centigrade scale?
a. 350oC
b. 171oC
c. 25oC
d. -196oC
If gasoline costs $1.83 per gallon was is its cost per liter? [1 quart = 946. liter]
a. 4.83 cents
b. 48.3 cents
c. 6.93 cents
d. 69.3 cents
____ 26. When a particular solid sample is examined under a microscope it is observed that there are regions which are
black and regions which are yellow. What type of material is this sample?
a. a compound
b. an element
c. a homogeneous mixture
d. a heterogeneous mixture
____ 27. Alloys such as bronze, brass or steel are examples of which of the following?
a. compounds
b. elements
c. homogeneous mixtures
d. heterogeneous mixtures
____ 28. When a strong magnet is brought near to a sample which is known to contain both iron and sulfur the iron and
the sulfur are not separated from one another. What type of material is this sample?
a. a compound
b. a homogeneous mixture
c. a heterogeneous mixture
d. there is insufficient information to answer
____ 29. Which of the following statements is true of a compound?
a. a compound is a pure substance
b. a compound obeys the Law of Definite Composition
c. both (a) and (b) are true
d. both (a) and (b) are false
____ 30. Which of the following statements is true of a mixture?
a. a mixture does not obey the Law of Definite Composition
b. chemical techniques are required to separate the components of a mixture
c. both (a) and (b) are true
d. both (a) and (b) are false
____ 31. Which of the following techniques would be most effective in separating the components of salt water?
a. decantation
b. evaporation
c. filtration
d. they are all equally effective
____ 32. The names and symbols of the chemical elements are drawn from a number of languages, most commonly
English. After English, which language accounts for the names or symbols of the largest number of elements?
a. French
b. German
c. Greek
d. Latin
____ 33. Which of the following is not a proper symbol for an element?
a. C
b. Ca
c. CO
d. Co
____ 34. Sodium bicarbonate has sodium, hydrogen, carbon and oxygen atoms in the ratio 1:1:1:3. What is the correct
formula for sodium bicarbonate?
a. NaBiCO3
b. NaHCO3
c. SoHCO3
d. none of these
____ 35. The fertilizer ammonium phosphate has nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorous and oxygen atoms in the ratio
3:12:1:4. Which of the following is a correct (but unconventional) way to write the chemical formula for
ammonium phosphate?
a. Am3H12PO4
b. Na3H12PhO4
c. N3H12PO4
d. none of these
____ 36. Which of the following enable us characterize a compound by a specific chemical formula?
a. The Law of Conservation of Energy
b. The Law of Conservation of Mass
c. The Law of Definite Composition
d. all of the above
____ 37. Although atoms are the smallest unit of an element relatively few elements can be found in nature as
individual atoms. Which of the following elements can be found as individual atoms?
a. hydrogen
b. iron
c. krypton
d. sulfur
____ 38. A number of elements occur naturally as diatomic molecules. Which of the following does not occur naturally
as a diatomic molecule?
a. chlorine
b. hydrogen
c. nitrogen
d. sulfur
____ 39. Which of the following statements, all of which were part of Dalton's atomic theory, was later shown to be
false?
a. All matter is made up of very tiny indivisible particles called atoms.
b. All atoms of the same element have the same chemical properties.
c. Compounds are formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements.
d. A molecule is a tightly bound combination of two or more atoms that acts as a single unit.
____ 40. One of the postulates of Dalton's theory was incorrect. Which of the following statements is true?
a. Since one postulate was incorrect the theory must be discarded.
b. The theory can still be used because the erroneous postulate does not have any effect on
the physical properties of the elements.
c. The theory can still be used because the erroneous postulate does not have any effect on
the chemical properties of the elements.
d. Both (b) and (c) are true.
____ 41. Which subatomic particle(s) is(are) found in the nucleus?
a. electrons
b. neutrons
c. protons
d. protons and neutrons
____ 42. Which of the following correctly describes a proton?
a. on the scale of subatomic particles it is massive; it has a +1 charge
b. on the scale of subatomic particles it is massive; it has a -1 charge
c. on the scale of subatomic particles it is light; it has a +1 charge
d. on the scale of subatomic particles it is light; it has a -1 charge
____ 43. Which of the following correctly describes an electron?
a. on the scale of subatomic particles it is massive; it has a +1 charge
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b. on the scale of subatomic particles it is massive; it has a -1 charge
c. on the scale of subatomic particles it is light; it has a +1 charge
d. on the scale of subatomic particles it is light; it has a -1 charge
The neutron got its name because which of the following is true?
a. it neutralizes protons
b. it neutralizes electrons
c. it does not have an electrical charge
d. it has no effect on any atomic properties
Which element is currently used to define the atomic mass unit?
a. hydrogen
b. carbon
c. oxygen
d. none of these
The mass number of an atom is equal to which of the following?
a. the number of protons in the atom
b. the number of neutrons in the atom
c. the total number of protons and neutrons in the atom
d. the total number of protons, neutrons and electrons in the atom
The atomic number of an atom is equal to which of the following?
a. the number of protons in the atom
b. the number of neutrons in the atom
c. the total number of protons and neutrons in the atom
d. the total number of protons, neutrons and electrons in the atom
Which is true of isotopes of an element?
a. they have different numbers of electrons
b. they have different numbers of neutrons
c. they have different numbers of protons
d. they have different chemical properties
Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope sometimes used in the treatment of cancer. Which of the following
statements is true about an atom of cobalt-60?
a. it contains 60 neutrons
b. it contains 60 protons
c. it contains 33 neutrons
d. it contains 33 protons
Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope sometimes used in the treatment of cancer. Which of the following
statements is true about an atom of cobalt-60?
a. it contains 27 neutrons
b. it contains 27 protons
c. it contains 60 neutrons
d. it contains 60 protons
Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope which is particularly hazardous. Which of the following statements is
true about an atom of strontium-90?
a. it contains 52 neutrons
b. it contains 52 protons
c. it contains 90 neutrons
d. it contains 90 protons
Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope which is particularly hazardous. Which of the following statements is
true about an atom of strontium-90?
a. it contains 38 neutrons
b. it contains 38 protons
c. it contains 90 protons
d. it contains 90 protons
____ 53. It is commonly assumed that the isotopic abundances of a particular element are independent of the source of
the element. If isotopic abundance does vary with location what is the significance of that observation?
a. nothing, the observation is totally unimportant
b. samples of the element obtained from different locations may not result in the same value
for the atomic weight of the element
c. the chemical behavior of the element will depend on its source
d. both (b) and (c)
____ 54. Suppose that at some time in the future chemists produce element X with atomic number 118 and it is found
that this element has two isotopes. 296X has an abundance of 38.00% and 301X has an abundance of 62.00%.
What is the atomic weight of X?
a. 296 amu
b. 298.5 am
c. 299.1 amu
d. 301 amu
____ 55. Which of the following is true of a 1 gram sample of iron?
a. it contains a very, very small number of atoms, since each individual atom has a large
mass
b. it contains a very huge number of atoms, each of which is fairly massive
c. it contains a very, very huge number of atoms, each of which has an extremely tiny mass
d. none of the above
Practice Exam I
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
EXPONENTIAL NOTATION
EXPONENTIAL NOTATION
EXPONENTIAL NOTATION
CONVERSIONS WITHIN THE METRIC SYSTEM
CONVERSIONS WITHIN THE METRIC SYSTEM
LENGTH
LENGTH
AREA
AREA
VOLUME
VOLUME
VOLUME
MASS
MASS
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
TEMPERATURE
UNIT CONVERSIONS: THE FACTOR LABEL METHOD
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
DALTON'S ATOMIC THEORY
DALTON'S ATOMIC THEORY
DALTON'S ATOMIC THEORY
DALTON'S ATOMIC THEORY
DALTON'S ATOMIC THEORY
INSIDE THE ATOM
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INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM
INSIDE THE ATOM