ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
CHM 201: GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Which of the following best describes an atom?
A. The smallest unit of matter that can exist independently
B. The smallest unit of an element that retains its chemical properties
C. A molecule composed of two or more elements
D. A collection of protons only
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An atom is the smallest unit of an element that retains all of its chemical properties,
containing protons, neutrons, and electrons.
2. Which subatomic particle has a positive charge?
A. Electron
B. Neutron
C. Proton
D. Positron
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Protons carry a positive charge and are located in the nucleus of an atom, while
electrons are negatively charged and neutrons have no charge.
3. The atomic number of an element is determined by the number of:
A. Neutrons
B. Electrons
C. Protons
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D. Protons and neutrons
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The atomic number is defined as the number of protons in an atom’s nucleus, which
also equals the number of electrons in a neutral atom.
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4. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that differ in:
A. Number of protons
B. Number of electrons
C. Number of neutrons
D. Chemical properties
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Isotopes have the same number of protons (and thus the same atomic number) but
differ in the number of neutrons, affecting their mass.
5. Electron configurations describe:
A. The number of protons in an atom
B. The arrangement of electrons in orbitals around the nucleus
C. The mass distribution of an atom
D. The shape of the nucleus
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Electron configurations detail how electrons are distributed among the available
orbitals, which determines many of the atom’s chemical properties.
6. In the periodic table, elements are arranged in order of increasing:
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A. Atomic mass only
B. Atomic radius
C. Atomic number
D. Electronegativity
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Modern periodic tables are arranged by increasing atomic number (number of
protons), which results in periodic trends in properties.
7. Elements in the same group (column) of the periodic table generally have:
A. The same atomic mass
B. Similar chemical properties
C. The same number of neutrons
D. Increasing atomic numbers
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Elements in the same group have similar valence electron configurations, leading to
comparable chemical behavior.
8. Electronegativity is a measure of:
A. An atom’s ability to attract and hold onto electrons in a chemical bond
B. The number of electrons an atom has
C. The atomic radius
D. The ionization energy exclusively
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Electronegativity quantifies how strongly an atom attracts electrons when forming a
chemical bond.
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CHM 201: GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Which of the following best describes an atom?
A. The smallest unit of matter that can exist independently
B. The smallest unit of an element that retains its chemical properties
C. A molecule composed of two or more elements
D. A collection of protons only
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An atom is the smallest unit of an element that retains all of its chemical properties,
containing protons, neutrons, and electrons.
2. Which subatomic particle has a positive charge?
A. Electron
B. Neutron
C. Proton
D. Positron
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Protons carry a positive charge and are located in the nucleus of an atom, while
electrons are negatively charged and neutrons have no charge.
3. The atomic number of an element is determined by the number of:
A. Neutrons
B. Electrons
C. Protons
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,ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
D. Protons and neutrons
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The atomic number is defined as the number of protons in an atom’s nucleus, which
also equals the number of electrons in a neutral atom.
\
4. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that differ in:
A. Number of protons
B. Number of electrons
C. Number of neutrons
D. Chemical properties
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Isotopes have the same number of protons (and thus the same atomic number) but
differ in the number of neutrons, affecting their mass.
5. Electron configurations describe:
A. The number of protons in an atom
B. The arrangement of electrons in orbitals around the nucleus
C. The mass distribution of an atom
D. The shape of the nucleus
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Electron configurations detail how electrons are distributed among the available
orbitals, which determines many of the atom’s chemical properties.
6. In the periodic table, elements are arranged in order of increasing:
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, ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
A. Atomic mass only
B. Atomic radius
C. Atomic number
D. Electronegativity
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Modern periodic tables are arranged by increasing atomic number (number of
protons), which results in periodic trends in properties.
7. Elements in the same group (column) of the periodic table generally have:
A. The same atomic mass
B. Similar chemical properties
C. The same number of neutrons
D. Increasing atomic numbers
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Elements in the same group have similar valence electron configurations, leading to
comparable chemical behavior.
8. Electronegativity is a measure of:
A. An atom’s ability to attract and hold onto electrons in a chemical bond
B. The number of electrons an atom has
C. The atomic radius
D. The ionization energy exclusively
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Electronegativity quantifies how strongly an atom attracts electrons when forming a
chemical bond.
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