NOVA Hunting the Elements Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• What elements is sand made of?
• Which color is produced by lithium in a flame test?
• Give an example of a real life object made from calcium.
• Which of the following lists the four most abundant elements in Earth's crust?
• In a flame test, the observed colors are used to identify elements because they are what?
• In a flame test, which color is produced by copper?
• Which of the following is a listed use of copper?
• What best describes gold's density?
• Half-life is the time required for which event?
• In traditional solders, tin is alloyed with which other metal?
• An atom with 17 protons belongs to which element?
• Which is an example of a real life object made from bromine?
• How many protons does a chlorine atom have?
• What three conditions did the earliest bacteria need for energy production?
• Which statement about noble gases is true?
• Based on carbon dating, how long ago did the tree die?
• What is the origin of hydrogen, the smallest element?
• In stellar fusion, hydrogen fusion leads to the formation of which sequence of elements up to iron?
• In the mousetrap simulation, which component represents the neutrons?
• In the core sample collected from Yellowstone, which layer is the cyanobacteria?
• Which common object contains sulfur and is associated with a distinct odor?
• What state of matter is sodium?
• Which substance is described as a solid in the material's examples?
• Which group contains the noble gases?
• What can happen when excessive trace elements are lost from the body?
• What is the difference between a molecule and an ion?
• What is created in a supernova explosion?
• Which element has the symbol Ga?
• Give an example of a real life object made from bismuth.
• What is the number of protons and electrons in copper?
• How are heavier elements formed in stars?
• Which element is represented by the symbol K?
• Tin is located in which group of the periodic table?
• What is the difference between ionic and covalent bonds?
• What is the lightest metal?
• Which everyday item commonly contains bismuth?
• What alloy is produced when tin is mixed with copper?
• What is a cation?
• Why are noble gases generally unreactive?
• Which of the following is NOT a listed use of copper?
• When a star exhausts its hydrogen fuel, what elements are produced?
• In the lemon shark experiment, what is the role of samarium?
• Which element makes up about 78% of Earth's atmosphere?
• Tin is in period 5 of the periodic table.
• What do protons determine about an element?
• What is the primary ore of tin?
• What is a practical use for sodium?
• Which item contains oxygen and is associated with promoting combustion?
• Which element has the highest electronegativity on the periodic table?
• Isotopes refer to atoms of the same element that differ in which property?
• Which country is the primary source of rare earth elements?
• Which statement about ions is correct?
• Why are rare earth elements in such short supply?
• What do cyanobacteria use for energy production? What do they release as waste?
• What is the chemical symbol for potassium?
• Who discovered phosphorus and in what year?
• Which is a property of copper?
• Which body parts or processes utilize calcium?
• Which elements commonly form ionic compounds with chlorine? (Give two examples.)
• Is sodium reactive or stable?
• Chlorine tends to take one electron, becoming a(n) ______.
• How much gold is found in one ton of mined rock?
• What elements are rare earth magnets usually made of?
• What is the primary use of flame tests in element identification?
• Why do alkali metals and halogens react so strongly with other elements?
• What part of the atom is actually visible under the microscope?
• Which substance is in the solid state at room conditions according to the material?
• Why did the noble gases get their name?
• Which statement best describes a horizontal row of elements on the periodic table?
• Tin is often alloyed with copper to create which famous metal?
• Describe a body function or part that utilizes sodium?
• In a flame test, which color is produced by copper?
• Which statement about noble gases is true?
• What element was used as fuel for the "Little Boy" bomb?
• Isotopes have the same number of protons but different mass numbers.
• Copper has how many neutrons?
• How are atoms arranged in pure metals?
• Which element can form four covalent bonds?
• Why is gold so heavy?
• Which two elements are both among the six most common elements of life?
• Which element has the symbol Ne?
• What common object contains sulfur, and is described as having a distinct odor?
• Which description best describes Tin at room temperature?
• If an atom has 8 protons, what is its atomic number?
• Which set lists the six most common elements of life?
• Which element is the lightest metal?
• What is an ion?
• In a neutral chlorine atom, the number of protons equals the number of electrons.
• What state of matter is chlorine?
• What is the chemical symbol for iron?
• Which decay process increases the atomic number by 1 while leaving the mass number unchanged?
• How are the fifteen rare elements chemically similar?
• What is the name of Group 1 on the periodic table?
• Which property explains why bronze is chosen for bells instead of pure copper?
• What state of matter is sodium chloride?
• Mass number is the sum of which particles?
• What is the approximate value of a truckload of ore after the gold is extracted?
• Atomic number is the number of what?
• What determines how reactive an element is?
• Which two particles are located in the atomic nucleus?
• What is an anion?
• What does a mass spectrometer measure?
• What is the chemical symbol for Neon?
• What is a group on the periodic table?
• Which statement best describes cyanobacteria's energy production and waste product?
• What common object contains hydrogen and is associated with the property of containing the lightest atom in the universe?
• What element was used as fuel for the "Fat Man" bomb?
• Which element is primarily produced from bauxite ore for widespread use?
• Tin is classified as which type of metal in the periodic table?
• Is chlorine reactive or stable?
• What common object contains oxygen and has the property of supporting combustion?
• Why is carbon central to organic chemistry?
• What is the chemical symbol for calcium?
• Tin is a primary constituent of which alloy used for bells and statues?
• Which set lists the four most abundant elements in Earth's crust?
• How many neutrons does gold have?
• How many neutrons does chlorine have?
• What common object contains phosphorus, and what is an associated property?
• Which element is liquid at room temperature and used in thermometers and scientific instruments?
• What common object contains carbon and is described as having the property that it can bond to itself?
• Describe a body function or part that utilizes zinc?
• Why is the microscope wrapped in acoustic blankets?
• What is the balanced chemical equation for the combustion of carbon from a candle with oxygen?
• Which mineral is commonly linked with cramping when imbalanced?
• In a flame test, which color is produced by sodium?
• Which body component utilizes iron?
• In a flame test, which color is produced by lithium?
• Which property describes gold?
• Which elements are considered noble metals?
• What is the unit used to count a specific number of particles in chemistry?
• What is the number of protons and electrons in gold?
• In the lemon shark experiment, which is the independent variable?
• Tin melts at approximately which temperature in Celsius?
• Is sodium chloride reactive or stable?
• In a flame test, which color is produced by sodium?
• What is the number of protons called?
• What statement about the outermost boundaries of an atom is true?
• What common object contains nitrogen, and name an associated property?
• A neutral atom has 11 protons and 12 neutrons. What is its mass number?
• Name a practical use for chlorine.
• Which instrument measures the mass-to-charge ratio of ions to determine isotopic composition?
• Describe a body function or part that utilizes potassium?
• Tin is commonly used to plate steel to prevent corrosion. What is this coating called?
• Which element is NOT among the six most common elements of life?
• What is the name of Group 17 on the periodic table?
• Which statement best describes a molecule?
• What is ANFO?
• Which subatomic particle primarily determines an atom's reactivity?
• Which fundamental force governs the attraction between electrons and the nucleus?
• In atomic theory, what does the atomic number signify?
• Which characteristic differentiates the carbon isotopes Carbon-12, Carbon-13, and Carbon-14?
• Which property explains the chemical similarity of the fifteen rare earth elements?
• Mass number is defined as the total number of what in the nucleus?
• How much would you have to zoom in on a map of the United States to replicate the power of an electron microscope?
• Group 17 on the periodic table is also known as Halogens.
• Which carbon isotope is used for dating organic materials?
• What is a period on the periodic table?
• What happens to Carbon-14 over time?
• What is a family of elements?
• What is the main difficulty that leads to shortages of rare earth elements?
• What is the chemical symbol for Tin?
• In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons.
• What does ANFO stand for?
• What type of compound is typically formed when metals pair with chlorine?
• Which metal has 35 neutrons according to the data?
• Which pair of minerals are both involved in energy metabolism?
• What is the common oxidation state of chlorine in table salts?
• Which item contains nitrogen and is commonly used to feed plants?
• How many protons and electrons does a neutral uranium atom have?
• What term describes the arrangement of atoms in pure metals?
• Which common object contains phosphorus and is linked to the energy carrier molecule ATP?
• What does electronegativity describe?
• In the lemon shark experiment, what is the control group?
• Which term describes a positively charged ion formed when an atom loses electrons?
• Which element has the symbol Ga?
• Which compound forms when sodium and chlorine combine?
• Define radioactive half-life.
• Why isn't pure copper used for bells instead of bronze?
• What is the atomic number of carbon?
• In the lemon shark experiment, which is the experimental group?
• Mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons.
• In the carbon isotope discussion, how many protons/electrons do Carbon-12, Carbon-13, and Carbon-14 share?
• How do sharks react to rare earth metals?
• Which pairing correctly matches the substance to its described use or property in the material?
• Describe a body function or part that utilizes magnesium?
• Which everyday product uses tin plating as a corrosion-resistant coating?
• Which statement best describes a line emission spectrum?
• What do each of the spikes on the ion chromatograph represent?
• Atomic mass is defined as which of the following?
• What is added to Gorilla Glass to make it stronger than normal glass?
• Why are metals good conductors of electricity?
• What is the f-block of the periodic table called?
• Which combination is commonly used in rare earth magnets according to the material?
• Which element has the symbol Sn and is widely used in solder?
• In chemistry, what term denotes a specific quantity of particles, such as 6.022×10^23?
• Tin's symbol Sn comes from which language?
• Which statement describes an anion?
• Describe the fusion process that forms helium.
• What is the atomic number of Tin?
• Where do most of the rare earth elements come from?
• During the ANFO explosion, what happens to release heat energy?
• What color do copper compounds emit in flame tests?
• Which statement describes chlorine's common consumer application mentioned in the material?
• Which layer in the Yellowstone core sample contains cyanobacteria?
• What do electrons determine?
• Which mineral is primarily associated with nervous system function?
• Which element is widely used to strengthen steel and is magnetic?