1
The chemical symbol of silver is:
Correct answer: B. Ag
Ag comes from the Latin argentum. Si is silicon and Sr is strontium; several symbols come from Latin names, such as Au (gold) and Fe (iron).
Read detailseasy
Atoms, Elements and Alloys MCQs
Solved Everyday Science MCQs on atomic structure, discoverers of the electron, proton and neutron, the periodic table, isotopes, element symbols and common alloys, for PPSC, FPSC and NTS tests.
20 MCQsUpdated 30 October 2026
This set explains the building blocks of matter: the discovery of the electron, proton and neutron, the periodic table of Mendeleev and Moseley, isotopes, valency, element symbols such as Ag, Cu and Sn, and everyday alloys like brass, bronze and steel.
Element symbols that come from Latin names (Ag, Cu, Sn, Au, Fe) are a favourite source of questions. Learn them in a short list, and connect each alloy to the metals it contains and one everyday use.
- 2
The chemical symbol of copper is:
Correct answer: A. Cu
Cu comes from the Latin cuprum. Co is cobalt and Cr is chromium. Copper is widely used in electric wires because it conducts electricity very well.
Read detailseasy - 3
The chemical symbol of tin is:
Correct answer: A. Sn
Sn comes from the Latin stannum. Ti is titanium. Tin is used to coat steel cans (tin plating) and in alloys such as bronze and solder.
Read detailsmedium - 4
The filament of an ordinary incandescent electric bulb is made of:
Correct answer: D. Tungsten
Tungsten (W) has a very high melting point, about 3,400 °C, so it can glow white-hot without melting. Nichrome is used in heater coils instead.
Read detailseasy - 5
The electron was discovered in 1897 by:
Correct answer: D. J. J. Thomson
J. J. Thomson discovered the electron in experiments with cathode rays and proposed the "plum pudding" model of the atom.
Read detailseasy - 6
Who is credited with discovering the proton?
Correct answer: D. Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford identified the proton around 1917–1919. Earlier, his gold-foil experiment had shown that an atom has a small, dense, positively charged nucleus.
Read detailsmedium - 7
Which particle of the atom carries no electric charge?
Correct answer: C. Neutron
Neutrons have no charge, protons are positive and electrons are negative. James Chadwick discovered the neutron in 1932, which helped explain isotopes and nuclear fission.
Read detailseasy - 8
The first widely accepted periodic table of the elements was published in 1869 by:
Correct answer: A. Dmitri Mendeleev
Mendeleev arranged the elements by atomic mass and left gaps for undiscovered elements, correctly predicting the properties of gallium and germanium.
Read detailseasy - 9
In the modern periodic table, elements are arranged in order of increasing:
Correct answer: D. atomic number
Henry Moseley showed in 1913 that atomic number, the number of protons, is the true basis of the periodic table, which removed anomalies in Mendeleev's mass-based order.
Read detailsmedium - 10
Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons are called:
Correct answer: B. Isotopes
Isotopes have the same atomic number but different mass numbers, such as carbon-12 and carbon-14. Isobars have the same mass number but different atomic numbers.
Read detailsmedium - 11
The isotope of hydrogen that has one proton and one neutron is called:
Correct answer: A. Deuterium
Protium has no neutron, deuterium has one and tritium has two. Water made with deuterium is called heavy water and is used in some nuclear reactors.
Read detailsmedium - 12
What is the atomic number of carbon?
Correct answer: B. 6
Carbon has 6 protons, so its atomic number is 6. Its most common isotope, carbon-12, has 6 neutrons as well, giving a mass number of 12.
Read detailseasy - 13
The valency of oxygen in most of its compounds is:
Correct answer: B. 2
Oxygen has six electrons in its outer shell and needs two more to complete it, so it usually forms two bonds, as in water (H₂O).
Read detailsmedium - 14
Fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine belong to which group of elements?
Correct answer: B. Halogens
The halogens are in group 17. Their name means "salt-formers", because they react with metals to form salts such as sodium chloride.
Read detailseasy - 15
How many chemical elements are currently recognised in the periodic table?
Correct answer: D. 118
There are 118 recognised elements, ending with oganesson (118). About 92 occur naturally; the rest have been made in laboratories.
Read detailsmedium - 16
Which is the most electronegative element?
Correct answer: C. Fluorine
Fluorine attracts bonding electrons more strongly than any other element (electronegativity 4.0 on the Pauling scale), which makes it extremely reactive.
Read detailshard - 17
The "lead" in a pencil is actually made of:
Correct answer: B. Graphite
Pencil "lead" is graphite, a soft form of carbon, mixed with clay. It contains no lead metal; the name comes from an old belief that graphite was a type of lead.
Read detailseasy - 18
Brass is an alloy of:
Correct answer: B. Copper and zinc
Brass, a yellow alloy of copper and zinc, is used for taps, locks and musical instruments. Copper with tin makes bronze instead.
Read detailseasy - 19
Bronze is an alloy of copper and:
Correct answer: C. Tin
Bronze (copper and tin) was so important in early history that an era, the Bronze Age, is named after it. It is still used for medals and statues.
Read detailseasy - 20
Steel is made mainly of iron combined with a small amount of:
Correct answer: A. Carbon
Steel is iron with up to about 2% carbon, which makes it much stronger than pure iron. Adding chromium and nickel produces stainless steel.
Read detailseasy