HKDSE Chemistry

(Multiple Choice Questions)

Part III
Metals

(Chapter 11)

Reactivity of metals
1 Which of the following metals burns with a brick-red flame?

A Potassium B Sodium C Calcium D Magnesium

2 The oxide of a metal is orange when it is hot but yellow when it is cold. The metal is

A potassium B zinc C calcium D lead

3 Which of the following metals does NOT give any observable changes upon heating?

A Platinum B Iron C Mercury D Calcium

4 Sodium should be stored

A in a brown bottle. B in an air-tight flask.

C in paraffin oil D in water

5 Which of the following metals can burn spontaneously in water to give a purple
flame?

A Potassium B Sodium C Calcium D Magnesium

6 Hydrogen can be prepared by using the following set-up:

Which metal is most suitable for this purpose?

A Potassium B Calcium C Magnesium D Lead

7 Consider the following experiment:

During the experiment, a gas is liberated. The gas can burn at the end of the
delivery tube. X is probably

A zinc B silver. C lead. D copper.

8 Metal X does NOT react with cold water but reacts readily with steam.
Metal X is probably

A calcium B copper C lead D magnesium.

9 Results of some experiments on a metal X are shown below:

• X burns when heated in air.

• X reacts with water to give a hydroxide.
• X cannot be extracted from its oxide by carbon reduction.

X could be

A aluminium B iron C magnesium D potassium.

10 In an experiment, dilute hydrochloric acid was added to a test tube containing several
small pieces of zinc.

Which of the following observations could have been made during this experiment?

A There was no observable change.

B A thick white precipitate formed.
C A colourless gas was produced and the test tube cooled off.
D A colourless gas was produced and the test tube warmed up.

11 Barium (Ba) is a Group II element of the periodic table. Its relative atomic mass is
greater than that of calcium. Which of the following statements concerning barium
is INCORRECT?

A Barium reacts vigorously with water.

B Barium reacts with water to give barium oxide.
C Barium sinks in water.
D The melting point of barium is lower than that of calcium.

12 X is an element. It forms a cation X2+ with an electronic arrangement of 2, 8, 8.

Which of the following statements concerning X is correct?

A X gives a purple flame when burned in air.

B X sinks in water.
C X can be extracted from its ore by carbon reduction.
D The reaction between X and dilute sulphuric acid can be used to prepare hydrogen.

13 In which of the following cases will a reaction take place?

(1) Adding zinc into cold water

(2) Adding iron into dilute sulphuric acid
(3) Heating copper(II) oxide with carbon

A (1) only B (2) only

C (1) and (3) only D (2) and (3) only
14 Which of the following metals would form an oxide with different colour at different
temperatures?
(1) Iron (2) Lead (3) Zinc

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

15 Which of the following metals are shiny when freshly cut but rapidly tarnishes in air?

(1) Potassium (2) Sodium (3) Zinc

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

16 Which of the following statements concerning sodium are correct?

(1) Sodium can be cut by a knife.

(2) Sodium tarnishes rapidly in air.
(3) Sodium burns with a golden yellow flame.

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

17 Which of the following actions is dangerous and should NOT be attempted in the
school laboratory?

(1) Adding sodium to dilute sulphuric acid

(2) Disposing a piece of potassium to a rubbish bin
(3) Heating alcohol by Bunsen flame

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

18 Which of the following pairs of substances can react with each other?

(1) Aluminium and steam

(2) Magnesium and dilute sulphuric acid
(3) Lead and hot water

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

19 When a small piece of sodium is put into a trough of water, a reaction occurs.
Which of the following statements concerning this reaction is / are correct?

(1) An explosion occurs.

(2) Heat is given out.
(3) An alkaline solution is formed.

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)
20 In which of the following experiments would hydrogen be produced?

(1) Electrolysis of sea water

(2) Passing steam over magnesium
(3) Adding iron to dilute hydrochloric acid

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

21 A counterfeit gold coin is made from an alloy of copper and zinc. Which of the following
methods can be used to distinguish the counterfeit coin from a gold coin?

(1) Comparing their densities

(2) Treating both coins with dilute hydrochloric acid
(3) Comparing their electrical conductivity

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

22 Potassium is more reactive than calcium because

A potassium loses electrons more readily than calcium does.

B potassium has a lower melting point than calcium.
C potassium has a lower density than calcium.
D calcium ions are more stable than potassium ions.

23 Which of the following combinations is correct?

The ease of losing electrons of metals The reactivity of metals

A Increases across a period Decreases down a group

B Decreases across a period Increases down a group
C Increases across a period Increases down a group
D Decreases across a period Decreases down a group

24 Which of the following statements are correct?

(1) Metals react by losing electrons.

(2) Metals react by forming cations.
(3) The more reactive the metal is, the more readily it loses electrons.

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

25 Which of the following properties are related to the metal reactivity series?

(1) The ease of extraction of a metal

(2) The method of storing a metal
(3) The stability of the compounds of a metal

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)
26 Rubidium is a Group I element below potassium in the periodic table. Which of the
following statements concerning rubidium are correct?

(1) Rubidium loses electrons more readily than potassium does.

(2) Rubidium reacts with water to give rubidium hydroxide and hydrogen.
(3) Rubidium can be extracted from its oxide by reduction with carbon.

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

27 Which of the following combinations of state symbols is correct for this reaction?

2Na + 2H2O 
 2NaOH + H2

A (s), (I), (aq), (g) B (s), (aq), (s), (g)

C (l), (aq), (s), (l) D (l), (l), (aq), (l)

28 One way to dissolve gold (Au) is to react it with Aqua-regia, a mixture of concentrated
nitric acid and concentrated hydrochloric acid. The equation for the reaction is:

Au(s) + xHNO3(aq) + yHCl(aq) HAuCl4(aq) + zH2O(l) + zNO2(g)

What is the value of z?

A 2 B 3 C 4 D 5

29 Consider the following chemical equation:

xH2S(g) + 2KMnO4(aq) + yH2SO4(aq) 

 xS(s) + zH2O(l) + 2MnSO4(aq) + K2SO4(aq)

Which of the following combinations is correct?

x y z
A 8 5 3
B 8 3 5
C 5 3 8
D 5 8 3

30 The action of dilute nitric acid on copper can be represented by the following equation:

xCu(s) + yHNO3(aq) 
 xCu(N03)2(aq) + 4H2O(l) + zNO(g)

The values of x, y and z in the balanced equation should be

A 3, 4 and 1 B 3, 8 and 2 C 4, 3 and 2 D 8,3 and 2

31 Which of the following ions can be displaced by lead?

A Fe2+(aq) B Cu2+(aq) C Mg2+(aq) D Al3+(aq)

32 Silver nitrate solution can be stored in metal containers made of

A aluminium B zinc C copper D gold

33 When a piece of lead is dropped into an aqueous solution of compound X, the lead
gradually dissolves. X could be

A copper(II) nitrate B zinc nitrate.

C magnesium sulphate D ammonium chloride.

34 Tin is in between iron and lead in the reactivity series. Which of the following can be
deduced from this information?

A Tin reacts with steam vigorously to give an oxide.

B Tin displaces iron from iron(ll) nitrate solution.
C Tin reacts with oxygen more readily than lead does.
D A tin ion carries 2 positive charges.

35 Copper wire is put into silver nitrate solution in a test tube. What will be observed
after a few minutes?

Colour change of solution Copper

A Blue to pale blue Brown solids formed on copper surface
B Blue to pale blue Grey solids formed on copper surface
C Remains unchanged Shiny solids formed on top of the solution
D Colourless to blue Grey solids formed on copper surface

36 Which of the following are correct when excess iron is added to lead(II) nitrate solution?

(1) A pale green solution is obtained.

(2) Some grey solids are deposited on the iron surface.
(3) A gas is evolved.

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

37 A piece of magnesium is dropped into a beaker of copper(II) sulphate solution. Which of

the following will be observed?

(1) Gas bubbles are evolved.

(2) A brown layer forms on the surface of magnesium.
(3) The colour of the blue solution fades.

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

38 Which of the following metal oxides is most difficult to be reduced?

A MgO B CuO C ZnO D FeO

39 Tin is just below iron in the metal reactivity series. Oxide of tin can be reduced to tin by

A heating the oxide with lead.

B heating the oxide strongly.
C heating the oxide with carbon.
D electrolysis of the aqueous solution of the oxide.

40 Metal X is just below zinc in the reactivity series. Which of the following reactions are
most likely to occur?

(1) 2XO(s) + C(s) heat

 X(s) + CO2(g)
(2) 2XO(s) heat  2X(s) + O2(g)
heat

(3) X(s) + Cu2+(aq)  2+

 X (aq) + Cu(s)

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

41 A metal at the top of the reactivity series would be expected to

(1) have a shiny appearance.

(2) form an oxide which is stable to heat.
(3) be extracted by heating its ore with carbon.

A (1) only B (2) only

C (1) and (3) only D (2) and (3) only

42 Nickel is in between iron and lead in the reactivity series. Which of the following
statements concerning nickel are probably correct?

(1) Nickel(II) oxide can be reduced by carbon.

(2) Nickel can displace silver from silver nitrate solution.
(3) Nickel reacts with dilute sulphuric acid to give hydrogen.

A (1) and (2) only B (1) and (3) only

C (2) and (3) only D (1), (2) and (3)

43 Chromium lies between zinc and iron in the reactivity series. Which of the following
statements is INCORRECT?

A When chromium powder is added to copper(II) sulphate solution, a brown deposit

will form.
B Chromium reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to liberate hydrogen.
C Magnesium is more reactive than chromium.
D Chromium is usually obtained by electrolysis of its molten ore.
44 X, Y and Z are metals. X displaces Y from the solution of chloride of Y, but has no reaction
with the solution of nitrate of Z. The reactivity of the three metals in descending order is

A X, Y ,Z B X, Z, Y C Z, X, Y D Z, Y, X.

45 X, Y and Z are metals. The oxides of X and Y can be reduced by heating with carbon, but
the oxide of Z cannot. Y displaces X from a solution of nitrate of X. The descending order
of reactivity of the three metals is

A X, Y, Z B X, Z, Y C Z, X, Y D Z, Y, X

46 X, Y and Z are metals. Metals Y and Z have no reaction with steam while metal X reacts
with water to liberate hydrogen. Only metal Y is found free in nature. The order of
increasing reactivity of the three metals is

A X, Y, Z B X, Z, Y C Y, X, Z D Y, Z, X.

47 Metals X and Y both have no reaction with cold water. X reduces iron(II) oxide on heating.
Copper displaces Y from a solution of nitrate of Y. The descending order of reactivity of
the four metals is

A X, Fe, Cu, Y B Fe, X, Cu, Y C X, Fe, Y, Cu D Y, Cu, Fe, X.

48 Metal X reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to liberate hydrogen, but metals Y and Z
have no reaction with the acid. The oxide of Y decomposes on heating but the oxide of Z
does not. The order of decreasing reactivity of the three metals should be

A X, Y, Z B X, Z, Y C Z, Y, X D Z, X, Y

49 The properties of four metals are listed in the table below:

Metal Properties
W does not react with dilute hydrochloric acid
X burns on air to give an orange solid, which becomes yellow on cooling
Y reacts with steam slowly but not with cold water
Z can be extracted from its ore by electrolysis only

The order of decreasing reactivity is probably

A X, Y, W, Z B X, Z, Y, W C Z, Y, X, W D Z, X, Y, W.
Suggested Answer for Multiple Choice

1. C 2. D 3. A 4. C 5. A
6. B 7. A 8. D 9. D 10. D
11. B 12. B 13. D 14. D 15. A
16. D 17. D 18. A 19. D 20. D
21. D 22. A 23. B 24. D 25. D
26. A 27. A 28. B 29. C 30. B
31. B 32. D 33. A 34. C 35. D
36. A 37. C 38. A 39. C 40. B
41. B 42. D 43. D 44. C 45. D
46. D 47. A 48. B 49. C