Ten original SPM-style multiple-choice questions with answers and reasons, plus three structured questions with model answers, for The Periodic Table of Elements, every item testing whether you can predict a property or reactivity from an element's position.
These questions are original and written in SPM style on the chapter’s content standards, they are not past-year papers. Cover the answers, attempt each question, then check. The letters used for elements (W, X, Y, Z and so on) are not real chemical symbols; the numbers in brackets are electron arrangements.
Paper 1-style multiple-choice questions
1. In the modern periodic table, elements are arranged in order of increasing A. relative atomic mass B. proton number C. number of neutrons D. number of valence electrons
Answer: B. Moseley arranged the modern table by increasing proton number.
2. An atom has the electron arrangement 2.8.7. In which group and period is it? A. Group 7, Period 2 B. Group 17, Period 2 C. Group 7, Period 3 D. Group 17, Period 3
Answer: D. Seven valence electrons give Group 17; three shells give Period 3.
3. Which of these Group 1 metals is the most reactive with water? A. lithium B. sodium C. potassium D. all react equally
Answer: C. Potassium is lowest, so its valence electron is furthest from the nucleus and lost most easily.
4. Going down Group 17, the reactivity of the halogens A. increases B. decreases C. stays the same D. increases then decreases
Answer: B. The larger atom attracts an incoming electron less strongly, so it gains an electron less easily.
5. Noble gases are chemically unreactive because they have A. a low density B. no neutrons C. a stable, full valence shell D. only one shell
Answer: C. A full valence shell means no tendency to lose, gain or share electrons.
6. Chlorine water is added to potassium bromide solution. The solution turns A. colourless B. blue C. brown D. green
Answer: C. Chlorine displaces bromine, and the free bromine gives the brown colour.
7. Going across Period 3 from sodium to chlorine, the atomic size A. increases B. decreases C. stays the same D. doubles
Answer: B. The rising nuclear charge pulls the same shells closer, so the atoms get smaller.
8. Which property is characteristic of the transition elements? A. very low melting points B. variable oxidation numbers C. one valence electron D. reacting violently with water
Answer: B. Variable oxidation numbers, coloured compounds, catalysis and complex-ion formation are their characteristic properties.
9. When a Group 1 metal reacts with water, the gas produced is A. oxygen B. hydrogen C. carbon dioxide D. chlorine
Answer: B. The reaction gives a metal hydroxide and hydrogen gas.
10. Why did Mendeleev leave gaps in his periodic table? A. to make it look neat B. for elements not yet discovered C. because he ran out of space D. to separate metals from non-metals
Answer: B. He left gaps for undiscovered elements and predicted their properties.
11. The period number of an element tells you the number of A. valence electrons B. protons C. occupied shells D. neutrons
Answer: C. The period number equals the number of occupied shells; the group number gives the valence electrons.
12. Which statement is true of elements in the same group? A. they have the same number of shells B. they have the same number of valence electrons C. they have the same atomic mass D. they have the same proton number
Answer: B. Elements in the same group share the number of valence electrons, so their chemical properties are similar.
Structured questions
Structured question 1, Reading position and predicting
The table lists four elements by electron arrangement (the letters are not real symbols):
- P (2.1), Q (2.8.1), R (2.8.7), S (2.8.8).
(a) State the group and period of P. [Model answer: Group 1, Period 2, one valence electron, two shells.]
(b) Which two elements are in the same group, and why? [Model answer: P and Q, because both have one valence electron.]
(c) Predict which of P and Q is more reactive with water, and explain. [Model answer: Q is more reactive; it has more shells and a larger atom, so its valence electron is further from the nucleus and lost more easily.]
(d) To which group does S belong, and what does this tell you about its reactivity? [Model answer: Group 18 (noble gas); it has a stable, full valence shell, so it is chemically inert.]
Structured question 2, The halogens
(a) State the number of valence electrons in a halogen atom. [Model answer: seven.]
(b) Describe how the colour and physical state of the halogens change down the group. [Model answer: chlorine is a greenish-yellow gas, bromine a reddish-brown liquid, iodine a purplish-black solid; melting and boiling points rise down the group.]
(c) Chlorine is bubbled into potassium iodide solution. State what you would observe and write the word equation. [Model answer: the solution turns brown as iodine is displaced; chlorine + potassium iodide → potassium chloride + iodine.]
(d) Explain, in terms of atomic structure, why chlorine is more reactive than iodine. [Model answer: chlorine has fewer shells and a smaller atom, so its nucleus attracts an incoming electron more strongly and it gains an electron more easily.]
Structured question 3, Period 3 and transition elements
(a) Name the elements of Period 3 in order. [Model answer: sodium, magnesium, aluminium, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, argon.]
(b) Describe how the metallic character changes across Period 3. [Model answer: it decreases, from metals (sodium, magnesium, aluminium) through the metalloid silicon to the non-metals phosphorus, sulfur and chlorine.]
(c) State two characteristic properties of the transition elements and give an example of each. [Model answer: variable oxidation number, e.g. iron as Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺; catalytic activity, e.g. iron in the Haber process. Coloured compounds and complex-ion formation are also acceptable.]
(d) Explain why aluminium’s oxide is described as amphoteric. [Model answer: it lies between the basic oxides of sodium and magnesium and the acidic oxides of phosphorus and sulfur, so it reacts with both acids and alkalis.]
How to use these questions
Mark yourself against the reasons, not just the letters. For every trend you write, check that you have named the position, the structure and the prediction. The multiple-choice items train quick recognition, while the structured questions train the full written explanation the longer papers demand, attempt both, and treat a right answer with a weak reason as only half done. Notice how often the same idea returns: valence electrons fix the group, shells fix the period, and reactivity depends on how easily an electron is lost (Group 1) or gained (Group 17). A one-to-one teacher can go through your structured answers and point out where a reason is missing, the difference between a half-mark and a full-mark response in the SPM Chemistry papers.
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