Atomic Structure MCQs

1. What is the central part of an atom called?

a) Electron
b) Proton
c) Neutron
d) Nucleus

Answer: d) Nucleus

2. What particles are found in the nucleus of an atom?

a) Electrons and protons
b) Protons and neutrons
c) Neutrons and electrons
d) Protons only

Answer: b) Protons and neutrons

3. Which particle in the atom has a negative charge?

a) Proton
b) Neutron
c) Electron
d) Positron

Answer: c) Electron

4. The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom is known as:

a) Atomic mass
b) Atomic number
c) Neutron number
d) Isotope number

Answer: b) Atomic number

5. Isotopes of an element have the same number of:

a) Neutrons
b) Electrons
c) Protons
d) Neutrons and protons

Answer: c) Protons

6. What determines the chemical properties of an element?

a) Number of neutrons
b) Number of protons
c) Number of electrons
d) Number of nuclei

Answer: c) Number of electrons

7. What is the maximum number of electrons that can occupy the second shell of an atom?

a) 2
b) 8
c) 18
d) 32

Answer: b) 8

8. Which principle states that electrons fill orbitals starting from the lowest energy level?

a) Pauli Exclusion Principle
b) Aufbau Principle
c) Hund’s Rule
d) Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

Answer: b) Aufbau Principle

9. In which part of the atom do you find neutrons?

a) Orbitals
b) Nucleus
c) Electron cloud
d) Proton shell

Answer: b) Nucleus

10. Which quantum number represents the shape of an atomic orbital?

a) Principal quantum number
b) Angular momentum quantum number
c) Magnetic quantum number
d) Spin quantum number

Answer: b) Angular momentum quantum number

11. What is the region around the nucleus where electrons are most likely to be found called?

a) Shell
b) Orbital
c) Cloud
d) Subshell

Answer: b) Orbital

12. Which subatomic particle has no charge?

a) Proton
b) Electron
c) Neutron
d) Positron

Answer: c) Neutron

13. How many electrons can the third shell of an atom hold?

a) 8
b) 18
c) 32
d) 2

Answer: b) 18

14. What term describes the electrons in the outermost shell of an atom?

a) Valence electrons
b) Core electrons
c) Inner electrons
d) Subshell electrons

Answer: a) Valence electrons

15. What is the smallest unit of an element that retains its chemical properties?

a) Molecule
b) Atom
c) Compound
d) Ion

Answer: b) Atom

16. The concept that electrons occupy the lowest available energy levels first is known as:

a) Hund’s Rule
b) Pauli Exclusion Principle
c) Aufbau Principle
d) Heisenberg Principle

Answer: c) Aufbau Principle

17. What is the charge of a proton?

a) Neutral
b) Positive
c) Negative
d) Variable

Answer: b) Positive

18. Which particle determines the identity of an element?

a) Neutron
b) Electron
c) Proton
d) Positron

Answer: c) Proton

19. Which of the following describes an atom with a different number of neutrons but the same number of protons?

a) Ion
b) Isotope
c) Molecule
d) Isomer

Answer: b) Isotope

20. What term describes the weighted average mass of all naturally occurring isotopes of an element?

a) Atomic number
b) Atomic mass
c) Mass number
d) Isotopic mass

Answer: b) Atomic mass

21. Which type of orbital has a dumbbell shape?

a) s orbital
b) p orbital
c) d orbital
d) f orbital

Answer: b) p orbital

22. How are electrons arranged in an atom according to the quantum mechanical model?

a) In fixed orbits
b) Randomly
c) In regions of probability called orbitals
d) In concentric circles

Answer: c) In regions of probability called orbitals

23. The number of protons plus the number of neutrons in the nucleus is known as:

a) Atomic number
b) Mass number
c) Atomic mass
d) Neutron number

Answer: b) Mass number

24. The concept that no two electrons in an atom can have the same set of quantum numbers is known as:

a) Aufbau Principle
b) Hund’s Rule
c) Pauli Exclusion Principle
d) Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

Answer: c) Pauli Exclusion Principle

25. Which subatomic particle is responsible for the chemical behavior of an atom?

a) Neutron
b) Proton
c) Electron
d) Photon

Answer: c) Electron

26. In the Bohr model of the atom, how are electrons arranged?

a) In elliptical orbits
b) In circular orbits around the nucleus
c) Randomly within a cloud
d) In fixed planes

Answer: b) In circular orbits around the nucleus

27. Which of the following best describes the electron cloud model?

a) Electrons are in fixed orbits
b) Electrons are in fixed shells
c) Electrons are found in probabilistic regions around the nucleus
d) Electrons move in a straight line

Answer: c) Electrons are found in probabilistic regions around the nucleus

28. How many orbitals are in the d subshell?

a) 1
b) 3
c) 5
d) 7

Answer: c) 5

29. What determines the number of electrons an atom can have in its outermost shell?

a) Atomic number
b) Number of protons
c) Number of neutrons
d) Number of shells

Answer: d) Number of shells

30. Which quantum number describes the orientation of an orbital in space?

a) Principal quantum number
b) Angular momentum quantum number
c) Magnetic quantum number
d) Spin quantum number

Answer: c) Magnetic quantum number