GED Practice Quiz

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1	Lead is a heavy metallic element. For thousands of years, people have used lead in building construction, pottery, paints, and glazes. Lead is also used in explosives and insecticides. Lead equipment is used to protect people from X-rays. Lead also poses some problems. Lead is a poison, and small amounts have worked their way into some water supplies and into the air. Once inside the body, lead interferes with the production of red blood cells. It can damage the brain, kidneys, and other vital organs. Lead from water pipes may have caused nervous disorders and shortened people’s lives in ancient Rome. Which of the following is a hypothesis about lead that is suggested in the passage?
		A)	Water supplies can become contaminated by lead.
		B)	Lead from water pipes was the cause of nervous disorders in ancient Rome.
		C)	Lead has damaging effects on human blood cells and organs.
		D)	People have found a variety of uses for lead.
		E)	Lead is a heavy metal.

Question 2 refers to the following chart.

Calcium (Ca, atomic number 20) has 2 electrons in its outermost shell. Which other element(s) also has 2 electrons in its outermost shell?

lithium

beryllium

any of the elements with atomic numbers greater than 20

elements with atomic numbers less than 20

potassium

Some elements can exist in more than one form. These forms are called allotropes. For example, carbon can exist as hard, transparent diamond crystals; soft, black graphite crystals; and black, sooty, uncrystallized carbon.

Graphite	Buckminsterfullerene

Recently, another form of carbon, buckminsterfullerene, C₆₀, has been discovered. This "new" form of carbon is the subject of much research today.

In what way do carbon’s allotropes differ from one another?

The number of electrons in each atom is different.

The number of protons in each atom is different.

The number of neutrons in each atom is different.

the relative positions of carbon atoms

the total negative charge of the atom

Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in certain cells of higher plants, algae, and some bacteria. The chlorophyll molecule is responsible for changing light energy into chemical energy. Several forms of chlorophyll exist. The most common, chlorophyll a, has the chemical formula (C₅₅H₇₂O₅N₄Mg).

Which elements make up one molecule of chlorophyll?

1 carbon atom, 1 hydrogen atom, 1 oxygen atom, and 1 nitrogen atom

55 atoms of carbon, 72 atoms of hydrogen, 4 atoms of nitrogen, and 1 atom of magnesium

55 atoms of carbon, 72 atoms of hydrogen, 5 atoms of oxygen, 4 atoms of nickel, and 1 atom of magnesium

55 atoms of carbon, 72 atoms of hydrogen, 5 atoms of oxygen, 4 atoms of nickel, and 1 atom of manganese

55 atoms of carbon, 72 atoms of hydrogen, 5 atoms of oxygen, 4 atoms of nitrogen, and 1 atom of magnesium

Metal A conducts heat better than metal B. Which of the following is also MOST LIKELY true?

Metal A has more electrons than metal B.

Metal B has more electrons than metal A.

The distance between atomic nuclei is greater in metal A.

Metal A conducts electricity better than metal B.

Metal B conducts electricity better than metal A.

Question 6 refers to the following information.

Most of today’s carbon compounds are hydrocarbons, compounds composed only of carbon and hydrogen. There is a related group of compounds called substituted hydrocarbons. In a substituted hydrocarbon, one or more of the hydrogen atoms is replaced by one or more atoms of other elements.

Ethane	C₂H₆	Ethane is sometimes used as a fuel. Its most important use is in preparing ethylene.
Ethanol	C₂H₅OH	Ethanol is naturally produced by fermentation of grains and fruits, is contained in alcoholic beverages, and is a good cleaning fluid.
Acetic Acid	CH₃COOH	Acetic acid is the acid contained in vinegar.


6	Compare the structural formula of ethane (C₂H₆) and ethanol (C₂H₅OH). Note that the hydrogen atom at the right in ethane is replaced by an -OH group to form an alcohol. This is reflected in the chemical formula for ethanol. Which of the statements below describes acetic acid?
		A)	Acetic acid is formed from ethane when an -OH group is replaced by an H atom.
		B)	Acetic acid is formed from ethane when an -OH group replaces an H atom.
		C)	Acetic acid is formed from ethanol when an O atom replaces an H atom.
		D)	Acetic acid is formed from ethane when an O atom replaces an H atom.
		E)	Acetic acid is formed from ethane when an O atom replaces a C atom.


7	An experiment involves ice and a heat source. The time versus temperature graph for the experiment has two areas in which the temperature did not change even though heat was applied. Which of the following BEST explains what happened during the time the temperature did not change?
		A)	The people conducting the experiment made errors as they read the temperature.
		B)	The flat portions of the graph represent the time it took for steam to change into water and for water to change into ice.
		C)	The flat portions of the graph represent the difference in temperate from 0 to 10 minutes and 20 to 25 minutes.
		D)	Given enough time, about 10 minutes, ice will turn to water and water will turn to steam.
		E)	The lower flat portion shows the time it took all the ice to change to water; the upper flat portion shows the time in which water is boiling and changing to steam.


8	A laboratory assistant mixes water, iron filings, sand, and salt and places the mixture in a freezer until it is solid. How can her assistant tell whether there were any chemical or physical changes?
		A)	The lab assistant can start with the end product and see if the changes can be reversed to recover the original substances. If the changes can be reversed, then the changes were physical.
		B)	The assistant can’t tell. All the changes have already taken place. Without observing the changes, the assistant cannot tell whether they were physical or chemical.
		C)	The lab assistant can no longer see the salt, so he believes a new substance was produced. From this he concludes that a chemical change took place.
		D)	The lab assistant observes that the end product does not look at all like the beginning product. For example, the beginning product was a liquid; the end product is solid. Therefore he decides the changes were chemical.
		E)	The lab assistant decides to heat the final product. The water evaporates leaving a salt, sand, and iron filings mixture. He decides that since the water is gone, a new substance must have been produced and so he concludes that there was a chemical change.

Question 9 refers to the following graph.


9	Which of the following statements is true?
		A)	Only 100 grams of KNO₃ will dissolve in 100 grams of water at a temperature of 100°C.
		B)	In 0°C water, nearly twice as much NaCl will dissolve as NaClO₃.
		C)	Of the four substances graphed, the substance with the least temperature-dependent solubility is NaCl.
		D)	No matter how much NaCl is added to water, its temperature stays about the same.
		E)	The two solids containing sodium (Na) have nearly equal solubilities.


10	Which of the following is NOT a balanced chemical equation?
		A)	As chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) move into the upper atmosphere, they break apart and produce atoms of chlorine. The chlorine atom (Cl) destroys an ozone molecule (O₃) forming chlorine monoxide (ClO) and oxygen. Cl + O₃ → ClO + O₂
		B)	The chemical reaction for silver tarnishing involves silver (Ag) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). 2Ag + H₂S → Ag₂S + H₂
		C)	Scientists can combine oxygen (O₂) and hydrogen (H₂) to form water. H₂ + O₂ → H₂O
		D)	Sulfur dioxide reacts with oxygen and then with water to form hydrogen sulfide, an acid. 2SO₂ + O₂ → 2SO₃ SO₃ + H₂O → H₂SO₄
		E)	Acid rain reacts with calcite, the mineral in limestone, a common building and statue material. The products are calcium sulfate (dissolved in water) and carbon dioxide. H₂SO4 + CaCO₃ → CaSO₄H₂O + CO₂

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