Lesson 3.1.1.1

3.1.1.1 Fundamental particles Quiz: AQA Chemistry, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.1.1, Fundamental particles: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Chemistry (7405), Unit 1: Physical chemistry, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which row correctly gives the relative charge and relative mass of a proton?

    • +1 and 1/1840
    • +1 and 1
    • -1 and 1/1840
    • 0 and 1

  2. What is the relative charge of a neutron?

    • -2
    • -1
    • 0
    • +1

  3. Where is almost all of the mass of an atom located?

    • In the electron shells, which are spread through the atom
    • Evenly spread through the whole volume of the atom
    • In the electron orbitals outside the nucleus
    • In the nucleus, which is made of protons and neutrons

  4. Which subatomic particle has the smallest relative mass?

    • A positron
    • An electron
    • A proton
    • A neutron

  5. Which statement describes the structure of an atom according to the specification?

    • A nucleus of electrons surrounded by protons and neutrons
    • A nucleus containing protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons
    • A nucleus of protons and electrons surrounded by neutrons
    • A nucleus containing only protons, surrounded by neutrons and electrons

  6. Which scientist's gold foil experiment showed that most of an atom's mass and positive charge are concentrated in a small nucleus?

    • Niels Bohr
    • Joseph John Thomson
    • John Dalton
    • Ernest Rutherford

  7. What did the plum pudding model of the atom propose?

    • Electrons in fixed orbits of quantised energy around a nucleus
    • Positive charge spread through the atom with electrons embedded in it
    • A dense nucleus surrounded by orbiting electrons
    • Solid indivisible spheres of different masses for each element

  8. An atom has 11 protons and 12 neutrons, and it has 10 electrons. What is its overall charge?

    • +2
    • +1
    • 0
    • -1

  9. An atom has a mass number of 39 and 19 protons. How many neutrons does it contain?

    • 20
    • 58
    • 39
    • 19

  10. Compare an electron with a proton. Which statement is correct?

    • The electron has a much smaller relative mass and the same charge
    • The electron has the same relative mass and the opposite charge
    • The electron has a larger relative mass and the opposite charge
    • The electron has a much smaller relative mass and the opposite charge

  11. A neutral magnesium atom has 12 protons. Mg2+ is formed by losing two electrons. How many electrons does Mg2+ contain?

    • 12
    • 14
    • 24
    • 10

  12. A neutral sulfur atom has 16 protons. How many electrons does the S2- ion contain?

    • 16
    • 14
    • 18
    • 32

  13. A neutral atom has 9 protons and 10 neutrons. Which statement about its electrons is correct?

    • There are no electrons, because the atom has no net charge
    • There are 19 electrons, each carrying a negative charge
    • There are 9 electrons, each carrying a negative charge
    • There are 10 electrons, each carrying a negative charge

  14. Rutherford's alpha scattering showed that a few alpha particles were deflected through large angles while most passed straight through. What is the best conclusion?

    • Atoms are uniform spheres of positive charge with electrons embedded in them
    • Neutrons are the main source of deflection in gold atoms
    • Atoms are mostly empty space with a small, dense, positively charged nucleus
    • Electrons are evenly distributed through the atom and cause the deflections

  15. Why is the mass of an electron considered negligible compared with the mass of an atom?

    • Electrons are held in orbitals that carry no mass
    • An electron has zero charge, so it adds no mass
    • Electrons occupy far more volume than nuclei
    • An electron has a relative mass of about 1/1840 of a proton

  16. An X3+ ion has 10 electrons. What is the proton number of element X?

    • 16
    • 10
    • 13
    • 7

  17. An atom has 6 protons and 8 neutrons and is neutral. What is the total number of protons, neutrons and electrons in it?

    • 14
    • 6
    • 12
    • 20

  18. Which statement about the charges in a neutral atom is correct?

    • The total charge is negative because electrons are more numerous than protons
    • Protons and electrons carry equal and like charges
    • Neutrons carry a negative charge that balances the protons
    • The total positive charge from protons equals the total negative charge from electrons

  19. Which description of the nucleus of an atom is correct?

    • It contains only protons and has a charge of +2
    • It contains protons and electrons and has a negative charge
    • It contains neutrons and electrons and has no net charge
    • It contains protons and neutrons and has a positive charge

  20. Which statement about the masses of a neutron and a proton is correct?

    • A neutron has a relative mass of zero
    • A neutron is about 1840 times heavier than a proton
    • A neutron is about twice the mass of a proton
    • They have approximately the same relative mass

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