1.3.1 Quantum shells, sub-shells and orbitals Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Chemistry, Unit 1

The 20 questions

1. What is the maximum number of electrons that the first quantum shell can hold?

   • 18
   • 2
   • 4
   • 8

2. How many electrons can a p sub-shell hold?

   • 10
   • 3
   • 6
   • 2

3. What is the shape of an s orbital?

   • Planar ring
   • Spherical
   • Cloverleaf
   • Dumbbell

4. What is the shape of a p orbital?

   • Dumbbell
   • Linear chain
   • Tetrahedral
   • Spherical

5. What is the maximum number of electrons in the second quantum shell?

   • 4
   • 2
   • 8
   • 18

6. Which sub-shell is in the third shell and holds up to 10 electrons?

   • 3p
   • 3s
   • 4s
   • 3d

7. How many orbitals are there in a p sub-shell?

   • 5
   • 6
   • 1
   • 3

8. Which statement about an orbital is correct?

   • It is a fixed-size shell around the nucleus that holds the full number of electrons allowed for that shell
   • It holds up to six electrons with paired spins arranged in a single region around the nucleus of the atom
   • It holds at most two electrons, which must have opposite spins
   • It holds at most two electrons, which must have the same spin direction as each other in the orbital

9. In which shell does the d sub-shell first appear?

   • Shell 3
   • Shell 4
   • Shell 1
   • Shell 2

10. How many electrons can the fourth quantum shell hold in total?

    • 18
    • 8
    • 24
    • 32

11. Which sub-shells make up the second quantum shell?

    • 2s, 2p, 2d and 2f
    • 2p and 2d only
    • 2s, 2p and 2d
    • 2s and 2p only

12. Atomic emission spectra show discrete lines. What does this suggest about electrons?

    • They can have any energy within a shell, so the emitted light would be continuous rather than made of discrete lines
    • They occupy fixed energy levels, which are the quantum shells
    • They are concentrated at a single point in the nucleus, where the energy is greatest of all in the atom
    • They move freely across the whole atom, so energy is absorbed and released at random values with no pattern

13. How many electrons can the 3s and 3p sub-shells hold together?

    • 6
    • 18
    • 10
    • 8

14. How many orbitals are there in the third quantum shell?

    • 6
    • 18
    • 9
    • 3

15. Which electron in an atom has the lowest energy?

    • A 3d electron, in the third shell, which lies at a higher energy level than any electron in the first shell
    • A 1s electron, in the first shell closest to the nucleus
    • A 2p electron, in the second shell, which is further from the nucleus and more shielded than the first shell
    • A 4s electron, in the outer shell, which is the furthest electron from the nucleus of the whole atom

16. Explain why a 2s electron has lower energy than a 2p electron in the same shell.

    • 2p electrons carry a larger charge than 2s electrons, which increases their attraction to the nucleus in the atom
    • 2s orbitals penetrate closer to the nucleus, so they experience less shielding and are lower in energy
    • 2p orbitals are closer to the nucleus than 2s orbitals, so they experience a smaller shielding effect from the inner electrons
    • 2s electrons have a greater spin than 2p electrons, which makes them more stable and lower in energy overall

17. Why can the 4s sub-shell fill before the 3d sub-shell in potassium and calcium?

    • The 4s sub-shell is lower in energy than 3d for these atoms, so it fills first
    • The 3d sub-shell is always in a lower quantum shell than the 4s sub-shell, so it should be filled first in every atom
    • The 3d orbitals are closer to the nucleus than the 4s orbitals, so they lie at a higher energy and fill later
    • The 4s sub-shell holds more electrons than the 3d sub-shell in the same atom, so it fills first to hold them

18. Which statement about a full p sub-shell is correct?

    • It contains 6 electrons spread across 6 separate orbitals, with one electron in each of the orbitals
    • It contains 3 electrons in 3 orbitals, with one electron of each spin direction in each of the orbitals
    • It contains 6 electrons in 3 orbitals, with 2 electrons in each orbital
    • It contains 2 electrons in a single orbital, so the other two orbitals in the sub-shell stay empty

19. Which statement about quantum shells is correct?

    • Shell n holds 2n electrons, so the second shell holds four electrons and the third shell holds six electrons
    • Shells are at fixed energy levels, and shell n contains n sub-shell types, up to shell 3
    • Every shell holds 8 electrons regardless of its number, which is why the periodic table has rows of eight elements
    • Shell n contains exactly n orbitals, so the first shell has one orbital and the second shell has two orbitals

20. What is the total number of electrons in a full third quantum shell, and which sub-shells make it up?

    • 18 electrons in the 3s, 3p and 3d sub-shells
    • 10 electrons, all in the 3d sub-shell
    • 32 electrons in the 3s, 3p, 3d and 3f sub-shells
    • 8 electrons in the 3s and 3p sub-shells only

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