Acids and Bases Practice Test

Review the following concepts if needed:

• Neutralization and Buffers Help
• Acids and Bases Help

Acids and Bases Practice Test

1. Which of the following is not a property of an acid?

(a) has a pH > 7.0

(b) releases hydrogen (H ⁺ ) ions when added to water

(c) causes chemical burns

(d) none of the above 

2. A base

(a) has a pH < 7.0

(b) does not cause chemical burns

(c) does not ionize in water

(d) is any solution that releases hydroxide (OH ⁻ ) ions in water 

3. The pH scale measures

(a) the weight of a liquid

(b) the acidity of a liquid

(c) the temperature of a liquid

(d) the density of a liquid

4. Which of the following is not a “rule of thumb” for deciding whether or not a solution is an acid?

(a) in dilute solutions, acids taste bitter

(b) litmus paper changes from blue to red

(c) acids react with metals like iron, magnesium, and zinc and release hydrogen gas

(d) when combined with bases, the products are water and salt

5. Which of the following is not a “rule of thumb” for deciding whether or not a solution is a base

(a) in dilute solutions, bases taste bitter

(b) litmus paper changes from red to blue

(c) bases react with acids to form water and salt

(d) bases feel sticky and tacky between the fingers and on the skin

6. An acid is considered a strong acid when

(a) combined with a base and gives off a very pungent odor

(b) it has a pH value > 9.0

(c) it completely ionizes in water and gives up a proton to water to form a hydronium ion, H ₃ O ⁺

(d) it has strong conjugate base 

7. A Brönsted-Lowry acid

(a) changes litmus paper from red to blue

(b) donates a proton in a reaction while a base is on the receiving end of the proton transfer

(c) is a classification of a strong acid

(d) ionizes almost completely in water

8. To be amphoteric

(a) a stronger acid will be transformed into products that include a weaker acid

(b) it is the element in the reaction that oxidizes another element while at the same time being reduced itself

(c) a stronger base ionizes almost completely in water, while weak bases do not

(d) an ion or molecule can serve as either an acid or base in a reaction, but has no protons (H ⁺ )

9. Oxidation is

(a) when a compound loses oxygen, gains hydrogen or gains electrons

(b) when a solution releases hydrogen (H ⁺ ) ions when added to water

(c) when a compound gains oxygen, loses hydrogen, or loses electrons

(d) when acids and bases can accept protons in one reaction then turn around and donate in a subsequent reaction

10. Chemists Johannes Brönsted and Thomas Lowry

(a) created litmus paper

(b) discovered “buffers” as sets of compounds that react with and occupy hydrogen ions (H ⁺ ) and hydroxide ions (OH ^– )

(c) established the pH scale

(d) described acids and bases while studying how proton transfer occurs

Answers

1. A

2. D

3. B

4. A

5. D

6. C

7. B

8. D

9. C

10. D