Questions on Polar Molecules
Multiple-Choice Questions: Polar Molecules
1. What makes a molecule polar?
A) Equal sharing of electrons
B) Asymmetrical shape and difference in electronegativity
C) Large molecular size
D) Presence of ionic bonds
E) Metallic bonding
2. Which of the following molecules is polar?
A) CO₂
B) CH₄
C) H₂O
D) CCl₄
E) BF₃
3. Why is CO₂ considered nonpolar despite having polar bonds?
A) It has no bonds
B) It has symmetrical linear shape causing bond dipoles to cancel
C) It has no electronegativity difference
D) It has lone pairs on the central atom
E) It is ionic
4. Which molecule has a bent shape and is polar?
A) NH₃
B) CO₂
C) H₂O
D) BF₃
E) CCl₄
5. Which molecule is polar because of its trigonal pyramidal shape?
A) CH₄
B) NH₃
C) CO₂
D) BF₃
E) XeF₄
6. What type of bond polarity does a polar molecule have?
A) Only nonpolar bonds
B) Polar bonds and asymmetrical shape
C) Ionic bonds only
D) Metallic bonds
E) Equal sharing of electrons
7. Which molecule below is nonpolar despite having polar bonds?
A) H₂O
B) NH₃
C) CO₂
D) HCl
E) SO₂
8. What effect does molecular symmetry have on polarity?
A) Symmetry causes molecules to be polar
B) Symmetry causes molecules to be nonpolar
C) Symmetry causes bond angles to increase
D) Symmetry causes ionic bonding
E) Symmetry has no effect
9. Which molecule has a tetrahedral shape and is nonpolar?
A) NH₃
B) CH₄
C) H₂O
D) SO₂
E) HCl
10. Which of the following molecules is polar due to lone pairs on the central atom?
A) CO₂
B) CH₄
C) NH₃
D) CCl₄
E) BF₃
11. Which molecule has a dipole moment pointing towards the more electronegative atom?
A) N₂
B) O₂
C) HCl
D) Cl₂
E) Ne₂
12. How do lone pairs influence molecular polarity?
A) Lone pairs decrease polarity
B) Lone pairs have no effect
C) Lone pairs increase polarity by causing asymmetry
D) Lone pairs convert polar molecules to ionic
E) Lone pairs make molecules larger
13. Which of these molecules is polar because of asymmetrical distribution of charge?
A) CO₂
B) CH₄
C) H₂O
D) CCl₄
E) XeF₄
14. What is the polarity of BF₃ molecule?
A) Polar
B) Nonpolar
C) Ionic
D) Metallic
E) Polar only if bonded to metals
15. Which molecular shape typically leads to nonpolar molecules despite polar bonds?
A) Bent
B) Linear symmetrical
C) Trigonal pyramidal
D) Angular
E) Trigonal pyramidal
16. What causes the net dipole moment in polar molecules?
A) Symmetrical bond dipoles
B) Asymmetrical bond dipoles that do not cancel
C) Equal electronegativities
D) Absence of lone pairs
E) Large atomic masses
17. Which molecule is polar due to having an unsymmetrical shape?
A) CO₂
B) CH₄
C) NH₃
D) CCl₄
E) BF₃
18. What is the polarity of SO₂?
A) Polar
B) Nonpolar
C) Ionic
D) Metallic
E) Only polar if bonded to metals
19. Which is true about polar molecules?
A) They always have ionic bonds
B) They have equal sharing of electrons
C) They have a net dipole moment
D) They have no lone pairs
E) They have symmetrical geometry
20. Which molecule has a net dipole moment caused by unequal distribution of electrons?
A) CO₂
B) H₂O
C) CCl₄
D) BF₃
E) Ne
- Questions on VSEPR Theory
- Questions: Molecular Shapes with and without Lone Pairs
- Questions on Bond Polarity
Answers with Explanations
1. B) Polar molecules require asymmetrical shape and difference in electronegativity.
2. C) H₂O is polar due to bent shape and polar O–H bonds.
3. B) CO₂ is linear and symmetrical; bond dipoles cancel → nonpolar.
4. C) H₂O has bent shape → polar.
5. B) NH₃ is trigonal pyramidal → polar.
6. B) Polar molecules have polar bonds and asymmetrical shapes.
7. C) CO₂ is nonpolar despite polar bonds due to symmetry.
8. B) Symmetry generally causes molecules to be nonpolar.
9. B) CH₄ is tetrahedral and nonpolar due to symmetrical bond arrangement.
10. C) NH₃ has lone pairs causing asymmetry → polar.
11. C) Dipole moment points to more electronegative atom in HCl.
12. C) Lone pairs cause asymmetry, increasing polarity.
13. C) H₂O’s asymmetry makes it polar.
14. B) BF₃ is trigonal planar and symmetrical → nonpolar.
15. B) Linear symmetrical shapes (like CO₂) often lead to nonpolar molecules.
16. B) Net dipole comes from asymmetrical bond dipoles that don’t cancel.
17. C) NH₃ is polar due to asymmetrical shape.
18. A) SO₂ is bent and polar.
19. C) Polar molecules have a net dipole moment.
20. B) H₂O has net dipole due to unequal electron distribution.
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