Questions on Protons, Electrons, and Neutrons
20 Multiple-Choice Questions: Protons, Electrons, and Neutrons
1. Which subatomic particle has a positive charge?
A) Neutron
B) Electron
C) Proton
D) Positron
E) Nucleus
2. Which subatomic particle is negatively charged?
A) Neutron
B) Proton
C) Electron
D) Alpha particle
E) Nucleus
3. Which subatomic particle is neutral?
A) Proton
B) Electron
C) Neutron
D) Positron
E) Ion
4. Where are protons located in the atom?
A) In the electron cloud
B) Orbiting the nucleus
C) In the nucleus
D) In energy levels
E) In the neutron zone
5. Where are neutrons found in an atom?
A) In the outer shell
B) In orbitals
C) In the nucleus
D) In the ion cloud
E) Attached to electrons
6. Electrons are located:
A) In the nucleus
B) In the electron cloud
C) Attached to neutrons
D) In the atomic core
E) Inside protons
7. What is the charge of a proton?
A) 0
B) –1
C) +1
D) +2
E) –2
8. What is the relative mass of an electron?
A) 1 amu
B) 0.5 amu
C) 0.0005 amu
D) 2 amu
E) 0 amu
9. What determines the identity of an element?
A) Number of neutrons
B) Number of electrons
C) Number of protons
D) Number of ions
E) Number of valence shells
10. In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of:
A) Neutrons
B) Protons
C) Nuclei
D) Energy levels
E) Shells
11. If an atom has more electrons than protons, it is:
A) A cation
B) A neutral atom
C) An anion
D) A neutron
E) An isotope
12. Which particles are responsible for the atomic mass?
A) Electrons and neutrons
B) Protons and neutrons
C) Protons and electrons
D) Electrons only
E) Protons only
13. Which subatomic particle was discovered first?
A) Electron
B) Neutron
C) Proton
D) Positron
E) Quark
14. Who discovered the neutron?
A) Dalton
B) Bohr
C) Rutherford
D) Chadwick
E) Thomson
15. What is the mass of a proton approximately?
A) 0.0005 amu
B) 1 amu
C) 0 amu
D) 2 amu
E) 0.5 amu
16. Which two subatomic particles have nearly the same mass?
A) Proton and electron
B) Electron and neutron
C) Proton and neutron
D) Neutron and positron
E) Proton and positron
17. The electron has what kind of charge?
A) Positive
B) Neutral
C) Negative
D) Strong
E) Alternating
18. The subatomic particle discovered by J.J. Thomson is the:
A) Proton
B) Neutron
C) Electron
D) Nucleus
E) Positron
19. Which particle is most involved in chemical bonding?
A) Proton
B) Neutron
C) Electron
D) Positron
E) Nucleon
20. The number of neutrons in an atom is calculated by:
A) Atomic number – atomic mass
B) Atomic mass – number of electrons
C) Atomic number – number of protons
D) Atomic mass – atomic number
E) Atomic mass + atomic number
Answer Key with Explanations
1. C – Protons have a positive charge.
2. C – Electrons are negatively charged.
3. C – Neutrons have no charge.
4. C – Protons are located in the nucleus.
5. C – Neutrons also reside in the nucleus.
6. B – Electrons are found in the electron cloud.
7. C – The proton has a charge of +1.
8. C – Electron’s relative mass is about 0.0005 amu.
9. C – The number of protons defines the element (atomic number).
10. B – A neutral atom has equal numbers of electrons and protons.
11. C – More electrons than protons = negatively charged ion = anion.
12. B – Mass comes mainly from protons and neutrons.
13. A – The electron was discovered first, by Thomson in 1897.
14. D – James Chadwick discovered the neutron in 1932.
15. B – Protons have a mass of about 1 amu.
16. C – Protons and neutrons have almost equal mass.
17. C – The electron carries a negative charge.
18. C – J.J. Thomson discovered the electron.
19. C – Electrons (especially valence electrons) are key in bonding.
20. D – Neutrons = atomic mass – atomic number.
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