Reading the periodic table

Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Particle drawing of an atom, not to scale:

2. 1.

   Bo's atom drawing (not to scale) shows 20 protons and 20 neutrons. Which element matches it?

   • Argon, element 18
   • Calcium, element 20
   • Scandium, element 21
   • Zirconium, element 40, from the mass number
3. 2.

   Esme's atom drawing (not to scale) shows 11 protons and 12 neutrons. Which element matches it?

   • Neon, element 10
   • Sodium, element 11
   • Magnesium, element 12, from the neutrons
   • Vanadium, element 23, from the mass number
4. 3.

   Lithium is a soft, shiny metal that tarnishes quickly in air. Which element is most likely to be like it, Jun?

   • Helium
   • Beryllium, its neighbor in period 2
   • Potassium, in the same group
   • Carbon, also in period 2
5. 4.

   Helium is a gas that hardly ever reacts. Which element is most likely to be like it, Kira?

   • Neon, in the same group
   • Hydrogen, also in period 1
   • Lithium, the next element
   • Beryllium
6. 5.

   Milo says the table is in order of mass. Using the tellurium and iodine tiles, agree or disagree?

   • Disagree: tellurium is heavier yet comes first
   • Disagree: the order is alphabetical
   • Agree: 127.6 comes after 126.9
   • Agree: heavier ones come later
7. 6.

   Using the cobalt and nickel tiles, why does cobalt come first, Noah?

   • It has less mass
   • It sits in an earlier period
   • It has a higher atomic number
   • It has fewer protons
8. 7.

   If the table were ordered by mass, what would happen to tellurium and iodine, Pia?

   • They would swap places
   • Tellurium would come first, as now
   • Nothing; that is the order now
   • Both would move to period 1

9. Use this

   Outline of the periodic table (IUPAC) with a thick staircase line from boron down to tellurium. Metals are shaded on the left and in the middle; nonmetals are unshaded on the right; the elements along the staircase (B, Si, Ge, As, Sb, Te) are dotted as metalloids. Hydrogen, at the top left, is unshaded.

10. 8.

    Ren says the elements to the right of the staircase are metals. Agree or disagree?

    • Disagree: they are metalloids
    • Disagree: they are nonmetals
    • Agree: the right side is the metal side
    • Agree: they are shiny
11. 9.

    Mercury is a liquid at room temperature and sits left of the staircase. What is it, Tala?

    • A metal
    • A nonmetal, since metals are on the right
    • A nonmetal, since it is a liquid
    • A metalloid
12. 10.

    Aluminum sits just left of the staircase. Zee must classify it. Which is right?

    • Metal
    • Nonmetal: it is light
    • Metalloid: it is on the staircase
    • Nonmetal: metals are on the right