Introduction to Chemical Principles, 11e (Stoker)

Chapter 1 The Science of Chemistry

1.1 Multiple Choice

1) Chemistry is a scientific discipline which ______.

A) is a biological science

B) has only two subdisciplines

C) is devoted to the study of matter and energy

D) has a rigid boundary between itself and other disciplines

Answer: C

Section List: 1-1

Learning Obj: 1.1

Global LO: G5

2) The subdiscipline of chemistry that studies fundamental laws and concepts of chemistry is ______.

A) inorganic chemistry

B) organic chemistry

C) physical chemistry

D) general chemistry

Answer: D

Section List: 1-1

Learning Obj: 1.1

Global LO: G5

3) Which of the following subdisciplines of science is not a physical science?

A) chemistry

B) zoology

C) physics

D) astronomy

Answer: B

Section List: 1-1

Learning Obj: 1.1

Global LO: G5

4) Chemistry, physics, and geology are considered physical sciences because they involve the study of ______.

A) changes in matter

B) living organisms

C) changes in energy

D) changes in both matter and energy

Answer: D

Section List: 1-1

Learning Obj: 1.1

Global LO: G5


5) Which of the following is a biological science?

A) chemistry

B) physics

C) zoology

D) geology

Answer: C

Section List: 1-1

Learning Obj: 1.1

Global LO: G5

6) Which of the following is an example of a scientific discipline that involves the study of living organisms?

A) geology

B) physics

C) botany

D) astronomy

Answer: C

Section List: 1-1

Learning Obj: 1.1

Global LO: G5

7) The physical application of scientific knowledge towards the production of goods to improve Human survival, comfort and quality of life is known as ______.

A) technology

B) scientific discipline

C) natural law

D) theory

Answer: A

Section List: 1-2

Learning Obj: 1.2

Global LO: G5

8) Teflon is produced when 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethene (F2C=CF2) is polymerized. Scientists soon observed that many materials would not adhere to surfaces coated with Teflon. Today, Teflon is used to coat cookware to produce non-stick surfaces. This represents an application of ______.

A) a theory becoming a natural law

B) technology

C) an experiment proving a scientific law

D) an experiment verifying a fact

Answer: B

Section List: 1-2

Learning Obj: 1.2

Global LO: G5


9) Chemists discovered that a class of compounds called esters could be produced by reacting carboxylic acids with alcohols. Esters are very fragrant and are incorporated into perfumes, and they are used as flavorings in foods. The use of esters in perfumes and foods is an example of ______.

A) technology manipulating nature for advantage

B) a natural law being exploited by chemical experimentation

C) an experiment proving a scientific law

D) an experiment verifying a fact

Answer: A

Section List: 1-2

Learning Obj: 1.2

Global LO: G5

10) A formal course in chemistry is essential and fascinating because it helps us ______.

A) understand ourselves

B) understand our surroundings

C) understand the world we live in

D) Answers A, B, and C are all correct

Answer: D

Section List: 1-3

Learning Obj: 1.3

Global LO: G5

11) A tentative model or picture that offers an explanation for a scientific law is called a ______.

A) theory

B) hypothesis

C) fact

D) observation

Answer: B

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

12) A statement that is obvious to anyone and based on direct experience is called a ______:

A) hypothesis

B) theory

C) fact

D) thesis

Answer: C

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2


13) A generalization that summarizes in a concise manner facts about natural phenomena is called a ______.

A) theory

B) hypothesis

C) scientific law

D) fact

Answer: C

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

14) A theory is ______.

A) a law that is yet to be tested and validated

B) a law that has been "approved" by at least 3 international scientific organizations

C) a hypothesis that has been tested and validated over a long period of time

D) a hypothesis which is yet to be tested and validated

Answer: C

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

15) Which of the following pairings of terms is incorrect?

A) theory - unvalidated hypothesis

B) fact - observation

C) hypothesis - tentative explanation

D) scientific law - concise summary of facts about natural phenomena

Answer: A

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

16) Which procedural step comes first in the scientific method?

A) Identifying the problem and planning procedures to obtain information.

B) Testing proposed explanations through experimentation.

C) Collecting data through observation and experimentation.

D) Analyzing and organizing collected data in terms of generalized statements.

Answer: A

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2


17) Which of the following is the most important to chemical discovery?

A) laws

B) hypotheses

C) experiments

D) theories

Answer: C

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

18) A researcher studies the behavior of a fixed amount of gas under constant pressure conditions in a balloon with the following results.

Experiment 1: At a temperature of 75 K, the gas occupied a volume of 5.0 liters.

Experiment 2: At a temperature of 150 K, the gas occupied a volume of 10.0 liters.

From this data one can generalize that as the temperature of the gas increases,

A) the volume of the gas decreases proportionally.

B) the volume of the gas decreases exponentially.

C) the volume of the gas increases proportionally.

D) the volume of the gas increases exponentially.

Answer: C

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

19) A set of procedures used to acquire knowledge and explain phenomena is ______.

A) collectively known as the field of science

B) referred to as technology

C) known as the scientific method

D) required to establish scientific law

Answer: C

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

20) A valid observation about some natural phenomenon is called ______.

A) a hypothesis

B) a fact

C) an experiment

D) a scientific law

Answer: B

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2


21) When the scientific method is applied to a problem, a set of procedures is followed to acquire knowledge and explain phenomena. The procedural steps associated with the scientific method normally occur in the order ______.

A) experiment, fact, scientific law, hypothesis, theory

B) hypothesis, theory, experiment, fact, scientific law

C) theory, hypothesis, fact, experiment, scientific law

D) scientific law, theory, hypothesis, experiment, fact

Answer: A

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

22) Which of the following statements is false?

A) Facts that have been verified by repeated experiments will never be changed.

B) Theories that are invented to explain certain facts are not subject to change.

C) A theory is a hypothesis that is tested and validated over a period of time.

D) An experiment is a well-defined, controlled procedure for obtaining facts.

Answer: B

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

23) Which of the following statements is incorrectly classified as a fact, a scientific law, or a hypothesis?

Statement Classification

A) Women live longer than men because they deal better with stress. hypothesis

B) Sulfur is a yellow solid. fact

C) Gasoline is insoluble in water. scientific law

D) All samples of gaseous substances expand when heated. scientific law

Answer: C

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

24) A researcher studied the relationship between the wavelength and the frequency of light. Experiment 1: If the wavelength of light was 0.50 meters, the frequency was 6 x 108 hertz. Experiment 2: If the wavelength of light was 1.0 meter, the frequency was 3 x 108 hertz. From this data one can generalize that as the wavelength of light decreases

A) the frequency decreases by a proportional amount.

B) the frequency increases exponentially.

C) the frequency decreases exponentially.

D) the frequency increases by a proportional amount.

Answer: D

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

25) Suppose you were handed two drinking glasses, each containing a clear, colorless liquid. Four alternative hypotheses were postulated concerning the liquids contained in the glasses.

1. Both glasses contain water only.

2. One glass contains sugar dissolved in water, and the other glass contains water only.

3. One glass contains salt dissolved in water, and the other glass contains sugar dissolved in water.

4. Both glasses contain salt dissolved in water.

Which of the hypotheses could be rejected by tasting the liquid in one of the glasses and determining that it tasted sweet?

A) 3 and 4

B) 1 and 4

C) 2

D) 1 and 3

Answer: B

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

26) Einstein first stated the relationship between energy and mass, E = mc2, which states that energy (E) equals mass (m) times the speed of light (c) squared. This is an example of a ______.

A) technology

B) scientific discipline

C) scientific law

D) theory

Answer: C

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

27) When a doctor makes a diagnosis based on laboratory tests, this is:

A) a fact.

B) a hypothesis based on facts.

C) a proof of a hypothesis.

D) must be true.

Answer: B

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2


1.2 Short Answer

1) The vastness of the volume of chemical information about our world requires that chemistry be divided into subdisciplines. Match Area of study to its Subdiscipline of chemistry by placing the appropriate letter in each blank space provided.

Subdiscipline of chemistry / Area of study
1) / ____ / analytical / a) energy changes
2) / ____ / general / b) noncarbon-containing compounds
3) / ____ / organic / c) analysis
4) / ____ / physical / d) carbon-containing compounds
5) / ____ / inorganic / e) fundamental laws and concept

Answer: 1) c 2) e 3) d 4) a 5) b

Section List: 1-1

Learning Obj: 1.1

Global LO: G5

2) Classify the following as representing quantitative or qualitative data.

a. The plank of wood is 55.4 cm long.

b. The vial contains a brown liquid.

c. The temperature outside is 37 °C.

d. The package of peanuts contains about 100 peanuts.

Answer: A) quantitative B) qualitative C) quantitative D) qualitative

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G4

3) Match the terms below with the definitions at the bottom.

1) ______Tentative model or picture that offers an explanation for the behavior of a system

2) ______Generalization that summarizes in a concise way information about natural phenomena

3) ______Tentative model that has been tested and validated over long periods of time

4) ______A valid observation about some phenomenon

a) fact

b) scientific law

c) hypothesis

d) theory

Answer: 1) c 2) b 3) d 4) a

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2


4) Indicate whether each of the following statements is true or false.

1) ______A hypothesis is a statement of fact concerning a natural law.

2) ______A theory is subject to modification in light of new experimental observations

3) ______It is much easier to "prove" a hypothesis than it is to "disprove" it.

4) ______A scientific law is a generalization that summarizes information about natural phenomena.

5) ______A theory is an explanation for which no experimental basis has yet been found.

6)______The validity of a hypothesis is dependent upon it randomly predicting the outcome of yet untried experiments.

Answer: 1) False 2) True 3) False 4) True 5) False 6) False

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

5) Indicate whether each of the following statements represents quantitative data or qualitative data.

A) A beaker containing calcium carbonate weighs 96.543 grams. ______

B) The gas in the container was reddish-brown in color. ______

C) The volume of a container of gas decreases as the pressure in the container increases. ______

D) A strip of magnesium ribbon is 1.24 centimeters in length. ______

Answer: A) quantitative B) qualitative C) qualitative D) quantitative

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

6) Indicate whether each of the following statements represents a fact, a scientific law, or a hypothesis.

A) The volume of a sample of gas increased as its temperature increased. ______

B) The reddish-brown gas occupied a volume of 25.9 liters. ______

C) Giraffes grew long necks over time to reach food sources in the trees during dry weather. ______

D) The wavelength of any source of light is inversely proportional to its frequency. ______

Answer: A) fact B) fact C) hypothesis D) scientific law

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2


7) A researcher observed numerous chemical reactions in which he reacted differing masses of reactants (starting materials) to determine the mass of product(s) formed.

10 grams of A are reacted with 5 grams of B, 15 grams of AB are produced.

2.4 grams of C are reacted with 4.0 grams of D, 6.4 grams of CD are produced.

500 grams of E are reacted with 100 grams of F, 300 grams of G and 300 grams of H are produced.

What generalization (scientific law) concerning the relationship between the masses of reactants and the mass(es) of product(s) formed can be derived from these observations?

Answer: The total mass of reactant(s) in a chemical reaction is always equal to the total mass of the product(s) formed.

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

8) Indicate whether each statement is a fact, hypothesis or theory.

A) Smoking cigarettes is detrimental to your health.

B) The ocean water in Miami, FL contains more salt than water in Galveston, TX.

C) A micrometer (μm) is larger than a nanometer (nm).

Answer: A) theory B) hypothesis C) fact

Section List: 1-4

Learning Obj: 1.4

Global LO: G2

9) Fill in the Blank:

A) A shrewd but tentative initial explanation for a relatively small set of observations is best described as a ______.

B) A ______is based on further experimental results that have either proven or disproven a set of initial observations.