Nature of Matter: Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures MCQs for UPSC Prelims

110 practice questions covering Nature of Matter: Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures, organised into 1 topics. 110 questions include a written explanation. Pick a topic below, or try the samples first.

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mixtures

26 questions with answers

Sample questions

Q1
medium

Which pair gives one metal and one non-metal in that order?

  1. A Copper and oxygen
  2. B Water and common salt
  3. C Copper and iron
  4. D Oxygen and sulphur
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Copper and oxygen

Copper is a metal and oxygen is a non-metal, so this pair fits. Copper and iron are both metals, while oxygen and sulphur are both non-metals. Water and salt are compounds, not elements, so they cannot be classed as metal and non-metal.

Q2
medium

A town decides to repair its old metal water pipes instead of replacing all of them with new ones. How does this help?

  1. A Less fresh metal is needed, so mineral resources are saved
  2. B The old pipes are turned back into ore
  3. C New minerals are created beneath the town
  4. D It makes no difference at all to mineral resources
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Less fresh metal is needed, so mineral resources are saved

Repairing keeps the existing metal in use, so less ore must be mined to make replacements. Repair work does not create minerals underground, and a pipe cannot turn back into ore. Since less new metal is needed, the effect on resources is real, not zero.

Q3
hard

Assertion (A): A bottle labelled 'pure fruit juice' need not contain a pure substance in the scientific sense. Reason (R): In science a pure substance may contain any number of different substances, provided none of them is harmful.

  1. A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  2. B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  3. C A is true, but R is false
  4. D A is false, but R is true
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - A is true, but R is false

The assertion is true, since juice holds water, sugars and acids together and is a mixture. The reason is false: a scientifically pure substance holds one substance only, whether or not the others are harmful. Only the assertion stands.

Q4
medium

Sea water contains several salts dissolved in water. Sea water is best described as

  1. A a substance with a fixed composition
  2. B an element
  3. C a compound
  4. D a mixture
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - a mixture

Dissolved salts sit in the water without combining chemically with it, so sea water is a mixture. A compound would have its parts chemically joined, and an element would contain only one kind of particle. Sea water from different places contains different amounts of salt, so its composition is not fixed.

Q5
easy

The iron used for making railway tracks is obtained from

  1. A the leaves of tall trees
  2. B an ore dug out of the ground
  3. C the foam on sea waves
  4. D the air around us
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - an ore dug out of the ground

Iron is taken out of iron ore mined from the Earth. Trees give wood and fibres but no iron, sea foam is mostly air and water, and the air contains gases, not metals.

Q6
easy

Which of these is a mineral obtained from the Earth?

  1. A Rock salt
  2. B A plastic bucket
  3. C A cotton cloth
  4. D A sheet of paper
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Rock salt

Rock salt is dug out of the ground, where it formed naturally, so it is a mineral. Plastic is manufactured, while paper and cotton cloth are made from plants, so none of these three is a naturally occurring mineral.

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