physical-properties-of-metals-and-non-metals MCQs for UPSC Prelims

28 practice questions on physical-properties-of-metals-and-non-metals from the The World of Metals and Non-metals section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 28 come with a written explanation. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

8 Easy 14 Medium 6 Hard

Sample questions

Q1
medium

An iron gate that shone when it was new now looks dull and brown. What has happened to it?

  1. A Air and moisture have formed a layer on the surface that hides the shine
  2. B The iron inside the gate has turned into a non-metal
  3. C Iron loses its shine as soon as it is cut to size
  4. D The gate has lost its lustre because it was painted
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - Air and moisture have formed a layer on the surface that hides the shine

Iron left in damp air becomes coated with a rough brown layer of rust, and that layer covers the shining metal underneath. The iron below is still iron and still a metal. Paint would give a coloured coat, and the gate is described as bare and brown. Freshly cut iron does shine, so cutting is not what dulls it.

Q2
medium

Copper is chosen for the long thin wires inside electric cables. Which pair of properties suits it for this job?

  1. A It is ductile and it blocks electric current
  2. B It is sonorous and it is very light
  3. C It is brittle and it conducts electricity well
  4. D It is ductile and it conducts electricity well
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - It is ductile and it conducts electricity well

A cable needs a material that can be drawn into a long wire and can then carry current, and copper does both. A brittle material would snap while being drawn out. A material that blocked current would be useless in a cable. The ringing sound of a metal has nothing to do with wiring.

Q3
hard

Two grey solids are rubbed with sandpaper. One becomes bright and shining, while the other stays dull and crumbles into powder. What is the best conclusion?

  1. A Both are metals, because both were grey to begin with
  2. B Neither can be a metal, because metals are never grey
  3. C The crumbling one is the metal, because metals break easily
  4. D The shining one is probably a metal and the crumbling one a non-metal
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - The shining one is probably a metal and the crumbling one a non-metal

Taking on a shine when cleaned is a metallic property, while crumbling to powder is typical of a brittle non-metal, so the two solids belong to different groups. Colour alone tells us little, so grey does not make both metals. Metals resist crumbling rather than breaking easily. Many metals, such as iron and aluminium, are indeed grey.

Q4
easy

The shine seen on the surface of a freshly cut piece of metal is called its

  1. A lustre
  2. B hardness
  3. C ductility
  4. D sonority
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - lustre

The shine of a clean metal surface is known as metallic lustre. Hardness describes how well a material resists being scratched or dented. Sonority is the ringing sound a metal makes when struck. Ductility is the property of being drawn into wires.

Q5
hard

Four rods are tested one by one in a circuit made of a cell and a bulb: an iron rod, a copper rod, a sulphur rod and a wooden rod. For which rods will the bulb glow?

  1. A The iron rod and the copper rod only
  2. B All four rods
  3. C The copper rod only
  4. D The sulphur rod and the wooden rod only
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - The iron rod and the copper rod only

Iron and copper are metals and conduct, so each of them completes the circuit and lights the bulb. Sulphur is a non-metal and wood is not a metal at all, so neither lets current pass. Choosing only copper forgets that iron conducts too. Choosing all four would make insulators pointless.

Q6
medium

Aluminium is rolled into very thin foil for wrapping food. Which property makes this possible?

  1. A Its sonority
  2. B Its lustre
  3. C Its malleability
  4. D Its high melting point
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - Its malleability

Rolling a metal into a thin sheet is exactly what malleability allows, so aluminium foil is possible because aluminium is highly malleable. Sonority concerns sound and plays no part in shaping. A shining surface does not help a metal spread out. A high melting point matters for heating, not for rolling.

Q7
easy

Metals are generally good conductors of

  1. A heat only, never electricity
  2. B electricity only, never heat
  3. C neither heat nor electricity
  4. D both heat and electricity
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - both heat and electricity

Metals let both heat and electric current pass through them easily, which is why they are used for cooking vessels and for wires alike. Restricting them to one of the two ignores half of what metals do every day. Saying they conduct neither would leave no material for pans or cables.

Q8
medium

The handle of a metal frying pan is often made of wood or thick plastic. Why?

  1. A Wood and plastic make the pan heat up more quickly
  2. B Wood and plastic carry heat away faster than metal does
  3. C Wood and plastic stop the food from sticking to the pan
  4. D Wood and plastic do not let heat pass easily, so the hand is not burnt
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - Wood and plastic do not let heat pass easily, so the hand is not burnt

Wood and plastic are poor conductors of heat, so the handle stays cool enough to hold while the metal base is hot. If they carried heat faster the handle would be even more dangerous. A handle plays no part in heating the base. Sticking depends on the cooking surface, not on the handle.

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