Practice MCQs For Radioactivity and the nuclear atom

This quiz contains practice questions for GCE ‘O’ level topic: Radioactivity and the nuclear atom. There are explanations for some of the questions after you submit the quiz. If you could not figure out why a particular option is the answer, feel free to drop a comment below or ask a question in ‘O’ & ‘A’ Level Discussion section of the forum. If you wish to contribute questions to this quiz, please contact us.

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1. The half-life of a radioisotope is 2400 years. The activity of a sample is 720 counts/s.

How long will it take for the activity to fall to 90 counts/s?

300 years

7200 years

2400 years

19 200 years

2. $^{14}_{6} \text{C}$ represents a nuclide of the element carbon and $^{14}_{7} \text{N}$ a nuclide of nitrogen.

How does a neutral atom of $^{14}_{7} \text{N} $ differ from a neutral atom of $^{14}_{6} \text{C} $?

The nitrogen atom has one proton less than the carbon atom.

The nitrogen atom has one proton more than the carbon atom.

The nitrogen atom has one electron less than the carbon atom.

The nitrogen atom has one neutron more than the carbon atom.

3. Atoms P and Q are isotopes. How does the composition of neutral atom P compare with neutral atom Q?

C

B

A

D

4. Which statement is true for all three types of radioactive emission (alpha-particles, beta-particles and gamma-rays)?

They are completely absorbed by a thin aluminium sheet.

They ionise gases.

They emit light.

They are deflected by electric fields.

5. The results of the Rutherford experiment provide evidence for the presence of the nucleus within the atom.

What were scattered in this experiment?

beta-particles

alpha-particles

gold nuclei

gamma rays

6. In a fission reactor, which particle causes a Uranium-235 nucleus to split?

alpha-particle

gamma ray

proton

neutron

7. X, Y and Z are three types of radiation.

X is almost completed absorbed by 5 cm lead but not by 5 mm aluminium.

Y is almost completely absorbed by 5 mm aluminium but not by thin card.

Z is absorbed by thin card.

What are X, Y and Z?

X: Beta particle, Y: Alpha Particle, Z: Gamma Rays

X: Gamma Rays, Y: Alpha Particle, Z: Beta Particle

X: Alpha particle, Y: Beta Particle, Z: Gamma Rays

X: Gamma Rays, Y: Beta Particle, Z: Alpha Particle

8. Which action will most increase a person's exposure to radioactivity?

going for a flight in a high-flying aircraft

Staying in a house near a nuclear power plant

opening the windows of a house

eating food that has been sterilised by gamma rays

9. Which row gives the range and electrical charge of an alpha-particle?

	Range In Air	Electrical Charge
A	A few centimetres	Negative
B	A few centimetres	Positive
C	A few metres	Negative
D	A few metres	Positive

B

A

D

C

10. The diagram shows the apparatus used in an experiment in which barriers of various materials are placed in turn between different radioactive sources and a detector.

The table shows the count rates recorded by the detector for four sources.

Which source emits alpha-particles only?

Source	Count Rate (Counts Per Minute)
	No barrier	Paper	Thin Aluminium	Thick Lead
A	200	200	200	30
B	200	30	30	30
C	1200	600	200	30
D	1200	1200	30	30

C

A

D

B

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