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Year 7 Science — Metals and non-metals

Tell metals from non-metals by malleability, ductility, sonority and conduction, say what rusting and corrosion need, and give the nature of a metal oxide and a non-metal oxide.

Name: ________________________

  1. 1.An electrician's screwdriver has a plastic handle and they wear rubber gloves. Why?

    • a) Plastic and rubber are good conductors, so they carry the current safely to earth
    • b) Plastic and rubber grip better than metal does
    • c) Plastic and rubber keep the metal from rusting in a damp house
    • d) Plastic and rubber are poor conductors, so the current cannot reach them through it

  2. 2.A spoonful of powder left after burning a metal is stirred into water. What nature would you expect that solution to have?

    • a) Neutral
    • b) Acidic
    • c) Basic
    • d) Acidic first and then basic

  3. 3.Copper going green and silver going black are the same kind of slow damage that a brown deposit does to iron. What is the general name for a metal surface being eaten away like this by air, water or other substances?

  4. 4.Match each non-metal to the everyday job the chapter gives it.

    • Nitrogen
    • Chlorine
    • Iodine
    • goes into making fertilisers
    • put on a wound as an antiseptic
    • used to purify water

  5. 5.Why does the chapter say that wood, glass and plastic are neither metals nor non-metals?

    • a) Because they are made in factories rather than dug out of the ground
    • b) Because they are neither hard nor soft enough to be tested
    • c) Because they float in water, and metals and non-metals sink
    • d) Because those two names are for elements, and these materials are not elements

  6. 6.Which of these does the chapter say about how hard metals are?

    • a) The softest metals are the ones that conduct heat worst
    • b) Some metals, such as sodium, are soft enough to cut with a knife
    • c) A metal is hard by definition, so a soft material is not a metal
    • d) Metals grow harder the longer they are left in the open air

  7. 7.A gas made by burning a non-metal is dissolved in water. What nature would you expect that solution to have?

    • a) Acidic
    • b) Basic first and then acidic
    • c) Neutral
    • d) Basic

  8. 8.Match each property to what a material showing it can do.

    • Malleability
    • Ductility
    • Sonority
    • can be drawn into wires
    • can be beaten into thin sheets
    • gives a ringing sound when struck

Answer key — Year 7 Science — Metals and non-metals

  1. 1. d) Plastic and rubber are poor conductors, so the current cannot reach them through it
  2. 2. c) Basic
  3. 3. corrosion
  4. 4. Nitrogen → goes into making fertilisers; Chlorine → used to purify water; Iodine → put on a wound as an antiseptic
  5. 5. d) Because those two names are for elements, and these materials are not elements
  6. 6. b) Some metals, such as sodium, are soft enough to cut with a knife
  7. 7. a) Acidic
  8. 8. Malleability → can be beaten into thin sheets; Ductility → can be drawn into wires; Sonority → gives a ringing sound when struck