Answer Writing Practice with Bloom’s Taxonomy Skills- Competency Based
Understanding Periodic Properties and their variations is not just about memorizing trends—it’s about explaining why those trends exist. Below is a curated set of ICSE-style questions with model answers, along with the skill tested (as per Bloom’s Taxonomy) to help students refine their answer-writing approach.
REASON-BASED QUESTIONS
1. Ionisation potential of an element increases across a period.
Answer: Ionisation potential increases due to an increase in nuclear charge and a decrease in atomic size from left to right.
Skill Tested: Understanding (Conceptual Explanation)
2. Alkali metals are good reducing agents.
Answer: Due to low ionization potential, they lose electrons easily.
Skill Tested: Understanding
3. Oxidising power increases across a period.
Answer: Increased nuclear charge increases the tendency to gain electrons.
Skill Tested: Understanding + Analysis
QUESTIONS BASED ON PERIODIC TABLE
1. What is a ‘group’?
Answer: Vertical columns with similar electronic configurations.
Skill Tested: Remembering
2. Number of elements in Period 1, 2, 3
Answer:
- Period 1 – 2 elements
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Period 2 & 3 – 8 elements each
Skill Tested: Remembering
3. Elements in Period 1
Answer: Hydrogen and Helium
Skill Tested: Remembering
4. Common feature of the last elements in Periods 2 and 3
Answer: Complete octet configuration
Skill Tested: Understanding
5. Elements in Period 2
Answer: Eight elements
Skill Tested: Remembering
6. The elements of one short period of the Periodic Table are given below in order from left to right: Li, Be, B, C, O, F and Ne
(i) To which period do these elements belong?
(ii) One element of this period is missing. Which is the missing element, and where should it be placed?
(iii) Which one of the elements in this period shows the property of catenation?
(iv) Place the three elements, fluorine, beryllium, and nitrogen, in the order of increasing electronegativity.
(v) Which one of the above elements belongs to the halogen series?
Answers:
(i) Period 2
(ii) Nitrogen; placed after Carbon
(iii) Carbon (catenation)
(iv) Be < N < Cl (Note: correction from given answer)
(v) FluorineSkill Tested: Analysis
7. Match the atomic numbers 2, 4, 8, 15, and 19 with each of the following:
(i) A solid non-metal belonging to the third period.
(ii) A metal of valency 1
(iii) A gaseous element with valency 2.
(iv) An element belonging to group 2.
(v) A rare gas.
Answer:(i) 15(ii) 19(iii) 8(iv) 4
(v) 2
Skill Tested: Application
QUESTIONS BASED ON PERIODIC PROPERTIES
1. What does electronegativity measure?
Answer: Tendency to attract a shared electron pair
Skill Tested: Understanding
2. If an element is in Group 17 (or group 7A), is it likely to be metallic or non-metallic in character?
Answer: Non-metallic
Skill Tested: Understanding
3. What happens to the atomic size of the elements on moving from left to right across a Period?
Answer: Decreases
Skill Tested: Understanding
4. State whether the ionisation potential increases or decreases on going down a group.
Answer: Decreases
Skill Tested: Understanding
5. The metals of group 2 from top to bottom are Be, Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba.
(a)
Which of these elements will form ions most readily and why?
(b) State the common
feature in the electronic configuration of all these elements.
Answers:
(a) Ba (lowest ionization energy)
(b) Two valence electrons
Skill Tested: Analysis
6. A group of elements in the Periodic Table is given below:
Boron, Aluminium, Gallium, Indium and Thallium
(Boron, is the first member of the group and thallium is the last.)
Answer the following questions in relation to the above group of elements:
(i) Which element has the most metallic character?
(ii) Which element would be expected to have the highest electronegativity?
(iii) If the electronic configuration of aluminium is 2, 8, 3, how many electrons will be there in the outermost shell of thallium?
(iv) The atomic number of boron is 5. Write the chemical formula of the compound formed when boron reacts with chlorine.
(v) Will the elements in the group to the right of this boron group be more metallic or less metallic in character? Justify your answer.
Answers:
(i) Thallium
(ii) Boron
(iii) 3 electrons
(iv) BCl₃
(v) Less metallic (due to increased nuclear charge)
Skill Tested: Analysis + Application
7. With reference to the table, answer the following questions:
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Group Number |
IA 1 |
IIA 2 |
IIIA 13 |
IVA 14 |
VA 15 |
VIA 16 |
VIIA 17 |
0 18 |
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2nd Period |
Li |
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D |
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O |
J |
Ne |
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A |
Mg |
E |
Si |
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H |
M |
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R |
T |
I |
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Q |
U |
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Y |
- In this table, H does not
represent hydrogen.
- Some elements are given their own symbols and positions in the periodic table.
- Others are shown answering with a letter.
(i) Identify the most electronegative element.
(ii) Identify the most reactive element of group 1.
(iii) Identify the element from period 3 with least atomic size.
(iv) How many valence electrons are present in Q?
(vi) Identify the noble gas of the fourth period.
(vii) In the compound between A and H, what type of bond would be formed and give the molecular formula for the same?
(v) Which element from group 2 would have the least ionisation energy?
Answers:
(i) Fluorine
(ii) Potassium
(iii) Chlorine
(iv) 5
(v) Calcium
(vi) Krypton
(vii) Ionic bond; Na₂S
Skill Tested: Analysis
8. Use the letters only written in the Periodic Table below to answer the questions that follow:
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I |
II |
GROUPS |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
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Q |
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E |
G |
J |
Z |
M |
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3 |
R |
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4 |
T |
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5 |
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(i) State the number of valence electrons in atom J.
(ii) Which element has shown forms ions with a single negative charge?
(iii) Which metallic element is more reactive than R?
(iv) Which element has its electrons arranged in four shells?
Answers:
(i) 5
(ii) M
(iii) T
(iv) T
Skill Tested: Analysis
9. The electronegativities (according to Pauling) of the elements in Period 3 of the Periodic Table, with the elements arranged in alphabetical order, are as follows:
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Elements |
Al |
Cl |
Mg |
Na |
P |
S |
Si |
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1.5 |
3.0 |
1.2 |
0.9 |
2.1 |
2.5 |
1.8 |
Arrange the elements in the order in which they occur in the Periodic table from left to right. (The Group 1 element first, followed by the Group 2 element, and so on up to Group 17).
Expected Order: Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl
Skill Tested: Application
10. Arrange the following as per the instructions given in the brackets:
(i) Cs, Na, Li, K, Rb (Increasing order of metallic character)
(ii) Mg, Cl, Na, S, Si (Decreasing order of atomic size)
(iii) Na, K, Cl, S, Si (Increasing order of ionization energy)
(iv) Cl, F, Br, I (Increasing order of electron affinity)
Answers:
(i) Li < Na < K < Rb < Cs
(ii) Na > Mg > Si > S > Cl
(iii) K < Na < Si < S < Cl
(iv) I < Br < F < Cl
Skill Tested: Application + Analysis
11. Study the extract of the Periodic Table given below and answer the questions that follow. Give the alphabet corresponding to the element in question. DO NOT repeat an element.
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B |
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G |
F |
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(i) Which element forms an electrovalent compound with G?
(ii) The ion of which element will migrate towards the cathode during electrolysis?
(iii) Which non-metallic element has the valency of 2?
(iv) Which is an inert
gas?
Answers:
(i) B
(ii) A
(iii) E
(iv) F
Skill Tested: Analysis
HOW THIS HELPS IN ICSE EXAM
- Remembering: Direct 1-mark questions
- Understanding: Explanation-based answers (very common in ICSE)
- Application: Trend-based and arrangement questions
- Analysis: Case-based and periodic table interpretation
ICSE examiners value precise reasoning + correct terminology, so always:
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Use keywords like nuclear charge, atomic size, valence electrons
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Keep answers concise but scientific
FINAL TIP FOR STUDENTS
If you can identify the skill type of a question, you automatically improve your answering strategy:
