Name: ______________________ Class: _________________ Date: _________
ID: A
Polymer Competition Example Questions
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1. The form of stress that tends to pull a material apart is called:
a. shear
c. toughness
b. elasticity
d. tension
2. Which of the following sequences represents a copolymer?
a. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
c. ABCABCABCABCABCABC
b. ABABABABABABABAB
d. AABAACAABAACAABAAC
3. Epoxy resins have two fluid parts that when mixed together cure to form a very strong:
a. elastomer
c. thermoset
b. thermoplastic
d. composite
4. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer sinks when placed in water, demonstrating that:
a. the specific gravity of PVC is greater than 1.0
b. PVC would effectively hold water
c. the specific gravity of PVC is 1.0
d. the specific gravity of PVC is less than 1.0
5. A carbon atom has a bonding capacity of 4, and a hydrogen atom has a bonding capacity of 1. What
would be the correct structural formula for the simplest hydrocarbon formed from these two
elements?
a. CH4
c. C2H4
b. CH3
d. CHOCl
6. A material that cannot be changed to another shape upon reheating and using pressure is a(n):
a. thermoforming material
c. thermosetting material
b. fluidizing material
d. extruded material
7. A material that is heated and shaped, and then, upon reheating, returns to its previous shape is said to
have:
a. thermoplastic properties
c. plastic welding
b. plastic memory
d. thermoset properties
8. You have been given a work order to finish a composite part that contains an epoxy resin matrix. The
total amount of resin needed to finish the part is 100 grams. Given that the resin is mixed with an
A:B ratio of 1:4 by weight, how many grams of part A are needed?
a. 10
c. 25
b. 20
d. 40
9. Suzie must decide what type of plastic should be used to make the knobs of an oven. Since the
knobs often get hot, Suzie’s best choice is a(n):
a. thermoset
c. elastomer
b. thermoplastic
d. metalloid
10. A product produced through extrusion is:
a. a plastic bottle
c. a drinking straw
b. clothing
d. a compact disc
11. A product produced through injection molding a preform and then blow molding this into a final
product is:
a. a plastic bottle
c. a drinking straw
b. clothing
d. a compact disc
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12. Which of the following products would most likely require the use of a spinneret?
a. a plastic bottle
c. a drinking straw
b. clothing
d. a compact disc
13. Which of the following is most likely to be created using injection molding?
a. a plastic bottle
c. a drinking straw
b. clothing
d. a compact disc
14. The process of pushing liquid plastic through a shaped opening to form a long plastic object when
cooled is called:
a. injection molding
c. extrusion
b. vacuum forming
d. dome blowing
15. The process used to create PET bottle preforms forces fluidized thermoplastic material into a clamped
mold to cool before being removed.
a. injection molding
c. extrusion
b. vacuum forming
d. dome blowing
16. Which of the following is an example of a repeat unit found in natural macromolecules?
a. alcohol
c. alkane
b. amino acid
d. carboxylic acid
17. Which polymer would the following monomer be used to create via addition or chain-growth
polymerization?
a. high density polyethylene HDPE
c. polyacrylonitrile PAN
b. low density polyethylene LDPE
d. polytetrafluoroethylene Teflon
18. In order to separate a mixture of different types of plastic, I would
a. burn them to see which ones were flammable.
b. use differences in color, density, hardness and other properties.
c. have NASA run tests to determine which one was which.
d. none of these. Plastics cannot be separated based on any of these methods.
19. What polymer would be created from the addition polymerization of the following monomer
molecule?
a.
b.
polyethylene
polyvinyl chloride
c. polytetrafluoroethylene
d. polypropylene
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20. What polymer would be created from the addition polymerization of the following monomer
molecule?
a. polyethylene
c. polytetrafluoroethylene
b. polyvinyl chloride
d. polypropylene
21. What polymer would be created from the addition polymerization of the following monomer
molecule?
a. polypropylene
c. polystyrene
b. polyethylene
d. polyacrylonitrile
22. What polymer would be created from the addition polymerization of the following monomer
molecule?
a. polypropylene
c. polyacrylonitrile
b. polystyrene
d. polyvinyl alcohol
23. What polymer would be created from the addition polymerization of the following monomer
molecule?
a. polypropylene
c. polyacrylonitrile
b. polystyrene
d. polyvinyl alcohol
24. Polyethylene terephthalate or PET is a polyester made in an esterification reaction that produces the
by-product, water. Because it produces this small, molecular by-product it is classified as a(n)
__________________ polymerization reaction
+
-->
terephthalic acid plus ethylene glycol yields polyethylene terephthalate
a.
b.
chain-growth
addition
c. condensation
d. dimerization
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25. The cross-linking in polyvinyl alcohol was due to the formation of _________ bonds, which are
weaker than covalent bonds that hold atoms together in molecules but stronger than Van der Waals
forces that cause adjacent molecules to be attracted to one another.
a. hydrogen
c. crystalline
b. ionic
d. dipole
26. Recycling codes are primarily assigned for _________________ polymers.
a. thermoplastic
c. elastomer
b. thermoset
d. amorphous
27. Polyvinyl chloride has a recycle code of ______________.
a. one
c. three
b. two
d. five
28. In the nylon synthesis lab, water was used as a solvent for the hexamethylene diamine and hexane
was used as a solvent for the sebacoyl chloride. Were the water and hexane layers soluble?
a. No. We could tell because the nylon was wound around a straw.
b. Yes. They had to be soluble in order for nylon to form.
c. No. We could tell because two distinct layers of liquid formed.
d. Yes. They formed two layers.
29. Which of the two solvents in the nylon lab, water or hexane, is more dense?
a. Water. We know because we had to pour the hexane layer carefully on top.
b. Hexane. We know because we poured it second.
c. Water. We know because its specific gravity is 1.0.
d. Hexane. We know because we poured water carefully on top.
30. The nylon lab produced a small by-product, HCl. Because it created this small by-product, the
reaction is classified as a(n) _________________ polymerization or synthesis.
a. addition
c. condensation
b. chain-growth
d. cross-linking
31. When nylon is produced for clothing, it is usually formed, washed, dried, chopped, and then heated
and forced through a special die called a(n) ______________________ to form fine threads that can
be woven into fabric textiles.
a. feed throat
c. parison
b. spinneret
d. loom
32. Nylon 6-6 is given its name because ___________________.
a. one monomer with six carbons has both functional groups to create nylon.
b. one monomer has six carbons and the other has ten carbons.
c. two different monomers with six carbons each react to form the nylon.
d. the first nylon created by du Pont was created on June 6th.
33. In the nylon reaction to make nylon 6, _________________________________.
a. a single monomer with six carbon atoms must have both of the functional groups
needed to create the amide bond of the nylon.
b. two monomers with six carbons each react to create the amide bond of the nylon.
c. a monomer with six carbons and a carboxylic acid group reacts with another
monomer with six carbons and an amine group to create the nylon amide bond.
d. a single monomer with six carbon atoms has two carboxylic acid groups to form the
amide bond of the nylon.
34. The latex rubber ball we made in the polymers unit would fit best into the class of polymers called
______________.
a. thermosets
c. amorphous
b. thermoplastics
d. elastomers
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35. A(n) _____________ is produced when two different types of monomers react together to form a
polymeric material.
a. terpolymer
c. oligomer
b. dimer
d. copolymer
36. A polymer that is created from three distinctly different monomers is called a(n) _______________.
a. dimer
c. oligomer
b. terpolymer
d. trimer
37. The rapid development of synthetic rubber was brought about as a result of _________.
a. the industrial revolution
c. the Renaissance
b. Word War II
d. the Black Plague
38. It is believed that polystyrene (PS) is more brittle than polypropylene because ________________.
a. the side group, the styrene ring, is larger than the methyl group of PP and gets in the
way of molecular packing
b. the side group, the methyl group, is larger than the styrene group of PP and gets in
the way of molecular packing
c. the side group, the styrene ring, is larger than the methyle group of PP and helps the
molecules pack closer
d. the side group, the methyle group, is larger than the styrene group of PP and helps
the molecules pack closer
39. Which of the following has more branching?
a. LDPE
b. HDPE
40. Which of the following is better at transmitting light?
a. LDPE
b. HDPE
41. The percentage of plastic in landfills over the past 25-30 years __________________.
a. has been steadily increasing
c. has been steadily decreasing
b. has reamained about the same
d. has been eliminated
42. Which of the following is more appropriate to LDPE than to HDPE?
a. molecules exhibit more branching
c. recycle code is 4
b. exhibits more crystallinity
d. exhibits a higher density
43. Which of the following is more appropriate to HDPE than to LDPE?
a. exhibits amorphous structure
c. recycle code is 4
b. has better transparency
d. exhibits more branching
44. Which of the following is NOT a common use of silicone polymers?
a. sealants
c. molding compounds
b. coatings
d. car tire rim material
45. We squeezed a hot acrylic block, drilled holes and added color to it before heating the block so that it
would return to its original shape. When a plastic returns to its former shape, we say the polymer has
shape (or plastic or elastic) __________________.
a. tendencies
c. rigidity
b. memory
d. crystallinity
46. A method to compensate for the shrinkage of an epoxy as it cures might be to
___________________________.
a. have “extra” epoxy beaded up above the mold fill line when the epoxy is cast.
b. leave a little space below the fill line when the epoxy is cast.
c. have extra epoxy ready to add to the mold when the shrinkage occurs.
d. cool the mold as curing occurs so shrinkage cannot occur.
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47. When we create the two part resin foam, the density of the material _______________
___________________.
a. decreases as gas is produced from the reaction
b. increases as gas is produced from the reaction
c. increases as gas is removed from the mold
d. decreases as gas is removed from the mold
48. If the resin mix ratio for a two part epoxy is 3:2 (meaning 3 parts of liquid A has to be added to 2
parts of liquid B) and we need 40 grams of epoxy, how much of liquid B needs to be measured out to
mix with liquid A?
a. 20 grams
c. 16 grams
b. 8 grams
d. 24 grams
49. ____________ Elements which occur in more than one form due to the way their atoms are packed.
a. isotopes
c. crystals
b. allotropes
d. none of these
50. ___________ A type of substance whose atomic-sized particles have no regular, predictable long
range order.
a. crystal
c. composite
b. amorphous
d. none of these
51. _________________ A physical property indicating the material will break when forced to undergo
small deformations.
a. malleable
c. ductile
b. brittle
d. none of these
52. ________________ A mechanical force that attempts to push the material together.
a. compression
c. torsion
b. tension
d. none of these
53. _____________ An object with a regularly repeating arrangement of its atoms. It often has external
plane faces.
a. crystal
c. molecule
b. amorphous solid
d. none of these
54. _____________ The tendency of a material to become more rigid as it is stirred or the rate of shear
force increases.
a. dilatancy
c. malleability
b. ductility
d. none of these
55. ______________ The ability to return to the original shape after being deformed by a stress.
a. ductility
c. malleability
b. elasticity
d. none of these
56. ______________ The ability to resist indentation or abrasion.
a. tensile strength
c. hardness
b. ductility
d. tension
57. _____________ Capable of being hammered or rolled into a sheet.
a. malleable
c. hardness
b. ductile
d. none of these
58. ____________ The amount of material (stuff) in an object. This is often used interchangeably with
the word weight. It is proportional to weight, but does not change when gravity changes, while weight
does.
a. density
c. volume
b. mass
d. none of these
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59. _____________ A type of crystalline solid that is characterized by the ability to conduct heat and
electricity. This type of material has a luster, and is usually very malleable and many are ductile. The
type appears on the left side of the Periodic Table.
a. metal
c. metalloid
b. non-metal
d. noble gas
60. ______________ A type of element located on the right-hand side of the Periodic Table. Many of
these elements are brittle, lack luster, and are good insulators.
a. metals
c. gases
b. nonmetals
d. none of these
61. ______________ To come out of solution -- usually in the form of a liquid or a solid.
a. endothermic
c. thixotropic
b. precipitate
d. none of these
62. This Greek scholar, a student of Leucippus, suggested that matter was discreet and made of minute
particles he called atomos which meant indivisible.
a. Democritus of Abdera
d. Aristotle of Olympus
b. Thales of Melitus
e. Robert Boyle
c. Empedocles of Sicily
f. Paracelsus
63. This scientist conducted the cathode ray experiment in which he was able to determine the
charge-to-mass ratio of the electron. He was able to give us the plum pudding model of the atom and
was credited with the discovery of the electron.
a. Wilhelm Konrad Röntgen
e. Ernest Rutherford
b. Erwin Schrödinger
f. Albert Einstein
c. Robert A. Millikan
g. Robert J. Oppenheimer
d. J. J. Thomson
h. Henri Antoine Becquerel
64. This scientist conducted the gold foil experiment and changed the model of the atom to one having a
ver tiny positively charged nucleus surrounded by a diffuse empty space where the electron orbits.
a. Wilhelm Konrad Röntgen
e. Ernest Rutherford
b. Erwin Schrödinger
f. Albert Einstein
c. Robert A. Millikan
g. Robert J. Oppenheimer
d. J. J. Thomson
h. Henri Antoine Becquerel
65. Which of the following was not a natural source of a raw form of aspirin?
a. meadowsweet plant
c. wintergreen plant
b. aloe plant
d. willow bark
66. An atom of an element with atomic number 48 and mass number 120 contains
a. 48 protons, 48 electrons, and 72
c. 120 protons, 48 electrons, and 72
neutrons
neutrons
b. 72 protons, 48 electrons, and 48
d. 72 protons, 72 electrons, and 48
neutrons
neutrons
67. Which of the following statements is NOT part of Dalton’s atomic model?
a. each element is made up of identical
c. atoms can be broken down into
atoms.
sub-atomic particles.
b. all matter is made of tiny particles
d. atoms combine to form compounds.
called atoms.
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68. Which of the following is an example of chemical change?
a. liquid nitrogen bubbles as it boils.
c. baking soda bubbles when it is added
to vinegar.
b. water bubbles as it goes over a
d. these are all chemical changes.
waterfall.
69. Which of these are physical properties of bromine?
I. it is liquid at standard temperature and pressure.
II. it reacts with sodium to produce the salt sodium bromide.
III. it has a density of 79.904 g/mL.
a. I only
c. I and III only
b. I and II only
d. II and III only
70. Which of these are true about the ion shown to the right?
I)
II)
III)
a.
b.
c.
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this isotope has 25 protons
this isotope has 30 neutrons
this isotope has 21 electrons
I only
I and II only
I and III only
5525Mn+4
d. II and III only
e. I, II and III
f. none of these are true statements
71. Which of the following would not be classified as a polymer?
a. DNA
d. water
b. RNA
e. PVC
c. cellulose
72. In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered that crosslinking natural rubber with sulfur produced a much
more durable product. His discovery is still being used in tires today. What is the process of
crosslinking rubber with sulfur called?
a. polymerization
c. vulcanization
b. condensation
d. preservation
73. In 1862, Alexander Parkes created the first plastic from cellulose. His product was not successful, but
John Wesley Hyatt made a derivative of his parkesine polymer by combining camphor with
____________________ to create a product that could be shaped and hardened into a permanent
form by heat and pressure. Billiard balls were manufactured with this material to replace elephant
ivory.
a. cellulose
d. glycogen
b. cellulose nitrate
e. none of these
c. silk
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a.
b.
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Beaker
Graduated Cylinder
c. Specific Gravity Column
d. None of these
75.
a. Evaporating Dish
c. Crucible and Cover
b. Mortar and Pestle
d. None of these
76. This type of funnel is used to separate organic and aqueous liquids more accurately than by
decanting.
a.
b.
Buchner Funnel
Glass Funnel
c. Separatory Funnel
d. Gooch Funnel
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77.
a. Florence Flask
c. Vacuum Flask
b. Erlenmeyer Flask
d. Volumetric Flask
78. If we measure the boiling point of water with a thermometer and we get a value of 100º, what scale is
the thermometer measuring in?
a. Rankin
c. Celsius
b. Kelvin
d. Fahrenheit
79. A rapid chain reaction where macromolecules are created by molecular units adding to one
another--usually by breaking double bonds.
a. Step Growth Polymerization
c. Condensation Polymerization
b. Addition Polymerization
d. None of these
80. Hydrocarbons that contain only single covalent bonds. These are called the saturated hydrocarbons.
a. Alkanes
c. Alkynes
b. Alkenes
d. Arenes
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81. Hydrocarbons that contain double covalent bonds. This family of organic materials is a type fo
unsaturated hydrocarbon.
a. Alkanes
c. Alkynes
b. Alkenes
d. Arenes
82. The joining of adjacent molecules by forming chemical bonds (covalent, hydrogen, etc.).
a. Crazing
c. Cross-linking
b. Curing
d. Crystalline
83. A process of aligning the polymer molecules so that any crystalline structure within the polymer is
oriented in the same direction as the fiber.
a. Curing
c. Drawing
b. Crazing
d. Flashing
84. A chemical reaction that produces or releases heat.
a. Endothermic
c. Isothermic
b. Exothermic
d. Flashing
85. A chemical substance made only of carbon and hydrogen. Many polymers, including polyethylene,
belong to this family of materials.
a. Hydrocarbons
c. Alkynes
b. Alkanes
d. Crystalline
86. In polymers, an orientation where all of the side groups are aligned on the same side of the polymer
chain. This orientation may affect the physical properties of the polymer.
a. Atactic
c. Isotactic
b. Syndiotactic
d. Amorphous
87. An extremely tough and highly transparent type of polymer that is classified as a thermoplastic. Our
safety glass lenses are made of this durable material.
a. Polyaramid
c. Polyester
b. Polyamide
d. Polycarbonate
88. A type of resin formed by reacting an organic acid with an alcohol. Resins of this type are very
common and are used for fabrics, soda bottles, and as a matrix for fiberglass.
a. Polyaramid
c. Polyester
b. Polyamide
d. Polycarbonate
89. A tough thermoplastic made solely of the monomer ethylene. Major uses include making plastic
bags, other plastic films, and milk jugs. It can occur in linear high density and branched low density
forms that have very different characteristics.
a. Polycarbonate
c. Polyethylene
b. Polyvinyl chloride
d. Polystyrene
90. A type of elastomer that has alternating silicon and oxygen atoms as the backbone of the polymer
molecule rather than carbon. Most of these materials can withstand much higher temperatures than
typical rubbers.
a. Silicone rubber
c. cis-Polyisoprene
b. Natural rubber
d. ABS rubber
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Polymer Competition Example Questions
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
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