ACIDS AND ALKALIS – EXTRA QUESTIONS

Q1. What is the chemical name of baking soda?

(a) Sodium acetate

(b) Sodium bicarbonate

(c) Sodium sulphate

(d) None of the above

Answer: (b) Sodium bicarbonate

Explanation: Sodium bicarbonate is the chemical name of baking soda.

Q2. Baking soda turns _____.

(a) Blue litmus red

(b) Red litmus blue

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) None of the above

Answer: (b) Red litmus blue

Explanation: Baking soda is basic in nature. Therefore, it turns red litmus paper blue.

Q3. Which of the following substances turns a red litmus blue?

(a) Acidic

(b) Basic

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) None of the above

Answer: (b) Basic

Explanation: A base turns red litmus paper blue.

Q4. Which of the following substances turns a blue litmus red?

(a) Acidic

(b) Basic]

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) None of the above

Answer: (a) Acidic

Explanation: An acid turns a blue litmus red.

Q5. A base has _______.

(a) A bitter taste

(b) A sour taste

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) None of the above

Answer: (a) A bitter taste

Explanation: A base has a bitter taste.

Q6. An acid has _______.

(a) A bitter taste

(b) A sour taste

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) None of the above

Answer: (b) A sour taste

Explanation: An acid has a sour taste.

Q7. Which of the following is not an indicator?

(a) Methyl orange

(b) Antacid pill

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) None of the above

Answer: (b) Antacid pill

Explanation: Antacid pill is used to relieve excess acid in the stomach. It is basic in nature.

True or False Type Questions

Q1. Nitric acid turns red litmus paper blue.

Answer: False

Explanation: Nitric acid is naturally acidic and turns blue litmus paper red. Thus, it does not
turn red litmus paper blue. So, the above statement is false.

Q2. Sodium hydroxide turns blue litmus red.

Answer: False

Explanation: Sodium hydroxide is basic in nature and turns red litmus paper blue. Thus, it
does not turn blue litmus red. So, the above statement is false.

Q3. Sodium hydroxide reacts with ammonia to form salt and water.

Answer: False

Explanation: Sodium hydroxide reacts with an acid to form salt and water. Ammonia is a
base, and two bases can not react together to give a neutralisation reaction. So, the above
statement is false.

Q4. An indicator is a substance which gives different colours with acidic and basic solutions.

Answer: True

Explanation: The indicator is a substance that shows a colour change when brought in
contact with an acid, base or neutral substance. Thus, the above statement is true.

Q5. An antacid is acidic in nature.

Answer: False

Explanation: An antacid is used to relieve excess acid in the stomach. It is basic in nature.
Thus, the above statement is false.

Q6. Acetic acid is present in vinegar.

Answer: True

Explanation: Vinegar is the solution of 4 to 6 per cent of acetic acid in water. Thus, the
above statement is true.

Q7. Sodium hydroxide reacts with hydrochloric acid to form sodium chloride and water.

Answer: True

Explanation: Sodium hydroxide reacts with hydrochloric acid to give a neutralisation

reaction forming salt and water.

Fill in the blanks Type Questions

Q1. Mineral acids are _____ acids.

Answer: Laboratory

Q2. Grapes contain _____ acid while apples contain _____ acid.

Answer: Tartaric, malic

Q3. Bases are _____ to touch.

Answer: Soapy

Q4. When you use methyl orange as an indicator, it gives _____ colour for acids.

Answer: Red

Q5. The acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid and nitric acid are known as ______
acid.

Answer: Mineral

Q6. Excessive use of fertilisers in the field makes the soil ______.

Answer: Unfertile
Q7. Phenolphthalein, litmus paper and methyl orange are known as _______.

Answer: Indicator

Q8. The substance that tastes sour and turns blue litmus red is known as _______.

Answer: Acid

Q9. The substance that tastes bitter and turns red litmus blue is known as _______.

Answer: Base

Q10. The substance formed from a neutralisation reaction between an acid and a base is
_____ and _____.

Answer: Salt and water

Q11. The substance which turns red litmus blue is known as ______.

Answer: Base

Q12. The substance which turns blue litmus red is known as ______.

Answer: Acid

Match the following Type Questions

Q1. Match the items of column A with those of column B.

Column A Column B
Slaked lime Sodium hydrogen carbonate
Sodium chloride Used in whitewashing
Baking soda Common salt
Milk Acetic acid
Vinegar Lactic acid
Answer:

Column A Column B
Slaked lime Used in whitewashing
Sodium chloride Common salt
Baking soda Sodium hydrogen carbonate
Milk Lactic acid
Vinegar Acetic acid
Q2. Match the items of column A with those of column B.

Column A Column B
 Sulphuric acid Neutral salt
Sodium hydroxide Weak base
Citric acid Strong acid
Calcium hydroxide Weak acid
Sodium chloride Strong base
Answer:

Column A Column B
Sulphuric acid Strong acid
Sodium hydroxide Strong base
Citric acid Weak acid
Calcium hydroxide Weak base
Sodium chloride Neutral salt

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Name any three strong acids.

Answer:

Sulphuric acid, Nitric acid and hydrochloric acid are strong acids.

Q2. Name any three strong bases.

Answer:

Sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and lithium hydroxide are strong bases.

Q3. Name any three weak acids.

Answer:

Citric acid, phosphoric acid, and lactic acid are weak acids.

Q4. Name any three weak bases.

Answer:

Ammonium hydroxide, ferric hydroxide, and zinc hydroxide are weak bases.

Q5. Name the acid present in the car batteries.

Answer:

Sulphuric acid is present in car batteries.

Q6. Name a neutral salt. Give its one application.

Answer:

Sodium chloride is a neutral salt. It is also known as common salt and is added to food items.

Q7. What is salt?

Answer:

Salt is the product formed when an acid reacts with a base, i.e. neutralisation reaction.

Q8. Name any three acids found in fruits.

Answer:

Malic acid, tartaric acid and ascorbic acid are found in fruits.

Q9. Name any two acid-base indicators.

Answer:

Litmus and phenolphthalein are the two acid-base indicators.

Q10. What are acids and bases?

Answer:

An acid is a sour substance that turns blue litmus red. In contrast, a base is a bitter substance
that feels soapy to the touch and turns red litmus blue.

Q11. What is the pH scale?

Answer:

The pH scale is used to measure the strength of acids and bases.

Q12. Why are antacids used to cure acidity?

Answer:

Antacids are used to cure acidity as they neutralise the excessive acid released in the stomach.

Q13. What is the chemical name of the milk of magnesia?

Answer:
The chemical name of the milk of magnesia is magnesium hydroxide.

Q14. Name any two antacids.

Answer:

Milk of magnesia and sodium bicarbonate are antacids.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. What are the causes of indigestion?

Answer:

Indigestion is caused by acidity, which in turn is caused due to the excess secretion of
hydrochloric acid in the human stomach.

Q2. What is acid rain?

Answer:

Rainwater dissolves pollutants like carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide to
form carbonic acid, nitric acid, and sulphuric acid. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that
includes acidic components, such as carbonic acid, nitric acid, and sulphuric acid, that fall to
the ground from the atmosphere.

Q3. What is the use of litmus paper? What is the natural colour of litmus paper?

Answer:

Litmus paper is used as one of the chemical indicators. It is used to determine whether a
solution is acidic or basic. The natural colour of litmus is purple. If the blue litmus paper is
put in an acidic solution, it turns red.

Q4. What happens when a drop of dilute sulphuric acid is added to the china rose indicator?

Answer:

When a drop of dilute sulphuric acid is added to the china rose indicator, it will turn the light
pink colour of the china rose indicator to magenta.

Q5. What happens when a china rose indicator is added to acid and base?

Answer:
China rose indicator turns magenta in an acidic medium and green in a basic medium.

Q6. Why does a farmer add quicklime in the field?

Answer:

Soil gets acidic due to chemicals and fertilisers or acid rain. Farmer adds quicklime in the
field as it helps in neutralising the soil’s acidity.

Q7. Name the chemicals added to the acidic soil to make it neutral.

Answer: Calcium and magnesium carbonate are added to the acidic soil to make it neutral.

Q8. Why is toothpaste alkaline?

Answer:

Toothpaste is alkaline because the bacteria in our mouth break down the food and release
acids. To neutralise this acidic effect, we brush our teeth with toothpaste. For neutralising

acids, toothpaste is basic or alkaline in nature .

Q9. How can you cure an ant sting?

Answer:

We can use calamine solution on the ant bites as ant injects formic acid into the skin on
biting, which causes inflammation, to the skin. We can neutralise the effect of the acid by
rubbing calamine. Calamine solution contains zinc carbonate, a fragile base that causes no
skin harm.

Q10. How can you prepare the china rose indicator?

Answer:

China rose indicator can be prepared by soaking some petals of china rose in warm water for
a couple of hours. The red-coloured solution is used as an indicator for detecting an acid,
base, or neutral solution.

Q11. What are an indicator and a universal indicator?

Answer:
An indicator is a substance that shows a colour change when brought in contact with an acid,
base or neutral substance. In contrast, a universal indicator is a mixture of indicators which
gives different colours for different pH values, thus helping to measure the strength of a
substance.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. What happens when a base is treated with

(a) Red litmus

(b) Blue litmus

(c) China rose indicator

(d) Turmeric indicator

Answer:

(a) A base turns red litmus blue.

(b) A base will not affect blue litmus.

(c) A base will turn the light ink colour of the china rose indicator to green.

(d) A base will turn the turmeric indicator red.

Q2. What happens when an acid is treated with

(a) Red litmus

(b) Blue litmus

(c) China rose indicator

(d) Turmeric indicator

Answer:

(a) An acid will not affect red litmus.

(b) An acid turns blue litmus red.

(c) An acid will turn the light pink colour of the china rose indicator to magenta or bright
pink.
(d) An acid will not affect the turmeric indicator.

Q3. Why should we treat factory wastes before discharging them into water bodies?

Answer:

We should treat factory wastes before releasing them into water bodies, as factory wastes
contain acids which, if untreated and discharged into water bodies, will cause harm to fish
and other aquatic organisms living in water bodies. Therefore, they should be treated with
essential substances to neutralise and then discharged into water bodies.

Q4. Answer the following questions.

(a) Why does a turmeric stain on a white shirt turn red when it is washed with soap?

(b) What happens when acid and bases are treated with china rose indicator?

Answer:

(a) Turmeric is a natural indicator which changes its yellow colour into reddish brown when
it comes in contact with a solution of base. Hence, when soap (which is basic) is scrubbed on
the stain, the stain turns red.

(b) China rose indicator turns magenta in an acidic medium and green in a basic medium.

Q5. Answer the following questions.

(a) What happens when acidic soil is treated with purple cabbage juice?

(b) What is soil treatment?

Answer:

(a) When acidic soil is treated with purple cabbage juice, it will turn red. It is a great indicator
and a test for acidity or alkaline soil.

(b) Soil treatment is the process in which contaminated soil, which cannot grow crops, is
treated to recycle and make it usable for agriculture or any other purpose.

Q6. When we mix equal parts of acid and base, a reaction takes place.

(a) What is the name of the reaction?

(b) What product is formed?

Answer: If an equal amount of acidic and basic substances are mixed, then

(a) The name of the reaction is the neutralisation reaction.

(b) The product formed is salt and water.

Q7. Differentiate between acids and bases.

Answer:

Sl. Acid Base

No.
1. Acids are sour in taste. Bases are bitter in taste.
2. Acids turn blue litmus paper into red The base does not change the colour of the blue
colour. litmus paper.
3. Acids do not change the colour of the Bases turn red litmus paper to blue colour.
red litmus.
4. Acids do not change the colour of Bases turn turmeric into red colour.
turmeric.