Can you identify the elements based on how they look? Here's a printable multiple choice quiz you can take to test yourself. The photos are of the elements in their pure form. The picture may contain additional clues about an element's identity. You might want to look over the element photo gallery before taking the quiz.
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1. Element Photo Quiz - Question #1
Mario Sarto, wikipedia.org
This one is intended to be a confidence builder. These are diamonds. Diamonds are pure:
(a) boron
(b) carbon
(c) iron
(d) nitrogen
(e) oxygen
2. Element Photo Quiz - Question #2
Jon Zander
You may encounter this element in pure form fairly often. This metallic element is:
(a) bronze
(b) copper
(c) brass
(d) zinc
(e) gold
3. Element Photo Quiz - Question #3
Smithsonian Institution
This yellow element is a component of gunpowder. It is:
(a) chlorine
(b) copper
(c) gold
(d) selenium
(e) sulfur
4. Element Photo Quiz - Question #4
Bionerd, Creative Commons License
This metallic element is a liquid at room temperature. It is:
(a) mercury
(b) lead
(c) iron
(d) iodine
(e) bromine
5. Element Photo Quiz - Question #5
Alchemist-hp, Creative Commons License
This yellowish metal occurs in its pure form, but it is usually encountered as an alloy. The element is:
(a) platinum
(b) indium
(c) gold
(d) copper
(e) brass
6. Element Photo Quiz - Question #6
L. Chang, wikipedia.org
This metallic element looks much like many others. The big clue for this metal's identity is how it is being used. This element is:
(a) silicon
(b) titanium
(c) iron
(d) lead
(e) beryllium
7. Element Photo Quiz - Question #7
chemdude1, YouTube.com
You usually encounter this element as a gas, though it is possible to find it in liquid form. You aren't likely to see the solid except in this photo. The element is:
(a) radon
(b) nitrogen
(c) hydrogen
(d) helium
(e) chlorine
8. Element Photo Quiz - Question #8
U.S. Department of Energy
You would wear protective gloves to hold this radioactive element. The metal is warm to the touch. This is:
(a) cerium
(b) iron
(c) lithium
(d) lead
(e) uranium
9. Element Photo Quiz - Question #9
NASA Glenn Research Center (NASA-GRC)
This element is a semimetal or metalloid. It may be produced in ultra-pure form, though you more commonly encounter its oxides in daily life. This is:
(a) silicon
(b) selenium
(c) bromine
(d) aluminum
(e) cobalt
10. Element Photo Quiz - Question #10
Hubble Space Telescope, photo PR96-27B
Ok, this isn't totally pure, but the majority of the picture is of one element. It's the most abundant element in the universe. This element is:
(a) oxygen
(b) nitrogen
(c) hydrogen
(d) helium
(e) carbon
