The Periodic Table and Atoms is one of 9 topics in the Grade 8 Natural Sciences CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. Who devised the Periodic Table of Elements?
Dmitri Mendeleev
Louis Pasteur
Isaac Newton
Albert Einstein
Answer: Dmitri Mendeleev — Dmitri Mendeleev devised the Periodic Table of Elements in the 1860s, arranging elements according to their properties.
Easy
2. Where are metals generally found on the Periodic Table?
On the left-hand side
On the far-right-hand side
Only in the very centre
Scattered randomly across the table
Answer: On the left-hand side — Metals are arranged on the left-hand side of the Periodic Table.
Medium
3. Name the ONE metal that is liquid at room temperature (an exception to most metals).
Answer: mercury — Mercury is the exception among metals -- it is liquid at room temperature, while most other metals are solid.
