Competency #6

Answer and Explanation

The correct answer is B.

Which of the following is a FALSE statement regarding the general trends observed in the periodic table?

  1. Electronegativity increases as you go across the table from left to right. This is generally true, as seen in Figures 14.13 and 19.19 in Hewitt1.
  2. Electronegativity increases as you go down the table. This is false and is therefore the correct answer. As seen in Figures 14.13 and 19.19 (Hewitt), the electronegativity tends to get higher as you go UP the table. Fluorine (F), in the upper right of the table, has the highest electronegativity.
  3. Atomic size decreases as you go across the table from left to right. This is generally true, as seen in Figure 14.12 (Hewitt).
  4. Atomic size increases as you go down the table. This is generally true, as seen in Figure 14.12 (Hewitt).
  5. None of the above (all are TRUE statements). Since B was false, this is not the correct choice.
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