MCAT Topical Tests

Dear Future Doctor,

The following Topical Test and explanations should be used to practice and to assess
your mastery of specific topical information in test format. This is an opportunity to
practice the STOP, THINK, PREDICT methodology learned in the Kaplan classroom.
There are Discrete questions and Passage-based questions that test your ability to apply
your foundation knowledge to MCAT-style questions, using critical thinking. Simply
completing the tests is inadequate; a solid understanding of your performance through
your Score Reports and the explanations is necessary to diagnose your specific
weaknesses and address them before Test Day.
All rights are reserved pursuant to the copyright laws and the contract clause in your
enrollment agreement and as printed below. Misdemeanor and felony infractions can
severely limit your ability to be accepted to a medical program and a conviction can
result in the removal of a medical license. We offer this material for your practice in your
own home as a courtesy and privilege. Practice today so that you can perform on test
day; this material was designed to give you every advantage on the MCAT and we wish
you the best of luck in your preparation.
Sincerely,

Albert Chen
Executive Director, Pre-Health Research and Development
Kaplan Test Prep

2003 Kaplan, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by Photostat, microfilm,
xerography or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic
or mechanical without the written permission of Kaplan, Inc. This book may not be duplicated,
distributed or resold, pursuant to the terms of your Kaplan Enrollment Agreement.

GENERAL CHEMISTRY TOPICAL:

Bonding
Test 1
Time: 22 Minutes*
Number of Questions: 17

* The timing restrictions for the science topical tests are optional. If
you are using this test for the sole purpose of content
reinforcement, you may want to disregard the time limit.

MCAT

DIRECTIONS: Most of the questions in the following

test are organized into groups, with a descriptive
passage preceding each group of questions. Study the
passage, then select the single best answer to each
question in the group. Some of the questions are not
based on a descriptive passage; you must also select the
best answer to these questions. If you are unsure of the
best answer, eliminate the choices that you know are
incorrect, then select an answer from the choices that
remain. Indicate your selection by blackening the
corresponding circle on your answer sheet. A periodic
table is provided below for your use with the questions.

PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS

1
H
1.0

2
He
4.0

3
Li
6.9

4
Be
9.0

5
B
10.8

6
C
12.0

7
N
14.0

8
O
16.0

9
F
19.0

10
Ne
20.2

11
Na
23.0

12
Mg
24.3

13
Al
27.0

14
Si
28.1

15
P
31.0

16
S
32.1

17
Cl
35.5

18
Ar
39.9

19
K
39.1

20
Ca
40.1

21
Sc
45.0

22
Ti
47.9

23
V
50.9

24
Cr
52.0

25
Mn
54.9

26
Fe
55.8

27
Co
58.9

28
Ni
58.7

29
Cu
63.5

30
Zn
65.4

31
Ga
69.7

32
Ge
72.6

33
As
74.9

34
Se
79.0

35
Br
79.9

36
Kr
83.8

37
Rb
85.5

38
Sr
87.6

39
Y
88.9

40
Zr
91.2

41
Nb
92.9

42
Mo
95.9

43
Tc
(98)

44
Ru
101.1

45
Rh
102.9

46
Pd
106.4

47
Ag
107.9

48
Cd
112.4

49
In
114.8

50
Sn
118.7

51
Sb
121.8

52
Te
127.6

53
I
126.9

54
Xe
131.3

55
Cs
132.9

56
Ba
137.3

57
La *
138.9

72
Hf
178.5

73
Ta
180.9

74
W
183.9

75
Re
186.2

76
Os
190.2

77
Ir
192.2

78
Pt
195.1

79
Au
197.0

80
Hg
200.6

81
Tl
204.4

82
Pb
207.2

83
Bi
209.0

84
Po
(209)

85
At
(210)

86
Rn
(222)

87
Fr
(223)

88
Ra
226.0

89
Ac
227.0

104
Rf
(261)

105
Ha
(262)

106
Unh
(263)

107
Uns
(262)

108
Uno
(265)

109
Une
(267)

58
Ce
140.1

59
Pr
140.9

60
Nd
144.2

61
Pm
(145)

62
Sm
150.4

63
Eu
152.0

64
Gd
157.3

65
Tb
158.9

66
Dy
162.5

67
Ho
164.9

68
Er
167.3

69
Tm
168.9

70
Yb
173.0

71
Lu
175.0

90
Th
232.0

91
Pa
(231)

92
U
238.0

93
Np
(237)

94
Pu
(244)

95
Am
(243)

96
Cm
(247)

97
Bk
(247)

98
Cf
(251)

99
Es
(252)

100
Fm
(257)

101
Md
(258)

102
No
(259)

103
Lr
(260)

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

as developed by

Bonding Test 1
Passage I (Questions 17)

Table 2
Element
Ar
Li
Na
K
Br
F
Cl

If in the formation of a chemical bond, the

electronegativities of the combining atoms are
approximately the same, the electron density will be
distributed evenly between the two atoms forming a
covalent bond. If the combining atoms have different
electronegativities, then the bonding electrons will be
located around the more electronegative atom; the bond
thus formed is known as a polar covalent bond.
When the difference in electronegativity of the
combining atoms is very large, a complete transfer of
charge may occur, forming ionic species. The energy
change that takes place in the formation of the ionic
species can be attributed to the energy change when the
electron is transferred and to the electrostatic energy
between the ions. This energy change, the energy of the
ionic bond, can be estimated with Equation 1, where D is
the dissociation energy of the bond, I(A) is the ionization
energy of atom A, Ea(B) is the electron affinity of atom
B, and ZAZBe2/40R is the Coulombic potential energy
of the two ions at a distance R with Z A and ZB being the
quantized charge on ions A and B, respectively. (+1, -2,
etc.)

According to the valence-shell electron-pair

repulsion (VSEPR) theory, molecules have definite shapes
which result from a tendency of the atoms and nonbonded
electron pairs attached to the central atom to get as far
away from each other as possible. Table 3 contains the
formulas, molecular structures, and bond angles of selected
molecules.

Table 3
Formula

Structure

Bond Angle

CaI 2

K2O

D = I(A) + Ea(B) ZAZBe2/40R

Tables 1 and 2 contain first ionization potentials and

electron affinities of selected elements, respectively.
Table 1
Element
K
Na
Li
Br
Cl
Ar
F

I/eV
4.34
5.14
5.39
11.81
12.97
15.76
17.42

H
H
Trigonal
pyramidal

H
NH3

Equation 1

Ea/eV
0.30
0.58
0.78
0.82
3.40
3.45
3.61

107

O
H2O

SO2

BF 3

Trigonal
planar

Bent
S
O

Cl
PCl 5

Cl
P

Cl

Cl
Cl

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

KAPLAN

MCAT
1 . According to Equation 1, at what point is it
energetically favorable for Li and Cl to form the ionic
compound Li+Cl?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Ea(Cl) ZLiZCle2/40R I(Li)

ZLiZCle2/40R I(Li) + D + Ea(Cl)
Ea(Cl) I(Li) + ZLiZCle2/40R
I(Li) + D Ea(Cl) ZLiZCle2/40R

5 . Which compound in Table 3 has two or more

resonance forms?
A.
B.
C.
D.

NH3
PCl5
SO2
CaCl2

6 . What is the molecular structure of phosphorus

pentachloride?
2 . The bond distance in NaCl(g) has been determined to
be 250 1012m. According to Equation 1, what is
the predicted bond energy of one molecule of
NaCl(g)?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Trigonal pyramidal
Linear
Tetrahedral
Trigonal bipyramidal

[Note: e2/40R = 5.74 eV at an R of 250 pm.]

A.
B.
C.
D.

6.45 eV
4.21 eV
4.21 eV
6.45 eV

7 . Which of the following compounds has the strongest

electrostatic interactions between the constituent
particles?
A.
B.
C.
D.

NH3
PCl5
NaCl
NO2

3 . In which of the following does ionic bonding

predominate?
I.
II.
III.
IV.
A.
B.
C.
D.

NH3
CaCl2
PCl5
K2O

I and III only

II and III only
I and IV only
II and IV only

4 . Based on information presented in the passage, what

would be the predicted bond angle in boron
trifluoride?
A.
B.
C.
D.

120
109
90
108

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

as developed by

Bonding Test 1
Questions 8 through 11 are NOT
based on a descriptive passage.
8 . Which of the following is a Lewis base?
A.
B.
C.
D.

A.

B.
H

NH4+
CH4
PH3
CH3CH3

C.

D.
O

9 . What is the formal charge on the nitrogen atom in

HNO3?
A.
B.
C.
D.

1 1 . Which of the following is NOT a correct Lewis dot

diagram?

Cl

S
O

B
O

Cl

Cl

1
+1
0
+2

1 0 . Which of the following is NOT a resonance structure

of the others?
A.
O
CH

CH

CH

C
H

B.

O
CH

CH2 CH

C
H

C.

O
CH 2

C
H

CH3
D.

O
CH2 CH

CH

C
H

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

KAPLAN

MCAT
Passage II (Questions 1217)
Some atoms have more power to draw electrons
toward themselves than others. The stronger this tendency
is, the more electronegative an element is said to be.
Electronegativity can be quantified by using either of two
scales: the Mulliken scale or the Pauling scale. As shown
in Equation 1, the Mulliken electronegativity of an
element is defined as the mean of the ionization potential,
I, and the electron affinity, Ea, of that element.
XM =

(I + Ea)
2

1 3 . Which of the following is a true statement about a

molecule of SO2?
A.
B.
C.
D.

It is a polar molecule with polar bonds.

It is a polar molecule with nonpolar bonds.
It is a nonpolar molecule with polar bonds.
It is a nonpolar molecule with nonpolar bonds.

1 4 . In the molecule shown below, which arrow indicates

the direction of the dipole moment?

Equation 1
The actual values of the ionization potential and
electron affinity that are of relevance, however, are not
necessarily equal to those of the ground state element.
This is because electronegativity is a characteristic of the
atom when it is bonded to others in a molecule. The
ionization energy and electron affinity to be used should
be the ones for the atom in its correct hybridized state in a
molecule. The ionization energy of carbon, for example,
is the energy needed to remove an electron from its
valence 2p orbital. In the calculation of its
electronegativity in the molecule methane, however, what
is meant by the ionization energy is the energy needed to
remove an electron from the now sp 3 hybridized orbital.
Because this orbital contains 25% s character, it is at a
lower energy than a p orbital and thus the ionization
energy would be greater. This also implies that the
electronegativity of an element is dependent upon its
hybridization in the molecule.
The Pauling scale is approximately proportional to
the Mulliken scale. The Mulliken and Pauling
electronegativities of elements A and B are related with
Equation 2, where XAM and XAP are the Mulliken and
Pauling electronegativities of element A, respectively.
XAM XBM = 2.78(XAP XBP)
Equation 2

H
H

3
A.
B.
C.
D.

1
2
3
The molecule has no overall dipole moment.

1 5 . Which structure below has the partial charges

correctly represented?
A.
H

+
C

B.

+
O

C.
H

+
C

D.
H

+
O

1 2 . Using Equation 2, if the Pauling electronegativity of

phosphorus is
2.1,
predict its
Mulliken
electronegativity.
A.
B.
C.
D.

2.1/2.78
2.78/2.1
0.68
The Mulliken electronegativity of phosphorus
cannot be determined without more information.
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.

as developed by

Bonding Test 1
1 6 . Which of the following has the most polar bond?
A.
B.
C.
D.

NO
CH
CC
HF

1 7 . In which of the following compounds will the

nitrogen atom have the highest electronegativity on
the Mulliken scale?
A . H3N:
B . (H3C)3N:
C.

N
D . HCN:

END OF TEST

KAPLAN

MCAT

ANSWER KEY:
1. A
6. D
2. B
7. C
3. D
8. C
4. A
9. B
5. C
10. C

11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

B
D
A
A
A

16. D
17. D

as developed by

Bonding Test 1
EXPLANATIONS
Passage I (Questions 17)
1.

A
The quickest way to obtain the answer is to recognize that bond dissociation is an endothermic process, and that the
bond dissociation energy is the amount of energy one needs to supply to break the bond. A positive dissociation energy would
indicate that the ionically-bonded state is more stable than the state of separated neutral atoms. An ionic bond forms,
therefore, if D 0. Substituting in the terms on the left hand side of equation 1 for D and rearranging, one obtains choice A.
To explain this more fully: the point at which bond formation becomes possible is that point where the energy
released upon formation of the ionic bond is greater than or equal to the energy one needs to supply to generate the ionic
species. The energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom to form a cation is positive--in other words, this
process costs energy. So, you may ask, why does an ionic bond form? It forms because energy is released in two ways: first,
the electron affinity of a neutral atom is positive: i.e. energy is released as it accepts one more electron to form an anion;
second, the Coulombic attraction between the two oppositely-charged ions means that the system can lower its energy by
coming close together (forming the bond). In order to make the process of forming an ionically-bonded species worthwhile,
the energy one needs to invest in, the ionization energy, has to be less than or at most equal to the payback, that is, the
energy released in the form of electron affinity and lower Coulomb potential energy. Choice A describes this criterion:
energy that needs to be supplied = energy to ionize Li = I (Li)
energy that one gets back = energy released from adding electron to Cl + Coulombic energy
released
= electron affinity of Cl + Coulombic energy released
What is the Coulombic energy released? When the two ions are infinitely separated, the Coulombic potential energy
is zero, since R = . When the two are a distance R apart, this electrostatic potential energy is:
U=

ZLiZCle2
4 0 R

as given in the passage. Note that ZLi and ZCl will have opposite signs, and so this term is negative. This makes sense as we
would expect the energy to be lower when the two are closer than when they are infinitely far apart. (The ions are attracted to,
not repelled by, each other.) The amount of Coulombic potential energy released as the ionic bond forms, then, is
U =

ZLiZCle2
4 0 R

which is positive since the opposite signs of Z Li and Z Cl cancel the negative sign in front. The energy one gets back is
therefore
Ea (Cl)

ZLiZCle2
4 0 R

and this needs to be greater than or equal to I (Li).

2.

B
This question requires you to use Equation 1 together with Tables 1 and 2. Looking at Equation 1, you can see that
the missing values that you need to provide are the electron affinity and the ionization potential; the energy of interaction
term--the 4 part--has been given to you in the question stem as 5.74 eV. (Z a and Z b are +1 and -1 respectively and so do
not affect the magnitude of the interaction term). Sodium chloride is Na+ and Cl, and so we want the ionization potential of
sodium and the electron affinity of chlorine. These values are 5.14 and 3.61, respectively. This gives:
D = I(Na) + Ea(Cl) + 5.74 = 5.14 + 3.61 + 5.74 = 4.21 eV
Remember, if the bond forms, then the bond energy (or bond dissociation energy) would have to be positive: bondformation is exothermic; bond-breaking is endothermic.

KAPLAN

MCAT
3.

D
Ionic bonding predominates in those compounds which contain elements with large differences in electronegativity.
The larger the difference, the more polar the bond. The easiest, and quickest, way to answer this question is to consult the
periodic table. You should know that the most electronegative elements are located in the upper-right hand corner of the table
(excluding the noble gases) and those elements that are the least electronegative are located in the lower left-hand corner.
Looking at the answer choices, you can see that they are all two-item choices--in other words, look for the two compounds
whose elements are the furthest apart in the periodic table. Compound I is ammonia, which you probably should know to be
a covalent compound already. Since answer choices A and C both contain roman numeral I, they can be eliminated. Roman
numeral II, calcium chloride: calcium is located in the second column, fourth row; chlorine is located in the 17th column,
third row--pretty far apart from each other---mostly ionic. You may also know that calcium tends to form the +2 cation, while
chlorine forms the 1 anion to complete their octet. Oppositely-charged ions would form ionic bonds. Roman numeral III,
phosphorus pentachloride: in the periodic table, phosphorus and chlorine are only separated from each other by sulfur, making
it mostly covalent. By elimination, choice D is the correct response.
4.

A
The easiest way to answer this question correctly is to go to Table 3 and see that the shape of BF3 is listed as
trigonal planar. If there wasn't any information in the passage, you could still answer this question correctly. From the
periodic table you should be able to determine that boron has two nonvalence electrons in the 1s subshell and three valence
electrons that are available for bonding; in other words, boron completes its valence by forming three bonds, and only three
bonds. When boron forms these three bonds, there will be six bonding electrons surrounding it: there are no nonbonding
electrons. Since there are no nonbonding electrons to worry about, the bonding electrons arrange themselves to be as far apart
from each other as possible. As a result, a trigonal arrangement is adopted which has bond angles of 120.
5.

C
In order for resonance structures to be possible in a molecule or polyatomic ion, it needs to have double and single
bonds which can be interchanged. In resonance structures, bonds and nonbonding electrons may move, but atoms do not. In
table 3, SO2 is the only one of these which has a double bond. The resonance structures are therefore:
S

S
O

This implies that the 2 electrons are actually delocalized over all three atoms. Each sulfur-oxygen bond has
characteristics intermediate between a single and a double bond.
6.

D
This question is testing you on your understanding of the valence-shell electron-pair repulsion theory (VSEPR). The
MCAT requires you to make predictions of molecular shapes using the VSEPR theory. PCl 5 has a phosphorus atom at the
center surrounded by 5 chlorine atoms; there are no lone pairs, thus giving it the formula AX5--trigonal bipyramidal, choice
D.
7.

C
In order to answer this question correctly, you need to remember that ionic bonding results from the attractions
between opposite charges. Particles in ionic compounds therefore exhibit stronger electrostatic or Coulombic interactions than
atoms in covalent bonds. Looking at the answer choices, the only choice that is predominately ionic is choice C, NaCl.
Discrete Questions
8.

C
A Lewis base is a substance that can donate a pair of electrons. Among the answer choices, only PH 3, choice C, has
a pair of nonbonding electrons, making it the correct response. The easiest way to determine if a substance is a Lewis base is
to draw its Lewis dot structure and see if a lone electron pair exists:

P
H

10

H
H

as developed by

MCAT
9.

B
To answer this question, we need to write the Lewis dot diagrams and then use any one of several formulas to find
the formal charge. One such formula is Formal charge = Valence electrons - [number of bonds + number of nonbonding
electrons]. The Lewis dot structure of HNO3 is as follows:
O

O
N

OH

OH

Formal charge is equal to the valence electrons of nitrogen, which is 5, minus the sum of the number of bonds and
the number of nonbonding electrons, which in this case is 4. So, the formal charge on the nitrogen is equal to 54 which is
+1.
10.

C
Remember that in resonance forms, only electrons (bonds and nonbonding electron pairs) can move. Examining the
answer choices, you can see that the atomic linkages are all the same except for answer choice C; the carbon second from the
left in choice C now has a methyl group bonded to it, whereas the other choices have hydrogens in this position. Below are
the resonance structures showing the actual way that the electrons can be shifted around:
O
H2C

C
H

C
H

O
H2 C

C
H

C
H

O
H2C

C
H

C
H

C
H

It is always important to keep in mind, however, that shifting or moving electrons is just a figure of speech: the
electrons are really delocalized over all the bonds.
11.

B
The first thing you should do to verify a Lewis structure of a molecule is to make sure that all the valence electrons
are accounted for. For choice A, acetylene, there are two carbons, each having 4 valence electrons, and 2 hydrogens, each
having 1 valence electron. So, choice A needs to have 10 valence electrons, and indeed it has. For choice B, nitrogen dioxide,
there is 1 nitrogen, which has 5 valence electrons, and 2 oxygens, each having six valence electrons--there should be a total of
17 electrons accounted for. Counting the electrons in choice B you can see that it has only 16 electrons--choice B is the
correct answer. Choice C, sulfur trioxide, should have a total of 24 valence electrons, 6 electrons from each element.
Counting the valence electrons, you'll see that it has the required 24. Choice D, boron trichloride, should have and does have
24 electrons.
Passage II (Questions 1217)
12.

D
The relationship between the Pauling and Mulliken scales of electronegativity given in Equation 2 has four
unknowns, though some may look similar at first glance. To solve such an equation we must be given, or be able to
determine, three of these unknowns. In this question, only one of the unknowns (the Pauling electronegativity of phosphorus)
is given--without more information there is no way to figure out the other two. To determine the equivalent Pauling or
Mulliken electronegativity for an element A we must know both the Pauling and Mulliken electronegativities of the other
element B.
Likely mathematical errors might include the attempted algebraic cancellation of XBM with XBP from both sides of
the equation. This is a common mistake and there are two reasons why this approach is incorrect. Firstly, the unknowns are
not identical (though they look similar) and cannot be cancel each other out. Secondly, even if the two variables were identical
(i.e. both XBM and XBP = XB), cancellation would not work: the variables on the right side of the equation would have to be
first multiplied by 2.78 (converting XB to 2.78XB) before X B is added to both sides of the equation (leaving 1.78XB on
the right side of the equation). The variable would still remain and the answer still could not be determined.
13.

A
Once again a question concerning VSEPR theory and vector addition. The correct VSEPR class for SO2 is AX2E; its
VSEPR shape is angular. As can be seen from the drawing of SO 2 in Table 3 of the first passage, the individual bonds are

11

as developed by

MCAT
polar and the vector sum of the bonds is nonzero, choice A is the correct response. If you had forgotten the shape of SO 2, or
it is not made available to you, you could have realized that it contains polar bonds, only homonuclear bonds are nonpolar,
and eliminated choices B and D, giving you a 50/50 chance of selecting the correct answer.
14.

A
Another vector addition question--the vector sum of the three H--N dipole moments is an arrow which goes straight
up the middle of the molecule. You should know that a dipole vector is represented as an arrow, with the head of the arrow
pointing to the partial negative charge. In this case, nitrogen would be the center of partial negative charge since it's more
electronegative than hydrogen. Adding the three bond vectors together gives a dipole moment having the direction shown by
arrow one:
N
H

H
H

15.

A
Choice A is the only one where the more electronegative atom has a partial negative charge. In this example, the
nitrogen, being the more electronegative, has a small negative charge due to increased electron density and the electropositive
carbon has a small partial positive charge.
16.

D
The most polar bond is the one that has the greatest difference in the electronegativities of the two elements.
(Remember, electronegativity increases in going from the lower left to the upper right of the periodic table.) Among these
choices, H-F is the most polar since hydrogen and fluorine are the furthest apart in the periodic table.
17.

D
The key to this question lies in understanding the point made in the second paragraph. Depending on the
hybridization of the atom, the ionization potential and the electron affinity values change and thus so does the Mulliken
electronegativity. In particular, the higher the percentage of s character, the higher the electronegativity. Choice D has the
nitrogen in an sp hybridized state. This means that each sigma orbital has 50% s character. This is the highest among the four
shown and thus the nitrogen atom there has the highest electronegativity.
Choices A and B both have the nitrogen in the sp3 hybridized state.
The nitrogen in choice C is sp2 hybridized. The sigma orbital thus has 33% s character.

12

as developed by