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The Truth About Indicators Trivia Quiz

This is a quiz about indicators: chemicals that tell you whether a substance is an acid or a base. Good Luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by guitar-girl. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
guitar-girl

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
291,783

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
2638

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Litmus is a common indicator used to tell whether something is an acid or a base. If you dip a piece of blue litmus paper into an acid, what color will it turn? Hint

None, it will stay blue

Red

Purple

Yellow

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Question 2 of 10

2. If you dip a piece of red litmus paper into an acid, what color will it turn? Hint

None, it will stay red

Yellow

Blue

Purple

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Phenolphthalein is another acid-base indicator. Which of these is used as an abbreviation for this indicator? Hint

PNLPH

PLTL

PPTN

PHTH

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Question 4 of 10

4. If you were to drop some phenolphthalein into a base, what color would it turn? Hint

Red

Yellow

Clear

Purple-Pink

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Goldenrod paper comes as little strips, similar to litmus. If you were to dip a piece of goldenrod paper in a base, what color would it turn? Hint

Green

Orange

Red

Yellow

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Question 6 of 10

6. Now on to universal indicator. What color would this turn in a very strong acid? Hint

Yellow

Red

Green

Purple

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. What color would universal indicator turn if a substance was neutral? Hint

Blue

Yellow

Green

Red

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. If you were to put some universal indicator in a very strong base, what color would it turn? Hint

Green

Purple

Yellow

Red

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. One unconventional indicator is red cabbage juice. What color will this common liquid turn in a base? Hint

Blue-Green

Red

Purple

Yellow

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. An indicator that you wouldn't find at home is Phenol Red. What color does this indicator turn in an acid? Hint

Pink

Red

Yellow

Green

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Litmus is a common indicator used to tell whether something is an acid or a base. If you dip a piece of blue litmus paper into an acid, what color will it turn?

Answer: Red

Acids are common in our lives: orange juice, sodas, and a lot of things we drink contain acids. But stronger acids can be dangerous, burning skin and corroding metal.

2. If you dip a piece of red litmus paper into an acid, what color will it turn?

Answer: None, it will stay red

Litmus usually comes as little strips of paper similar to pH test strips.

3. Phenolphthalein is another acid-base indicator. Which of these is used as an abbreviation for this indicator?

Answer: PHTH

Phenolphthalein is pronounced fee-nol-THAY-leen.

4. If you were to drop some phenolphthalein into a base, what color would it turn?

Answer: Purple-Pink

Bases are also common in our lives: shampoos, soaps and other cleaning products are all bases. But stronger bases like Drain-O can corrode skin.

5. Goldenrod paper comes as little strips, similar to litmus. If you were to dip a piece of goldenrod paper in a base, what color would it turn?

Answer: Red

You can buy goldenrod paper as full sheets at certain office stores. You can then mix baking soda and water and draw on the paper with cotton swabs dipped in the mixture.

6. Now on to universal indicator. What color would this turn in a very strong acid?

Answer: Red

An example of a very strong acid would be sulfuric acid (battery acid) or hydrochloric acid (stomach acid). They both have a pH of 1.

7. What color would universal indicator turn if a substance was neutral?

Answer: Green

While we say water is neutral, it is actually slightly basic, with a pH of 7.2.

8. If you were to put some universal indicator in a very strong base, what color would it turn?

Answer: Purple

Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) is a very strong base, with a pH of 14.

You should never mix cleaning products, because if one cleaner contains bleach and the other contains ammonia, the bases will react to produce harmful chlorine gas.

9. One unconventional indicator is red cabbage juice. What color will this common liquid turn in a base?

Answer: Blue-Green

Red cabbage juice is exactly what it says: the juice from a red cabbage!

10. An indicator that you wouldn't find at home is Phenol Red. What color does this indicator turn in an acid?

Answer: Yellow

Don't confuse Phenol Red with phenolphthalein! Phenol Red starts out red, while phenolphthalein starts clear.

There are also many other indicators that this quiz didn't cover, such as Methyl Orange.

Source: Author guitar-girl

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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