Lesson 4.4.1.3

4.4.1.3 The development of the model of the atom (common content with chemistry) Quiz: AQA Physics, Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 4.4.1.3, The development of the model of the atom (common content with chemistry): 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Physics (8463), Unit 4: Atomic structure, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. What experimental evidence proved the plum pudding model incorrect?

    • Gold leaf electrolysis
    • Electron diffraction
    • Cathode ray deflection
    • Alpha particle scattering

  2. How were atoms viewed before the discovery of the electron?

    • Cloud of probability
    • Miniature solar systems
    • Positive charged balls
    • Indivisible tiny spheres

  3. What feature did the plum pudding model suggest about the atom?

    • Embedded negative electrons
    • Hollow empty space
    • Orbiting energy levels
    • Central dense nucleus

  4. What did the alpha particle scattering experiment prove about the nucleus?

    • Negative and fluid
    • Hollow and positive
    • Charged and massive
    • Neutral and spread

  5. How did Niels Bohr adapt the nuclear model of the atom?

    • Plum pudding charge
    • Solid sphere model
    • Fixed energy orbits
    • Random cloud states

  6. How did Bohr's theoretical calculations compare with practical observations?

    • Contradicted experiments
    • Disproved the nucleus
    • Showed zero mass
    • Agreed with observations

  7. What name was given to the individual positive charge particles in a nucleus?

    • Photons
    • Electrons
    • Protons
    • Neutrons

  8. Which scientist's experimental work provided the evidence for neutrons in the nucleus?

    • James Chadwick
    • Marie Curie
    • Dmitri Mendeleev
    • Niels Bohr

  9. Roughly how long after the nucleus became an accepted idea was the existence of neutrons shown?

    • About 100 years
    • About 2 years
    • About 20 years
    • About 50 years

  10. Why might a scientific model be changed or replaced?

    • Lack of funding
    • Public opinion
    • New experimental evidence
    • Outdated textbooks

  11. Which model replaced the plum pudding model of the atom?

    • The nuclear model
    • Quantum model
    • Bohr model
    • Solid sphere model

  12. What did the nuclear model introduce that was missing in plum pudding?

    • A central nucleus
    • Discrete orbits
    • Positive charge
    • Negative electrons

  13. What caused some alpha particles to deflect in Rutherford's experiment?

    • Magnetic fields
    • Neutron radiation
    • A charged nucleus
    • Orbiting electrons

  14. What did alpha particle scattering prove about the structure of the atom?

    • Free electron cloud
    • Central mass concentration
    • Solid outer shell
    • Uniform charge spread

  15. Why was the plum pudding model replaced?

    • Discovery of neutrons
    • Invention of microscopes
    • Calculated atomic mass
    • Scattering experiment results

  16. What did Bohr's atomic model suggest about electrons?

    • Continuous energy loss
    • Fixed surface positions
    • Specific distance orbits
    • Random random motion

  17. Changing a scientific model when new evidence emerges shows that science does what?

    • Develops over time
    • Loses reliability
    • Remains constant
    • Becomes subjective

  18. The historical development of atomic models demonstrates how theories change with what?

    • New evidence
    • Financial backing
    • Popular opinion
    • Political pressure

  19. Which detail of atomic history is not required at GCSE?

    • Bohr's orbits
    • Rutherford's scattering
    • Thomson's electrons
    • Chadwick's experiments

  20. The discovery of which particle directly led to the plum pudding model?

    • Alpha particle
    • Proton
    • Electron
    • Neutron

All AQA Physics quizzes