Lesson 5.9.1.1

5.9.1.1 The proportions of different gases in the atmosphere Quiz: AQA Combined Science, Unit 16

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 5.9.1.1, The proportions of different gases in the atmosphere: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Combined Science (8464), Unit 16: Chemistry of the atmosphere, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. About what percentage of the atmosphere is nitrogen?

    • About 20%
    • About 80%
    • About 50%
    • About 0.04%

  2. About what percentage of the atmosphere is oxygen?

    • About 20%
    • About 80%
    • About 1%
    • About 50%

  3. Nitrogen is about what fraction of air?

    • Four-fifths
    • One-tenth
    • One-fifth
    • One-half

  4. Oxygen is about what fraction of air?

    • One-fifth
    • Four-fifths
    • One-half
    • One-tenth

  5. In 1000 cm3 of air, the volume of oxygen is about:

    • 200 cm3
    • 20 cm3
    • 800 cm3
    • 2000 cm3

  6. For how long have the gas proportions in the atmosphere been much the same as today?

    • 2 million years
    • 4.6 billion years
    • 200 years
    • 200 million years

  7. Which of these is a noble gas present in small proportions?

    • Methane
    • Argon
    • Oxygen
    • Nitrogen

  8. Which gas is in the largest proportion in the atmosphere?

    • Oxygen
    • Carbon dioxide
    • Nitrogen
    • Argon

  9. The ratio of nitrogen to oxygen by volume in air is about:

    • 4:1
    • 5:1
    • 1:1
    • 1:4

  10. Which two gases make up approximately ninety-nine percent of the modern atmosphere?

    • Nitrogen and carbon dioxide
    • Oxygen and argon
    • Hydrogen and helium
    • Nitrogen and oxygen

  11. What proportion of the atmosphere do carbon dioxide, water vapour and noble gases make up?

    • About eighty percent
    • Small proportion
    • Major proportion
    • About four-fifths

  12. What volume of nitrogen is in 50 dm3 of air?

    • 50 dm3
    • 10 dm3
    • 25 dm3
    • 40 dm3

  13. 20% oxygen in 350 cm3 of air is:

    • 35 cm3
    • 70 cm3
    • 280 cm3
    • 17.5 cm3

  14. If oxygen is 20% of air, 400 cm3 of oxygen comes from a total air volume of:

    • 4000 cm3
    • 200 cm3
    • 2000 cm3
    • 80 cm3

  15. 'Four-fifths' expressed as a percentage is:

    • 20%
    • 80%
    • 45%
    • 40%

  16. The proportion of carbon dioxide in air is:

    • Small, well under 1%
    • About 20% of air
    • The largest share
    • About 80% of air

  17. How do current atmospheric gas proportions compare to those of the last 200 million years?

    • Constantly doubling
    • Mostly carbon dioxide
    • Much the same
    • Significantly higher oxygen

  18. Which gas is in the second-largest proportion?

    • Argon
    • Water vapour
    • Oxygen
    • Carbon dioxide

  19. 100 cm3 of air contains about how much nitrogen?

    • 8 cm3
    • 80 cm3
    • 100 cm3
    • 20 cm3

  20. What describes the proportion of water vapour in the modern atmosphere?

    • Small and variable
    • Constant eighty percent
    • High and stable
    • Zero percent

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