Class 10 Carbon and Its Compounds: Worksheet with NCERT-Style Questions
Strengthen your understanding of Carbon and Its Compounds for Class 10 Science
with this carefully organised practice worksheet. It covers important NCERT concepts,
including covalent bonding, allotropes of carbon, tetravalency, catenation, saturated and
unsaturated hydrocarbons, homologous series, functional groups, IUPAC nomenclature,
chemical reactions of carbon compounds, ethanol, ethanoic acid, soaps and detergents.
Designed for CBSE Class 10 students, this worksheet includes multiple-choice questions,
assertion-style reasoning, chemical equations, structure-based problems, application-based
questions and a case study. Practise these questions to improve conceptual clarity,
chemical reasoning and preparation for school examinations.
How to practise: Attempt each section independently. Write balanced
chemical equations wherever required, show the steps in nomenclature questions, and
explain your reasoning using the relevant chemical concept.
A
Multiple-Choice Questions
Choose the most appropriate option.
1. A carbon atom generally forms covalent bonds because:
(a) It readily loses four electrons
(b) It readily gains four electrons
(c) Sharing electrons helps complete its outer shell
(d) It has no valence electrons
2. Which property allows carbon atoms to form long chains and rings?
(a) Combustion(b) Catenation
(c) Neutralisation(d) Ionisation
3. Which of the following is an unsaturated hydrocarbon?
(a) CH₄(b) C₂H₆
(c) C₂H₄(d) C₃H₈
4. The functional group present in propanone is:
(a) Alcohol(b) Aldehyde
(c) Ketone(d) Carboxylic acid
5. Which formula represents a member of the alkane homologous series?
(a) C₃H₆(b) C₄H₁₀
(c) C₂H₂(d) C₃H₄
6. The product formed when ethanol is oxidised under suitable conditions is:
(a) Ethene(b) Ethanoic acid
(c) Ethane(d) Methanoic acid
7. A four-carbon compound containing the functional group –OH is named using the suffix:
(a) –al(b) –one
(c) –ol(d) –oic acid
8. When a fuel burns with a yellow, smoky flame, it may indicate:
(a) Incomplete combustion(b) No carbon is present
(c) Complete combustion only(d) Formation of an ionic compound
9. Which catalyst can be used to add hydrogen to an unsaturated compound?
(a) Sodium chloride(b) Nickel
(c) Sodium hydroxide(d) Calcium carbonate
10. Which statement about detergents is correct?
(a) They always form scum in hard water
(b) They are ineffective in hard water
(c) They can clean effectively in hard water
(d) They contain no hydrocarbon chain
B
Very Short-Answer Questions
Answer briefly and precisely.
11. State the valency of carbon and explain what it tells us about its bonding.
12. Name two naturally occurring allotropes of carbon and one additional form of carbon discussed in the chapter.
13. What is meant by a structural isomer? Give one suitable example.
14. Write the general formula of alkanes and alkenes.
15. Identify the functional group in each: (a) CH₃CH₂OH (b) CH₃CHO (c) CH₃COOH.
16. What is the common name of ethanoic acid? What is vinegar made from in terms of its principal acid and water?
17. What is meant by denatured alcohol?
18. Name the two ends of a soap molecule according to their interaction with water.
C
Short-Answer Questions
Explain each answer using appropriate scientific terms.
19. Explain why forming either C⁴⁺ or C⁴⁻ ions is energetically unfavourable for carbon. How does covalent bonding solve this difficulty?
20. Distinguish between saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons on the basis of bonding and typical chemical reactivity. Give one example of each.
21. Explain how tetravalency and catenation together account for the large number of carbon compounds.
22. A student observes that two compounds have the same molecular formula but different arrangements of carbon atoms. Name this phenomenon and illustrate it with a suitable pair of structures.
23. Describe the relationship between successive members of a homologous series. Include the difference in their molecular formulae and one trend in physical properties.
24. Why does ethene react with bromine water differently from ethane? State the observation that can help distinguish them.
25. Explain why a sufficient supply of air is important when a carbon-based fuel is burnt in a cooking stove.
26. What is hydrogenation? Describe one industrial use of this reaction and name a suitable catalyst.
27. Explain how an alcohol can be converted into a carboxylic acid. Name one oxidising agent used for this purpose.
28. Compare soaps and detergents in their behaviour in hard water. Explain why one may be preferred for washing in such conditions.
D
Chemical Equations and Reactions
Write balanced equations wherever applicable and state the reaction type.
29. Complete and balance the combustion equation for methane:
CH₄ + O₂ → CO₂ + H₂O
30. Write the equation for the reaction of ethanol with sodium. Name the other product formed besides hydrogen.
31. Write the reaction showing the conversion of ethanol into ethene on heating with excess concentrated sulphuric acid. State the role of the acid.
32. Write the equation for the reaction between methane and chlorine in sunlight. Identify the type of reaction.
33. Write the chemical equation for the reaction of ethanoic acid with sodium hydrogencarbonate. Name the gas released and describe a test for it.
34. Ethanol and ethanoic acid are heated together in the presence of concentrated sulphuric acid. Write the reaction and name the type of reaction.
35. An ester is warmed with sodium hydroxide solution. Name the reaction and state the broad classes of products formed.
36. Write the equation for the addition of hydrogen to ethene in the presence of a suitable catalyst. Name the product.
E
Structures and IUPAC Nomenclature
Use clear structural formulae and correct numbering.
37. Write the structural formulae of:
(a) Butane
(b) Propene
(c) Ethanoic acid
(d) Propanone
38. Give the IUPAC names of the following compounds:
(a) CH₃–CH₂–CH₂–OH
(b) CH₃–CO–CH₃
(c) CH₃–CH₂–CHO
(d) CH₃–CH₂–COOH
(e) CH₃–CH₂–Br
39. Draw the structural formulae of two different compounds with the molecular formula C₄H₁₀ and name each one.
40. Draw the electron-dot structure of methane, showing the shared electron pairs between carbon and hydrogen atoms.
41. Draw the electron-dot structure of carbon dioxide and indicate the type of bond between carbon and each oxygen atom.
42. A compound has three carbon atoms and a ketone functional group. Write its structural formula and IUPAC name.
F
Application-Based and Competency Questions
Apply chapter concepts to everyday observations.
43. A student adds soap solution to two samples of water. One produces abundant foam, while the other forms a white curdy deposit and produces less foam. Explain the difference in the observations.
44. A cook notices black deposits forming underneath a cooking vessel. Explain what this observation suggests about the combustion process and how the problem may be reduced.
45. A colourless liquid has the formula C₂H₆O. On oxidation, it produces a compound that turns blue litmus red. Identify the likely starting compound and product, and explain your reasoning.
46. An organic liquid reacts with sodium hydrogencarbonate and releases a gas that turns limewater milky. What functional group is likely present in the liquid? Explain your answer.
47. A manufacturer converts an unsaturated vegetable oil into a more saturated product. Identify the reaction involved and explain the role of hydrogen and the catalyst.
48. Two compounds differ by one –CH₂– unit but have the same functional group. Explain which family they may belong to and predict one similarity and one difference in their properties.
G
Case-Based Question
Read the situation carefully before answering the sub-questions.
A student investigates three carbon compounds in the school laboratory.
Compound P burns in air and is also used as a fuel. Compound Q contains a
carboxylic acid group and reacts with sodium hydrogencarbonate with effervescence.
Compound R is used as a cleansing agent and contains a long hydrocarbon chain
along with an ionic end. When R is added to hard water, a curdy deposit forms.
49(a). What type of reaction occurs when compound P burns in sufficient oxygen? Name two typical products of complete combustion of an organic compound containing carbon and hydrogen.
49(b). Which gas is released when compound Q reacts with sodium hydrogencarbonate? How can this gas be identified?
49(c). Identify the two different parts of the cleansing-agent molecule R and explain how they help remove oily dirt.
49(d). Why does hard water cause a curdy deposit with soap? Name the type of cleansing agent that generally works better in hard water.
