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Safety rules are easiest to remember when you understand why they exist. This quiz has twenty multiple-choice questions on everyday lab situations. Choose your answer, then read the explanation. A score guide is at the end.
Useful background: lab safety rules, hazard symbols and risk assessment in chemistry.
Questions 1–5: Personal protection
1. When must you wear eye protection in a chemistry lab?
A. Only when using acids B. Only when heating things C. Whenever chemicals, glassware under stress or heating are being used, by you or anyone nearby D. Only when the teacher reminds you
Answer: C. Eyes can be damaged permanently in a fraction of a second, and splashes can come from someone else’s experiment. Eye protection stays on until everyone has finished and cleared away.
2. Why should long hair be tied back?
A. To keep it clean B. So it doesn’t fall into chemicals or catch fire in a Bunsen flame C. It’s a dress code rule only D. So you can see the board
Answer: B. Hair burns very quickly and can dip into solutions or catch in equipment.
3. Which is the best choice of clothing for practical work?
A. Loose sleeves and open-toed shoes B. A lab coat, closed shoes and no dangling items C. Shorts, because labs are warm D. Anything, if you’re careful
Answer: B. A lab coat takes a splash instead of your skin or clothes, and closed shoes protect feet from spills and broken glass. Loose items can knock over apparatus or catch fire.
4. Why is eating and drinking forbidden in a lab?
A. It makes the lab untidy B. Food and drink can become contaminated with chemicals, which are then swallowed C. It distracts other students D. Only because of spilled drinks
Answer: B. Tiny amounts of toxic substances on hands, benches or in the air can contaminate food. Chemicals are never tasted either.
5. You need to check the smell of a gas. What is the correct technique?
A. Breathe in deeply over the tube B. Hold the tube away from your face and waft a little air towards your nose with your hand, only if told to C. Put your nose right at the mouth of the tube D. Never, under any circumstance
Answer: B. Wafting gives a tiny, diluted sample. Many gases are toxic or irritating, so only do this when the method instructs it.
Questions 6–10: Hazards and chemicals
6. A bottle shows a pictogram of a flame. What does it mean?
A. The substance is hot B. The substance is flammable C. The substance is an oxidiser D. The substance explodes on contact with water
Answer: B. A flame on its own means flammable. A flame over a circle means oxidising. See hazard symbols.
7. When diluting concentrated sulfuric acid, which is correct?
A. Add water to the acid quickly B. Add the acid slowly to water, stirring C. Mix them in any order D. Add both to an empty beaker at the same time
Answer: B. Dilution releases a lot of heat. If water is added to concentrated acid, the first bit of water can boil instantly and spray acid. Adding acid to a large volume of water spreads the heat safely. A memory aid: “do as you oughta, add acid to water”.
8. Where should you look first for detailed information about a chemical’s hazards and first aid?
A. The internet B. A friend C. Its safety data sheet (SDS) D. The colour of the chemical
Answer: C. The SDS is the authoritative source. See how to read a safety data sheet.
9. Which pair of household chemicals must never be mixed?
A. Salt and water B. Bleach and an acidic toilet cleaner C. Sugar and vinegar D. Baking soda and water
Answer: B. Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and acid release toxic chlorine gas. Bleach and ammonia release toxic chloramines. See chemical storage and incompatible chemicals.
10. When should you use a fume cupboard?
A. For every experiment B. When a toxic, corrosive or harmful gas or vapour could be released C. When the room is too cold D. To store chemicals
Answer: B. A fume cupboard removes hazardous vapours. It’s not a storage cabinet.
Questions 11–15: Equipment and heating
11. When heating a liquid in a test tube, you should:
A. Point it at your partner so they can see B. Point it away from everyone and heat gently near the top of the liquid, moving it in the flame C. Heat the bottom strongly without moving it D. Put a stopper in first
Answer: B. Strong heating at the bottom can make the liquid boil suddenly and shoot out. Never heat a sealed container; pressure builds and it can burst.
12. What is the “safety flame” on a Bunsen burner?
A. A blue roaring flame B. A yellow, visible flame with the air hole closed C. No flame at all D. The flame used for heating strongly
Answer: B. The yellow flame is easy to see, so nobody reaches through an invisible blue flame. Use it when the burner is lit but not being used.
13. Why are anti-bumping granules added before boiling a liquid in a flask?
A. To colour the liquid B. To provide surfaces where bubbles form smoothly, preventing sudden violent boiling C. To speed up the reaction D. To absorb impurities
Answer: B. Without nucleation sites, a liquid can superheat and then boil explosively. See boiling point determination.
14. A piece of glassware has a small crack. What should you do?
A. Use it carefully B. Tape it C. Don’t use it; report it and dispose of it in the glass bin D. Use it only for cold liquids
Answer: C. Cracked glass can shatter under heat or pressure, or while being handled.
15. Why are volatile, flammable solvents not heated with a Bunsen burner?
A. They evaporate too slowly B. The vapour can reach the flame and ignite C. Bunsen burners aren’t hot enough D. Only because of the smell
Answer: B. Flammable vapour spreads and can ignite some distance from the liquid. Use a water bath or electric heater instead.
Questions 16–20: Emergencies and clearing up
16. You splash a chemical in your eye. What’s the first thing to do?
A. Rub your eye B. Rinse with plenty of clean running water, or the eyewash, for at least 10–15 minutes, and tell the teacher C. Wait to see if it hurts D. Cover it with a tissue
Answer: B. Immediate, prolonged rinsing dilutes and removes the chemical. Rubbing spreads it and can scratch the eye.
17. A small amount of solvent in a beaker catches fire. What is often the safest first action (if trained and safe to do so)?
A. Pour water on it B. Cover the beaker with a heat-resistant mat or lid to cut off oxygen C. Blow it out D. Carry it to the sink
Answer: B. Smothering removes oxygen. Water can spread burning solvents that float on it. Always alert the teacher immediately.
18. A classmate’s clothing catches fire. What should they do?
A. Run to the door B. Stop, drop to the ground and roll, while someone uses a fire blanket C. Stand still and wait D. Fan the flames
Answer: B. Running feeds the fire with oxygen. Smothering with a fire blanket or rolling puts it out.
19. Where should broken glass go?
A. The general bin B. The sink C. A labelled broken glass bin, after being picked up with a dustpan and brush, never by hand D. Leave it for the cleaner
Answer: C. Broken glass in a general bin can injure the people who empty it.
20. What should happen to a heavy metal solution such as copper(II) sulfate at the end of a practical?
A. Pour it down the sink B. Put it in the labelled heavy metal waste container C. Evaporate it in the fume cupboard D. Mix it with other waste
Answer: B. Heavy metals are toxic to aquatic life and must not go down the drain. See disposing of chemical waste.
Scoring guide
- 18–20: Excellent. You understand the reasons, not just the rules.
- 14–17: Good. Review the explanations for any you missed.
- 10–13: Revisit the lab safety rules and hazard symbols before your next practical.
- Below 10: Please talk to your teacher and review safety before any practical work.
Key takeaways
- Eye protection, suitable clothing and no food or drink are the basics.
- Dilute by adding acid to water, never the reverse.
- Never heat sealed containers; use water baths for flammable liquids.
- Rinse eyes immediately for at least 10–15 minutes; smother small fires.
- Dispose of broken glass and chemical waste in the correct containers.
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