Practice tests · NEET

NEET Chemical Bonding: 5 practice MCQs with answers

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure is one of the Class 11 chapters that recurs throughout NEET Chemistry, because hybridisation, shape, polarity and magnetic behaviour all return in the p-block, d-block and organic chapters. The five MCQs below test hybridisation, bond order from molecular orbital theory, paramagnetism, hydrogen bonding and dipole moment.

What this chapter covers in the NEET syllabus

The NMC unit is Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure, matching the NCERT Class 11 chapter. The topics are:

• Ionic bonds, covalent bonds, and Lewis structures with formal charge.
• VSEPR theory and the shapes of simple molecules and ions.
• Valence bond theory and hybridisation involving s, p and d orbitals.
• Molecular orbital theory for homonuclear diatomic molecules: bond order and magnetic behaviour.
• Dipole moment, polarity, resonance and bond parameters (length, angle, enthalpy).
• Hydrogen bonding and its effect on physical properties.

Five practice MCQs on Chemical Bonding

Question 1

The hybridisation of each carbon atom in ethene, C₂H₄, is:

• A. sp
• B. sp²
• C. sp³
• D. sp³d

Question 2

The bond order of the superoxide ion, O₂⁻, is:

• A. 1
• B. 2
• C. 2.5
• D. 1.5

Question 3

Among N₂, O₂, F₂ and C₂, the paramagnetic species is:

• A. O₂
• B. N₂
• C. F₂
• D. C₂

Question 4

Which of the following hydrides has the highest boiling point?

• A. H₂S
• B. H₂O
• C. H₂Se
• D. H₂Te

Question 5

Which of the following molecules has zero dipole moment?

• A. NH₃
• B. H₂O
• C. BF₃
• D. CHCl₃

Answers and explanations

1. B. Each carbon in ethene forms three sigma bonds (two C-H and one C-C) and has one unhybridised p orbital used for the pi bond. Three sigma bonds mean sp² hybridisation and a trigonal planar arrangement with bond angles near 120°.
2. D. O₂ has 10 bonding and 6 antibonding electrons, so its bond order is (10 − 6)/2 = 2. The extra electron in O₂⁻ goes into an antibonding orbital, giving (10 − 7)/2 = 1.5. Bond order falls as O₂⁺ (2.5), O₂ (2), O₂⁻ (1.5), O₂²⁻ (1).
3. A. O₂ has two unpaired electrons in its antibonding π orbitals, so it is paramagnetic. N₂, F₂ and C₂ have all electrons paired, so they are diamagnetic.
4. B. Water forms strong hydrogen bonds because oxygen is small and highly electronegative, giving it a far higher boiling point than H₂S, H₂Se and H₂Te. The boiling points of the other three rise with molar mass, but none reaches that of water.
5. C. BF₃ is trigonal planar and symmetrical, so its three bond dipoles cancel. NH₃ is pyramidal and H₂O is bent, so their dipoles do not cancel, and CHCl₃ is unsymmetrical because one position holds H and three hold Cl.

How to prepare Chemical Bonding

• Work out hybridisation from sigma bonds plus lone pairs. Steric number 2 is sp, 3 is sp², 4 is sp³, 5 is sp³d and 6 is sp³d². Then shape follows: 4 pairs including 1 lone pair is pyramidal, including 2 lone pairs is bent.
• Learn the VSEPR shapes with examples. Include the less obvious cases: SF₄ (see-saw), ClF₃ (T-shaped), XeF₂ (linear), XeF₄ (square planar), and BrF₅ (square pyramidal).
• Fill molecular orbital diagrams the correct way. For O₂ and F₂ the order is σ2p below π2p, but for B₂, C₂ and N₂ the π2p orbitals are lower than σ2p. Practise bond order and magnetic behaviour for the whole second-row set and their ions.
• Predict polarity from geometry. A molecule with polar bonds can still have zero dipole moment if the geometry is symmetrical, like CO₂, BF₃, CCl₄ and PCl₅.
• Link hydrogen bonding to properties. Know intermolecular versus intramolecular hydrogen bonds, and why o-nitrophenol is more volatile than p-nitrophenol.

Chemical Bonding rewards a weekly revision of shapes and MO diagrams, since they are easy to forget. For the broader plan, see the NEET Chemistry preparation guide, and for the unit list, the NEET syllabus.

Take a full Chemical Bonding test on PrepMatic

Shapes, hybridisation and bond order need revisiting, and a test is the cheapest way to find the gaps. PrepMatic's topic test is about 15 questions in 30 minutes, and the result applies NEET's negative marking. Topic tests come with the free Basic plan, and the practice hub lists other chapters.

← All practice tests