📚 CBSE Grade-10 Study Guide Open in the Study Guide single page app →
HomeScience

Science — CBSE Class 10 board question

Q1. [1]
The main observations while performing the experiment of burning magnesium ribbon in air are : (i) Magnesium ribbon burns with a dazzling white flame. (ii) A white powder is formed. (iii) Magnesium ribbon vapourises. (iv) Aqueous solution of the white powder turns blue litmus to red.
  1. A (i) and (iv)
  2. B (ii) and (iii)
  3. C (i) and (ii)
  4. D (iii) and (iv)
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2025 31/5/1 Q1
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-14 10:29 · grounding rag
Model Answer

C — (i) and (ii)

When magnesium ribbon is burnt in air, it burns with a dazzling white flame and forms a white powder (magnesium oxide). Magnesium does not vapourise, and MgO dissolved in water gives a basic solution (turns red litmus blue, not blue litmus red).

Explanation

Observation (i) is directly stated in Activity 1.1: "magnesium ribbon burns with a dazzling white flame." Observation (ii) is also confirmed: "changes into a white powder" (MgO). Option (iii) is wrong — magnesium burns, it does not simply vapourise. Option (iv) is wrong — MgO is a basic oxide; its aqueous solution turns red litmus blue, not blue litmus red. Examiners expect students to eliminate incorrect observations using their knowledge of the nature of MgO.

If a question refers to an image, map, graph or diagram that is not shown here, open the Study Guide single page app, go to Library and find the actual CBSE question paper. The original papers are also available on the CBSE website: cbse.gov.in.
Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.