Element 2: Helium (He) / āĻŽā§ŒāϞ ⧍: āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ (He) – Used in balloons, cryogenics, MRI cooling.


Basic Information / āĻŽā§ŒāϞāĻŋāĻ• āϤāĻĨā§āϝ



  • Name: Helium / āύāĻžāĻŽ: āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ

  • Symbol: He / āϚāĻŋāĻšā§āύ: He

  • Atomic Number: 2 / āĻĒāĻžā§°āĻŽāĻžāĻŖā§ąāĻŋāĻ• āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž: ⧍

  • Nature: Noble Gas / āĻĒā§ā§°āĻ•ā§ƒāϤāĻŋ: āύāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧ āϗ⧇āĻ›


Helium belongs to Group 18 (Noble gases). : āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ **Group 18 (āύāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧ āϗ⧇āĻ›)**āϤ āĻĒ⧰⧇āĨ¤


Structure of Atom / āĻĒā§°āĻŽāĻžāϪ⧁⧰ āĻ—āĻ āύ



  • Protons: 2 / āĻĒā§ā§°ā§‹āϟāύ: ⧍

  • Electrons: 2 / āχāϞ⧇āĻ•ā§āĻŸā§ā§°āύ: ⧍

  • Neutrons: 2 (usually) / āύāĻŋāωāĻŸā§ā§°āύ: ⧍ (āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖāϤ⧇)


It has a complete outer shell, so it is stable. : āχāϝāĻŧāĻžā§° āĻŦāĻžāĻšā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āĻ–ā§‹āϞ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§‚ā§°ā§āĻŖ, āϏ⧇āϝāĻŧ⧇ āχ āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋā§°āĨ¤


Properties / āϗ⧁āĻŖāϏāĻŽā§‚āĻš



  • Colorless gas / ā§°āĻ‚ āύāĻžāĻĨāĻ•āĻž āϗ⧇āĻ›

  • Very light element / āĻŦāĻšā§āϤ āĻĒā§‹āĻšā§° āĻŽā§ŒāϞ

  • Does not react easily / āϏāĻšāĻœā§‡ āĻŦāĻŋāĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āύāϕ⧰⧇

  • Inert (Noble gas) / āύāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧ āϗ⧇āĻ›


Uses / āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§°



  • Filling balloons / āĻŦ⧇āϞ⧁āύ āĻ­ā§°āĻžāϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧ

  • Cooling machines (liquid helium) / āĻ āĻžāĻŖā§āĻĄāĻž āϕ⧰āĻžā§° āϝāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤ā§ā§°āϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧ

  • Scientific research / āĻŦ⧈āĻœā§āĻžāĻžāύāĻŋāĻ• āĻ—ā§ąā§‡āώāĻŖāĻžāϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧ


Importance / āϗ⧁⧰⧁āĻ¤ā§āĻŦ



  • Safe gas for balloons / āĻŦ⧇āϞ⧁āύ⧰ āĻŦāĻžāĻŦ⧇ āύāĻŋā§°āĻžāĻĒāĻĻ āϗ⧇āĻ›

  • Used in cooling systems / āĻ āĻžāĻŖā§āĻĄāĻž āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧ

  • Important for research / āĻ—ā§ąā§‡āώāĻŖāĻžā§° āĻŦāĻžāĻŦ⧇ āϗ⧁⧰⧁āĻ¤ā§āĻŦāĻĒā§‚ā§°ā§āĻŖ


Why Helium is Special ? / āĻ•āĻŋāϝāĻŧ āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻŦāĻŋāĻļ⧇āώ ?


It is a noble gas, so it does not react. : āχ āĻāϟāĻž āύāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧ āϗ⧇āĻ›, āϏ⧇āϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻŦāĻŋāĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āύāϕ⧰⧇āĨ¤


Fact  / āϤāĻĨā§āϝ : Helium makes your voice sound funny. : āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽā§‡ āφāĻĒā§‹āύāĻžā§° āĻŽāĻžāϤāĻŸā§‹ āĻŽāϜāĻžā§° āĻĻ⧰⧇ āĻļ⧁āύāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤


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Helium (He) – PYQ MCQs


Q1. Helium belongs to which group of the periodic table ? : āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻ†ā§ąā§°ā§āϤ āϏāĻžā§°āϪ⧀⧰ āϕ⧋āύāĻŸā§‹ āĻ—ā§‹āϟāϤ āĻĒ⧰⧇ ?
(a) Group 1 (b) Group 2 (c) Group 17 (d) Group 18


Ans: (d) Group 18
Explanation: Helium is a noble gas placed in Group 18. : āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻāϟāĻž āύāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧ āϗ⧇āĻ›, āϏ⧇āϝāĻŧ⧇ āχ āĻ—ā§‹āϟ ā§§ā§ŽāϤ āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇āĨ¤


Q2. Atomic number of helium is: āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽā§° āĻĒāĻžā§°āĻŽāĻžāĻŖā§ąāĻŋāĻ• āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž āĻ•āĻŋ?
(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4


Ans: (b) 2
Explanation: Atomic number = number of protons = 2. : āĻĒāĻžā§°āĻŽāĻžāĻŖā§ąāĻŋāĻ• āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž = āĻĒā§ā§°ā§‹āϟāύ⧰ āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž = ⧍āĨ¤


Q3. Helium is classified as: āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽāĻ• āϕ⧇āύ⧇āĻ•ā§ˆ āĻļā§ā§°ā§‡āĻŖā§€āĻŦāĻĻā§āϧ āϕ⧰āĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧ ?
(a) Metal (b) Non-metal (c) Noble gas (d) Metalloid


Ans: (c) Noble gas
Explanation: Helium is chemically inert and belongs to noble gases. : āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ ā§°āĻžāϏāĻžāϝāĻŧāύāĻŋāĻ•āĻ­āĻžā§ąā§‡ āύāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧ, āϏ⧇āϝāĻŧ⧇ noble gasāĨ¤


Q4. Number of electrons in helium atom is: : āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻĒā§°āĻŽāĻžāϪ⧁āϤ āĻ•āĻŋāĻŽāĻžāύ āχāϞ⧇āĻ•ā§āĻŸā§ā§°āύ āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇ ?
(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4


Ans: (b) 2
Explanation: Helium has 2 electrons equal to its atomic number. : āχāϝāĻŧāĻžāϤ ⧍āϟāĻž āχāϞ⧇āĻ•ā§āĻŸā§ā§°āύ āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇āĨ¤


Q5. Helium is mainly used for: āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻŽā§āĻ–ā§āϝāϤ āĻ•āĻŋāĻšā§° āĻŦāĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧ ? 
(a) Cooking (b) Balloons (c) Washing (d) Fuel


Ans: (b) Balloons
Explanation: Helium is lighter than air, so it is used to fill balloons. : āχ āĻŦāĻžāϝāĻŧ⧁āϤāĻ•ā§ˆ āĻĒā§‹āĻšā§°, āϏ⧇āϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻŦ⧇āϞ⧁āύ āĻ­ā§°āĻžāϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤


Q6. Helium does not react easily because: āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āϏāĻšāĻœā§‡ āĻŦāĻŋāĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āύāϕ⧰⧇ āĻ•āĻžā§°āĻŖ -
(a) It is heavy (b) It is reactive (c) It has complete shell (d) It is solid


Ans: (c) It has complete shell
Explanation: Helium has a full outer shell, making it stable. : āχāϝāĻŧāĻžā§° āĻŦāĻžāĻšā§āϝāĻŋāĻ• āĻ–ā§‹āϞ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§‚ā§°ā§āĻŖ, āϏ⧇āϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻŦāĻŋāĻ•ā§ā§°āĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āύāϕ⧰⧇āĨ¤


Q7. Helium is: āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻšā§ˆāϛ⧇ - 
(a) Colored gas (b) Solid (c) Colorless gas (d) Liquid metal


Ans: (c) Colorless gas
Explanation: Helium has no color and exists as a gas. : āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ ā§°āĻ‚ āύāĻžāĻĨāĻ•āĻž āϗ⧇āĻ›āĨ¤


Q8. How many protons are present in helium ? : āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽāϤ āĻ•āĻŋāĻŽāĻžāύ āĻĒā§ā§°ā§‹āϟāύ āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇ ?
(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4


Ans: (b) 2
Explanation: Protons = atomic number = 2. : āĻĒā§ā§°ā§‹āϟāύ = āĻĒāĻžā§°āĻŽāĻžāĻŖā§ąāĻŋāĻ• āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž = ⧍āĨ¤


Q9. Helium is used in cooling because: āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻ āĻžāĻŖā§āĻĄāĻž āϕ⧰āĻŋāĻŦāϞ⧈ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āϕ⧰āĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧ āĻ•āĻžā§°āĻŖ -
(a) It is hot (b) It has low temperature (c) It is reactive (d) It is heavy


Ans: (b) It has low temperature
Explanation: Liquid helium has extremely low temperature, useful for cooling. : āϤāϰāϞ āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻŦāĻšā§āϤ āĻ āĻžāĻŖā§āĻĄāĻž, āϏ⧇āϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻ āĻžāĻŖā§āĻĄāĻž āϕ⧰āĻŋāĻŦāϞ⧈ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤


Q10. Helium is lighter than: āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻ•āĻŋāĻšāϤāĻ•ā§ˆ āĻĒā§‹āĻšā§° ?
(a) Air (b) Water (c) Iron (d) Stone


Ans: (a) Air


Explanation: Helium is less dense than air, so it rises up. : āĻšā§‡āϞāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻŽ āĻŦāĻžāϝāĻŧ⧁āϤāĻ•ā§ˆ āĻ•āĻŽ āϘāύāĻ¤ā§āĻŦā§°, āϏ⧇āϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻ“āĻĒā§°āϞ⧈ āωāϠ⧇āĨ¤