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Precious Metals Trivia Quiz

We all love shiny stuff! Gold, platinum, silver, and palladium are classed as precious metals. How much do you know about this small collection of very valuable elements?

A multiple-choice quiz by drbabe. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
drbabe

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
331,311

Updated
Oct 27 24

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
4636

Last 3 plays: NewBestFriend (5/10), Guest 202 (9/10), Guest 1 (4/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of the following are precious metals traded for the first time in January 2010 on the New York Stock Exchange? Hint

gold and silver

platinum and palladium

gold and copper

silver and copper

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Question 2 of 10

2. When was the launch of the first exchanged traded fund (ETF) on the New York Stock Exchange for the platinum metals group (PGM) melted together? Hint

January 1, 1910

June 13, 1973

March 16, 1951

October 23, 2010

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Question 3 of 10

3. These two metals were familiar to the ancients and their chemical symbols Au and Ag are derived from their Latin names aurum and argentum. What are the common names for these elements? Hint

palladium and platinum

gold and platinum

gold and silver

gold and palladium

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which platinum group metal is the least dense? Hint

gold

palladium

silver

iridium

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Question 5 of 10

5. What is NOT an application for platinum? Hint

dentistry

jewelry

bicycle frames

catalytic converters

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Question 6 of 10

6. How much gold is produced yearly in the United States in the early 2000's? Hint

3 tons

500,000 tons

About 250 metric tons

200,000 tons

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Question 7 of 10

7. What poisonous substance is used to dissolve gold and silver from the surrounding ore? Hint

arsenic

sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide

strychnine

ricin

8. Gold and silver are noble metals, meaning that they do not combine readily with other elements. One exception is combining with this element to create a class of compounds, which is also the name of a Western U.S. town. What is the element? Hint

iron

germanium

copper

tellurium

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Question 9 of 10

9. What is not an application for the metal palladium? Hint

autocatalysts

computer hard drives

fuel cells

coinage

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Question 10 of 10

10. Tombstone, the town too tough to die, is located in Southern, Arizona. The town's founder Edward Schieffeln, was told that all he would find there was his tombstone. What precious metal made Tombstone a boom town? Hint

gold

palladium

platinum

silver

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of the following are precious metals traded for the first time in January 2010 on the New York Stock Exchange?

Answer: platinum and palladium

The platinum metals group contains six metals including platinum and palladium. These same elements are known as precious metals.

2. When was the launch of the first exchanged traded fund (ETF) on the New York Stock Exchange for the platinum metals group (PGM) melted together?

Answer: October 23, 2010

With the current recession, the value of all precious metals has risen. An article in Investors.com reported that the ETF for the combined metals "flew off the shelf" on Friday October 23, 2010.

3. These two metals were familiar to the ancients and their chemical symbols Au and Ag are derived from their Latin names aurum and argentum. What are the common names for these elements?

Answer: gold and silver

Gold and silver have been valued by many civilizations, although others seem to have not been impressed with the shiny stuff. In the Inca Empire, gold was known as the excrement of the gods.

4. Which platinum group metal is the least dense?

Answer: palladium

The six platinum group metals are palladium, iridium, osmium, rhodium, and ruthenium and palladium is the least dense of them. An interesting tidbit is that osmium is the densest known element on the periodic table. Silver and gold are not platinum group metals.

5. What is NOT an application for platinum?

Answer: bicycle frames

Platinum is about twice as valuable as gold. The Spaniards first became familiar with platinum in Colombia and considered it an "impurity" in gold.

6. How much gold is produced yearly in the United States in the early 2000's?

Answer: About 250 metric tons

Most gold production in the United States is done in Nevada. The gold is dissolved from the ore using cyanide and then is recovered by carbon-in-pulp, electrowinning processes, and smelting to dore. The dore is sent to another facility for final separation into silver and gold.

7. What poisonous substance is used to dissolve gold and silver from the surrounding ore?

Answer: sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide

The cyanide complexes with the gold and silver, which then are soluble in water. Later on the metals are recovered by precipitation with zinc (The Merrill-Crowe Process)or by carbon-in-pulp (CIP). Further processing steps finally produce pure silver and gold.

Answer: tellurium

Tellurium combines with gold, silver and almost anything else to produce tellurides. Telluride is a lovely little town in the Rockies and once was a busy mining community.

9. What is not an application for the metal palladium?

Answer: computer hard drives

No palladium coins have been minted in the United States. The Isle of Man issued a palladium coin commemorating the U.S. bicentennial with a likeness of Elizabeth II on one side and 11 U.S. presidents encircling the Statue of Liberty on the other.

Answer: silver

Tombstone has a colorful history. It was in the 1880's one of the largest towns west of the Mississippi and many famous performers appeared onstage at the Birdcage Theater. Of course, everyone knows about the gunfight at the OK Corral. Although this confrontation actually occured at the Fly Photo Studio, Gunfight at the Photo Studio just doesn't sound as nifty.

In addition to the Earps and Doc Holiday, Tombstone was the residence of such notables as Big Nose Kate and Lester Moore who is buried at Boot Hill.

His epitaph was "Here Lies Lester Moore Four Slugs From a 44 No Les No More"!

Source: Author drbabe

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
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