Following table depicts colour changes in acids and bases when various…
2024
Following table depicts colour changes in acids and bases when various indicators are added:
Indicator Colour change in acids Colour change in bases
Turmeric No change A
China rose Dark Pink B
Phenolphthalein C Pink
Methyl orange D Pink
A, B, C, D respectively are:
- A.
reddish brown, green, colourless, orange
- B.
yellow, green, orange, colourless
- C.
reddish brown, pink, orange, colourless
- D.
yellow, orange, pink, colourless
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
An acid-base indicator shows one characteristic colour when dipped in an acidic solution and a distinctly different characteristic colour when dipped in a basic solution; each indicator has its own fixed pair of colours, so identifying an unknown entry means recalling that indicator's acid-response and its base-response as two separate, independent facts.
Turmeric stays unchanged (its own natural yellow) in an acid, and turns reddish-brown when the medium is a base, so A = reddish brown.
China rose (hibiscus/gudhal extract) turns dark pink in an acid (as already given), and turns green when the medium is a base, so B = green.
Phenolphthalein is colourless in an acid, and turns pink when the medium is a base (as already given), so C = colourless.
Methyl orange turns orange when the medium is an acid, so D = orange.
Reading the four results together — reddish brown, green, colourless, orange — matches exactly one of the offered combinations, confirming both the individual indicator facts and their combined ordering are consistent with a single option.
Methyl orange's colour in a strongly acidic medium is sometimes described more precisely as pinkish-red rather than orange, but orange is the official exam key's intended acid-column reading here, and it remains the best fit among the offered choices - colourless, the only alternative offered for this slot, does not correspond to any documented state of methyl orange in either medium.