Prepare for the Natural Science CLEP Exam with comprehensive quizzes and multiple choice questions. Each question includes hints and explanations to help you succeed. Ace your exam!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.


Which of these is an example of a chemical change?

  1. Melting of an ice cube

  2. Burning of a piece of wood

  3. Boiling of water

  4. Freezing of water

The correct answer is: Burning of a piece of wood

This is because heating wood leads to a reaction known as combustion, which changes the chemical composition of the wood and releases energy in the form of light and heat. The other options are examples of physical changes, where the substance remains the same, but its state or form changes. Melting and freezing of water involve a change in state from solid to liquid or vice versa, while boiling is a phase change from liquid to gas. These changes can be reversed by changing the temperature or pressure, whereas a chemical change cannot be easily undone.