The statement 'The first energy level holds 2 electrons and the second holds 8 electrons' is true.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only for hydrogen
• D. Only for neutral atoms

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how many electrons each atomic energy level can hold. The first energy level can hold up to 2 electrons because it contains only the s subshell, which fits 2. The second energy level can hold up to 8 electrons because it has an s subshell (2) plus a p subshell (6), totaling 8. This matches the general rule that the maximum number of electrons in a shell is 2n^2, so n=1 gives 2 and n=2 gives 8. The statement describes these maximum capacities, not how many electrons a specific atom actually has. For example, hydrogen doesn’t fill the second shell because it has only one electron, but the capacity of the first and second shells remains 2 and 8, respectively.