Which statement applies to electronegativity?

A) Electronegativity increases across a period.

B) All atoms with the same number of electron shells have equal

electronegativities.

C) Electronegativity is the amount of energy required to remove an electron from

a gaseous atom.

D) Electronegativity increases down a group.

Answer: Option (A) is the correct answer.

Explanation:

Electronegativity is the ability of an atom to attract electrons towards itself.

When we move across a period in the periodic table then there occurs an increase in the electronegativity of the elements because of decrease in their atomic size.

This is because electrons add to the same sub-shell and due to electrostatic force of attraction from the nucleus they get pulled closer towards the nucleus leading to shrinkage in size.

And, smaller is the size of an atom more readily it will attract an electron.

Therefore, we can conclude that electronegativity increases across a period.