JEE Main · Chemistry · Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers
Organic Acidity and Basicity: JEE Main previous year questions
21 questions in the 108 JEE Main shifts Lumi analysed, in 7 of 8 years. Pattern: Asked most years. 10 came in 2024–26. Here is how it is asked and which ideas come back.
- Questions
- 21
- in 20 of 108 shifts
- Years asked
- 7/8
- last asked 2026
- Weighted estimate
- 0.2
- model; history: 0.2 a shift on average, typically 0.0–0.3
Key findings
- 01
Asked in 7 of 8 years with analysed shifts and in 20 of 108 shifts: 21 questions, #140 of 196 topics.
- 02
52% of its questions since 2020 tested an idea no earlier year had asked; 3 repeated an idea from the year before.
- 03
The most repeated idea is Carboxylic Acid Acidity, asked 5 times in 5 shifts (2020, 2021, 2024, 2026), most often as “order/ranking of acidity of organic compounds”.
- 04
JEE Main has asked 11 of the 45 ideas in this topic; 29 have never been asked, directly or inside another question.
- 05
Mostly asked as diagram based (43%); 0% need a numerical answer, 24% are easy and 0% hard.
- 06
The skill tested most is conceptual (62%), then application (24%).
Questions a shift, year by year
Out of the 25 Chemistry questions in a shift. Years differ in how many shifts Lumi analysed, so each year is scaled to one shift.
Raw count: 2017: 0 in 1 shift · 2020: 4 in 12 shifts · 2021: 5 in 24 shifts · 2022: 1 in 24 shifts · 2023: 1 in 12 shifts · 2024: 5 in 18 shifts · 2025: 3 in 8 shifts · 2026: 2 in 9 shifts.
- Up to 2023
- 0.1
- a shift, of 25
- Since 2024
- 0.3
- 0.2
- Usual gap
- 1.0 yrs
- between years asking it
- Shifts with it
- 20/108
- 19% of analysed shifts
How it is asked
Difficulty, format and skill
Across all 21 questions on Organic Acidity and Basicity since 2017.
Difficulty
QUESTIONS- Easy5 · 24%
- Medium16 · 76%
- Hard0 · 0%
Format
SHARE- Diagram based · 9 Q43%
- Single correct · 7 Q33%
- Other · 3 Q14%
- Match the list · 1 Q5%
- Assertion–reason · 1 Q5%
Skill tested
SHARE- Conceptual · 13 Q62%
- Application · 5 Q24%
- Recall · 1 Q5%
- Multi-step · 1 Q5%
- Diagram reading · 1 Q5%
Repeats
New idea, or one asked before?
Each column is a year. Blue questions tested an idea no earlier year had asked; navy ones went back to an idea from an earlier year. 2017 is the first year, so everything in it counts as new. Heights are question counts, and Lumi analysed 1 to 24 shifts a year, so compare the split inside a column rather than heights across years.
- Idea asked for the first time
- Idea asked in an earlier year
Coverage of the topic
JEE Main has asked 11 of the 45 ideas in this topic. 29 have never been asked yet.
- Asked directly11 · 24%
- Touched inside another question5 · 11%
- Never asked29 · 64%
Ideas come from Lumi’s JEE syllabus map. A never-asked idea is not a safe skip: across all of JEE Main, 22% of questions since 2024 tested an idea no earlier year had asked.
Drill down
Chapter, idea, question
Every idea JEE Main tested in this topic, with its eight years. Open one to read the questions.
5 ideas inside
Squares are the 8 years with analysed shifts, 2017 to 2026. A number is the questions that year when there is more than one; the shade is scaled to one shift, so a year with more analysed shifts (1 to 24 a year) does not look darker. Share is of the level above.
Ideas
Every idea inside this topic
11 different ideas were tested; 6 came more than once.
order/ranking of acidity of organic compounds
Diagram based · 5 shiftsodd-one-out among acidic compounds
Diagram based · 3 shiftsidentify compound with most acidic hydrogen
Diagram based · 2 shiftsorder/ranking of acidity of hydroxy compounds
Other · 2 shiftsorder/ranking of acidity of marked proton
Diagram based · 2 shiftsidentify compounds showing intermolecular h-bonding
Diagram based · 2 shiftscount compounds by acid-base solubility
Diagram based · 1 shiftorder/ranking of acidity of mixed acids
Diagram based · 1 shiftassertion-reason on acidity of phenol vs alcohol
Assertion–reason · 1 shiftstrongest acid among hydrocarbons
Diagram based · 1 shiftcompounds liberating co2 with sodium bicarbonate
Single correct · 1 shift
| Idea | Years asked | Times | Shifts | Format | Numerical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carboxylic Acid Acidityorder/ranking of acidity of organic compounds | 5 | 5 | Diagram basedConceptual | – | |
| Sodium Bicarbonate Effervescence Testodd-one-out among acidic compounds | 3 | 3 | Diagram basedApplication | – | |
| Acidity of Active Methylene Compoundsidentify compound with most acidic hydrogen | 2 | 2 | Diagram basedConceptual | – | |
| Phenol Acidityorder/ranking of acidity of hydroxy compounds | 2 | 2 | OtherConceptual | – | |
| Acidity of Alpha-Hydrogens in Carbonylsorder/ranking of acidity of marked proton | 2 | 2 | Diagram basedConceptual | – | |
| Intramolecular H-Bonding in Phenolsidentify compounds showing intermolecular h-bonding | 2 | 2 | Diagram basedConceptual | – | |
| Reactivity with Na, NaOH, and NaHCO3count compounds by acid-base solubility | 1 | 1 | Diagram basedApplication | – | |
| Acidity of Terminal Alkynesorder/ranking of acidity of mixed acids | 1 | 1 | Diagram basedConceptual | – | |
| pKa and pKb Analysisassertion-reason on acidity of phenol vs alcohol | 1 | 1 | Assertion–reasonConceptual | – | |
| Aromaticity-Driven Carbon Aciditystrongest acid among hydrocarbons | 1 | 1 | Diagram basedConceptual | – | |
| Exceptional Acidity of Picric Acidcompounds liberating co2 with sodium bicarbonate | 1 | 1 | Single correctApplication | – |
Times and shifts count every analysed shift. Across JEE Main, 78% of questions since 2024 went back to an idea an earlier year had asked; the rest were new. All repeated ideas
Every question
Organic Acidity and Basicity questions, year by year
The opening words of each question as it appeared in the official paper, with the idea it tested. Open one for its options and the official answer.
JEE Main 20262 questions in 2 shifts
- 4 Apr, Shift 1Q66Amongst the following, the total number of compounds soluble in aqueous NaOH at room temperature is:
Idea: Reactivity with Na, NaOH, and NaHCO3
New ideaMediumDiagram based · figure - 4 Apr, Shift 2Q66The descending order of acidity among the following compounds is: A. phenol B. 4-nitrophenol ( para to OH on the benzene…
Idea: Carboxylic Acid Acidity
MediumOther · figure
JEE Main 20253 questions in 3 shifts
- 3 Apr, Shift 1Q67The least acidic compound, among the following is: (A) [structure: 3-ethoxyphenol, EtO and OH meta on a benzene ring] (B) [structure:…
Idea: Acidity of Terminal Alkynes
New ideaMediumDiagram based · figure - 7 Apr, Shift 1Q68Which of the following compounds is least likely to give effervescence of in presence of aq. ?
Idea: Sodium Bicarbonate Effervescence Test
EasyDiagram based · figure - 8 Apr, Shift 2Q61Match the LIST-I with LIST-II LIST-I (Reagent) | LIST-II (Functional Group detected) A. Sodium bicarbonate solution | I. double bond/…
Idea: Sodium Bicarbonate Effervescence Test
MediumMatch the list
JEE Main 20245 questions in 4 shifts
- 4 Apr, Shift 1Q63What will be the decreasing order of basic strength of the following conjugate bases ? ,…
Idea: Carboxylic Acid Acidity
EasySingle correct - 8 Apr, Shift 2Q76The correct sequence of acidic strength of the following aliphatic acids in their decreasing order is : ,…
Idea: Carboxylic Acid Acidity
EasySingle correct - 27 Jan, Shift 1Q72Which of the following has highly acidic hydrogen ?
Idea: Acidity of Active Methylene Compounds
EasyDiagram based · figure - 27 Jan, Shift 1Q75The ascending order of acidity of OH group in the following compounds is : (A) BuOH (B) [p-nitrophenol: at para…
Idea: Phenol Acidity
Asked the year beforeMediumSingle correct · figure - 31 Jan, Shift 1Q77Given below are two statements: One is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R: Assertion A: value…
Idea: pKa and pKb Analysis
New ideaEasyAssertion–reason
JEE Main 20231 question in 1 shift
- 10 Apr, Shift 2Q76The correct order for acidity of the following hydroxyl compound is : A. B. C. phenol…
Idea: Phenol Acidity
New ideaMediumOther · figure
JEE Main 20221 question in 1 shift
- 28 Jul, Shift 1Q74Among the following marked proton of which compound shows lowest value ?
Idea: Acidity of Alpha-Hydrogens in Carbonyls
MediumSingle correct · figure
JEE Main 20215 questions in 5 shifts
- 27 Aug, Shift 2Q46The compound/s which will show significant intermolecular H-bonding is/are : [three structures drawn: (a) a benzene ring with…
Idea: Intramolecular H-Bonding in Phenols
Asked the year beforeMediumDiagram based · figure - 25 Feb, Shift 1Q47Compound(s) which will liberate carbon dioxide with sodium bicarbonate solution is/are : A = [structure] B = [structure] C = [structure]
Idea: Exceptional Acidity of Picric Acid
New ideaMediumSingle correct · figure - 25 Feb, Shift 2Q45The correct order of acid character of the following compounds is : [figure: four benzene-ring compounds labelled I, II, III, IV]
Idea: Carboxylic Acid Acidity
Asked the year beforeMediumDiagram based · figure - 25 Jul, Shift 1Q50Which one of the following compounds will liberate , when treated with ?
Idea: Sodium Bicarbonate Effervescence Test
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 25 Jul, Shift 2Q42Which among the following is the strongest acid ?
Idea: Aromaticity-Driven Carbon Acidity
New ideaMediumDiagram based · figure
JEE Main 20204 questions in 4 shifts
- 2 Sep, Shift 2Q39Arrange the following labelled hydrogens in decreasing order of acidity :
Idea: Carboxylic Acid Acidity
New ideaMediumDiagram based · figure - 3 Sep, Shift 1Q39Which one of the following compounds possesses the most acidic hydrogen ?
Idea: Acidity of Active Methylene Compounds
New ideaMediumSingle correct · figure - 3 Sep, Shift 2Q28Consider the following molecules and statements related to them : (A) [figure] (B) [figure] (a) (B) is more likely to be crystalline than…
Idea: Intramolecular H-Bonding in Phenols
New ideaMediumOther · figure - 5 Sep, Shift 1Q30The increasing order of the acidity of the -hydrogen of the following compounds is :
Idea: Acidity of Alpha-Hydrogens in Carbonyls
New ideaMediumDiagram based · figure
Questions from the official JEE Main Paper 1 shifts published by NTA (CBSE for 2017). Questions NTA dropped are left out. Topic and idea tags, counts and notes are Lumi’s.