Which statement about alkaline earth metals is true?

• A. Have two valence electrons
• B. Have one valence electron
• C. Unreactive
• D. Non-metallic

Answer: (C)

Alkaline earth metals have two electrons in their outermost shell, so they tend to lose those two electrons and form +2 ions. That two-valence-electron configuration drives their typical chemistry as reactive metals, not unreactive or non-metallic. So the statement that best describes them is that they have two valence electrons, which explains both their metallic character and their tendency to react.