Students' Definition of Rate of Reaction

 

In one of the question in the recent examination, one question asked about the meaning of the rate of reaction. I compiled the answers from one of my class. The following are their answers:  

1. Change amount of reactant or product against time
2. Change in the amount of reactants against product formed
3. Change of selective quantity of product or reactant against time
4. How fast the reaction occur at particular time
5. How fast reaction takes place in a reaction
6. Measurement of the amount of change of reactant or products against time taken
7. Rate of formation of product over time
8. Rate of substance to react with solution
9. Speed of a chemical reaction
10. Speed of reaction of a substance in one second
11. Amount of reactant that has been used up or the product that is formed in a unit of time
12. The amount of product produced in a reaction to time
13. The amount of products formed in a reaction per time
14. The amount of reactant over a time
15. The amount of reactant used up or the amount of product obtained per unit time
16. The measurement of the change in amount of reactant or product against time
17. The rate of change of reactant or product over time
18. The rate of time that a substance is able to react completely with another substance
19. The time taken for a reactant to react completely
20. The time taken for the reaction occur
21. Time for reactant to react to produce product
22. Time or the speed of reaction to take place
23. Time taken for the amount of reactant react to produce an amount of product
24. Time taken for the reactant to be reacted
25. Time taken needed for the volume to undergo chemical changes

 

NONE of them gave the same answers. Each of them has different understanding of the definition of Rate of Reaction.  But most of them have misunderstood the term! Only answer 3 give an accurate definition.  What a pity! Perhaps some of them did try to memorize during revision, but memorizing without understanding is not effective at all.

Let's have a look, what can I do to clarify this when I enter their class later.