True or False: The metallic character of elements increases as you move from left to right across a period in the Periodic Table, due to the increasing effective nuclear charge.

False. As you go from left to right across a period, the effective nuclear charge rises, which pulls electrons tighter and makes atoms hold onto them more strongly. Because metals lose electrons easily, a stronger pull makes it harder for an element to behave like a metal, so metallic character actually drops. For example, sodium (Na) on the left is a good metal, while chlorine (Cl) on the right is a nonmetal. Thus the statement is incorrect.