Answer
C and Si have similar chemical properties.
Work Step by Step
a. Carbon has 6 electrons.
Consider the subshells in the order of increasing energy.
An s subshell holds 2 electrons, p subshells hold 6 electrons, and d subshells hold 10 electrons.
This is the ground-state electron configuration for carbon.
$$1s^2 2s^2 2p^2$$
b. Si is below C in the periodic table, with Z=14.
$$1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^2$$
