how do you draw the skeletal structure for (z)-pent-2-ene.

Answer 1

Analyse the name piece by piece.
Pentene = a 5-carbon hydrocarbon with a single double bond.
Pent-2-ene has a double bond in the second carbon atom.
(Z) at the beginning means that the two CH3 groups are on the same side of the double bond (Zusammen) means "together" in German.
So (Z)-Pent-2-ene
has a shape like
CH₃                CH₃
   \&nbsp                     /
   CH == CH -- CH₂