Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Full Name:

Index Number:

Instructions to Students:
1. Only Scientific Calculators are allowed during the contest.
2. The duration of this contest is 1 hour 30 minutes. You may not leave the contest venue
within the first hour of the paper.
3. This examination paper contains 25 questions and comprises of 12 printed pages.
4. Each question has only 4 to 5 possible answers: a, b, c, d and e. Shade your correct
option on the Answer Entry Sheet provided.
5. The total marks for this paper is 77 points:
a. Section A:
Question 1 to 10: +2 points for correct answer, 0 points for no answer and −1
point for wrong answer.
b. Section B:
Question 11 to 20: +3 points for correct answer, 0 points for no answer or
wrong answer.
Application Question
Question 21, 22 and 23: +3 points for correct answer, 0 points for wrong and no
answer.
Question 24 and 25: +4 points for correct answer, 0 points for wrong and no answer.
6. You are not allowed to bring the question paper and answer script out of the contest
venue.

Note:
1) Air resistance is present throughout the contest unless stated.
2) All temperatures are in Degrees Celsius.
3) Room Temperature is 25°C at 1 atmospheric pressure.
4) Gravitational Acceleration is taken to be 9.8 𝑚/𝑠 2
Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Rough Working
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Section A (Question 1 to 10: +2 points for correct answer, 0 point for no answer and −1 point
for wrong answer)

1. Substance A can be formed when Iron rust. Substance B can be formed when water
decomposes. Substance C can be formed when hydrochloric acid is diluted. Substance D
can be formed when carbon dioxide is bubbled through lime water. Which substance is an
element?

a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D

2. 4 stationary objects A, B, C and D, are placed on a frictionless floor below, which object
requires the least amount of force to move? (Air resistance is present.)

A B C D

a) Object A
b) Object B
c) Object C
d) Object D

3. Which of the following can still take place in the absence of friction?

a) Ice Skating
b) Ladder leaning against the wall
c) Bouncing a ball
d) Running

4. Which of the following correctly describes the particles of a liquid when it just reaches boiling
point?

a) The particles slide across one another.

b) The particles are far apart from each other.
c) The particles vibrate about their fixed positions.
d) The particles do not move at all.
1
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

5. Which of the following is not a suspension?

a) Sand in water
b) Orange Juice
c) Dust particles in the air
d) Oil in water

6. How should a farmer harvest salt from seawater directly from the sea?
I. Filtration
II. Evaporation
III. Distillation
IV. Crystallization

a) II
b) I → II
c) I → III → IV
d) I → II → III

7. Which of the following statements is true about species?

a) A species with a small population and high reproduction rate is not endangered.
b) A species with high population but low reproduction rate is endangered.
c) A species where most of the population are male is endangered.
d) A species with a small population and zero reproduction rate is extinct.

8. Which of the following statements about the tissues is true?

a) Tissues are made of various types of cells with the similar function.
b) Tissues are made of various types of cells with various functions.
c) Tissues are made of the similar type of cells with various functions.
d) Tissues are made of the similar type of cells with the similar function.

2
Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

9. 11g of substance X is formed when 11g of substance M reacts completely with 19g of
substance N. What is the amount of substance X when 19g of substance M reacts with 19g
of substance N?

a) 11g
b) 15g
c) 16g
d) 19g

10. The atomic mass and neutrons of Manganese(Mn) is 54.938 and 30. Which of the following
statements is true about the Manganese?

a) Mn is non-metal.
b) The atomic number and the number of electrons is 24.
c) The total number of protons and neutrons of Mn is equal to 54.
d) The total number of electrons, protons and neutrons is 80.

Section B (Question 11 to 20: +3 points for correct answer, 0 points for no answer or wrong
answer)

11. How many atoms are there in a pair of KMnO4 molecule?

a) 6
b) 7
c) 12
d) 14

3
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

12. Used textbooks that are donated to the needy is an example of _____________.

a) Reusing
b) Reducing
c) Recycling
d) Replenishing

13. The student added a spoonful of copper(II) sulfate crystals into a beaker of distilled water.
After 45 seconds, the water around the crystal should turn blue. However, there was no
visible changed to the distilled water. Which of the following provides the best possible
explanation for this observation?

a) There were too little copper(II) sulfate crystals.

b) The mixture was not stirred properly.
c) More time is required for the crystal and water to react.
d) The crystals were insoluble in water.

14. The rate of reaction can be increased by increasing the collision frequency of particles
between the reactants. A student is studying the rate the reaction between carbon dioxide
(CO2 ) and limewater (CA(OH)2 ). The student blew into a straw that is placed in limewater
and noticed that the limewater turned cloudy after some time. How can the student
significantly reduce the time taken for the limewater to become cloudy?

a) Increase the length of the straw Straw

b) Increase the diameter of the straw.
c) Increase the volume of limewater.
d) Increase the temperature of limewater.
Limewater

4
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

15. A student hypothesized that the volume of liquid in a container will increase with time as
the container is heated. He filled 2 cylinders with water and enclosed in an air tight container.
He heated one of the cylinders and measured the volume of the cylinder. He had notice
that the heated cylinder has increased in volume.

Which reason below best explains why the student hypothesis is wrong although the
volume of cylinder has increased?

a) The volume of container is not dependent on the volume of the liquid.

b) The volume of liquid is not dependent on the volume of the cylinder.
c) The liquid in the container have evaporated when it is heated.
d) Condensation takes place when the container is heated.

16. It is hypothesized that plants will not grow normally if the amount of CO2 in the air is too
low or too high. To test the hypothesis, scientists want to conduct an experiment using corn
as plants. What would be the independent and dependent variable of this experiment?

Independent Dependent
a) Concentration of CO2 in the Amount of CO2 in the corn
greenhouse. harvested.
b) Concentration of CO2 in the air. Corn’s adaptability to
greenhouse effect.
c) Nutrition in corn harvested Amount of CO2 inhaled by the
corn daily.
d) Concentration of CO2 in the Number of quality corn
greenhouse harvested

5
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

17. Which of the following statements is true about evaporation?

a) Only at high temperature, particles at the surface of the liquid become lighter and
leave the surface of the liquid.
b) Only at low temperature, particles at the surface of the liquid become lighter and
leave the surface of the liquid.
c) At 1°𝐶, particles gain sufficient energy and leave the surface of the liquid.
d) At room temperature, particles do not gain sufficient energy to leave the surface of
the liquid.

18. Cell division cannot occur if the nucleus of the cell is removed or destroyed.

2 E-coli bacteria were prepared in the morning of the first day of the experiment. Cell
division occurs twice a day. After each day, one E-coli bacterium had its nucleus
destroyed. After 3 days, how many E-coli bacteria that could still undergo cell division
are there?

a) 75
b) 107
c) 111
d) 128

19. Which reason best explains why sulfuric acid stored in glass containers instead of metal
containers?

a) Glass is a poor conductor of electricity while metal is a good conductor of electricity

b) Glass is a transparent material which allows us to see the content in the container.
c) Glass can easily be broken which makes us more cautious when handling it.
d) Metal container can corrode while glass container cannot when acid is poured into it.

6
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

20. If a ping pong ball is attached to a string on one end, while the other end
of the string is attached to the bottom of a container filled with water.
This container is hanging to the ceiling by another string. If both strings
are cut at the same time, what could we say about the speed of the ping
pong ball relative to the container?

a) The speed of the ping pong ball will remain constant.

b) The speed of the ping pong ball will increase as fast as the container.

c) The speed of the ping pong ball will increase faster than the falling container which
will reach the top of the water before the container reaches the ground.

d) The speed of the container will increase faster than the falling ping pong ball.

7
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Application Question (Question 21, 22 and 23: 3 points for correct answer, 0 points for
wrong or no answer. Question 24 and 25: 4 points for correct answer, 0 points for wrong or
no answer.)

Building a Submarine

You have been appointed Captain of the new Vanda – Class 3 Submarine, and the Navy have
assigned you to choose a submarine that is small, light and sturdy. The table below shows
the specification of 4 Submarines that the you can choose from.

Hardness Density of
Submarine Displacement (kg)
of Material Material
A 1.2 38 × 103 8 g/cm3
B 1.8 46 × 103 4.5 g/cm3
C 1.5 94 × 103 8 g/cm3
D 1.9 84 × 103 3.51 g/cm3

*The displacement measurements are the amount of liquid displaced by the submarine.

Conversion: 1 𝑔/𝑐𝑚3 = 1000 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3

21. If the density of sea water is approximately 1.020 g/cm3 , which Submarine will fulfil the
criteria given by the Navy?
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) D

8
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Navigating a Submarine

The Navy have decided to build a brand-new submarine. The new Vanda – Class 3 Submarine
has a displacement of 14 × 106 kg and the density of the material used by the submarine is
5 g/cm3 . The total volume of material used to build this submarine is 2600 m3 .

Buoyant Force

Thrust force
Drag Force

Weight

If all 4 forces in the direction of the arrow are equal, the submarine will stay stationary until a
net force acts on the submarine. For instance, if the thrust force is greater than the drag
force, the submarine will accelerate forward in the direction of the net force.

22. What could be said if the weight is greater than the Buoyant force, and the thrust force is
greater than the drag force?

a) The submarine will continue to accelerate forward parallel to the ground.

b) The submarine will continue to accelerate forward parallel to the direction of the net
force.
c) The submarine will continue to decelerate backwards parallel to the ground.
d) The submarine will continue to decelerate backwards parallel to the direction of the
net force.
e) None of the above

9
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

The submarine has ballast tanks that helps the submarine to control it’s buoyancy. When the
ballast tanks are filled with water, the submarine will begin to descend, and this process is
known as negative buoyancy.

Ballast Tanks

The formulas below maybe useful.

Formula of buoyant force:

𝐵 = [𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 (𝑘𝑔/𝑚3 )] × [𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 (𝑚3 )] × 9.81

Newton’s Second Law of motion: 𝑁𝑒𝑡 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 = 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 (𝑘𝑔) × 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

23. When it is completely submerged, calculate the minimum volume of seawater required to
be pumped into tanks so that it can start to sink to the bottom of the sea. (Correct to
nearest whole number)

a) 979 m3
b) 980 m3
c) 981 m3
d) 982 m3
e) None of the above

Submarine Spotted!

Now that you know how your submarine moves through the water, you set your course to
patrol the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly, your radar starts sounding off and alerting you of an
incoming torpedo!

10
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Vanda – Class 3 Submarine have been spotted by an enemy’s ship by sonar detection. The
enemy’s ship has fired a torpedo but have missed. However, it will be firing the next torpedo
in a few minutes. As the Captain, you need to quickly decide how much water to fill in your
ballast tank to outrun the torpedo and the range of the torpedo by sinking to the bottom of the
sea as fast as possible.

The distance (𝑑) of the torpedo can be determined by the following formula, where 𝑢 is the
initial velocity of the torpedo, 𝑎 is the acceleration of the torpedo and 𝑡 is time taken for the
torpedo to travel:
1
𝑑 =𝑢×𝑡+ × 𝑎 × 𝑡2
2
24. The torpedo decelerates at 15 m/s 2 when it enters the water and it’s initial velocity is 370
m/s. The torpedo has been fired from the surface of the ocean and it is targeted at your
stationary submarine 2 km directly below the enemy’s ship.
What is the minimum amount of water that must be filled in the ballast tanks so that it can
escape the torpedo? (Correct to 3 significant figures)

a) 9970 m3
b) 9980 m3
c) 9990 m3
d) 10 000 m3
e) None of the above

11
 Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Lights, Aim, Fire!

Thanks to your perfect calculation, the Vanda – Class 3 manages to survive the 2nd Torpedo
strike. However, you have not slip past the enemy’s radar. The enemy’s ship has fired
underwater flares to try and reveal your position. It fired the 3rd torpedo but it misses your
submarine. The enemy have targeted the shadow of your submarine. You and your crew
laughed as you set your course back to base.

25. Which of the following best explains why the enemy can see the shadow of the submarine?

a) The light particles are blocked by the object.

b) The light ray is reflected from the shadow and enters the enemy’s eyes.
c) The light ray that is blocked by the object bounces from the object and into the
enemy’s eyes
d) The light particles from the shadow do not enter the enemy’s eyes.
e) None of the above

12
Vanda 2018 Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Rough Working
VANDA Answer Key 2018
G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8
Q1 B C D D B B
Q2 C C B C A C
Q3 C C D A D C
Q4 B C D D A A
Q5 B D C C A D
Q6 B C D C C B
Q7 C D A C C A
Q8 A C D C B D
Q9 A B D C C A
Q10 A A C C D D
Q11 A C A C D C
Q12 A B D C B A
Q13 B D C A A D
Q14 D B D C D D
Q15 A A C C D B
Q16 D A C B B D
Q17 D C B D B C
Q18 C A D C C B
Q19 A B B A C D
Q20 C A C D D B
Q21 C B C D B C
Q22 C C C B B B
Q23 B D B B B C
Q24 B C C B B A
Q25 A B A D D B