Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Full Name:

School: 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 13 printed pages.
4. Each question has only 4 possible answers: a, b, c and d. 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) You may assume that there is no air resistance 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 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Rough Working
Vanda 2019, 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. Mineral salts such as nitrates are needed for plant growth. The nitrate
concentration in the root hair cell of a plant is usually higher than the surrounding
soil. Energy is supplied by the cell to move nitrates against a concentration
gradient into the root hair cell. What process is this called?

A. Diffusion
B. Osmosis
C. Reverse osmosis
D. Active transport

2. Ben Johnson, a Canadian sprinter, broke the world record in the 1988 Summer
Olympics. However, he was stripped off his gold medals when he was tested
positive for steroids. Some athletes use anabolic steroids to improve their
performance. How do anabolic steroids affect an athlete’s performance in the
competition?

i) He performed better because the red blood cells grew in size and could
carry more oxygen, which improved his stamina.
ii) He performed better because there were now more red blood cells to carry
oxygen more efficiently.
iii) He performed better because his muscles were able to produce more
energy which allows him to perform better in the competition.
iv) He performed better because the cells in the body are stimulated to work
harder to perform better.

A. Option (i) and (ii)

B. Option (iv)
C. Option (ii) and (iii)
D. Option (i), (ii) and (iv)
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

3. The photo shown below shows one unique case of a pair of fraternal twins in the
UK who was born to a biracial couple. The twins were not born with mixed skin
tones. Lucy on the right had fairer skin and brown hair like her Caucasian father,
while Maria on the left had darker skin and black hair like her Jamaican mother.
Which of the following statements about fraternal twins is true?

A. Two separate eggs were fertilized.

B. One sperm fused with two different eggs simultaneously.
C. Two different sperms fused with one egg before splitting.
D. Fraternal twins of the same sex inherit the exact same genetic material.

4. Most mobile phones today use touch screen technology. The current industry
standard for touch screens use capacitive screens. Capacitive screens work when
touched by anything that holds an electrical charge. The screen was touched with
and without gloves on. Which of the following statements cannot be inferred
from the information given above?

A. The screen works when touched without gloves because the human skin holds
an electrical charge.
B. The screen works when touched without gloves because the circuit is complete
when a finger touches the screen.
C. The screen does not work when touched with some gloves because some
gloves are poor conductors of electricity.
D. The screen works with the finger but not winter gloves. The circuit is
complete with the finger but the circuit is not complete with the winter gloves.

5. Scientists recently discovered a new element called Tarxien. It has the same mass
number as isotope 3717 Cl and has the same proton number as isotope 146C. Which
of the following statements about Traxine is false?

A. Traxine has 6 electrons.

B. Traxine has 31 neutrons.
C. Traxine has 14 protons.
D. Traxine has a total of 37 neutrons and electrons.
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Qn 6-10: In line with MOE syllabus but questions are inference base – Eg From
a table or graph or diagram and questions in this section increase in level of
difficulty.

6. John was given 3 pie charts representing three types of breakfast foods. The pie
charts below show the various composition of carbohydrates, lipids and protein in
each of these 3 breakfast foods.

Which of the following below best identifies the three types of breakfast food?

Food A Food B Food C

A. Bread Instant noodles Butter
B. Margarine Chicken breast Avocado
C. Instant noodles Fried egg Butter
D. Fried egg Bread Avocado

7. The MagLev train in Shanghai is one of the fastest train in the world. MagLev
stands for Magnetic Levitation. The train levitates and moves like a train with
wheels, however it has no wheels. Using the information and diagrams given,
which statement is not true about MagLev trains?

A. The train levitates there is repulsion between the train and the track.
B. It is likely that the poles facing each other of the train and track, are like
poles.
C. The train is made of a non-magnetic material.
D. The magnets used are natural magnets which are extremely strong.
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

8. The diagram below shows the electroplating of a necklace. The purpose of

electroplating is to coat the necklace with a layer of metal to ensure its durability.
The necklace is half submerged in the solution.

Which of the following statements is false?

A. Metal X is can be the element, Gold.

B. Metal X will become smaller.
C. The whole necklace will be electroplated.
D. Electrons are flowing towards the necklace.

9. A solid sample called V was taken from the ocean floor. Advanced technology
causes a chemical reaction in V and could hence break down V into four different
substances (W, X, Y and Z). The properties of all five substances are shown in the
table below.

Substance Conducts State

electricity?
V No Solid
W Yes Solid
X No Liquid
Y Yes Liquid
Z No Gas

What inferences can be made from the properties shown above?

A. W is malleable but not ductile.

B. V is a mixture.
C. V has electrical conductivity depending on the medium it is placed in.
D. The particles in V are held together by strong intermolecular forces.
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

10. Determine the temperature of the water in Beaker C, given that a mercury-in-glass
thermometer was placed in an ice bath and above boiling water in Beakers A and
B respectively.

A. 7.0 oC
B. 42.9 oC
C. 46.7 oC
D. 50.0 oC
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

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

Qn 11-15: Questions that are out of syllabus but students can infer the answer
from information given by using their problem-solving skills.

11. A mole (mol) is a unit of measurement used in chemical reactions. 1 mol of

Substance A reacted with 3 mol of Substance B to produce 1 mol of Substance C.
Given that the molecular mass of Substance C is 7 g mol-1, what is the mass of
Substance C produced when 2 mol of Substance A and 8 mol of Substance B
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 (𝑔)
react? (Note: mol = )
𝑀𝑟 (𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑙−1 )

A. 2g
B. 8g
C. 14 g
D. 56 g

12. In-vitro fertilisation was used to help Mary and Alex have a baby. Mary’s mature
egg and Alex’s sperm were placed together in a laboratory test tube before being
transferred to and implanted in the surrogate mother when the mature egg has
been fertilised by the sperm. Which of the following is true?

A. Mary’s mature egg was fertilised by Alex’s sperm in the surrogate mother’s
uterus.
B. The child will definitely be genetically related to the surrogate mother.
C. The surrogate mother will miss her menstruation cycle for that month after the
implantation.
D. The fertilised egg is implanted in the surrogate mother’s fallopian tubes.
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

13. A bubble sustains its shape as the internal pressure of the bubble is equal to the
external pressure acting upon it. Upon uneven pressure, the shape of the bubbles
would change. From the picture below, gas was found escaping from the mud in
the form of bubbles. It has been observed that the bubbles increase in size as they
approach the surface of the lake. Explain this phenomenon while knowing that

 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 =
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑏𝑏𝑙𝑒

 Forces acting upon a substance is directly proportionate to the mass acting

upon a substance

A. There is lower total pressure acting on the bubbles as compared to the

bubbles’ internal pressure as it rises up towards the surface.
B. There is lower atmospheric pressure on the bubbles as compared to the
bubbles’ internal pressure as it rises up towards the surface.
C. The temperature is higher at the surface of the water.
D. The temperature is lower at the surface of the water.

14. The diagram below shows the four main forces acting on a helicopter.

The helicopter is increasing in altitude while moving forward. Which of the following
is true about the four forces acting on the helicopter?

A. Weight = Lift; Drag = Thrust

B. Weight < Lift; Drag = Thrust
C. Weight = Lift; Drag < Thrust
D. Weight < Lift; Drag < Thrust
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

15. A student was asked to investigate and determine the functional groups for four
organic compounds (P, Q, R and S). The four organic compounds consisted of an
alkane, alkene, alcohol and carboxylic acid. The student was given some hints:

I. Alkene is more reactive than alkane.

II. Alcohol changes the colour of oxidising agents.
III. Carboxylic acid is a weak acid.

The student reacted the four organic compounds with different reagents and the
results are shown in the table below.

Organic Reaction with oxidising Reaction with sodium Reaction with

compound agent acidified KMnO4 carbonate aqueous bromine
P Purple to colourless

Q Remains purple No reaction Reddish-brown to

colourless
R Remains purple Effervescence of a
colourless odourless gas
S Remains purple No reaction Remains reddish-
brown

Which of the following options correctly identifies the four organic compounds?

P Q R S
A. Alcohol Alkane Alkene Carboxylic acid
B. Alcohol Alkene Carboxylic acid Alkane
C. Alcohol Alkane Carboxylic acid Alkene
D. Carboxylic acid Alcohol Alkene Alkane
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Questions in this section are experiment based. Questions may be in and out of
syllabus.
Each question has 4 numbered options. Response is based on the following table:

A B C D
I is correct only II and III correct II and IV correct I,II,III,IV are
only only correct

16. Enzymes W and X were added to egg white protein in four different test tubes.
They were maintained at different pH conditions and the results are shown in the
table below.

Enzyme pH Result
W 2 Remains cloudy
X 2 Colourless solution
W 8 Colourless solution
X 8 Remains cloudy

Below are the four conclusions that have been drawn from the results.

I. Enzyme X is found in the stomach.

II. Enzyme W is found in the small intestine.
III. Enzyme W is secreted by the pancreas.
IV. Enzyme X cannot be found in the mouth.

Which of the following conclusions is/are correct?

A B C D
I is correct only II and III correct II and IV correct I,II,III,IV are
only only correct
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

17. A student did an experiment to identify Solutions A, B and C. He made the

following observations below.

1. Zinc dissolved in Solution A and there was effervescence of a colourless

odourless gas.
2. Solution B turned red litmus blue.
3. Solution C did not react with both hydrochloric acid and sodium
hydroxide.

The student identified the three solutions and he made the following predictions.

I. Solutions A and B will react to form salt and water.

II. Solution B will react with sodium hydroxide to form salt and water.
III. Solution C will decrease the pH of Solution A.
IV. Solution A will react with sodium carbonate to produce the same colourless
odourless gas in Observation I.

Which of the following predictions above is/are correct?

A B C D
I is correct only II and III correct II and IV correct I,II,III,IV are
only only correct
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

18. With the increase in obesity, there has been a high demand for diet pills. Kelly
wanted to investigate the effectiveness of a diet pill, Carbobyebye, that claims to
inhibit an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates. Kelly has a sweet tooth and
loves anything sweet. She decided to take the pills for a month along with the diet
as shown in the diagram below.

However, only a small percentage of carbohydrates was blocked and Kelly had
minimal weight loss results. She made the following inferences and conclusions
about Carbobyebye.

I. The carbohydrate enzyme that was inhibited was amylase.

II. The inhibition of the carbohydrate enzyme blocked the breakdown of
simple sugars.
III. The inhibition of the carbohydrate enzyme was effective for her rice
intake.
IV. The inhibition of the carbohydrate enzyme blocked the breakdown of the
simple sugars found on the dessert plate.

Which of the following inferences and conclusions above is/are correct?

A B C D
I is correct only II and III correct II and IV correct I,II,III,IV are
only only correct
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

19. Timothy was given three different liquids (P, Q and R) and two different objects
(X and Y). He separated them into beaker 1, 2 and 3. He was asked to do an
experiment so he could make inferences about the density of the three liquids and
two objects. He drew his observations in the diagram below.

He made the following four inferences from his observations.

I. Liquid R is not required to quantify the density difference of Liquid P and

Q
II. Liquid P is less dense than Liquid Q.
III. Liquid R is more dense than Liquid Q.
IV. Object X and Y have the same density when in Liquid P.

Which of the following inferences above is/are correct?

A B C D
I is correct only II and III correct II and IV correct I,II,III,IV are
only only correct
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

20. John conducted an experiment to investigate the factors that affect the rate of
reaction. He used the five set-ups as shown in the table below.

Set-up Reagents Condition

A 3.0 g of sodium carbonate in powdered form Reaction conducted in
an ice bath.
Hydrochloric acid with a concentration of 2.0 M.

B 3.0 g of one sodium carbonate lump Reaction conducted in

an ice bath.
Hydrochloric acid with a concentration of 2.0 M.

C 3.0 g of sodium carbonate in powdered form Reaction conducted at

room temperature
Hydrochloric acid with a concentration of 1.0 M.

D 3.0 g of sodium carbonate in powdered form Reaction conducted at

room temperature
Hydrochloric acid with a concentration of 2.0 M.

E 1.5 g of one sodium carbonate lump Reaction conducted in

an ice bath.
Hydrochloric acid with a concentration of 1.0 M.

John wrote down the following predictions for his experiment.

I. The rate of reaction in Set-up B will be faster than Set-up A.

II. Set-up E will have the slowest rate of reaction.
III. The rate of reaction in Set-up B will be faster than Set-up D.
IV. Set-up C to D, Set-Up A to B and Set-up A to D could be used to identify
the different effects in a reaction by changing of concentration of reactant,
reactant size and reaction temperature.

Which of the following predictions above is/are correct?

A B C D
I is correct only II and III correct II and IV correct I,II,III,IV are
only only correct
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Section C

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.
Questions in this section are Application Based Questions.

21. A green organism named Mesodinium chamaeleon feeds on green plants

and keeps the chlorophyll granules active in its stomach so that it can
convert sunlight to chemical energy. What conclusions about this
organism can be drawn?

A. This creature could not be classified as an animal or a plant.

B. This creature only gets its energy from photosynthesis.
C. This creature does not get energy from digesting the plant.
D. This creature is classified as an animal because it consumes plants.

22. Coronary heart disease is a condition where cholesterol accumulates in

the artery walls, creating plaque. As the plaque increases in size, the
insides of the coronary arteries get narrower and less blood can flow
through them. Eventually, blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced.
When blood flow is completely blocked, it could lead to a heart attack. If
the blocked vessel is not reopened in time, the part of the heart normally
nourished by that artery begins to die. Why does that happen?

A. The plaque is pressing onto the heart muscles, there is too much
pressure on the heart muscles.
B. The heart muscles will not be able to receive oxygen and carry out
respiration.
C. The heart muscles does not receive digested food and stops beating.
D. Waste products cannot be carried away from the heart.
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

23. Preparing microwavable meals includes both a “cooking time” and a

“standing time”. “Cooking time” is the time needed for the meal to be
reheated in the oven. “Standing time” is the time needed to leave the
cooked food alone before consumption. How does heat transmit during
the “cooking time” and “standing time”?

A. The meal is initially cooked via radiation during the “cooking time”.
and cooked via conduction and convection during the “standing
time”. Heat is transmitted from the hotter to the cooler parts of the
food and water moisture within the package forms a convection
current.
B. The meal is cooked via radiation during the “cooking time” and
cooked via conduction during the “standing time” where heat is
transmitted from the microwaves to the food.
C. The meal is cooked via convection during the “cooking time” and
cooked via radiation during the “standing time” where heat is
transmitted from the microwaves to the food.
D. The meal is only cooked via radiation during both the “cooking
time” and “standing time”.

Analysis of components in coffee – Questions 24 and 25

24. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is similar to

traditional paper chromatography. It is used for quantification. The Rf
value and number of spots present in paper chromatography, is identical
to the time at which a peak appears and the number of peaks in the
HPLC chromatogram respectively. Components of coffee were analysed
using the HPLC. Which of the following statements is correct?

A. The time at which a peak appears, represents the number of components in the
coffee.
B. The time at which a peak appears, quantifies each component in the coffee.
C. Number of peaks could be used to identify the type of components in the
coffee.
D. Each peak represents a different component present in the coffee.
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

25. The HPLC chromatogram of a sample is shown in Figure 1 below. The

standard results of caffeine, chlorogenic acid, methyl cafestol and toxic
ochratoxin A are shown in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively.

What conclusions can be deduced by the sample?

A. The sample contains chlorogenic acid and methyl cafestol.

B. This sample is not safe for consumption.
C. This sample contains one unknown component.
D. This sample contains caffeine, chlorogenic acid, methyl cafestol and
ochratoxin A.
Vanda 2019, Secondary 2 / Grade 8

Rough Working