Name: ____________________ Class: __________________

Sydney Boys High School

Year 9 Science Half-Yearly Exam

May 2023

Instructions:

• Write your name and class on all sections of this paper.

• Answer all questions
• Write using black or blue pen.
• Draw diagrams using pencil.
• Show all relevant working in questions involving calculations.
• Calculators may be used.
• You may remove the Multiple Choice Answer Sheet

Topics to be Examined:

 Ecosystems
 Inside the Atom

Time:
90 Minutes

Part A Multiple Choice:

Q1-20 Knowledge 20 marks
Q21-30 Process 10 marks
Part B Skills Questions 30 marks
Total 60 marks
Part A Multiple Choice: (30 marks)

Questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 refer to the coastal food web below.

1. Which one of the following choices lists two organisms which share both a predator/prey
relationship and a competitive relationship?

(A) Crab and carnivorous fish

(B) Herbivorous fish and sea eagle
(C) Carnivorous fish and herbivorous fish
(D) Zooplankton and herbivorous fish

2. Which species would be a producer in the ecosystem?

(A) Zooplankton
(B) Plant plankton
(C) Snail
(D) Sea eagle

3. The population pyramid to the right represents the

trophic levels in this ecosystem. In which trophic level
above does the sea eagle belong?

(A) A
(B) B
(C) C
(D) D

4. If a mollusc was introduced that fed exclusively on zooplankton, which other organism’s
population would be most directly affected?

(A) Carnivorous fish

(B) Crab
(C) Snail
(D) Sea eagle
 5. Which one of the following is the best description of the role of cellular respiration in
ecosystems?

Respiration is the process by which:

(A) the energy of the sun is trapped as chemical energy.

(B) sugars are used to produce oxygen.
(C) chemical energy is converted to a form which organisms can use.
(D) oxygen and carbon dioxide are combined to produce energy.

6. Which of the following shows biotic factors only?

(A) Predators, pH, moisture, light

(B) Temperature, competitors, wind, salt content
(C) Viscosity, predators, water availability, disease
(D) Predators, competitors, parasites, food

7. Which of the following describes a sustainable environment?

(A) Resources are produced or renewed more slowly than they are being used.
(B) Resources are produced or renewed at the same or greater rate than the rate at
which they are consumed.
(C) Resources are consumed faster than they are being produced or renewed.
(D) Resources are consumed at the same or higher rate than they are being produced or
renewed.

Nitrogen containing compounds are the major components of fertilizers which provide plants with
the appropriate nutrients needed for growth.

Use the information below to answer questions 8, 9 and 10.

8. Which plant shows the correct growth for this experiment?

9. What was the independent variable for this experiment?

(A) Plant growth

(B) Number of days
(C) Amount of water
(D) Amount of fertilizer

10. Which variable would need to be controlled for this experiment?

(A) Plant growth

(B) Number of days
(C) Amount of water
(D) Amount of fertilizer

11. On the periodic table, each element has a different Atomic Number.

What does the Atomic Number describe about the atom?

(A) Number of protons

(B) Number of neutrons
(C) Mass of the nucleus
(D) Mass of the electrons

12. Which of the following models best represents a fluorine-19 nucleus?

13. All matter has mass and is composed of atoms. Which of the following provides the correct
information about the mass of subatomic particles?

(A) Protons and electrons have significant mass but the mass of a neutron is
negligible.
(B) Protons and neutrons have significant mass but the mass of an electron is
negligible.
(C) The mass of protons, neutrons and electrons is the same.
(D) The mass of a proton and electron cancel each other out and hence the atom has
the same mass as its number of neutrons.

14. Some nuclei are naturally unstable and undergo radioactive decay, releasing particles and
energy. Which of the following is true?

(A) α particles are lighter than β particles.

(B) Both α and β particles carry a charge.
(C) α particles are high energy electrons.
(D) When β decay occurs the new element formed has a lower atomic number than the
original element.

15. The following table shows the radioactivity of Element X over time

Time Radioactivity
(min) (Bq)
0 150
5 118
10 92
15 75
20 63
25 52
30 38
35 35
40 26
45 19
50 17

What is the half-life of Element X?

(A) 5 minutes
(B) 10 minutes
(C) 15 minutes
(D) 75 minutes
16. Which nuclear reaction would produce beta radiation?

237 233
(A) Np → Pa + _____
93 91

22 22
(B) Ne → Na + _______
10 11

220 216
(C) Rn → Po + _______
86 84

127 127
(D) Te → Te + _______
52 52

17. Which of the following lists the correct symbols for the elements potassium, sulfur, sodium
and carbon respectively?

(A) K, S, So, C
(B) P, S, So, Ca
(C) P, Su, Na, C
(D) K, S, Na, C

18. What is the electron configuration of a calcium atom?

(A) 2, 8, 10
(B) 8, 8, 4
(C) 8, 10, 2
(D) 2, 8, 8, 2

19. How many valence electrons does an atom of bromine have?

(A) 9
(B) 10
(C) 8
(D) 7

20. Three isotopes are shown below:

14 14 14
C N O
6 7 8

What do these isotopes have in common?

(A) They have the same number of neutrons

(B) They are all radioisotopes
(C) They have the same mass number
(D) They have the same atomic number
Questions 21 and 22 refer to the image below which shows the distribution of different species of
kangaroos in Australia.

21. Which of the following correctly identifies the kangaroo with its ecosystem?

Kangaroo Ecosystem

(A) Grey kangaroo Woodland

(B) Red kangaroo Tall forest

(C) Red-necked wallaby Woodland

(D) Rat-kangaroo Scrub

22. Which kangaroo from this diagram has the smallest distribution?

(A) Red kangaroo

(B) Grey kangaroo
(C) Red-necked wallaby
(D) Red-legged pademelon
23. Naturally occurring bushfires often occur due to a combination of a build up of oils from
eucalypts, strong winds and heat wave conditions. To prevent excess build up of these oils,
foresters often deliberately burn parts of a forest. This is called prescribed burning.

The following graph shows the build up of oils in eucalyptus trees after a major fire:

According to the graph prescribed burning should take place:

(A) Anytime after 7 years after a fire

(B) Between 2 and 7 years after a fire
(C) Before 2 years after a fire
(D) Anytime before 7 years after a fire.

24. A remarkable characteristic of Barramundi fish is that they are all born male. The males
change sex and become female after reaching maturity.

There are two distinct populations of Barramundi in the Gulf of Carpentaria in Northern
Australia: northern Barramundi and southern Barramundi. This graph shows the percentage of
Barramundi that are male at different ages in each population.

At 5 years of age, what percentage of fish in the southern population have changed sex?

(A) 30%
(B) 40%
(C) 50%
(D) 60%
25. Humidity can be measured using the difference in temperature between a normal thermometer
or 'dry bulb' and a thermometer with a wet base or 'wet bulb'. The wet bulb is cooled by
evaporation which depends on the humidity.

The table below shows part of the conversion table for a wet and dry bulb thermometer to
work out humidity.

If the dry bulb thermometer reads 26°C and the wet bulb thermometer reads 19°C, what is the
relative humidity?

(A) 51%
(B) 44%
(C) 55%
(D) 60%

26. The sector graphs represent the composition of two different metal alloys

Which is a correct statement about the two alloys?

(A) The same materials are used in the manufacture of both alloys.
(B) The proportion of nickel in Alloy Y is about double that in Alloy X.
(C) Alloy Y contains a higher proportion of chromium than Alloy X does.
(D) Manganese, silicon and chromium are present in the same proportion in both
alloys.
27. Currently, the most accepted scientific theory about
the origin of the chemical elements states that the
elements hydrogen and helium were created shortly
after the Big Bang some 15 billion years ago. All
other elements were created, and are still being
created, in the high temperature and high pressure
conditions within stars. The graphic outlines this
process.

The thyroid gland, which is located in our neck,

helps regulate our body's metabolism. To do this the
thyroid gland produces hormones such as thyroxine.
Thyroxine is made up of iodine and an amino acid, a
compound of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and
nitrogen.

The elements in thyroxine were created

(A) in the thyroid gland.

(B) in cores of stars only.
(C) from the food eaten by a person.
(D) from the Big Bang, cores of stars and supernovas.

28. The graphs compare the density and melting points of elements A to H.

Metals are generally dense with high melting points. Which elements among A to H are likely
to be metals?

(A) Element A only.

(B) Element B only.
(C) Elements A and B only.
(D) Elements C, E, F, G and H only.
29. It is possible to make lasers that emit light of different wavelengths. This makes them suitable
for different applications. The wavelength produced by a laser depends on the elements used
in making the laser as well as the amount of each element used.

The graph gives the wavelength in nanometres (nm), the elements used and the uses of
various lasers. The length and colour of each bar is relative to the wavelength of the light
emitted.

Which element(s) is/are used in red DVD drives and laser pointers but not in Blu-ray disc
systems?

(A) nitrogen
(B) indium and gallium
(C) aluminium and phosphorus
(D) indium, gallium and nitrogen

30. The mass of atoms of different elements is given in atomic mass units (amu).

The masses of the atoms of some different elements are given below:

1 carbon atom = 12.000 amu

1 hydrogen atom = 1.008 amu
1 oxygen atom = 16.000 amu

Which statement is supported by the given information?

(A) Equal volumes of hydrogen and oxygen must have the same mass.
(B) One gram of carbon dioxide (CO2) must be heavier than one gram of water (H2O).
(C) There must be more carbon atoms in one gram of carbon than there are hydrogen
atoms in one gram of hydrogen.
(D) It must take more hydrogen atoms to make one gram of hydrogen than it takes
oxygen atoms to make one gram of oxygen.
Name: ____________________ Class: __________________

Part B Skills (30 marks)

Question 31 (6 marks)

When compounds containing metal ions are heated in a Bunsen burner flame, the colour of the flame
may change depending on the metal in the compound. The table below shows the typical flame
colours produced from some metals.

Metal Lithium Sodium Potassium Copper Calcium Barium Strontium

Flame Red-
Crimson Orange Lilac Green Yellow Scarlet
colour Orange

a) Identify whether flame tests are qualitative or quantitative tests. (1 mark)

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b) Explain what occurs in an atom during a flame test to produce coloured flames. Include a
diagram in your response. (3 marks)

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c) A student suggested that the results obtained from flame tests were not due to the metal
present, but due to the non-metals in the compounds. Describe how you could test this
hypothesis. (2 marks)

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Question 32 (6 marks)

The atomic model has been refined over many years due to advancements in technology that allowed
physicists to do experiments that their predecessors could not.

In the early 1900s Ernest Rutherford and his research assistants conducted the famous Gold Foil
Experiment in an attempt to confirm the model of the atom that was accepted at the time. The results
of these experiments not only refuted the previous model but also allowed Rutherford to propose a
new model of the atom.

Rutherford’
s

a) Identify the model of the atom that Rutherford was testing. (1 mark)

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b) Identify the main observation from Rutherford’s gold foil experiment and explain how these
were used to update the model of the atom. (3 marks)

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 c) Before there was any understanding of the atom, alchemists tried to turn metals such as iron
and lead into gold. Today this is theoretically possible. Identify what subatomic particles
would have to change in an atom of lead-210 to turn it into an atom of gold-197. (2 marks)

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Question 33 (3 marks)

The nuclear equation below, involving uranium-238, is incomplete, using letters including a-e and X,
Y and Z to represent particles (atoms or sub-atomic particles) or numbers to balance the equation.

Complete the table below to identify the correct particle or number represented by each letter.
(3 marks)

a b c d e X Y Z
Question 34 (9 marks)

A group of ecologists undertook a study on two mammals in an ecosystem: Species X and Species Y.
Through their research the ecologists determined that these two organisms interacted through a
predator-prey relationship.

After conducting capture-recapture studies over several weeks, the ecologists estimated the
populations of each species and recorded their data in the table below. Due to a filing error, the
results for Week 9 were lost.

Time (weeks) Number of Species X Number of Species Y

1 90 200
2 110 730
3 420 980
4 570 760
5 490 230
6 300 190
7 120 340
8 90 590
9
10 360 820
11 90 210
12 90 360

a) On the grid below, the population of Species Y has been plotted for you. On the same set of
axes plot the population of Species X. Include curves of best fit for both Species X and
Species Y. (3 marks)
b) Using your graph estimate the population of Species X and Species Y at Week 9 and fill in the
blank cells of the data table. (1 mark)
 c) Identify whether Species X is the predator or prey. Justify your choice with reference to the
data collected by the ecologists. (3 marks)

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d) When using the capture-recapture technique, the total population can be estimated using the
formula:

N1× N 2
total population=
M2

Where N 1 = total number of animals captured and marked initially

N 2= total number of animals collected in the recapture
M 2= number of marked animals collected in the recapture

Suppose that the ecologists initially captured and marked 25 organisms from Species X and
upon recapture in Week 9 found 5 organisms that were marked. Calculate the total number of
organisms in Species X recaptured in Week 9. For total population use the value you
estimated in part b). Show all working. (2 marks)

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Question 35 (6 marks)

The diagram below shows where carbon is found and the way it moves around. Human activities can
also affect the way carbon moves around.

Describe what the diagram tells us about how carbon moves around and Explain the consequences of
human activities on the carbon cycle. (6 marks)

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End of Exam