SAMPLE ENTRANCE

EXAMINATION PAPER

For pupils currently in Year 9

SCIENCE
(BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS)

Time: 1 hour

You should spend no more than 20 minutes on each section.

Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

S0112  SCI
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 Science Department

14+ Entrance Examination Requirements

Candidates may be required to plot graphs and measure lengths and angles, so should bring a
pen, pencil, ruler, rubber and protractor to the exam.

Biology
Cells
Plant and Animal Reproduction
Ecology
Variation and Classification
The 5 Kingdoms
Food Groups
Diffusion, Osmosis and Active Transport
Photosynthesis

Chemistry
Acids and Alkalis: acids and alkalis, indicators, pH, everyday applications
Physical Separations and Changes: filtering, evaporation, distillation, fractional
distillation, chromatography, states of matter, changes of state, effect of impurities,
diffusion
Chemical changes and corrosion: thermal decomposition, burning and oxidation,
rusting, precipitates and effervescence
Elements, Compounds and Mixtures: atoms and symbols for elements,
compounds/mixtures, interpretation of formulae, pigments and colloids
Metals: extraction, properties of metals and non-metals, alloys and superconductors,
reactions with oxygen, water and acids, competitions and displacement
Atomic Structure: nuclear particles, electron configuration, isotopes, structure of the
Periodic Table
Acids, Bases and Salts: properties and uses of acids, strong and weak acids, making
soluble salts

Physics
Light and sound, including reflection and refraction
Satellites and the Solar System
Forces
Speed
Electrostatics
Electric circuits
Electromagnets
Energy changes

Turn-over

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 BIOLOGY

B1. A one year old carp fish has a mass of 30g on average. A lake was stocked with a
hundred of these young fish.

a] What was the total mass of this population when first put in the lake?
Show your working.

________________________________________________________________ [2]

b] If a carp increases in mass by 50% each year, what was the total mass of the
100 fish after one year (assuming they all survived)? Show your working.

________________________________________________________________ [2]

c] At the end of the first year 60% of the carp were caught by fishermen. What was
the total mass of carp remaining in the lake? Show your working.

________________________________________________________________ [2]

The fish are part of a food chain. The energy movement along the food chain is shown
in the table below.

sunlight
2 920 000 units of energy

small plants (phytoplankton)

contain 29 200 units of energy

invertebrate predators
contain 7600 units

small fish
contain 2000 units

large fish
contain 200 units

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B1. cont.

d] On the graph below, draw a suitable graph to show the energy content of each of
the plant and animal energy levels shown in the food chain. [4]

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B1. cont.

e] What percentage of the sunlight energy is captured by the small plants

(phytoplankton)? Show your working.

______________________________________________________________ [2]

f] How much energy is lost between the small fish and large fish? Show your
working.

______________________________________________________________ [2]

g] What has happened to this energy?

______________________________________________________________ [2]

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B2. a] In an experiment a pupil collected a gas jar full of normal atmospheric air
and another of air breathed out from the lungs (expired air). A lighted candle
was placed in each jar and the time until the candle went out was recorded.
The results are shown in the table below.

A Candle in normal air B Candle in expired air

9 seconds 3 seconds

[i] Why did the candle go out in both jars?

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________ [1]

[ii] What information does this experiment give us about the difference in
composition of the samples?

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________ [1]

[iii] State two other differences between normal air and expired air.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ [2]

[iv] Explain how the results of this experiment would be different if the
subject had just run a long race.

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________ [2]

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B2. cont.

[v] Suggest an explanation for this difference.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ [3]

[vi] Suggest two ways in which the original experiment could be improved
to give more accurate results.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ [2]

b] If breathing stops brain cells soon begin to die because of lack of oxygen.

[i] What process are the brain cells unable to do if they do not have
enough oxygen?

_________________________________________________________ [2]

[ii] Use the results in the table above to explain how a person who has stopped
breathing can sometimes be saved by a second person breathing expired
air into the lungs.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ [3]

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 CHEMISTRY

C1.

(4)

C2.

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C3.

Turn-over

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 (1)
(1)

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C4. (a) Complete the table of information about the three types of particle found in an
atom.

(2)

(b) An atom of chlorine can be represented by the symbol

(i) How many protons are there in this atom of chlorine?

………………………………………………………………………….. (1)

(ii) How many neutrons are in this atom of chlorine?

…………………………………………………………………………… (1)

(c) There are two types of boron atoms. Some contain 5 protons and 5 neutrons
while others contain 6 neutrons.

(i) How many protons do the second type of boron atoms contain?

……………………………………………………………………………. (1)

(ii) What name is given to atoms of the same element with different
numbers of neutrons?

……………………………………………………………………………. (1)

Turn-over

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C5. Dilute sulphuric acid reacts with solid zinc carbonate to form water,
carbon dioxide gas and a zinc compound.

(a) Write a word equation for this reaction.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………….. (1)

(b) Describe a test to show that the gas is carbon dioxide.

Test ………………………………………………………………………………

Result. ……………………………….………………………………………….. (2)

(c) Some of the carbon dioxide gas is bubbled through pure water.

The solution formed is slightly acidic.

(i) Put a cross in the box next to the most likely pH value of
the solution.

(1)

(ii) A sample of the solution is tested with universal indicator paper.

State the final colour of the indicator.

…………………………………………………………………………….. (1)

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C6. When Sarah added some iron powder to some copper sulphate solution, she
Noticed that

A pinky-brown deposit of copper was formed

The blue solution turned pale green

The solution became warm

She realised that a displacement reaction had occurred.

(a) (i) Complete the word equation.

iron + copper sulphate → ……………………….. + …………………… (1)

(ii) What does this reaction tell you about the positions of iron and copper
in the reactivity series?

……………………………………………………………………….……… (1)

(iii) Why did the solution turn from blue to pale green?

………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………….. (1)

Sarah then decided to investigate the temperature changes which occur when
various metals are added to solutions of compounds of other metals. She used
the apparatus shown below.

Turn-over

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She added some powdered metal, X, to a solution of Y. The solution Y is a compound
of another metal. She stirred the mixture and then measured the temperature rise of
the solution.

The experiments were all carried out as fair tests.

She put her results in a table.

(b) (i) Suggest why the largest temperature rise occurred in the reaction
between magnesium and copper sulphate.

……………………………………………………………………………… (1)

(ii) Why was there no temperature change when copper was added to
zinc sulphate?

………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………… (1)

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 PHYSICS

P1. James’s coin has rolled under a cupboard. It is dark under the cupboard, and
he cannot see the coin even though the light is on.

a] Explain why a shadow forms under the cupboard.

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________ [1]

b] James uses a mirror to shine light from the light bulb onto the coin.
He holds the mirror so that it touches the floor at point X.

(i) The symbol for a mirror is

Copy the symbol onto the diagram at point X to show the correct angle
for the mirror. [1]

(ii) On the diagram, draw the ray of light from the bulb to the coin.
Draw an arrow on the ray to show which way the light is travelling.
Use a ruler. [2]

(iii) Use the correct word to complete the sentence.

At the mirror, the light is ______________________________ [1]

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P2. The graph shows how the velocity of a sprinter changed during a race.

Velocity in m/s

[a] What was the sprinter's maximum velocity?

__________________________________________________________ [1]

[b] Describe the motion of the sprinter during the first two seconds.

_________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________ [1]

[c] Why does the graph rise again near the end of the race?

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ [1]

[d] At what part of the race did the sprinter have the most acceleration?

_________________________________________________________ [1]

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P3. David lives in Britain. He sees that the Sun seems to move across the sky.

a] Where does the Sun rise in the morning?

in the north in the south

in the west in the east

[1]

b] [i] At what time of day is the Sun highest in the sky?

_______________________________________________________ [1]

[ii] In which direction will David see the Sun when it is highest in the sky?

towards the north towards the south

towards the west towards the east

[1]

c] Where does the Sun set in the evening?

Tick the correct box.

in the north in the south

in the west in the east

[1]

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P3. cont.

d] Explain why the Sun seems to move across the sky.

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ [1]

e] Light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes to get to the Earth.

How long does light from other stars take to get to the Earth?
Tick the correct box.

more than 8 minutes

8 minutes

less than 8 minutes

zero minutes

f] The speed of sound in air is 340 m/s.

The speed of light in air is 3 x 108 m/s (300 000 000 m/s).

In a thunderstorm, a lightning flash and a thunderclap are made at the same time.
Why do you see the lightning flash before you hear the thunderclap?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________ [1]

You see the flash 5 seconds before you hear the thunderclap.
How far away is the thunderstorm?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________ [2]

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P4. a] The diagram shows a circuit with a cell, three switches labelled A, B and C
and three lamps labelled 1, 2 and 3.

[i] Which lamp or lamps will light up when switch A is closed and switches B
and C are open?

__________________________________________________________ [1]

[ii] State whether each switch is OPEN or CLOSED when all of the lamps are on.

A _________________________

B _________________________

C _________________________ [3]

b] Emily wishes to set up a circuit to measure the current flowing in a resistor.

These are the components that she uses:

Draw a diagram, in the space below, of the circuit she should set up. [2]

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P5. When a car is being driven along, two horizontal forces affect its motion.
One is air resistance and the other is the forward force.

a] [i] Compare the sizes of the forward force and the air resistance when the
car is speeding up.

The forward force is ________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ [1]

[ii] Compare the size of the two forces while the car is moving at a steady
30 miles per hour.

The forward force is ________________________________________

_________________________________________________________ [1]

b] The forward forces has to be larger when the car is travelling at a steady 60 mph
than when it is travelling at a steady 30 mph. Why is this?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________ [1]

c] The forward force is the result of the tyres not being able to spin on the road
surface.
What is the name of the force that stops the tyres spinning?

___________________________ [1]

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P6. a] A torch battery is an energy resource. How is the energy stored in a
torch battery?
Tick the correct box.

as chemical energy

as kinetic energy

as potential energy

as thermal energy

[1]

b] When the torch is switched on, energy is transferred from the battery
to the bulb.
How is the energy transferred from the battery to the bulb?
Tick the correct box.

by electricity

by light

by sound

by thermal transfer

[1]

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c] Energy is transferred from the torch bulb to the surroundings.

Choose from the following terms to complete the sentences.

electricity light sound thermal transfer

[i] Energy is transferred from the torch to the surroundings in a

useful way by _____________________________. [1]

[ii] Some energy is wasted. The wasted energy is transferred from the

bulb to the surroundings by ____________________________. [1]

d] The torch is lifted up and put on a high shelf.

Energy is transferred to the torch as it is lifted up. The energy is stored in the
torch while it stays on the shelf.
What energy has the torch gained?

___________________________________________________ [1]

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