Practice questions 1

Q1.
Ann shines a ray of white light at a glass prism.

(a) Tick one box in each row to show if each sentence is true or false.

true false

The light refracts as it enters the prism.

The light refracts as it travels through the prism.

The light disperses as it leaves the prism.

The light forms a spectrum of colours on the screen.

2 marks

(b) Ann places two mirrors at 90° and shines a ray of light at mirror 1.

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 (i) On the diagram above continue the ray of light to show how it is reflected by
both mirrors. Use a ruler.
2 marks

(ii) On the diagram above label the incident ray (i) and the reflected ray (r) for
the light striking mirror 2.
1 mark

(c) Ann shines the torch at a red book.

Explain why the object looks red in white light.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
2 marks

(d) In a dark room, Ann puts different coloured filters in front of the torch.
She records the colour the book appears.

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Complete the table below to show the colour that the book would appear.
Tick one box in each row. The first one has been done for you.

What colour does the red book appear?

colour of filter
red green black

no filter

red filter

green filter
1 marks
maximum 8 marks

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Q2.
An actor is on a stage in a theatre. A spotlight is shining on him.

(a) A ray of light travels from the spotlight to the actor.

(i) Which line shows the ray? Give the correct letter.

…………
1 mark

(ii) How long does the light take to travel from the spotlight to the actor?

Tick the correct box.

about a hundred millionth of a second

about a tenth of a second

about a second

about ten seconds

1 mark

(b) The actor’s voice sounds different to the people in the front and back rows of
the audience.

(i) How does the actor’s voice sound different to a person in the back row?

……………………………………….……………………………………….

……………………………………….……………………………………….

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 1 mark

(ii) Complete the sentence with longer, shorter or exactly the same.

When the actor is at the back of the stage, the time his voice

takes to reach the audience is .…………………………… .

1 mark
Maximum 4 marks

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Q3.
(a) When light travels from air to glass, it changes direction.
What is the name of this effect?

........................................................
1 mark

(b) The diagram below shows three rays of light A, B and C striking a glass block.

The paths of A and B have been drawn.

Continue ray C to show its path through the block and out the other side.
Use a ruler.
2 marks

(c) The diagram below shows three rays of light, D, E and F, from a torch placed under
water.

The path of ray E is shown as it leaves the water and enters the air.

Continue the paths of D and F as they pass through the air.

Use a ruler.

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 2 marks
maximum 5 marks

Q4.
(a) The diagram below shows a ray of red light entering a glass block.

(i) Most of the light goes into the glass block, but some does not.
What happens to the light which does not go into the glass block?

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) As the light goes into the glass block, it changes direction.
What is the name of this effect?

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

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Q5.
The dotar is a musical instrument with two strings.

(a) Aftal plays the dotar very quietly.

What must he do to the strings to make a louder sound?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Aftal makes the strings tighter so they vibrate more quickly.

How does this affect the sound produced by the strings?

Tick the correct box.

The sound has a lower pitch.

The sound is louder.

The sound has a higher pitch.

The sound is quieter.

1 mark

(c) One of the strings is thicker than the other, so it vibrates more slowly.

In what way is the sound made by the thicker string different from the sound
made by the thinner string?

.........................................................................................................................
1 mark

(d) Aftal played the dotar near a microphone connected to an oscilloscope.

The diagrams below show the patterns made by four sounds.

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(i) How does the sound shown in trace A differ from the sound in trace B?

...............................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) How does the sound shown in trace A differ from the sound in trace C?

...............................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................
1 mark
maximum 5 marks

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Q6.
(a) Shuli is listening to a sound that produces the pattern below.

Describe how the sound that Shuli hears changes between X and Y.

...............................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) The table below shows the maximum time a person can listen to music at
different sound levels without damage to the ear.

sound level (decibels) maximum time (hours)

86 8

88 4

90 2

92 1

94 0.5

Estimate the maximum time a person could listen to a sound of 87 decibels.

............ hours
1 mark

(c) The diagram below shows part of the human ear.

What happens to the ear drum as a sound gets louder?

........................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................
1 mark
maximum 5 marks

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Q7.
A rocket was fired above a seaside town to call out the lifeboat crew.
The rocket exploded, giving out light and sound at the same time.

(a) Lisa was outside the town. She saw the flash of the rocket exploding and heard the
bang.

(i) Which sentence is true?

Tick the correct box.

She heard the bang first.

She saw the flash first.

She heard the bang and saw the flash at the same time.
1 mark

(ii) Give the reason for your answer.

............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Some people were nearer to the rocket than Lisa. How did the sound seem to
them?

Tick the correct box.

It was quieter.

It was louder.

It was higher pitched.

It was lower pitched.

1 mark
Maximum 3 marks

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Q8.
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.
The diagram shows his problem.

(a) Explain why a shadow forms under the cupboard.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(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 mark

(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 marks

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

At the mirror, the light is ......................................................................

1 mark
Maximum 5 marks

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Q9.
Nadia is on her bicycle, waiting to pull out from a road junction.
Michael is driving his car round the bend. A row of houses stops Nadia from seeing
Michael's car.

not to scale

(a) At what position will Michael's car be when Nadia first sees it?
Tick the correct box.

A B C D
1 mark

(b) A row of shops was built opposite the junction. The shops have glass windows
which act as a mirror.

not to scale

Nadia could see Joan's motorbike reflected in the glass window.

(i) On the diagram above, draw a ray of light to show how Nadia can see Joan's
motorbike reflected in the glass window.
Add arrows to the ray. Use a ruler.
3 marks

(ii) How does the glass window help to reduce the number of accidents?

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 .............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................
1 mark
Maximum 5 marks

Q10.
(a) A teacher shines a laser beam onto a classroom window. It reflects off the window
and onto a screen.

On the diagram above, continue the laser beam to show its path as it reflects off
the window and onto the screen. Use a ruler.
Add arrows to show the direction of the laser beam.
2 marks

(b) (i) When a pupil plays her flute in the classroom the window vibrates.
Give the reason for this.

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) When the window vibrates, what happens to the laser beam that is reflected
off the window?

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

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(c) The teacher places a microphone near the pupil as she plays her flute. The diagram
below shows the pattern on an oscilloscope screen.

The pupil then plays her flute at a higher pitch and more quietly.
Which diagram below shows the pattern that would be seen on the oscilloscope?
Tick the correct box.

1 mark
maximum 5 marks

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Q11.
(a) The diagram below shows a fish tank.

The surface of the water acts like a mirror.

The fish can see the snail reflected in the surface of the water.

Draw a ray of light which passes from the snail, and reflects from the surface, to
show how the fish can see the snail. Use a ruler.

Put arrows on the ray of light.

3 marks

(b) Andrew is looking at the snail.

When a ray of light passes from water to air it changes direction.

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 (i) Draw a ray of light from the snail to Andrew to show how Andrew can see
the snail. Use a ruler.

Put arrows on the ray of light.

2 marks

(ii) What is the name given to this change in the direction of a ray of light?

.............................................
1 mark
maximum 6 marks

Q12.

(a) Claire is sitting in her bedroom listening to music. The sound she hears is produced
by the loudspeaker in her radio.

(i) What is the loudspeaker doing to produce the sound?

Tick the correct box.

blowing

filtering

spinning

vibrating
1 mark

(ii) How does the sound get from the radio to Claire?

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (iii) What part of Claire’s ear detects the sound?

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Lorna is in the school hall. The fire alarm rings and Lorna walks away from it.

(i) When Lorna is further away, how loud does the alarm sound to her?

Tick the correct box.

It sounds louder than before.

It sounds quieter than before.

It sounds the same as before.

1 mark

(ii) When Lorna is further away, how does the pitch of the alarm sound to her?

Tick the correct box.

It has a higher pitch than before.

It has a lower pitch than before.

It has the same pitch as before.

1 mark
Maximum 5 marks

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Q13.
The diagram shows a ray of light hitting the surface of a mirror made from thick glass.
The incident ray is both reflected and refracted.

(a) (i) Give the letters of the two reflected rays.

............... and ...............

1 mark

(ii) Give the letter of one refracted ray.

...............
1 mark

(b) The incident ray is brighter than ray A.

Give one reason for this.

.....................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................
1 mark
maximum 3 marks

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Q14.
A man was hammering nails into a wooden fence post.
The drawing shows the hammer just before it hit a nail.

(a) The hammer hit the nail. What is the direction of the force of the hammer on
the nail?
Draw an arrow on the diagram to show this.
1 mark

(b) What effect did this force have on the nail?

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(c) How did the speed of the hammer change when the hammer hit the nail?

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(d) The hammer hit the nail again. The hammer was moving faster this time.
The size of the force of the hammer on the nail was different.
In what way was it different?

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(e) Mark could see the man mending the fence. The man was at the other end of
a large field. Mark saw the man hit a nail with the hammer. One second later
he heard the sound.

Why did Mark hear the sound after he saw the hammer hit the nail?

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(f) Mark walked half way across the field, nearer to the man. Again he saw the
hammer hit a nail, then heard the sound.

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 This time, how long was the gap between seeing and hearing the hammer hit
the nail?

Tick the correct box.

longer than one second

one second

less than one second

there was no gap

1 mark
Maximum 6 marks

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Q15.
Sound levels are measured in decibels (dB).
The graph shows the recommended maximum times people should listen to sounds
of different levels.
At longer times there could be serious damage to hearing.

(a) What is the maximum time each day for listening to a personal stereo at 96 dB?

…………… hours
1 mark

(b) In what way could a sound of more than 120 dB damage the ear?

……………………………………….…………………………..………………….
1 mark

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 (c) (i) Sally works for five hours in a nightclub. What should the maximum sound
level be in the nightclub so that her hearing is not damaged?
Use the graph to find your answer.

………… dB
1 mark

(ii) How can ear plugs protect Sally’s ears?

……………………………………….……………………………………….

……………………………………….……………………………………….
1 mark
Maximum 4 marks

Q16.
The diagram below shows part of the human ear.

We can hear somebody speaking because sound waves enter our ears.

(a) (i) What do our eardrums do when sound waves reach them?

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

(ii) Sometimes a lot of wax is produced in the ear.

The wax rests against the eardrum, as shown above.

Give one reason why we cannot hear very well when our ears
contain a lot of wax.

.............................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................
1 mark

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 (b) The table below shows the lowest and highest frequencies that five living things can
hear.

living lowest frequency highest frequency

thing (Hz) (Hz)

human 20 20 000

sparrow 300 20 000

dog 20 45 000

cat 20 64 000

rabbit 300 42 000

(i) Which three living things from the table cannot hear a frequency of
43 000 Hz?

.............................. and .............................. and ..............................

1 mark

(ii) From the table, choose the living thing that can hear the biggest range of
frequencies.

.............................................................
1 mark
maximum 4 marks

Q17.
The diagram shows a boat using an echo sounder. It sends a pulse of sound waves which
is reflected from the sea bottom. The reflected sound waves are detected by a sensitive
microphone.

The time between sending and receiving the pulse is 0.005 s. The device calculates the
depth of the sea, using the speed of sound in sea water, which is 1500 m/s.

(a) Calculate the depth of the sea. Show your working.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................

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 2 marks

(b) The boat moves into very deep water. Explain why the reflected pulse is too weak
to be detected.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(c) The boat’s ‘echo sounder’ could not be used in an aeroplane to measure its height
above the ground unless it had been modified.

Explain why the device will not give correct heights above the ground.

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark
Maximum 4 marks

Q18.
(a) Peter had two different coloured tennis balls as shown below.

He shone white light through a red filter onto each ball.

(i) experiment 1

The white ball appeared red.

Explain why this ball appeared red.

................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................
2 marks

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 (ii) experiment 2

What colour did this ball appear?

..........................................................

Explain your answer.

................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................
2 marks

(b) Peter set up a different experiment.

He cut three holes in a piece of card.
Two of the holes were covered by coloured filters as shown below.

Peter placed a red filter between the piece of card and a white screen.
He shone white light at the piece of card with three holes in it.

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 What would Peter see on the screen?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................
1 mark
maximum 5 marks

Q19.
(a) The diagram below shows George using his laptop.
Light from the lamp is reflected by the laptop screen.

(i) On the diagram above draw a ray of light to show how George sees the light
from the lamp reflected by the laptop screen. Use a ruler.

Draw arrows to show the direction of light.

3 marks

(ii) With the laptop screen in the position shown in part a(i), George sees an
image of the lamp on the screen.
George tilts the screen forwards as shown below.

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When the screen is tilted forwards it is easier for George to see the words on
the screen.
What happens to the reflected ray of light when the screen is tilted?

...............................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................
1 mark

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