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Prelim Practice Paper: Preliminary Examination (Prelim) — question paper

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QQ/S4PH/PRELIM

Secondary 4 · Physics (G2 / G3)

Prelim Practice Paper

Preliminary Examination (Prelim)

Duration: 120 minutes
Total: 80 marks
Name:
Class:
Register No.:
Date:

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

  • Write your name, class and register number in the spaces at the top of this page.
  • Answer all questions.
  • Give numerical answers correct to 3 significant figures unless stated otherwise, with units where a quantity is calculated. Take g = 10 N/kg.
  • The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.
  • The total number of marks for this paper is 80.

Original practice material written for the MOE Physics syllabus. It is not an official MOE or school examination paper. Chapters 1–12: the full O-Level 6091 syllabus from measurement and mechanics through waves, light and lenses, electricity and magnetism, to electromagnetic induction and radioactivity.

For Examiner’s Use
Section A/ 20
Section B/ 60
Total/ 80

Section A: Multiple-choice questions[20 marks]

Answer all questions. For each question, write the letter (A, B, C or D) of the correct answer.

  1. 1

    A wave of frequency 2.5 Hz has a wavelength of 0.60 m. Its speed is

    1. A4.2 m/s
    2. B3.1 m/s
    3. C1.5 m/s
    4. D0.24 m/s
    ( )
  2. 2

    Which list gives electromagnetic waves in order of increasing frequency?

    1. Aradio, infrared, ultraviolet, gamma
    2. Bgamma, ultraviolet, infrared, radio
    3. Cultraviolet, gamma, radio, infrared
    4. Dinfrared, radio, gamma, ultraviolet
    ( )
  3. 3

    Light passes from air into glass at 30° to the normal. The refracted angle is

    1. A30°
    2. B19°
    3. C49°
    4. D45°
    ( )
  4. 4

    An object placed between F and 2F of a converging lens forms an image that is

    1. Areal, inverted and magnified
    2. Breal, inverted and diminished
    3. Cvirtual, upright and diminished
    4. Dvirtual, upright and magnified
    ( )
  5. 5

    A polythene rod rubbed with a cloth becomes negatively charged because

    1. Aprotons move from the cloth to the rod
    2. Belectrons move from the rod to the cloth
    3. Cthe rod creates negative charge from nothing
    4. Delectrons move from the cloth to the rod
    ( )
  6. 6

    A current of 0.50 A flows for 2.0 minutes. The charge transferred is

    1. A60 C
    2. B1.0 C
    3. C6.0 C
    4. D24 C
    ( )
  7. 7

    A 12 Ω resistor carries a current of 0.50 A. The power it converts is

    1. A6.0 W
    2. B24 W
    3. C3.0 W
    4. D0.021 W
    ( )
  8. 8

    Two 6.0 Ω resistors are connected in parallel. The combined resistance is

    1. A12 Ω
    2. B3.0 Ω
    3. C6.0 Ω
    4. D0.33 Ω
    ( )
  9. 9

    The metal case of a washing machine is earthed mainly so that

    1. Athe machine runs faster
    2. Ba live-to-case fault drives a large current to earth that blows the fuse
    3. Cthe case stays warm
    4. Dstatic charge builds up on the case
    ( )
  10. 10

    The magnetic field lines inside a current-carrying solenoid

    1. Aradiate outward from the axis
    2. Bcircle around the outside only
    3. Care zero everywhere
    4. Drun straight along the axis, nearly uniformly
    ( )
  11. 11

    A wire lies at right angles to a 0.50 T field and carries 3.0 A. The force on 4.0 cm of the wire is

    1. A0.060 N
    2. B0.0060 N
    3. C0.60 N
    4. D6.0 N
    ( )
  12. 12

    In a transformer, the secondary e.m.f. depends on

    1. Athe primary current only
    2. Bthe resistance of the core
    3. Cthe turns ratio and the primary voltage
    4. Dthe age of the transformer
    ( )
  13. 13

    Radiation that is stopped by a few millimetres of aluminium is

    1. Abeta particles
    2. Balpha particles
    3. Cgamma rays
    4. Dinfrared
    ( )
  14. 14

    The count rate of a source (corrected for background) halves in 4.0 hours. After 12 hours the corrected count rate is

    1. Aone quarter of the start
    2. Bone eighth of the start
    3. Cone sixteenth of the start
    4. Dzero
    ( )
  15. 15

    The pressure at a depth h in a liquid of density ρ is

    1. Aρg/h
    2. Bh/ρg
    3. Cρh/g
    4. Dρgh
    ( )
  16. 16

    A car accelerates from rest at 2.0 m/s² for 5.0 s. The distance travelled is

    1. A10 m
    2. B50 m
    3. C25 m
    4. D5.0 m
    ( )
  17. 17

    A boy pushes a 30 kg box at constant velocity across a floor with a horizontal force of 60 N. The friction force on the box is

    1. Azero
    2. B30 N
    3. C60 N
    4. D300 N
    ( )
  18. 18

    Specific latent heat of fusion is the energy needed to change

    1. A1 kg of a solid into liquid at its melting point, with no temperature change
    2. Bany amount of liquid into gas
    3. C1 kg of a substance by 1 K
    4. D1 kg of liquid into solid at any temperature
    ( )
  19. 19

    Which measurement is made with a micrometer screw gauge?

    1. Athe length of a football field
    2. Bthe diameter of a wire
    3. Cthe internal diameter of a test tube
    4. Dthe depth of a swimming pool
    ( )
  20. 20

    A transformer steps 230 V down to 12 V. For an ideal transformer supplying 2.0 A in the secondary, the primary current is about

    1. A2.0 A
    2. B38 A
    3. C0.38 A
    4. D0.10 A
    ( )

Section B: Structured questions[60 marks]

Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

  1. 1

    A student drops a stone into a deep well. The stone falls for 2.2 s before hitting the water, and the splash is heard shortly afterwards (the sound travel time up the well is very small). Take g = 10 m/s².

    1. (a)

      Calculate the depth of the water surface below the top of the well.

      depth =m[3]
    2. (b)

      Calculate the speed of the stone when it hits the water.

      speed =m/s[2]
    3. (c)

      Explain why the stone’s real impact speed is slightly less than calculated in practice.

      [2]
    4. (d)

      The well is now filled with oil, which is more viscous than air. State and explain what happens to the time for the stone to reach the bottom.

      [1]
  2. 2

    A uniform metal beam of weight 400 N and length 4.0 m rests on a support 0.50 m from its left end. A worker of weight 800 N stands on the beam 2.0 m from the left end.

    1. (a)

      Explain what is meant by a moment of a force.

      [2]
    2. (b)

      Taking moments about the support, calculate the clockwise moment of the beam’s weight and of the worker’s weight about the support, and state the total.

      [4]
    3. (c)

      State two changes that would make the beam arrangement more stable.

      [2]
    4. (d)

      State the principle of moments.

      [2]
  3. 3

    A circuit contains a 12 V battery, an ammeter, a 4.0 Ω resistor in series with a parallel pair made of a 6.0 Ω and a 3.0 Ω resistor, and a voltmeter connected across the parallel pair.

    1. (a)

      Calculate the resistance of the parallel pair.

      resistance =Ω[2]
    2. (b)

      Calculate the total resistance of the circuit.

      total =Ω[1]
    3. (c)

      Calculate the reading of the ammeter.

      current =A[2]
    4. (d)

      Calculate the voltmeter reading.

      p.d. =V[2]
    5. (e)

      Calculate the current in the 6.0 Ω resistor.

      current =A[3]
  4. 4

    A hair dryer rated 1500 W, 230 V is used on a 230 V supply.

    1. (a)

      Calculate the normal current of the hair dryer.

      current =A[2]
    2. (b)

      Choose a suitable fuse from 3 A, 5 A, 13 A and justify the choice.

      [3]
    3. (c)

      The hair dryer is used for 20 minutes each morning. Calculate the energy it converts in one week (7 days), in kW h.

      energy =kW h[3]
    4. (d)

      Explain why using this hair dryer with wet hands in a bathroom is particularly dangerous.

      [2]
  5. 5

    A model crane uses an electromagnet to lift steel plates. The crane then swings the load and releases it by switching the current off. The electromagnet coil has 400 turns and carries 2.0 A.

    1. (a)

      Explain why the core of the electromagnet is soft iron rather than steel.

      [3]
    2. (b)

      State two changes to the coil that would let the electromagnet lift heavier plates.

      [2]
    3. (c)

      The crane then uses a motor: a flat coil carries 2.0 A in a magnetic field of flux density 0.25 T, and each of the two coil sides is 4.0 cm long and perpendicular to the field. Calculate the force on one side of the coil.

      force =N[3]
    4. (d)

      Explain the purpose of the split-ring commutator in this motor.

      [2]
  6. 6

    A power station generates electricity and a hospital uses a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 8.0 days for sterilising equipment.

    1. (a)

      The generator output is stepped up from 25 kV to 250 kV for transmission. Explain why this reduces energy losses in the cables.

      [4]
    2. (b)

      The isotope source has an initial activity of 1600 counts per minute (already corrected for background). Calculate its activity after 24 days.

      activity =counts per minute[3]
    3. (c)

      A detector near the source reads 250 counts per minute when the corrected source activity is 200 counts per minute. Explain the difference and state the background count rate.

      [3]
    4. (d)

      State two precautions the hospital staff take when handling this source, and explain how each reduces the dose received.

      [2]

— End of paper —