GCSE Chemistry Resources questions by topic

This question is about natural resources.

1. (a)State what is meant by a finite resource.[1]
2. (b)Classify each as finite or renewable: coal, timber from managed forests.[2]

This question is about making water safe to drink in the UK.

1. (a)Put in order: sterilisation, sedimentation, filtration.[1]
2. (b)State what sterilisation does.[1]
3. (c)Name one substance or method used for sterilisation.[1]
4. (d)State why seawater is not usually the first choice for UK drinking water.[1]

A student evaporates 50 cm³ of a water sample and is left with 0.35 g of solid.

1. (a)State what the 0.35 g represents.[1]
2. (b)Calculate the mass of solid dissolved per dm³ of the sample.[2]
3. (c)State one other measurement that should be taken on the sample.[1]

(Chemistry only) Three iron nails are set up: nail 1 in boiled water topped with oil; nail 2 in a dry tube with a stopper; nail 3 in open tap water. Only nail 3 rusts.

1. (a)State what nail 1 shows about water and rusting.[2]
2. (b)State what nail 2 shows about air and rusting.[2]

Classify each resource as finite or renewable, then answer on sustainability.

1. (a)Classify crude oil.[1]
2. (b)Classify timber from replanted forests.[1]
3. (c)Classify copper ore.[1]
4. (d)Classify wind.[1]
5. (e)State what sustainable development means.[1]

Put the stages of fresh-water treatment in order and explain the key ones.

1. (a)Order: P — filtration through sand or gravel; Q — chlorination; R — screening through meshes; S — sedimentation (settlement).[1]
2. (b)State what sedimentation removes.[1]
3. (c)State what chlorination does.[1]
4. (d)Explain why seawater is not treated this way for drinking supplies.[2]

(Chemistry only) A boat’s steel hull is protected by blocks of zinc attached to the hull below the waterline.

1. (a)Name this type of protection.[1]
2. (b)Explain why the zinc protects the steel.[3]
3. (c)State what eventually happens to the zinc blocks.[1]

Draw up the four LCA stages for a cotton T-shirt, giving one impact for each stage.

1. (a)State one impact at the raw materials stage.[1]
2. (b)State one impact at the manufacture stage.[1]
3. (c)State one impact at the use stage.[1]
4. (d)State one impact or benefit at the disposal stage.[1]
5. (e)State why two LCAs of the same product might disagree.[1]

(Chemistry only) An 18-carat gold ring has a mass of 24 g.

1. (a)Explain what 18-carat means.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the mass of pure gold in the ring.[2]
3. (c)State why pure gold is usually alloyed.[1]

(Chemistry only) This question is about materials for a garden chair.

1. (a)Define a composite material.[2]
2. (b)Name the matrix and the reinforcement in fibreglass.[2]
3. (c)Explain why HDPE garden furniture is stiffer than LDPE.[2]

This question is about the stages of sewage treatment before effluent is released to a river.

1. (a)Describe what happens during the primary stage of sewage treatment.[2]
2. (b)State what happens to the sludge separated during the process.[2]
3. (c)Explain why sewage treatment needs more stages than fresh-water treatment.[2]

A class has run the three-nail rusting experiment: nail 1 (dry air, kept dry with a desiccant) is unaffected; nail 2 (boiled water topped with oil) is unaffected; nail 3 (air and water together) has rusted. A fourth nail coated in road salt is now left in damp air.

1. (a)State the conclusions the first three nails show about what rusting requires.[2]
2. (b)Predict what happens to the fourth nail, with a reason.[2]
3. (c)Write the balanced equation for rust formation.[1]
4. (d)Name one method of preventing rust other than painting, and state how it works.[1]

A remote village has a muddy river, plentiful sunshine and no mains water. Design a supply of safe drinking water for the village.

1. (a)Describe the treatment train from river to tap.[5]
2. (b)Explain why boiling or solar disinfection might be added, and one limitation.[2]
3. (c)State one way the system could be made more sustainable.[1]

An island has no rivers but plentiful sunshine and seawater. Evaluate two ways of supplying drinking water.

1. (a)Describe how distillation produces potable water.[2]
2. (b)Describe how reverse osmosis produces potable water.[2]
3. (c)Compare the two methods, including energy demands and which suits the island.[3]

(Chemistry only) A bridge engineer must protect steel girders near the coast from corrosion.

1. (a)Write, in words, the requirements for rusting and the substance formed.[2]
2. (b)Explain why the coastal environment makes rusting worse.[1]
3. (c)Compare painting with galvanising for the girders, and recommend one.[3]

(Chemistry only) A manufacturer is choosing between virgin aluminium and recycled aluminium for drink cans.

1. (a)Describe how aluminium is obtained from its ore.[2]
2. (b)Explain why recycling aluminium is strongly preferred environmentally.[2]
3. (c)State one property of aluminium that suits drink cans.[1]
4. (d)Name the stage of a life cycle assessment in which recycling belongs.[1]

A supermarket compares single-use carrier bags: thin poly(ethene) bags, thicker “bags for life”, and paper bags.

1. (a)Give one raw-material advantage of paper bags over poly(ethene) bags.[1]
2. (b)Give one manufacture-stage advantage of thin poly(ethene) bags over paper bags.[1]
3. (c)Explain why a thick “bag for life” can have a smaller overall footprint despite needing more material.[2]
4. (d)State the disposal difference between the poly(ethene) bag and the paper bag.[1]
5. (e)Explain why two LCA studies of the same bags can reach different conclusions.[2]

A workshop must choose metals for two jobs: a kitchen knife blade, and a support frame for a garden bench that will stand outside all year.

1. (a)State which steel — high-carbon or low-carbon — suits the knife blade, and explain why.[2]
2. (b)State which steel suits the garden bench frame, and explain your choice in terms of the properties needed.[2]
3. (c)Explain why the elements mixed into an alloy make it harder than the pure metal.[2]
4. (d)The bench frame will be painted. Explain how the paint protects the steel, and state what maintenance it needs.[2]