GCSE Combined Science Atmosphere & resources questions by topic

This question is about the composition of today's atmosphere.

1. (a)State the approximate percentage of nitrogen in today's atmosphere.[1]
2. (b)State the approximate percentage of oxygen.[1]
3. (c)Name the two other gases found in small amounts.[1]
4. (d)State the approximate percentage of carbon dioxide.[1]

This question is about the early atmosphere and its changes.

1. (a)Name the process that released the early atmosphere's gases.[1]
2. (b)Describe how the oceans formed.[1]
3. (c)State what happened to much of the carbon dioxide as the oceans formed.[1]
4. (d)Name the process that raised the oxygen level.[1]

This question is about resources and drinking water.

1. (a)State what it means for a resource to be finite.[1]
2. (b)Give one example of a finite resource.[1]
3. (c)State what potable water means.[1]
4. (d)Explain why potable water is not the same as pure water.[1]

This question is about the stages of sewage treatment.

1. (a)State what screening removes.[1]
2. (b)Name the two materials that sedimentation separates the waste into.[1]
3. (c)State the useful product of anaerobic digestion of sludge.[1]
4. (d)State how the effluent is treated before release.[1]

This question is about the greenhouse effect.

1. (a)Name two greenhouse gases.[1]
2. (b)Explain how greenhouse gases keep Earth's surface warm.[2]
3. (c)State what is meant by the enhanced greenhouse effect.[1]
4. (d)Name one human activity that increases methane levels.[1]

This question is about measuring and cutting emissions.

1. (a)State what a carbon footprint measures.[2]
2. (b)Describe one action a family could take to reduce its footprint and explain how it works.[2]
3. (c)State one reason such reductions are difficult.[1]

A student analyses a 50.0 cm³ sample of reservoir water. Evaporating it leaves 0.36 g of dissolved solids. A pH meter reads 6.8.

1. (a)Calculate the mass of dissolved solids per dm³ of water.[2]
2. (b)Comment on the pH reading (safe drinking water lies between pH 6.5 and 8.5).[1]
3. (c)Describe how the student could obtain pure water from the sample.[1]
4. (d)Name one sterilising treatment used on drinking water.[1]

This question is about atmospheric pollutants.

1. (a)Name the gas produced when the sulfur impurities in coal burn.[1]
2. (b)Explain how oxides of nitrogen form inside a car engine.[2]
3. (c)Name two problems caused by these pollutant gases in the atmosphere.[2]

(Higher) A mining company wants copper from an ore too poor to smelt profitably.

1. (a)Describe how phytomining could obtain the copper.[2]
2. (b)Describe how bioleaching works.[2]
3. (c)Name two ways the copper could then be extracted from the ash or leachate.[2]

A student is asked why scientists are confident that recent climate change is human-caused.

1. (a)Explain what makes the evidence for human-caused climate change trustworthy.[3]
2. (b)Name two natural archives that preserve records of past climates.[1]
3. (c)Describe the chain from human activity to a warmer surface.[2]

A supermarket compares single-use plastic bags with thicker cotton tote bags using life cycle thinking.

1. (a)List the five stages of a life cycle assessment for either bag.[2]
2. (b)Give one environmental impact from the manufacturing stage.[1]
3. (c)Explain why two LCAs of the same product can reach different conclusions.[1]
4. (d)The tote needs 20× the making energy of one plastic bag. After how many reuses does its per-use making energy drop below a single-use plastic bag, and what else should be considered?[2]

A holiday island with no rivers must supply drinking water from the sea.

1. (a)Name two desalination methods.[2]
2. (b)State the main drawback of either method.[1]
3. (c)Describe what reverse osmosis does.[1]