SAMPLE SCHOLARSHIP
EXAMINATION PAPER
For pupils currently in Year 8
SCIENCE
(BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS)
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
You should spend no more than 25 minutes on each section.
Calculators can be used.
Answer all questions in the spaces provided.
S0115 13+SCI
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. The examination will mainly
cover the topics taught in U3 (Year 7) and L4 (Year 8) at Freemen’s. The topics are
reproduced below.
Biology
Questions will be more skills than content-based and may involve questions such as
drawing a graph, analysing data and evaluating experimental methods. Candidates might
also be given some unfamiliar biological information and asked questions about it. The
topics covered where factual recall is required could include the following, which are
studied in Years 7 and 8 at Freemen’s.
Animal behaviour
Cells and microscopes
Classification
Health and disease (microorganisms)
Plant and Animal Reproduction
Scientific design and interpretation
Senses
Chemistry
Acids and Alkalis: acids and alkalis, indicators, pH, everyday applications and
environmental problems
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 and particle diagrams
Physics
Forces: their effects, electromagnets, Hooke’s Law, pressure and moments
Density
Energy changes and efficiency
Electrical circuits
Reflection and refraction of light
General knowledge of satellites and the Solar System
Pupils wishing to attempt question practice should purchase any book of Key Stage 3
examination-style questions.
S0115 13+SCI
2
BIOLOGY
B1. The masses of a brother and sister were recorded during the years of their growth as
follows.
mass in kg.
age in years boy girl
birth 4.5 3.5
2.5 15.5 13.6
5 20.0 15.5
7.5 24.1 22.5
10 32.7 27.7
12.5 38.6 40.9
15 59.1 50.5
17.5 64.5 54.1
20 65.9 54.9
a] Plot these figures on graph paper using one pair of axes.
From the graph, answer the following questions. [6]
b] At what age was the girl heavier than her brother?
__________________________________________________ [1]
c] Which child showed the greatest annual increase in mass?
__________________________________________________ [1]
d] Between what ages did this greatest growth rate occur?
__________________________________________________ [1]
e] What was this annual increase in mass?
__________________________________________________ [1]
f] Give one reason for this maximum growth rate occurring
in this child at this age.
__________________________________________________ [2]
g] What was the increase in mass per year at the time of
the slowest growth rate in either child before the age of 13?
__________________________________________________ [1]
S0115 13+SCI
3
B2.
Sourdough bread is light in texture and tastes slightly sour. It is made using two types of
microorganism, a yeast and a bacterium. The bacterium can make acids such as lactic
acid. This acid makes the bread taste sour.
2 (a) The diagrams above show the structures of the yeast cell and the bacterial cell.
2 (a) (i) Both the yeast cell and the bacterial cell have structures A and B.
Name structures A and B.
A ........................................................................................................................................
B ........................................................................................................................................
(2)
2 (a) (ii) The yeast cell and the bacterial cell have different shapes.
Give one other way in which the structure of the bacterial cell is different
from the structure of the yeast cell.
............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
(1)
S0115 13+SCI
4
2 (b) The graph shows how the growth rates of the yeast and the bacteria change with
temperature.
2 (b) (i) Describe 1 similarity and 1 difference between the growth rate of Bacteria
and Yeast
Similarity
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Difference
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
(2)
2 (b) (ii) The bread has a sourer taste if it rises at 32 °C than it does if it rises at 25
°C. Suggest why.
............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
(2)
S0115 13+SCI
5
B3.
In the winter wild birds cannot find food easily.
A student carried out an investigation to find the best kind of food to put out for wild
birds in winter.
She nailed six black dishes to a piece of wood.
She put 100 g of a different type of seed into each dish.
She placed the piece of wood in her garden.
She observed the birds that visited each of the dishes before school, after school and at
weekends.
At the end of the investigation, she weighed the amount of each type of seed remaining.
She also calculated the percentage of each type of seed that was eaten by the birds.
(a) Name two control variables in this investigation.
1 ..........................................................................................................................................
2 ..........................................................................................................................................
(2)
(b) Table 1 below shows the number of bird visits to each dish of seeds that she recorded.
Table 1
(b) Which type of seed had visits from the greatest number of different bird species?
............................................................................................................................................
(1)
S0115 13+SCI
6
(c) The table below shows:
the percentage of each type of seed eaten
the percentage of fat in each type of seed
Table 2
(c) (i) The girl concluded that the most popular seeds for the birds were the seeds
with the highest percentage of fat.
Was her conclusion justified by the data in Table 2?
Draw a ring round your answer. Yes / No
Give a reason for your answer.
............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
(1)
(c) (ii) Most winter bird food for sale in shops contains niger and sunflower seeds.
Use the information in Table 1 and Table 2 to suggest a reason why.
...........................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
(1)
Turn-over
S0115 13+SCI
7
CHEMISTRY
Answer ALL questions in the spaces provided.
C1. You are given a mixture of powdered limestone which is insoluble in water, and salt,
which is soluble in water. Describe and explain what you would do in order to obtain
separate samples of salt and limestone from the mixture.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________ (4)
C2. The diagrams labelled A and C represent particles in two states of matter.
a] Complete the diagram labelled B to show the arrangement
of particles in this state.
S0115 13+SCI
8
C2. b] The particles in C are in the liquid state.
In what state are the particles in A ?
__________________________________________________
c] How does the movement of particles in state C differ from state A?
__________________________________________________
d] How could state C be converted to state A ?
__________________________________________________
e] Name the process when state A is converted to state B.
__________________________________________________ (5)
C3. a] Sometimes the lettering on gravestones becomes blurred.
What process has occurred?
__________________________________________________
b] Name 2 factors that could cause the process to take place.
1. ______________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________ (3)
S0115 13+SCI
9
C4. An acid solution and alkaline solution were mixed in the volumes given in the table
and the resulting solutions were tested with universal indicator.
One mixture was neutral(pH7), one had a pH value of 13 and the third had a pH
value of 1.
a] Complete the following table
Volume of acid Volume of alkali pH value
(cm3) (cm3)
20 13
20 15
20 17
(3)
b] Was the original acid or the original alkali more concentrated?
__________________________________________________ (1)
c] State the colour that Universal indicator would go in
acidic solution _________________________
neutral solution _________________________
alkaline solution _________________________ (2)
d] Give an example of a neutralisation reaction that takes
place outside the laboratory. Explain what is used, and why.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________ (3)
S0115 13+SCI
10
e] A neutralisation reaction resulted in the formation of a compound
with the formula Ca(NO3)2.
i) What is the chemical name of Ca(NO3)2?
____________________________________________
ii) How many elements are there combined in the formula?
____________________________________________ (2)
C5. Ben put a beaker weighing 50 g on a balance. He added 50 g of dilute
hydrochloric acid and 2.5 g of calcium carbonate to the beaker.
The total mass of the beaker and its contents was 102.5 g.
a] The Hydrochloric acid reacted with the calcium carbonate.
How could Ben tell that a chemical reaction was taking place in
the beaker?
______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________ (1)
Turn-over
S0115 13+SCI
11
b] The word equation for the reaction which took place is:
hydrochloric calcium calcium carbon
acid carbonate chloride dioxide water
When the reaction stopped, the total mass had decreased from
102.5 g to 101.4 g.
Some water had evaporated from the beaker.
What else caused the drop in mass?
Use the word equation to help you answer the question.
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________ (1)
c] When the reaction stopped, Ben tested the contents of the beaker with
universal indicator paper. The calcium carbonate had neutralised the acid.
What is the colour of universal indicator paper in a neutral solution?
____________________________________________________________ (1)
d] Which two materials in the list below are mainly calcium carbonate?
Tick the correct boxes. (2)
coal
glass
limestone
marble
sandstone
S0115 13+SCI
12
C6. a] When alcohol burns heat energy is released.
What word describes a reaction when heat is given out?
__________________________________________________ (1)
b] When the alcohol burns carbon dioxide and water form.
What does this tell you about the elements in alcohol?
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________ (1)
c] What chemical would you use to show water was formed?
_________________________________________________ (1)
d] When coal is burnt several products are formed.
One or more of these can be considered to be a pollutant of the air.
[i] Name one pollutant.
_____________________________________________
[ii] State why it is harmful to the environment.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ (2)
Turn-over
S0115 13+SCI
13
PHYSICS
P1.
Total marks: 6
S0115 13+SCI
14
P2.
(1)
(4)
Turn-over
S0115 13+SCI
15
What is the original length of the spring?
Total marks: 10
S0115 13+SCI
16
P3..
Turn-over
S0115 13+SCI
17
(a) Complete the results table for this investigation.
(4)
(b) Calculate the density of the liquid.
Give your answer with the correct unit.
Density = …………………….
(3)
(c) Suggest two ways in which the student could improve the investigation
to give a more accurate value for the density.
1. ………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………….
2. ………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………….
(2)
Total marks: 9
END OF EXAM
S0115 13+SCI
18