GRANDSTAR MATHEMATICS JOINT
Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education
121/2 MATHEMATICS (Alt. A)
121/2 MATHEMATICS Paper 2
(Alt. A)
JOINT EXAMINATION
July 2025 – Time: 2½ hours
Name …………………………………………………………. Adm No.……..…….. Class……..….…
School……………………………………………Date…………….….....…Sign……………..……..….
Instructions to candidates
a) Write your name, admission number and class in the spaces provided above.
b) Write the name of your school, the date and signature.
c) This paper consists of two sections; Section I and Section II.
d) Answer all the questions in Section I and only five from Section II.
e) Show all the steps in your calculations, giving your answers at each stage in the spaces provided below each
question.
f) Marks may be given for correct working even if the answer is wrong.
g) Non – programmable silent electronic calculators and KNEC Mathematical tables may be used, except where
stated otherwise.
h) This paper consists of 15 printed pages.
i) Candidates should check the question paper to ascertain that all the pages are printed as indicated and that
no questions are missing.
For Examiner’s Use Only
Section I
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Total
Section II
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Total
Grand Total
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SECTION I (50 marks)
Answer all the questions in this section
1 If x 2.3 , y 8.7 and z 2.20 , find the percentage error in evaluating x y . (3 marks)
z
2 A coffee trader buys two grades of coffee at Ksh. 60 per Kg and Ksh. 84 per Kg. Find the ration in which he
should mixed the two grades of coffee so that by selling the mixture at Ksh. 91 per kg a profit of 30% is
realized. (3 marks)
cos315 sin 660
3 Simplify without using mathematical table or calculator. (3 marks)
cos 600
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4 Find the value of x given that log 2. 4 x 3 log 2
2x 3 . (3 marks)
5 Solve 3sin 2 10 2 cos(2 10 ) 0 for 0 360 (3 marks)
6 In the figure below, the tangent AB meets chord EC produced at B. Chord AF passes through the centre, O
of the circle and intersects EC at D. Line AB = 15 cm and BC = 9 cm.
If ED: DC=3:5, find the length OD. (3 marks)
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(a) Expand and simplify 3x y
4
7 (2 marks)
(b) Use the first three term of the expansion to approximate the value of 6 0.2
4
(2 marks)
8 A point T divides AB externally in the ratio 2:1 and a point R divides CT internally in the ratio 1:2. Given
that point A, B and R are 2,1 , 3. 2 and 4, 3 respectively, find the coordinates of C.
(3 marks)
9 The figure below shows a box of milk ABCD given that M is the midpoint of CB AB=AC=6.5 cm,
CB =11.2cm and perpendicular height AD is 7.6 cm. Find the angle between the planes DBC and ABC
giving your answer to 1 decimal place. (3 marks)
7.6 cm
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a
10 Make r the subject of the formula t k (3 marks)
3t r
11 The cash price of a piano is Ksh 78 000. Mr. Runka bought the piano on hire purchase terms by paying a
deposit of Ksh 30 000 and the balance by 24 equal monthly instalments of Ksh 2 500. Calculate the annual
rate of simple interest (3 marks)
12 Complete triangle ABC such that AB = 8 cm and BC = 6.5 cm. On the same side of BC as A locate locus P
such that ABC BPC 120 (3 marks)
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13 (a) A circle centre A 1, 1 passes through point P. Using a scale of 1 cm to represent 1 unit on both axes,
draw the circle. (1 mark)
(b) Determine the equation of the circle in the form x y ax by c 0
2 2
(2 marks)
14 Two taps, A and B, can fill an empty tank together in 3 hours 36 minutes. Tap A, working alone, takes 3
hours more than tap B to fill the same tank. If both taps are opened together for 2 hours and then tap A is
closed, find the total time it will take tap B to fill the tank. (3 marks)
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15 A plane left a city P 84o N, 60o W on Monday at 7:00 pm and flew to city Q 80o N, 120o E through the
shortest route at a speed of 600 knots. Find the time the plane landed at city Q. (4 marks)
16 A solution was gently heated, its temperature reading taken at intervals of 1 minute and recorded as shown
below
Time (min) 0 1 2 3 4 5
o
Temperature ( c) 4 5 8 12 17 24
(a) Draw the temperature-time graph on the grid provided (2 marks)
(b) Use the graph to find the rate of change of temperature at t = 3 minutes (1 mark)
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SECTION II (50 marks)
Answer only five questions in this section in the spaces provided
17 The table below shows frequency distribution table of marks scored by form four champion in a Chemistry
test.
Marks 0 9 10 19 20 29 30 39 40 49 50 59
Frequency 4 6 14 17 16 3
(a) Use the frequency distribution table above to draw an ogive curve (4 marks)
(b) Using the graph in (a) above estimate:
(i) Semi interquartile range (3 marks)
(ii) The probability that a student selected at random passed if the pass mark was 36 marks
(3 marks)
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18 (a) Alex, Ben and Chris are playing the game of darts. The probabilities of Alex, Ben and Chris hitting the
2 3
bull’s-eye are , and 1 respectively. Find the probability that:
7 5 4
(i) Only one hits the bull’s-eye (2 marks)
(ii) Two hit the bull’s eye (2 marks)
(iii)At least one hits the bull’s-eye (2 marks)
(b) Two sets of numbers X and Y are such that X 1, 2,3, 4,5 and Y 3,5,7,11 . A number is picked
from each set, find the probability that:
(i) X Y 13 (2 marks)
(ii) X Y is a prime number (2 marks)
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19 A farmer uses x type A machines and y type B machines to harvest his crops. Each type A machines will
harvest 12 hectares while each type B machine will harvest 15 hectares. Each type A machines requires 3
men to operate while each type B machines requires 4 men to operate. The number of B machines must be
less than twice the number of type A machines. The farmer must use at least 2 type B machines. The farmer
has to harvest at least 120 hectares and only 60 labourers are available to assist in doing the work. The cost
of hiring type A machine is Ksh. 25 000 and that of hiring type B machine is Ksh. 40 000.
(a) Formulate all the inequalities that are defined by the above conditions (4 marks)
(b) On the grid provided, illustrate the above inequalities (4 marks)
(c) Find the minimum cost of hiring the machines (2 marks)
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20 The table below shows the income tax rates for a certain financial year.
Monthly Income (Ksh) Tax rate in %
10001 18000 10%
18001 29500 15%
29501 39500 20%
39501 49600 25%
Above 49600 30%
A civil servant earns a basic salary of Ksh. 34 000 per month. His total taxable allowances amounts to
Ksh. 20 000 per month and his non taxable allowances amount to Ksh. 9 000 per month. He pays monthly
premium of Ksh. 2 400 per month. He is entitled to a personal tax relief of Ksh 1 200 per month and insurance
relief of 15% of the premium paid. He contributes 7.5% of his basic salary towards a pension scheme which is
exempted from taxation.
.
(a) Calculate
(i) The civil servants monthly taxable income (2 marks)
(ii) The tax payable by the civil servant that month (5 marks)
(b) The following deduction are also made from his salary every month
(i) S.H.I.F of Ksh. 300
(ii) Cooperative shares of Ksh. 1 500
(iii) Union dues of Ksh. 200
Calculate the civil servants’ net monthly salary (3 marks)
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21 (a) Complete the table below for the curve y x3 5x2 2 x 8 for 2 x 5 . (2 marks)
x 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5
y 8
On the grid provided, draw the graph of y x 5x 2 x 8 for 2 x 5 . Use the scale 1 cm
3 2
(b)
to represent 1 unit on the horizontal axis and 1 cm to represent 5 units on vertical axis . (3 marks)
(c) Use the graph in (b) above to:
(i) Solve the equations 2 x3 10 x2 8x 40 0 (3 marks)
(ii) Find the range of values of x for which x3 5x 2 2 x 8 0 (2 marks)
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n6
22 (a) The nth term of a sequence is given by . Find the first three terms of the sequence (3 marks)
2n 2 1
(b) In an arithmetic series with 35 terms the sum of the middle term and the last two terms is 273 and the
sum of the last 21 terms is 1659.
(i) Find the first term and the common difference of the arithmetic series (4 marks)
(ii) The second term and the twelfth term of the above AP forms the firsts two terms of another
GP. Find the sum of the first ten terms of the GP. (3 marks)
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23 Triangle PQR of coordinates P 1,0 , Q 3,1 and R 2,3 is mapped onto triangle PQR under a
transformation T whose coordinates are P 1, 2 , Q(3, 5) and R 2, 1 .
(a) (i) Find the matrix T (3 marks)
(ii) Describe fully the transformation that maps triangle PQR onto PQR (2 marks)
0 2
(b) Triangle PQR is mapped onto triangle PQR under transformation matrix M , determine
2 0
the coordinates of PQR (2 marks)
(c) A single matrix of transformation that maps triangle PQR onto triangle PQR (3 marks)
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24 The acceleration of a body travelling in a straight line is given by a 6t 5 m / s 2 . The initial velocity
of the body is 8 m/s . When t=1 second its displacement is 2.5 meters. Calculate the:
(a) Velocity of particle when t =2 (3 marks)
(b) Time the body was instantaneously at rest (2 marks)
(c) Displacement when t=4 seconds (3 marks)
(d) Minimum velocity (2 marks)
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