Name : _________________________________ Index Number : ________

Class : ______

Clementi Town Secondary School

Preliminary Examination 2009
Secondary 5 Normal (Academic)

Science (Physics, Chemistry) 5116/1

Paper 1 Multiple Choice Duration: 1 hour

Additional Materials provided: Objective Test Answer Sheet (OTAS)

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Instructions to candidates:

Do not open this booklet until you are told to do so.

Write your name, class and index number in the spaces provided at the top of this page and on the
OTAS provided.

There are forty questions in this paper. Answer all the questions. For each question, there are
four possible answers, A, B, C and D. Choose the one you consider correct and record your
choice in soft pencil on the OTAS.

Each correct answer will score one mark. A mark will not be deducted for a wrong answer.

Take acceleration due to gravity, g, to be 10 m/s2.

A copy of the Periodic Table is printed on Page 13 of this question booklet.

This Question Paper consists of 14 printed pages.

[Turn over
1 The diagram below shows vernier callipers set to measure a wooden cube.

What is the width of the cube as shown on the vernier scale?

A 0.27 cm B 2.97 cm C 8.10 cm D 12.70 cm

2 Two similar tennis balls are released from a 30 m tower at the same time. One falls
from the top, the other from half way up, as shown.

30 m

15 m

Which quantity is the same for both balls?

A acceleration C increase in velocity

B final velocity D time of travel

3 A man walks north 12 km and then walks south 8 km. What is the distance travelled
by the man and his displacement?

distance displacement

A 12 km 20 km
B 20 km 0 km
C 20 km 4 km
D 20 km 20 km

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 2
4 A large piece of rock of mass 600 kg sinks in a lake with a uniform speed of 5 m/s.
What is the resultant force exerted on the rock as it sinks?

600 kg

5 m/s
A 0N C 3000 N downwards
B 30 N downwards D 6000 N downwards

5 An object of weight 4 N is lowered into a measuring cylinder. The water level rises as
shown below.

100 cm3 100 cm3

50 cm3

30 cm3

What is the density of the stone in gcm-3?

A 0.020 B 8.0 C 20 D 40

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 3
6 A pupil found that his 30 cm rule balanced at its mid-point. When he put one large
coin on the right 10 cm from the pivot and five small coins on the left 4 cm from the
pivot, the rule balanced again.

44cm
cm 1010cm
cm

Which of the following conclusions could be made from his experiment?

A The large coin weighs the same as five small coins.

B The large coin weighs the same as four small coins.
C The large coin weighs the same as three small coins.
D The large coin weighs the same as two small coins.

7 The diagram shows a retort stand with a heavy base.

Which point is most likely to be its centre of gravity?

A
•

B •
•C
•D

8 The table gives the melting points and boiling points of four elements. Which element
is a liquid at 1200 °C?

element melting point / °C boiling point / °C

A aluminium 660 2470
B chlorine -101 -35
C iron 1540 2750
D mercury -39 357

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 4
9 Which of the following sentences best explains why the wind blows from the land
to the sea at night?

A At night the land cools faster than the sea.

B At night the sea cools down faster than the land.
C At night the sea warms up faster than the land.
D During the day the wind blows from the sea towards the land.

10 When a metal spoon and a plastic spoon are placed on a table in a room, the metal
spoon feels colder to the touch. Which of the following is most likely the reason?

A The metal spoon is a good absorber of heat.

B The metal spoon is a good conductor of heat.
C The metal spoon is a good emitter of heat.
D The metal spoon is a good reflector of heat.

11 Which of the following statements best explains why substances in gaseous state are
less dense than when they are in liquid or solid state?

A The molecules in gaseous state are in continuous motion.

B The molecules in gaseous state expand more than when they are in liquid or
solid state.
C The molecules in gaseous state have a smaller mass than when they are in
liquid or solid state.
D The space between two molecules in gaseous state is wider than when it is in
liquid or solid state.

12 A vacuum will prevent heat transfer by which of the following process(es)?

A conduction only
B conduction and convection only
C conduction, convection and radiation
D radiation only

13 Which of the following statements about electromagnetic waves is false?

A All electromagnetic waves are longitudinal waves.

B All electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed in a vacuum.
C Electromagnetic waves may have different wavelengths.
D Electromagnetic waves may have a wide range of frequencies.

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 5
14 The diagram shows how, at a given instant, the height of water waves varies with
distance from their starting point.

height

distance

Which symbols represent the amplitude and the wavelength?

amplitude wavelength
A s x
B s y
C r x
D r y

15 The diagram shows a girl standing in front of a plane mirror. A signboard is placed
behind her and she sees the signboard reflected in the plane mirror.

2 mm 3 mm
m m

girl m signboard
plane mirrorm m

How far away from the girl is the image of the signboard?

A 2m B 4m C 5m D 7m

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 6
16 Two bar magnets are placed close together, as shown in the diagram.

N S N S

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. The two magnets attract each other

2. There is a neutral point between the two magnets.
3. The force between the two magnets is increased if a soft iron bar is placed
between them.

A Only 1 is correct. C Only 1 and 3 are correct.

B Only 2 is correct. D Only 2 and 3 are correct.

17 When a negatively charged polythene rod is brought close to (but not touching) an
uncharged metal sphere, some effects take place. Which of the following diagrams
best represents this distribution of charge on the sphere?

A B C D

18 The diagram below shows a circuit.

20 Ω

P Q

10 Ω 20 Ω

What is the effective resistance between terminals P and Q?

A 10 Ω B 20 Ω C 40 Ω D 50 Ω

19 A current of 2 A flows for 1 minute through a lamp. How much charge flows through
the lamp in this time?

A 0.5 C B 30 C C 60 C D 120 C

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 7
20 Two lamps are connected in a parallel fashion in a lighting circuit as shown below.

D
A

B C

neutral live

At which point in the circuit, A, B, C, or D, should a fuse be placed?

21 Which of the following is a pure compound?

A ethanol C steel
B petrol D tap water

22 The chromatogram shows the dyes contained in four different bubble teas labelled
W, X, Y and Z. Dyes I and II are harmful.

W X Y Z I II

Which bubble teas are safe for consumption?

A W and Z C X and Z
B X and Y D W and Y

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 8
23 A sample of air is slowly passed through aqueous sodium hydroxide and then over
heated copper.

Which gases are removed by this process?

A carbon dioxide and oxygen

B carbon dioxide and water vapour
C nitrogen and oxygen
D nitrogen and water vapour

24 The structure of a molecule, H2XO4 is given below.

O
║
O=X–O–H
│
O–H

What is the total number of electrons in the covalent bonds surrounding atom X?

A 4 B 6 C 8 D 12

25 An atom of an element Y has an atomic number between 11 and 18 and reacts with
oxygen to form Y2O3.

Which Period and Group in the Periodic Table does Y belong to?

Period Group
A 3 III
B 3 V
C 4 III
D 4 V

26 What is the mass of magnesium which completely reacts with 250 cm3 of
1.0 mol/dm3 sulfuric acid?

A 6g B 12 g C 48 g D 96 g

27 What is the chemical formula of chromium(III) oxide?

A CrO3 B Cr2O3 C Cr3O D Cr3O2

28 Which compound has both ionic and covalent bonds?

A carbon dioxide C sodium chloride

B helium D ammonium chloride

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 9
29 Which ionic equation represents the reaction between aqueous potassium hydroxide
and dilute hydrochloric acid?

A K+ + HCl → KCl + H+
B K+ + Cl- → KCl
C H+ + OH- → H2O
D HCl + OH- → H2OCl-

30 Which of the following cannot be removed from the exhaust gases of a petrol car by
its catalytic converter?

A carbon monoxide C hydrocarbon

B carbon dioxide D nitrogen dioxide

31 Which deduction about the element astatine, At, can be made from its position in
Group VII of the Periodic Table?

A It forms covalent compounds with sodium.

B It is displaced from aqueous potassium astatide, KAt, by chlorine.
C It is a gas.
D It is more reactive than iodine.

32 Why is the reaction H – H + Cl – Cl → 2 H – Cl exothermic?

A Energy involved in the bond breaking is greater than that of the bonds forming.
B Energy involved in the bond forming is greater than that of the bonds breaking.
C More bonds are broken than formed.
D More bonds are formed than broken.

33 Some crystals of sodium carbonate were added to an excess of sulfuric acid at room
temperature. The volume of carbon dioxide produced was measure over a period of
time. The results are shown in graph Y. The experiment was repeated and graph Z
was obtained.

100 graph Y
volume of
carbon
dioxide/ cm3
50 graph Z

0 time

Which one change was used to obtain results shown in graph Z?

A Acid of half the original concentration was used.

B A lower temperature was used.
C Half the amount of sodium carbonate was used.
D Larger crystals of sodium carbonate were used.

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 10
34 In which of the following substances does carbon have the smallest oxidation
number?

A CO B CO2 C CH4 D CaCO3

35 Five equations are shown below.

Equation 1 : 2C + O2 → 2CO
Equation 2 : CaSiO3 → SiO2 + CaO
Equation 3 : CaCO3 → CaO + CO2
Equation 4 : Fe2O3 + 3CO → 2Fe + 3CO2
Equation 5 : 2Fe + O2 → 2FeO

Which of the equations are reactions that occur in the blast furnace during the
extraction of iron?

A Reactions 1, 2 and 5 C Reactions 2, 3 and 4

B Reactions 1, 3 and 4 D Reactions 3 and 5 only

36 Which of the following nitrates is thermally least stable?

A potassium nitrate C copper(II) nitrate

B lead(II) nitrate D silver nitrate

37 A solution Z produces gases when

i. added to potassium carbonate and

ii. added to aqueous sodium hydroxide and then warm with aluminium foil.

What is solution Z?

A sulfuric acid C nitric acid

B ethanoic acid D ammonium nitrate

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 11
38 Poly(ethene) can be manufactured by the process below.

decane ethene poly(ethene)

cracking polymerisation

Which diagram shows the change in molecular size during the process?
A C

molecular molecular
size size

start finish start finish

B D

molecular molecular
size size

start finish start finish

39 Which of the following equations represents a substitution reaction?

A C4H8 + H2O → C4H9OH

B C2H4 + Br2 → C2H4Br2
C CH3Cl + Cl2 → CH2Cl2 + HCl
D nC2H4 → –(CH2 – CH2)n–

40 Which of the following statements correctly describes the fraction collected at the
bottom of the fractionating column during fractional distillation of petroleum?

A It has the lowest boiling point.

B It has the highest viscosity.
C It has the lowest density.
D It contains small molecules.

End of Paper

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 12
CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 13
 Science Chemistry 5116/ 5118

Colours of some common metal hydroxides

calcium hydroxide white

Copper(II) hydroxide light blue
iron(II) hydroxide green
iron(III) hydroxide red-brown
lead(II) hydroxide white
zinc hydroxide white

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 14
Answers
Preliminary Examination 2009
5N Science (Physics, Chemistry)
5116/1

1. A 21. A
2. A 22. A
3. C 23. A
4. A 24. D
5. C 25. A
6. D 26. A
7. C 27. B
8. A 28. D
9. A 29. C
10. B 30. B
11. D 31. B
12. B 32. B
13. A 33. C
14. B 34. C
15. D 35. B
16. A 36. D
17. D 37. C
18. A 38. D
19. D 39. C
20. C 40. B

CTSS/2009/Prelim Exam/5116/P1 15