Year 10 Paper 2: Building Blocks
Covers cell biology, organisation, atomic structure, bonding and energy.
Year 10 here means a typical teaching order, not a syllabus rule. No exam board defines what belongs to Year 10, and schools sequence the course differently. Check it against your own scheme of work before using it to decide what a class has covered.
Questions
Question 1 [2 marks]
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
An atom is made up of protons, neutrons and electrons.
State the relative charge and the relative mass of a proton.
Question 2 [2 marks]
Bonding, Structure and the Properties of Matter
Sodium chloride is an ionic compound.
State the type of bonding found in sodium chloride, and name the particles held together by this bonding.
Question 3 [3 marks]
Energy
Energy is conserved in any change involving energy transfer.
State what is meant by the conservation of energy, and describe what eventually happens to energy that is dissipated (wasted).
Question 4 [3 marks]
Bonding, Structure and the Properties of Matter
Metals have a giant structure held together by metallic bonding.
Give three properties of metals that can be explained by metallic bonding.
Question 5 [3 marks]
Organisation
The heart pumps blood around the body through a network of blood vessels.
State the name of the blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the body.
State the name of the heart chamber that this blood leaves from.
State one function of the valves in the heart.
Question 6 [3 marks]
Bonding, Structure and the Properties of Matter
An alloy is a mixture of a metal with one or more other elements.
Describe what an alloy is, and explain why alloys are usually harder than the pure metal they are made from.
Question 7 [4 marks]
Cell Biology
Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in cells.
Describe, using the 'lock and key' model, how an enzyme acts on its substrate.
Question 8 [5 marks]
Energy
A washing machine motor wastes some of its input energy as heat and sound.
Explain how friction between moving parts causes energy to be wasted as heat, and describe one way this wasted energy could be reduced.
Question 9 [5 marks]
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
Elements can be classified as metals or non-metals based on their physical properties.
Describe differences in the typical physical properties of metals compared with non-metals.
Question 10 [5 marks]
Bonding, Structure and the Properties of Matter
A cube-shaped nanoparticle has sides of length 4 nm. A second, larger cube-shaped particle has sides of length 40 nm.
Calculate the surface area to volume ratio of each cube, and state which particle has the larger surface area to volume ratio.
Question 11 [5 marks]
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
An atom of an element has 12 protons, 12 neutrons and 12 electrons.
The mass of a proton and the mass of a neutron are each approximately 1 relative unit, and the mass of an electron is negligible.
Calculate the approximate total relative mass of the atom, ignoring the mass of the electrons, and calculate the percentage of the atom's total number of subatomic particles that are found in the nucleus.
Model solutions
| Question 1[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| relative charge of +1 | B1 |
| relative mass of 1 | B1 |
| Final answer: +1 charge, relative mass 1 | |
| Question 2[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| ionic bonding | B1 |
| ions (Na+ and Cl- ions) | B1 |
| Final answer: Ionic bonding between Na+ and Cl- ions | |
| Question 3[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| stating energy cannot be created or destroyed | B1 |
| stating energy can only be transferred, stored or dissipated, from one store to another | B1 |
| stating dissipated energy spreads out to the surroundings, becoming increasingly difficult to use for further useful work | B1 |
| Final answer: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between stores; dissipated energy spreads out and becomes harder to use usefully | |
| Question 4[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| good electrical conductivity, due to delocalised electrons | B1 |
| being malleable/ductile, as layers of ions can slide over each other | B1 |
| having high melting and boiling points, due to strong metallic bonds | B1 |
| Final answer: Good conductivity, malleable/ductile, high melting and boiling points | |
| Question 5[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| aorta | B1 |
| left ventricle | B1 |
| valves preventing the backflow of blood | B1 |
| Final answer: Aorta; left ventricle; valves prevent backflow | |
| Question 6[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| an alloy being a mixture of a metal with one or more other elements | B1 |
| the different-sized atoms in an alloy distorting the regular layers of metal ions | B1 |
| this making it harder for the layers to slide over each other, so alloys are harder than the pure metal | B1 |
| Final answer: An alloy is a metal mixed with other elements; different-sized atoms distort the layers, making it harder for them to slide, so alloys are harder | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the enzyme having an active site with a specific shape | B1 |
| only a substrate with a complementary shape fitting into the active site | B1 |
| the substrate binding to the active site to form an enzyme-substrate complex | B1 |
| the reaction taking place and the product(s) being released, leaving the enzyme unchanged | B1 |
| Final answer: A substrate with a complementary shape fits into the enzyme's active site, forming an enzyme-substrate complex; the product is released and the enzyme is unchanged | |
| Question 8[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| friction opposing the relative motion between surfaces in contact | B1 |
| work having to be done against this frictional force as the parts move | B1 |
| this work done being transferred to the thermal energy stores of the parts (and surroundings), causing heating | B1 |
| stating some energy is also transferred to the surroundings as sound due to vibrations | B1 |
| stating lubricating (oiling or greasing) the moving parts reduces friction between them, reducing the energy wasted as heat | B1 |
| Final answer: Friction between moving parts transfers energy to heat (and some to sound); lubricating the moving parts reduces friction and so reduces the wasted energy | |
| Question 9[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| metals conducting electricity well, while most non-metals do not | B1 |
| metals having high melting and boiling points, while non-metals often have low melting and boiling points | B1 |
| metals being malleable or ductile, while non-metals are often brittle when solid | B1 |
| metals being shiny (lustrous), while non-metals are often dull | B1 |
| metals making a ringing sound when hit (sonorous), while non-metals do not | B1 |
| Final answer: Metals conduct electricity, have high melting points, and are malleable, shiny and sonorous; non-metals are typically the opposite of each of these | |
| Question 10[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| surface area of the small cube, 6 x 4^2 = 96 nm^2, and volume 4^3 = 64 nm^3, giving a ratio of 1.5 | M1 |
| surface area of the large cube, 6 x 40^2 = 9600 nm^2 | M1 |
| volume of the large cube, 40^3 = 64000 nm^3 | M1 |
| a ratio of 0.15 for the large cube | A1 |
| stating the small (4 nm) cube has the larger surface area to volume ratio | B1 |
| Final answer: Small cube ratio 1.5, large cube ratio 0.15; the smaller cube has the larger surface area to volume ratio | |
| Question 11[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| relative mass = protons + neutrons, 12 + 12 | M1 |
| 24 | A1 |
| total number of particles = 12 + 12 + 12 = 36 | M1 |
| (24 / 36) x 100 | M1 |
| 66.7% | A1 |
| Final answer: Relative mass 24; 66.7% of the atom's subatomic particles are found in the nucleus | |