Science: Full Practice Paper 15
Full Practice Paper 15 is the final complete practice paper in this 13+ Common Entrance Science series, mixing Biology, Chemistry and Physics questions in one timed sitting for a final round of full-paper exam practice.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- As this is a later practice paper, check specifically for the mistakes that tripped you up in earlier practice papers, such as missing units or muddling similar-sounding terms, and watch for them again here.
- For energy resource questions, be ready to classify a named resource, for example wind, coal, solar or natural gas, as renewable (can be replenished naturally and will not run out) or non-renewable (a fossil fuel that took millions of years to form and cannot be replaced quickly).
- For reactivity questions, use the reactivity series (most to least reactive, for example potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper) to predict whether a displacement reaction will happen: a more reactive metal displaces a less reactive one from its compound.
- For cell and microscope questions, remember that magnification = image size / actual size, and rearrange this equation carefully depending on which value the question asks for.
- When comparing plant cells and animal cells, name the structures unique to plant cells, such as the cell wall, chloroplasts and permanent vacuole, rather than only describing general similarities.
- For any calculation, show your substituted equation as a separate line of working, since a method mark is often available even when the final numerical answer is incorrect.
- With a few minutes left, check that you have used the exact scientific term requested, for example 'non-renewable' rather than just 'runs out', since vague wording can lose a mark that a precise term would gain.
Worked example
Under a microscope, the image of an onion cell measures 5 mm across. The magnification used is x200. Use magnification = image size / actual size to calculate the actual size of the onion cell, in mm.
- Write down the equation: magnification = image size / actual size.
- Rearrange to make actual size the subject: actual size = image size / magnification.
- Substitute the values given: actual size = 5 / 200.
- Final answer: actual size = 0.025 mm.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Name one renewable energy resource.Show answer
Answer: Wind (or solar, hydroelectric, tidal, geothermal or biomass).
Q2Using the reactivity series, state whether iron would react with a solution of copper sulfate, given that iron is more reactive than copper.Show answer
Answer: Yes, iron would displace copper from copper sulfate solution in a displacement reaction.
Q3Name one structure found in a plant cell that is not found in an animal cell.Show answer
Answer: The cell wall (or a chloroplast, or the permanent vacuole).
Q4State one disadvantage of burning coal to generate electricity.Show answer
Answer: It releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, and coal is a non-renewable resource that will eventually run out.
Q5Name the gas produced when a reactive metal reacts with a dilute acid.Show answer
Answer: Hydrogen gas.
Q6Name the structure inside a plant cell where photosynthesis takes place.Show answer
Answer: The chloroplast.
Q7State one advantage of using solar power to generate electricity, compared with burning fossil fuels.Show answer
Answer: It does not release carbon dioxide or other pollutants while generating electricity, and it is a renewable resource that will not run out.
Q8State whether gold is a very reactive or a very unreactive metal, given that it is found in the Earth as the pure metal rather than in a compound.Show answer
Answer: Very unreactive.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 13+ Common Entrance exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A student places a piece of zinc metal into a blue solution of copper sulfate. After a few minutes, the blue colour of the solution fades and an orange-brown coating of copper forms on the zinc. (a) Explain, in terms of reactivity, why this reaction takes place. (b) Name the type of reaction that has occurred. (c) Predict, giving a reason, what would happen if a piece of copper metal were instead placed into a solution of zinc sulfate.
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A student observes an animal cell under a microscope. The actual diameter of the cell is 0.02 mm, and the image she draws has a diameter of 8 mm. (a) Use magnification = image size / actual size to calculate the magnification used. (b) Name one structure that would be visible in this animal cell, and state one structure that would NOT be present, that is instead only found in a plant cell.
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Free printable worksheet
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