SCIENCE EXAM

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Duration – 1 hour and 30 minutes

Each correct answer is worth 1 mark out of a total of 100, unless stated otherwise.

SECTION 1 – ASTRONOMY (35 marks)

1. You are living in another part of the Universe and you want to send a letter to Planet Earth. Write on the envelope below the full address for this planet. (3 marks)

Planet Earth

The Universe

2. Our sun, like all suns in the Universe, is mostly made of just two gases. Name them. (2 marks)

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3. If the sun suddenly disappeared – don’t worry this cannot happen in reality! – how long would it take us on Planet Earth to see it was no longer up in space? (Place a cross by the correct answer)
a. We would notice straight away.
b. About 8 seconds
c. About 8 days
d. About 8 minutes

4. In the box below, briefly explain why it would take this amount of time.

5. You are an astronaut on a unique journey through our solar system. You depart from the sun and visit each planet in order, until you reach the planet furthest from the sun. Name the 9 different planets you visited in the order of your journey. (5 marks)

6.Which is the odd one out? Write why in the extra space below. (2 marks)

Why?……………………………………………………………………………………

7. True or False? If you tried to stand on any of the gas planets you would simply fall all the way through and come out the other side………………………………………...........................................................................

8. Why is the length of a year longer, the further away you are from the sun?………......................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………......................................

9. What is the name of the planet pictured below?……………………………………..

10. Astronomers have so far spotted at least 100 billion other galaxies in our Universe. However there are only 4 different types of galaxy. What are the 4 types? (2 marks)

11. How many suns are there in our galaxy, the Milky Way? (Place a cross by answer)
a. About 200 billion
b. Don’t be silly there is only 1 – our sun!
c. 10 thousand
d. 5 million

12. What is the name of the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way?………………………......................................

13. True or False? Our moon is the debris of a huge crash over 4 billion years ago between our planet and a smaller planet called a planetisimal…………………………...........................................................................

14. About 7 billion years ago a giant sun exploded. The debris and gas blasted into space creating enormous dust clouds. In the box below, explain how these dust clouds eventually produced our sun and planets. (10 marks)

15. All of the rocky planets and their moons are covered in…
a. Something sticky
b. Craters
c. Tiny bacteria
d. A rash

16. The Aurora Borealis is a spectacular light show in the sky that you can see in the winter months in and around the Arctic Circle. What is the name of the wind that creates this light show?

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17. What is the name of the strange power in space whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape from its pull?……………………………………………………...............................................................................

SECTION 2 – PHYSICS (30 Marks)

19. There are 4 Universal Forces in the Universe – Gravity, Electro-Magnetism, Strong Nuclear Force and Weak Nuclear Force. In the box below, explain what would happen to our Universe if you removed the force of gravity. (3 marks)

20. True or False? All objects exert a gravitational pull, even you and I………………....................................

21. Place a number from 1 to 6 by each of the following, starting with the objects that exert the greatest gravitational pull down to those that exert the least pull. (3 marks)
a. The Sun………………………..
b. Planet Earth……………………
c. A banana………………………
d. Jupiter…………………………
e. The Milky Way……………….
f. An ant…………………………

22. What force does Electro-Magnetism exert on all objects?…………………………......................................
…………………………………………………………………………………………......................................

23. Now explain what would happen if you removed the force of Electro-Magnetism? What would the Universe resemble? (2 marks)

24. Magnets have a north pole at one end and a south pole at the other. If you placed two magnets end to end sometimes they will attract one another, sometimes they will repel. Place a cross by the action below that will cause them to be attracted to each other.
a.

b.

25. Which of the following appliances need Electro-Magnetism to work? (3 marks)
a. An electric motor
b. A compass
c. A hand drill
d. A magnifying glass
e. A potato peeler
f. A computer

26. In the middle of our planet there lies the inner core, a vast area of molten iron. This core exerts a powerful force that protects our planet from the lethal radiation of the solar wind. In the box below draw a picture of our planet and show how this invisible force would appear if we could see it. Illustrate its effect on the solar wind. Finally give the name of this force. (5 marks)

27. Which of the Universal Forces holds an atom together?……………………………...................................
………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................

28. What happens when we split an atom?…………………………………………….....................................
………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................

29. According to the famous scientist, Albert Einstein, what moves faster than the speed of light? (Place a cross by the correct answer)
a. The planets travelling around the sun.
b. Thierry Henry.
c. Homer Simpson when there are free doughnuts around.
d. Nothing.

30. If we could travel at the speed of light what does Einstein think would happen to us?

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31. If you pass a light through a prism, a crystal or water what happens to the light? Name all the colours you would see. (5 marks)

32. Light and sound travel in……………………………………………………………...................................

33. What is the name of the tiny particles inside atoms that can be in two places at the same time, can suddenly disappear only to reappear somewhere else entirely, and generally act in a very strange way?

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SECTION 3 – CHEMISTRY (35 marks)

34. Everything in the known Universe is made up of atoms. Every atom consists of one of the elements. How many elements are there in the Universe? (Place a cross by the correct answer)
a. 29
b. 92
c. 1,492
d. Elements? What elements?

35. Briefly explain, in the box below the difference between elements and compounds. (6 marks)

36. All of the elements are given a symbol. Match up the elements with their symbols by drawing a line between them. (4 marks)

Hydrogen ............................Xe
Helium ................................Cl
Neon ...................................Au
Chlorine ..............................H
Xenon .................................Cu
Gold ....................................He
Silver ..................................Ne
Copper ................................Ag

37. Of all the elements, there is one that is by far the most dominant in the Universe. In fact 90% of the Universe is made up of this single, vital element. What is its name?
………………………………………………………………………………………….....................................

38. On Planet Earth this element is mostly found mixed with oxygen in a very important compound. What is the name of this compound and what is its chemical symbol? (2 marks)

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39. The second most abundant element in the Universe is helium. Which of the following sentences about helium is not true?
a. Helium is highly flammable; the slightest spark can cause a huge explosion.
b. Helium is a vital ingredient of the stars.
c. Helium destroys bacteria and germs.
d. Helium is a very light, inert gas- this is why we use it in balloons.

40. Name 3 gases that we use for lighting. (3 marks)
………………….....................................
………………….....................................
………………….....................................

41.What is the most common gas on Planet Earth?…………………………………….....................................

42. What happens when you mix chlorine with hydrogen in a dark room, but then you turn on the light?

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43. True or False? If we changed the temperature, we could turn gold into a gas, hydrogen into a solid and oxygen into a liquid…………………………………………............................................................................

44. Which of the following is never mined, and why not? (Place a cross by the correct answer and the reason in the space beneath)
a. Gold
b. Silver
c. Bronze
d. Tin
………………………………………………………………………………………….......................................

45. When we say that gold is extremely inactive as an element what does this mean?
………………………………………………………………………………………….......................................

46. Name 3 metals that, because of their high conductivity, are used in electric wiring. (3 marks)
…………………
…………………
…………………

47. Aluminium is one of the most widely used elements. Name 4 different things for which we use aluminium. (2 marks)

48. Name the two elements that make up the compound salt. What is the chemical symbol for salt? (3 marks)
…………………………………………………………………………………………......................................

49. In the boxes, below draw how the atoms would be arranged in the following 4 states – heavy solid, light solid, liquid, and gas. Label each picture correctly. (4 marks)

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