60 questions · 60 marks · ≈ 60 min · spans 21 of 21 topics
Assembled from the topic question banks — not an official Cambridge International paperA student connects together some identical resistors in three different combinations, as shown in the diagram.
Which of the answers below shows the correct order of the combinations from the lowest resistance to the highest?
Choose your answer
P → Q → R
Q → P → R
Q → R → P
P → R → Q
Which line correctly states the equation for electrical energy?
Choose your answer
Extended tier only
A current-carrying wire is placed between two magnetic poles as shown in the diagram below. It experiences an upwards force.
What is the orientation of the magnetic poles?
| Left magnet | Right magnet | |
|---|---|---|
| A | N | N |
| B | S | N |
| C | N | S |
| D | S | S |
Choose your answer
A student carries out an experiment to find out which of four metal rods makes the best permanent magnet.
The rod is attached to the south pole of a permanent magnet, and then paper clips are attached to the rod. The number of paper clips that can be held by the rod is counted.
The permanent magnet is then removed from the rod, and the number of paper clips that remain attached are counted.
The results are summarised in the table below.
Which of the rods becomes the strongest permanent magnet?
| rod | number of paper clips held by the rod | |
|---|---|---|
| when the magnet is present | when the magnet is removed | |
| A | 5 | 2 |
| B | 4 | 3 |
| C | 2 | 0 |
| D | 3 | 2 |
Choose your answer
A cardboard rectangle is hung from a nail as shown in the diagram.
A plumb line is also hung from the nail.
Which of the points labelled shows the centre of gravity of the cardboard rectangle?
Choose your answer
Which energy transfer takes place when a log burns in a fire?
Choose your answer
Energy is transferred from the nuclear store of the log to the chemical store of the log.
Energy is transferred from the nuclear store of the log to the thermal store of the surroundings.
Energy is transferred from the chemical store of the log to the thermal store of the surroundings.
Energy is transferred from the thermal store of the log to the nuclear store of the surroundings.
A teacher has a hot cup of tea.
Some of the liquid in the cup evaporates.
Choose the line from the table below that correctly describes what happens to the mass and the weight of the tea in the cup.
| Mass | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| A | increases | decreases |
| B | increases | increases |
| C | decreases | decreases |
| D | decreases | increases |
Choose your answer
Extended tier only
The graph shows the speed-time graph of a cyclist moving in a straight line.
What is the acceleration of the cyclist at a time of 20 seconds?
Choose your answer
0.5 m/s2
-0.5 m/s2
0 m/s2
11.5 m/s2
A student is trying to see how quickly they can run 5.0 km on a standard 400 m running track.
They reason that, if they know how fast they can run one lap, they can assume they will run at the same speed for 5.0 km, and can calculate their predicted time.
They, correctly, reason that they will not be able to maintain their initial pace throughout the whole 5.0 km, so they decide to time lap 5.
The diagram shows the reading on the stopwatch at the beginning and the end of lap 5.
Calculate how long it should take the student to run 5.0 km.
Choose your answer
36 minutes 52.5 seconds
24 minutes 22.5 seconds
13 minutes 0 seconds
9 minutes 45 seconds
A person walking through snow sinks into it.
The person makes a change so that they do not sink as far next time they go out.
What do they do?
Choose your answer
Crouch as they walk to lower their centre of mass
Run as fast as they can to increase the power they dissipate
Wear shoes with a much larger area on the bottom to increase the area of their feet in contact with the snow
Wear a heavy backpack to increase their weight and so make them more stable .
Background radiation is the radiation that is always present in the environment around us.
Which list contains only natural sources of background radiation?
Choose your answer
cosmic rays, radon gas, medical X-rays
cosmic rays, radon gas, rocks and buildings
food and drink, nuclear power stations, cosmic rays
mobile phones, radon gas, rocks and buildings
Extended tier only
Fusion is a type of nuclear reaction.
Which term below is a correct statement about nuclear fusion?
Choose your answer
It occurs in nuclear power stations.
It involves a larger nucleus decaying into two (or more) smaller nuclides.
Uranium is a type of fuel for nuclear fusion.
Light nuclei (such as hydrogen and helium) fuse together, releasing energy in the process.
Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum does the Sun radiate most of its energy in?
Choose your answer
radio, visible and gamma
infrared, visible and ultraviolet
infrared, X-rays and gamma
infrared, visible and gamma
Which list shows the correct order of the life cycle of a star like the Sun?
Choose your answer
nebula → main sequence star → red supergiant → neutron star
nebula → main sequence star → red giant → white dwarf
nebula → red giant → main sequence star → white dwarf
main sequence star → nebula → red giant → black hole
Extended tier only
A sealed yet empty (except for air) plastic drinks bottle is left outside in the sunshine on a warm day.
Which row of the table correctly describes what happens to the average speed of the air molecules, and to the pressure inside the bottle?
| Average speed of particles | Pressure inside bottle | |
|---|---|---|
| A | increases | increases |
| B | increases | decreases |
| C | decreases | increases |
| D | decreases | decreases |
Choose your answer
Extended tier only
Wooden barrels are often reinforced by putting tight iron rings around them.
What procedure would make it easier to get the iron ring onto the barrel?
Choose your answer
Heating the barrel.
Cooling the iron ring.
Soaking the barrel in water.
Heating the iron ring.
A family goes on a picnic and they want their food to stay cold.
In order to achieve this, they put two ice packs with the picnic food in a hamper.
Where should both ice packs be placed in order to keep the food as cool as possible?
Choose your answer
Both at the top of the hamper
One at the top of the hamper and one at the bottom
Both at the bottom of the hamper
On either side of the hamper
The table below shows the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It runs in order of increasing wavelength.
Which region is microwaves?
| γ-rays | A | B | C | infrared | D | radio waves |
|---|
Choose your answer
Extended tier only
The following table shows some examples of waves
Which row correctly lists the nature of each of the wave types?
| Sound waves | Infrared waves | Red light waves | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | transverse | longitudinal | transverse |
| B | longitudinal | transverse | transverse |
| C | longitudinal | longitudinal | transverse |
| D | transverse | transverse | longitudinal |
Choose your answer
Which of the images correctly shows the focal length of the thin converging lens?
Choose your answer
Extended tier only
In a common secondary school demonstration, a speaker is placed next to a lighted match.
A loud sound wave is played through the speaker, causing the flame to vibrate.
What type of wave is emitted from the speaker, and in which direction does the flame vibrate?
| wave type | direction of vibration | |
|---|---|---|
| A | transverse | ↔️ |
| B | longitudinal | ↔️ |
| C | transverse | ↕️ |
| D | longitudinal | ↕️ |
Choose your answer
The diagram shows two resistors connected in series with a battery.
What is the current through the battery?
Choose your answer
1.5 A
150 A
0.67 A
15 A
Which pair of quantities have the same units?
Choose your answer
Current and potential difference
Current and resistance
Electromotive force and potential difference
Electromotive force and resistance
Extended tier only
A current-carrying wire is placed into a magnetic field as shown in the diagram. The wire experiences a force.
In which direction does the force on the wire act?
Choose your answer
OP
PO
ST
QR
Which statement about a permanent bar magnet is incorrect?
Choose your answer
The S-pole attracts the N-pole of another magnet
The S-pole repels the S-pole of another magnet
It cannot repel a non-magnetic material
It is made from a soft magnetic material (such as soft iron)
Four cuboids are shown in the diagram below. The position of their centre of gravity is also shown.
Which of the cuboids is the most stable?
Choose your answer
The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transferred from one store to another.
Which of the following statements is true?
Choose your answer
The useful energy and wasted energy transferred away from a system will be equal to the total energy transferred to the system.
The useful energy of a system will be equal to the wasted energy of a system.
The total energy transferred to a system will be equal to the useful energy transferred away from a system.
The total energy transferred to a system will be equal to the wasted energy transferred away from a system.
The table shows the mass and the volume of two objects, P and Q. The objects are placed in a tank of water which has a density of .
| object | mass / g | volume / cm3 |
|---|---|---|
| P | 15 | 5 |
| Q | 15 | 20 |
Which statement is correct?
Choose your answer
Object P floats because its density is greater than the density of water.
Object P sinks because its mass is equal to the mass of object Q.
Object Q sinks because its volume is greater than the volume of object P.
Object Q floats because its density is less than the density of water.
The diagram shows a speed–time graph for a car travelling along a straight road.
What is the distance travelled by the car while it is moving at constant speed?
Choose your answer
A geologist wants to measure the volume of a particularly interesting pebble she has found in a river.
She uses the apparatus shown below.
What is the volume of the pebble?
Choose your answer
11 cm3
23 cm3
6 cm3
17 cm3
A woman is in contact with the floor.
In which of these poses does she produce the most pressure on the floor?
Assume she is wearing flat shoes in each pose.
Choose your answer
A
B
C
D
The graph shows the activity of a radioactive source over a period of time.
What is the half-life of the source?
Choose your answer
5 seconds
5 minutes
300 seconds
300 minutes
A neutron and a proton are near to a positive nucleus.
If anything, what would happen to the proton and the neutron due to the charge on the nucleus?
Choose your answer
The neutron is repelled; the proton is attracted.
The proton is not affected; the neutron is attracted.
The proton is repelled; the neutron is attracted.
The proton is repelled; the neutron is not affected.
Which of the following describes the lifecycle of a star about the size of the Sun?
Choose your answer
interstellar hydrogen clouds → protostar → main sequence star → red supergiant → black hole
interstellar hydrogen clouds → planetary nebula → main sequence star → red giant → protostar→ white dwarf
interstellar hydrogen clouds → protostar → main sequence star → red giant → planetary nebula → white dwarf
interstellar hydrogen clouds → protostar → main sequence star → red supergiant → neutron star
Extended tier only
The table shows some planetary data for planets in our Solar System
| Planet | Orbital distance / million km | Orbital duration / days or years | Density / kg/m3 | Surface Temperature/ °C | Uniform Surface Gravitational Field Strength/ N/kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 57.9 | 88 days | 5427 | 350 | 3.7 |
| Venus | 108.2 | 225 days | 5243 | 460 | 8.9 |
| Earth | 149.6 | 365 days | 5514 | 20 | 9.8 |
| Mars | 227.9 | 687 days | 3933 | –23 | 3.7 |
| Jupiter | 778.6 | 11.9 years | 1326 | –120 | 23.1 |
| Saturn | 1433.5 | 29.5 years | 687 | –180 | 9.0 |
| Uranus | 2872.5 | 75 years | 1271 | –210 | 8.7 |
| Neptune | 4495.1 | 165 years | 1638 | –220 | 11.0 |
What is the orbital speed of Mars?
Choose your answer
8.68 × 104 m/hr
1.38 × 107 m/hr
8.68 × 107 m/hr
2.08 × 109 m/hr
A beaker of water, at its boiling point of 100 °C, is heated so that the liquid starts to become a gas, also at 100 °C.
Which row of the table correctly compares the liquid phase with the gas phase under these conditions?
| Average distance between the particles | Average speed of the particles | |
|---|---|---|
| A | the same in the liquid and the gas | the same in the liquid and the gas |
| B | greater in the liquid | greater in the gas |
| C | greater in the gas | greater in the liquid |
| D | greater in the gas | the same in the liquid and the gas |
Choose your answer
What are the upper and lower fixed points on a Celsius scale thermometer?
| Upper | Lower | |
|---|---|---|
| A | The boiling point of saturated salt solution. | The freezing point of salt-water |
| B | The normal temperature of the human body | The freezing point of salt-water |
| C | The boiling point of pure water | The freezing point of pure water |
| D | The boiling point of pure water | Absolute zero |
Choose your answer
The Sun is the source of the majority of the energy on Earth.
How does thermal energy from the Sun travel to the Earth?
Choose your answer
By conduction, convection and radiation
By conduction and convection only
By convection and radiation only
By radiation only
Extended tier only
Which of the following options shows the correct speed for electromagnetic waves in a vacuum?
Choose your answer
3.0 × 104 cm / s
3.0 × 108 cm / s
3.0 × 1010 cm / s
3.0 × 108 km / s
What is the definition of the word amplitude?
Choose your answer
The number of complete waves that pass a point per second.
The distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of an adjacent wave.
The distance from the equilibrium position of a peak plus the same distance from a trough.
The maximum distance from the equilibrium position of any point on a wave.
The image below shows white light being split into its constituent colours by a glass prism.
Why does a prism cause white light to be dispersed?
Choose your answer
Light towards the red end of the spectrum slows down less than light towards the violet end of the spectrum as it moves through the glass
Light towards the red end of the spectrum slows down more than light towards the violet end of the spectrum as it moves through the glass
The frequency of the light towards the red end decreases more than the frequency of light towards the violet end of the spectrum
The frequency of the light towards the violet end decreases more than the frequency of light towards the red end of the spectrum
A walker can see a cliff face some distance away, and wants to estimate how far away it is.
He makes a loud noise, and times how long it takes the echo to come back. It takes 1.8 s.
If the speed of sound is 345 m/s, how far away is the cliff?
Choose your answer
192 m
96 m
621 m
311 m
Extended tier only
Which diagram shows the correct symbol for a diode, and the correct direction of current moving through it?
Choose your answer
Extended tier only
Four current-voltage graphs are given below.
Which graph shows an ohmic resistor and which shows a filament lamp?
| Filament lamp | Ohmic resistor | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Q | S |
| B | R | Q |
| C | P | Q |
| D | Q | R |
Choose your answer
Extended tier only
Which diagram shows the correct magnetic field pattern around a current-carrying solenoid?
Choose your answer
Which of the following choices of metal would be suitable for:
| Use as a permanent magnet | Use as the core of an electromagnet | |
|---|---|---|
| A | steel | iron |
| B | steel | steel |
| C | iron | iron |
| D | iron | steel |
Choose your answer
Extended tier only
A uniform beam is pivoted at one end and suspended by a 200 N force as shown in the diagram.
The beam is in equilibrium.
What is the weight of the beam?
Choose your answer
66.7 N
33.3 N
1200 N
200 N
Extended tier only
The diagram shows an LED light bulb.
Which expression gives the efficiency of the bulb?
Choose your answer
A cube of side length 5 cm is placed on a mass balance.
What is the density of the cube?
Choose your answer
1.0 g/cm3
0.20 g/cm3
5.12 g/cm3
4.88 g/cm3
The graph shows the journey undertaken by a car.
Which equation correctly gives the distance travelled by the car?
Choose your answer
A person wishes to roast a chicken. The chicken requires 1 hour and 20 minutes in the oven to be properly cooked.
The oven must be switched on 10 minutes before any food is put in, in order to pre-heat, and reach the correct temperature for cooking.
The chicken needs to be ready at 4:30 pm. At what time must the oven be switched on?
Choose your answer
2:10 pm
3:10 pm
2:00 pm
3:00 pm
Which is an example of a force acting over a small area to produce a large pressure?
Choose your answer
A skier wearing large skis on snow.
A hammer being used to push a nail into a piece of wood.
A tractor having very wide tyres.
A person lying down, rather than walking upright on a roof.
There are three main types of radiation which may be emitted during radioactive decay: α-particles, β-particles and γ-rays.
Which of the following statements about these types of emissions is true?
Choose your answer
α-particles are the only type of radiation to have a charge
γ- rays are stopped by a sheet of paper
β-particles have the greatest ionising effect
γ-rays are the most penetrating
How many neutrons are in a nucleus of aluminium? The chemical symbol is given below:
Choose your answer
13
27
14
40
What is the correct description of the Milky Way?
Choose your answer
Universe
Star
Galaxy
Nebula
The radius of Jupiter's orbit is 778 × 106 km. What is the time taken for light from the Sun to reach the surface of Jupiter?
The speed of light is 3 × 108 m/s.
Choose your answer
2600 ms
2600 s
0.39 s
3.9 × 10–4 s
The diagrams represent the molecules in two different states of matter. The arrows show the motion of the molecules.
Which state represents a solid?
Choose your answer
state 1
neither
both
state 2
Extended Tier Only
In a children’s experiment, a saucer of water is left outside to evaporate.
Which row shows weather conditions that will each cause the rate of evaporation from the saucer to increase?
| Temperature | Wind speed | |
|---|---|---|
| A | warm | windy |
| B | warm | still |
| C | cool | windy |
| D | cool | still |
Choose your answer
Extended tier only
Which of the following statements about energy transfer is correct?
Choose your answer
Metals conduct thermal energy well because their electrons are not free to move.
Infrared radiation cannot travel through a vacuum.
Warm fluids rise because their particles move further apart.
Convection only occurs in gases.
Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation has the highest speed in a vacuum?
Choose your answer
Microwaves
Radio waves
Visible light
None of the above