Colfes School 1

Colfe’s School

Science Examination (Year 9, or, 13+ entry)

Name…………………………………………….

Candidate number………………….

Primary or Preparatory School……………………………………………

Date…………………………

1 ½ hour

You should try to answer all the questions in this booklet.

Try to be neat and careful.

The exam will last for one and a half hours.

You may tell your teacher if you finish early.

Invigilator please complete:

Time used by the candidate =

Colfes School 2

1. The drawing shows a plant called Tillandsia.

(a) (i) The leaves of this plant absorb light. Why do plants need light?

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(ii) Tillandsia plants grow on the high branches of trees in rain forests.

not to scale

These plants cannot grow well on the lowest branches. Explain why.

.............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

Colfes School 3

(b) Tillandsia plants do not have root hairs on their roots.

What two substances do most plants absorb through their root hairs?

1. ................................................................................................................

2. ................................................................................................................ 2 marks

(c) Which diagram below shows a root hair? Tick the correct box.

A B

C D

not to scale

1 mark

Maximum 5 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 4

2. The diagrams below show a human ovum (egg) and a human sperm.

membrane

membranenucleus

nucleus

head

tail

human ovum (egg) human sperm

not to scale

(a) What are eggs and sperm? Tick the correct box.

animals cells organs

1 mark

(b) Which part does a sperm use to swim towards an egg?

...................................................... 1 mark

(c) Give the name of the male reproductive organ where sperm are made.

....................................................... 1 mark

(d) The diagram below shows a sperm joining with an egg.

not to scale

What is this process called? Tick the correct box.

fertilisation

growth

nutrition

respiration

1 mark

Maximum 4 marks

Colfes School 5

3. The drawing shows a food chain including plants called tree ferns, and two dinosaurs. They lived on Earth millions of years ago.

(a) The list below shows words which describe living things in a food chain.

herbivore predator prey producer

(i) Which word in the list above describes the tree fern?

................................................................... 1 mark

(ii) From the list above, give one word that can describe Tyrannosaurus rex.

................................................................... 1 mark

(iii) From the list above, give one word that can describe Triceratops.

................................................................... 1 mark

(b) Some scientists think that a large rock from space hit the Earth about 65 million

years ago. A thick layer of dust stayed in the air for a long time and blocked out the sunlight.

This would cause a decrease in the number of tree ferns. Give one way the decrease in tree ferns would affect the Triceratops.

.....................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

(c) Tyrannosaurus rex had thick scales covering its body. Which group did it belong to? Tick the correct box.

amphibians fish

reptiles mammals

1 mark

Maximum 5 marks

Colfes School 6

4. (a) The photograph below shows a team of dogs called huskies pulling a sledge across the ice.

Huskies need to survive in a cold climate. They must be able to pull a heavy sledge for a long time each day.

Which two features would a dog breeder look for when choosing huskies to breed from? Choose from the list of features below and give the reason for each choice.

blue eyes fierce nature long tail

thick fur short legs strong muscles 1. feature .........................................................................................................

1 mark reason .........................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

2. feature ......................................................................................................... 1 mark

reason .........................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

(b) The drawings below show three dogs. They all look different.

Colfes School 7

(i) Which word describes the differences between these dogs? Tick the correct box.

adaptation reproduction

vaccination variation

1 mark

(ii) The drawing below shows a puppy. Dog C is the puppy's mother.

Why does the puppy look like his mother? Tick the correct box.

Information passed from the mother in an egg.

Information passed from the mother in a sperm.

Information passed from the mother in milk.

Information passed from the mother in blood.

1 mark

Maximum 6 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 8

5. Table 1 below shows the colour of universal indicator in acidic, neutral and alkaline solutions.

acidic

neutral alkaline

colour of indicator red orange yellow green blue dark

blue purple

table 1

Ramy tested different liquids with the indicator solution. His results are shown in table 2 below.

liquid colour of indicator solution

Milk green

lemonade orange

water green

fruit juice red

washing-up liquid blue

table 2

(a) Use Ramy’s results to answer the following questions.

(i) Give the name of one acidic liquid in table 2.

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(ii) Give the name of one neutral liquid in table 2.

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(b) Ramy dissolved some bicarbonate of soda in distilled water. This produced an alkaline solution.

(i) Ramy added the indicator to the alkaline solution.

Suggest what colour the indicator became. Use table 1 to help you.

................................................................ 1 mark

Colfes School 9

(ii) Ramy added lemon juice to the solution of bicarbonate of soda.

How could he tell that a gas was produced?

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(c) Ramy mixed an acid with an alkali and tested the mixture with the indicator solution. The indicator solution turned green.

What is the name of the reaction between an acid and an alkali? Tick the correct box.

condensation

crystallisation

evaporation

neutralisation

1 mark

maximum 5 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 10

6. In the experiment shown below, metal and acid react together to make hydrogen gas.

flask

acid

metal

hydrogen gas

test-tube

water

(a) Look at the flask. How can you tell that a gas is being produced in this

experiment?

.....................................................................................................................1 mark

(b) (i) Hydrogen gas passes through the water and collects in the test-tube. What does this tell you about hydrogen? Tick the correct box.

It dissolves in the water.

It does not dissolve in the water.

It is acidic.

It is alkaline.

1 mark

(ii) What happens to the level of the water in the test-tube as hydrogen is produced?

.............................................................................................................1 mark

(c) Air contains the following gases:

nitrogen

oxygen

water vapour carbon dioxide

Choose from these gases to answer the questions below.

(i) Which one of the four gases do we need to take into the blood in the lungs?

........................................................... 1 mark

(ii) Which one of the four gases can produce droplets on a cold window?

..........................................................1 mark (Maximum 5 marks)

Colfes School 11

7. The list below shows properties that different elements can have.

• magnetic

• can be compressed

• very high melting point

• very low melting point

• good conductor of heat

• poor conductor of heat

• good conductor of electricity

• poor conductor of electricity

(a) Which two properties from the list above make aluminium suitable for saucepans?

1. .................................................................................................................

2. ................................................................................................................. 2 marks

(b) Which property in the list above explains why:

(i) copper is used in the cable of a television?

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(ii) a lot of oxygen gas can be pumped into a very small container?

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

Maximum 4 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 12

8. Sharna boiled some red cabbage in water. The cabbage-water turned purple.

heat

red cabbage purple cabbage-water

(a) (i) Sharna separated pieces of cabbage from the cabbage-water.

Which method did she use? Tick the correct box.

chromatography filtration

condensation freezing

1 mark

(ii) Sharna wanted to find out if the purple cabbage-water contained more than one coloured substance.

Which method did she use? Tick the correct box.

chromatography filtration

condensation freezing

1 mark

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 13

(b) Sharna mixed the purple cabbage-water with some other liquids. She wrote the colours of the mixtures in a table as shown below.

colour of cabbage-water mixed with liquid

Is the liquid acidic, alkaline or neutral?

liquid 1 red acidic

liquid 2 blue alkaline

liquid 3 purple neutral

Use the information in the table to answer parts (i) and (ii) below.

(i) Sharna mixed cabbage-water with colourless washing-up liquid. The mixture turned blue.

What does this tell you about the washing-up liquid?

............................................................................................................... 1 mark

(ii) Sharna then mixed cabbage-water with lemon juice. Lemon juice is acidic.

What colour was the mixture?

............................................................. 1 mark

(c) What is the name of a chemical which changes colour when it is mixed with acids

or alkalis? Tick the correct box.

filtrate indicator

non-metal solution

1 mark

maximum 5 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 14

9. The table below gives information about three fuels that can be used in cars.

shows a substance is produced when the fuel burns. X shows a substance is not produced when the fuel burns.

fuel physical energy

released, some of the substances produced

when the fuel burns

state in kJ/kg carbon monoxide

sulphur dioxide

water

petrol liquid 48 000

hydrogen gas 121 000 X X

ethanol (alcohol)

liquid 30 000 X

(a) Which fuel, in the table, releases the least energy per kilogram (kg)?

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

(b) Some scientists say that if hydrogen is burned as a fuel there will be less pollution. From the information in the table, give one reason why there will be less pollution.

.....................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

(c) Which of the three fuels in the table can be compressed into a small container?

................................................................... 1 mark

(d) Which gas in the air is needed for fuels to burn? Tick the correct box.

carbon dioxide

nitrogen

oxygen

water vapour

1 mark

Colfes School 15

(e) Petrol and ethanol are both fuels. Petrol is made from oil. Scientists say that oil could run out in 100 years. In some countries people plant sugar cane and use it to make ethanol.

Sugar cane will not run out. Explain why.

.....................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

Maximum 5 marks

10. (a) The diagram below shows a circuit with a two-way switch, S.

Rosie puts the switch in the position shown below.

S

R

P Q

Complete the table below to show if the bulbs are on or off. Write on or off for each bulb.

bulb on or off

P

Q

R

1 mark

(b) Give the name of the part that provides energy for the circuit.

............................................................. 1 mark

Colfes School 16

(c) The diagrams below show a light-bulb over a staircase of a model house.

There is a two-way switch at the bottom of the stairs and another two-way switch at the top.

Under each diagram, tick one box to show if the bulb is on or off. The first one has been done for you.

on on

off off

on on

off off

2 marks

maximum 4 marks

Colfes School 17

11. The drawings in parts (a), (b) and (c) show two teams of pupils in a tug-of-war.

There is a ribbon tied to the middle of the rope.

(a) The sizes and directions of the forces of each team are shown.

team A team B

The ribbon stays above point X on the ground. Give the reason for this.

.........................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................... 1 mark

(b) The teams then pull with the forces shown below.

team A team B

Draw an arrow on the rope to show the direction in which the ribbon will move. 1 mark

(c) Later, the ribbon was to the left of point X as shown below.

team A team B

Why did the ribbon move towards the left?

.........................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................... 1 mark

Colfes School 18

(d) Team A practises by pulling a rope tied to a tree.

The team pulls with a force of 1200 N but the tree does not move.

What is the force of the tree on the rope? Tick the correct box.

zero less than 1200 N 1200 N

more than 1200 N

1 mark

(e) The pupils do not slip because there is a force between their shoes and the ground. What is the name of this force?

............................................................. 1 mark

maximum 5 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 19

12. The diagram below shows the Earth, the Sun, the Moon and an artificial satellite.

A B

C

not to scale

artificialsatellite

(a) Which letters, on the diagram, show the Earth, the Sun and the Moon?

the Earth ....................

the Sun ....................

the Moon .................... 2 marks

(b) Give one use of a satellite.

.....................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

(c) Which of the following is a source of light? Tick the correct box.

the Earth the Moon

the Sun a satellite

1 mark

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 20

(d) The curve shows the path of the Sun in the sky from sunrise to sunset in England one day in summer.

sunrise5.00 amin summer

sunset9.00 pmin summer

East West

1.00 pm

B

C

(i) On the curve, mark the position of the Sun at 9.00 am. Label this point A.

1 mark

(ii) The Sun seemed to move from point B to point C.

How many hours did this take? Tick the correct box.

2 hours 6 hours

4 hours 8 hours

1 mark

(e) On the diagram above, draw the path of the Sun from sunrise to sunset on a day in winter.

1 mark

maximum 7 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 21

13. The card shows the amounts of fat and fibre in some types of food and drink from a

café.

Chez Jean Café

fatin g

fibrein g

type of burger

single burger

double burger

cheeseburger

type of drink

strawberry milkshake

medium cola

medium orange juice

type of potato

regular fries

baked potato

17

38

21

8

0

0

15

0

0.8

1.2

1.0

0

0

0

3

9

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 22

(a) From the card above, choose a meal consisting of a burger, a drink and some

potato, to give:

(i) the least fat; 1 mark

(ii) the most fibre. 1 mark

Write your answers in the table below.

Food and drink meal with the least fat meal with the most fibre

type of burger

type of drink the drinks do not contain fibre

type of potato

(b) Draw a line from each nutrient to the main reason why it is needed. Draw only four lines.

nutrient main reason why the nutrient is needed

• to keep the intestine working properly

calcium • • for healthy teeth and bones

fibre • • for insulation

protein • • to provide energy

sugar • • for growth and repair

4 marks

Maximum 6 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 23

14. The diagram shows some of the organs of the human body.

(a) The heart pumps blood around the body.

(i) What useful gas does the blood take in from the air in the lungs?

............................................................. 1 mark

(ii) What useful substance does the blood take in from the intestine?

............................................................. 1 mark

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 24

(b) Blood vessels carry blood to organs of the body.

Sometimes a blood clot forms in a blood vessel as shown below.

a blood vessel not to scale

A blood clot may stop an organ working properly. Give one reason for this.

.....................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

(c) Rahma cut his foot on a piece of glass. A scab formed over the cut. Give one way a scab protects the body.

.....................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

maximum 4 marks

15. Spots may be caused by bacteria in the skin. A researcher investigated the effect of spot-lotion on bacteria.

(a) He grew bacteria on the surface of jelly in a Petri dish.

At what temperature would the bacteria reproduce quickly?

Tick the correct box.

100°C 4°C

37°C –15°C

1 mark

Colfes School 25

(b) The researcher placed two small paper discs onto the surface of the jelly.

One disc had been soaked in spot-lotion. The other disc had been soaked in water. The diagrams below show the jelly at the beginning of the experiment and two days later.

paper disc soakedin spot-lotion

clear area

surface coveredwith bacteria

paper discsoaked in water

two days laterat the beginning of the experiment

Suggest what had happened to the bacteria in the clear area around the paper disc soaked in spot-lotion.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………. 1 mark

(c) What was the control in this experiment?

……………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………. 1 mark

(d) Give two safety precautions the researcher should take to avoid contact with the bacteria.

1. ……………………………………………………………………………………

2. ……………………………………………………………………………………. 2 marks

Maximum 5 marks

Colfes School 26

16. Rhododendron plants grow bigger and faster than other plants.

The drawing below shows a man cutting down rhododendron plants.

(a) (i) Scientists think the rhododendron roots might produce a chemical that stops other plants growing nearby. Why does this help rhododendrons to grow?

.............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(ii) Give another reason why hardly any other plants can grow under the rhododendron bushes.

.............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(b) After the rhododendrons and their roots are cleared away there will not be any of the chemical in the soil. What will happen to the number of other plants growing there?

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 27

(c) The drawing shows an insect called a weevil.

Weevils feed on the leaves of rhododendrons.

Draw a line from the rhododendron box to the word that describes the rhododendron. Draw a line from the weevil box to the word that describes the weevil.

rhododendron (plant)

weevil (insect)

carnivore

herbivore

predator

producer

2 marks

Maximum 5 marks

Colfes School 28

17. The drawings show six objects made from different materials.

not to scale

(a) Fill the gaps in the sentences below.

The objects are made from materials that are all types of ........................... 1 mark

All the materials are good conductors of electricity and ............................... 1 mark

(b) From the drawings above give one object that could rust.

...................................................................................................................... 1 mark

(c) The drawing below shows part of an electric cable and a plug.

(i) What material could be put around the wires to insulate them?

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(ii) Why is this insulating material needed?

.............................................................................................................

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

Colfes School 29

(d) Which pair of objects is attracted to a magnet? Tick the correct box.

1 mark

maximum 6 marks

18.

Gold, iron and magnesium are elements whichconduct electricity.

Sulphur and phosphorus are elements whichdo conduct electricity.

When iron and sulphur are heated together,they react to form a new substance called ironsulphide.

not

(a) From the substances named above, give:

(i) the name of a metal;

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(ii) the name of an element which is a non-metal;

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

Colfes School 30

(iii) the name of an element which will rust;

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(iv) the name of a compound.

............................................................................................................. 1 mark

(b) When magnesium and sulphur are heated together, they react. Write the name of the compound which is formed when magnesium reacts with sulphur.

...................................................................................................................... 1 mark

Maximum 5 marks

19. (a) Joseph and Meena did some experiments to show how new rocks can be formed.

(i) Joseph used the following materials.

sand pebbles water plaster

Joseph mixed these materials and left the mixture to go hard. The solid looked like this.

Rocks are grouped into three types: igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.

Which of these types of rock is most like Joseph’s ‘rock’?

.......................................................... 1 mark

Colfes School 31

(ii) Meena took some crystals. She put them in a crucible and heated it until the

crystals melted. She let the crucible cool very slowly until the contents went solid. The solid she tipped out from the crucible looked like this.

Which of the three types of rock is most like Meena’s ‘rock’?

.................................................................. 1 mark

(b) Rocks can be broken by weathering when:

1. Water gets into cracks in rocks.

2. The water in the cracks turns to ice and expands.

3. The rocks split into smaller pieces.

What else must happen during this part of this weathering process? Tick two boxes.

The temperature stays the same.

The temperature falls below freezing point.

The temperature stays above freezing point.

Expansion forces the cracks in the rock to close.

Expansion forces the cracks in the rock to open.

Expansion forces all of the water out of the cracks.

2 marks

Maximum 4 marks

Colfes School 32

20. A Japanese volcano erupted in 1936. Molten sulphur poured out of the volcano.

When it cooled it formed rock sulphur.

older volcanic rocks solid rocksulphur

moltensulphur

(a) (i) Which word describes molten rock that is underground? Choose from lava or magma or oil.

……………………………………… 1 mark

(ii) Which type of rock do volcanoes produce? Choose from igneous or metamorphic or sedimentary.

……………………………………… 1 mark

(b) Sulphur is a non-metallic element. It is yellow and melts at 115°C.

Complete the sentences about sulphur.

(i) Sulphur is a poor conductor of

……………………………………… 1 mark

(ii) At 115°C sulphur changes from

a …………………………………… into a …………………..…………… 2 marks

(c) Sulphur burns in air to form an oxide. What gas in the air reacts with sulphur when it burns?

……………………………………… 1 mark

Maximum 6 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 33

21. Kala recorded temperatures using a datalogger and three temperature sensors,

P, Q and R. The ends of the sensors were covered with gauze. P was kept dry. Q was dipped in water for 2 seconds and then taken out. R was dipped in ethanol for 2 seconds and then taken out.

sensor P:dry gauze

sensor Q:gauze dippedin water

sensor R:gauze dippedin ethanol

Every five minutes, the datalogger recorded the temperatures of the sensors.

time, in min

temperature of sensor P, in °C

temperature of sensor Q, in °C

temperature of sensor R, in °C

0 20 20 20

5 20 18 16

10 20 17 12

15 20 17 20

(a) What was the temperature of the room at the beginning of Kala’s experiment?

..................... °C 1 mark

Colfes School 34

(b) Describe how the temperatures of sensor Q and sensor R changed.

sensor Q ......................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................

sensor R ......................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 2 marks

(c) The next day the gauze on sensor Q felt dry. What had happened to the water on the gauze?

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

Maximum 4 marks

22. The diagram below shows a pen.

The pen is held up by two magnets, one in the stand and the other in the pen.

N

S

magnet in stand

magnet in pen

pen

stand

(a) On the dotted lines above, label the North pole and the South pole of the magnet in the pen.

Use the letters N and S. 1 mark

Colfes School 35

(b) John put a block of metal between the two magnets as shown below.

N

S

magnet in stand

magnet in pen

stand

block of metal

The block of metal became a magnet.

(i) On the dotted lines above, label the North poles and the South poles of both the block of metal and the magnet.

Use the letters N and S. 1 mark

(ii) What metal could the block be made of?

............................................................. 1 mark

(c) John repeated the experiment using a piece of wood instead of a block of metal. The pen did not stay up. Give the reason for this.

........................................................................................................................ 1 mark

maximum 4 marks

Colfes School 36

23. A teacher has a small torch. He switches it on and points it towards a mirror.

torch

mirror

(a) A ray of light from the torch reflects off the mirror. Use a ruler to draw the ray of light:

(i) from the torch to the mirror; 1 mark

(ii) reflecting off the mirror. 2 marks

Add arrows to the rays to show the direction of the light.

(b) A laser beam is a very bright and powerful beam of light. It is very dangerous to point a laser beam towards people or animals. Which part of the body can be most easily damaged by a laser beam?

.................................................... 1 mark

Maximum 4 marks

KEEP GOING

Colfes School 37

24. Lee blew across the top of paper tubes to make sounds.

He investigated how changing the length of a tube affects the pitch of the sound.

(a) What equipment could he use to measure the length of the tubes?

Tick the correct box.

1 mark

(b) The photograph below shows the different lengths of tubes Lee used.

Suggest one way his test might not have been fair.

.....................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................... 1 mark

Colfes School 38

(c) Lee made a prediction.

Which of these statements is a prediction? Tick the correct box.

The tubes were made of paper.

The pitch of the sound is how high or low it is.

The longer tube will make a lower sound.

The sound is caused by the vibration of air.

1 mark

(d) Lee blew across the ends of 3 different lengths of tube and compared the pitch of the sound produced.

His results are shown below.

Length of the tube, in cm

5

25

50

pitch of the sound

high

medium

low

Which length of tube made the sound with the highest pitch?

......................................... cm 1 mark

Maximum 4 marks

THE END.

Now go back and check your work, if you have time.

Colfes School 39

Year 9, or, 13+ entry: Science Examination

The following examination paper has been constructed from past SATs papers. Each question is taken from a separate section of the KS3 National Curriculum framework to provide a fair breadth of questions for pupils to show what they can do.

The twenty four sections, from which the twenty four questions have been taken, are:

a)Year 7 topics

Cells, Reproduction, Environment, Variation, Acids and alkalis, Chemical reactions, Particle model, Solutions, Energy resources, Electrical circuits, Forces and effects, Solar System and beyond

b) Year 8 topics

Food and digestion, Respiration, Microbes and disease, Ecological relationships, Atoms and elements,Compounds and mixtures, Rocks and weathering, The rock cycle, Heating and cooling, Magnetsand electromagnets, Light, Sound and hearing.

We are looking for knowledge, understanding, and, most importantly, academic potential.