The correct option for each question is shown in bold with a tick (✔). A few questions are ambiguous and carry a short note.

1. A body has a mass of 70 kg. What is the force due to the earth acting on it? [g = 10 m s⁻²]

A.  700 N  ✔

B.  70 N

C.  7000 N

D.  3500 N

W = mg = 70 × 10 = 700 N

2. The main practice which is carried out in the nursery just before seedlings are transplanted is

A.  shading.

B.  hardening-off.  ✔

C.  pricking-out.

D.  thinning.

3. The diagram below is an electrical circuit showing two resistors connected in parallel. Determine the effective resistance of the combination.

A.  6.00 Ω

B.  1.20 Ω 

C.  0.83 Ω

D.  5.00 Ω

The circuit diagram is missing from the PDF. B assumes resistors of 2 Ω and 3 Ω: (2 × 3) ÷ (2 + 3) = 1.20 Ω. Check this against your paper.

4. The following statements are examples of application of biotechnology in Agriculture except

A.  development of pest-resistant crops.

B.  improving upon colour and size of a flower.

C.  introduction of foreign genes into livestock.

D.  crossing animals with desired characteristics.  ✔

Crossing animals is conventional selective breeding rather than biotechnology. B is the other possible choice.

5. The movement of water into root hairs is by

A.  transpiration.

B.  diffusion.

C.  capillarity.

D.  osmosis.  ✔

6. An example of soil micronutrient is

A.  iron.  ✔

B.  nitrogen.

C.  sulphur.

D.  calcium.

7. Which of the following systems in the human body is directly affected when carbon monoxide is inhaled?

A.  Excretory

B.  Endocrine

C.  Circulatory  ✔

D.  Respiratory

Carbon monoxide binds to haemoglobin in the blood.

8. The part of the human brain that controls body temperature is

A.  cerebellum.

B.  medulla oblongata.

C.  hypothalamus.  ✔

D.  cortex.

9. How many moles of HCl is contained in 14.6 g of HCl? [H = 1, Cl = 35.5]

A.  0.04 mol

B.  4.0 mol

C.  0.004 mol

D.  0.4 mol  ✔

Molar mass = 36.5 g/mol. Moles = 14.6 ÷ 36.5 = 0.4 mol

10. In which of the following blood vessels is the pressure highest?

A.  Dorsal aorta  ✔

B.  Vena cava

C.  Hepatic artery

D.  Renal artery

11. The functional group for alkanol is

A.  —C=C—

B.  —C(=O)OH

C.  —C≡C—

D.  —C—OH  ✔

12. Which of the following statements about magnetic fields are correct? A magnetic field I. has magnetic lines of force. II. is a force field. III. has direction.

A.  II and III only

B.  I and III only

C.  I and II only

D.  I, II and III  ✔

13. Substances excreted by the skin of humans include

A.  salts and water only.

B.  salts, urea and water only.  ✔

C.  water and urea only.

D.  urea and salts only.

14. The type of livestock raised in any area depends mainly on the

A.  availability of land.

B.  inputs available.

C.  availability of labour.

D.  type of climate.  ✔

15. The IUPAC name for Na₂SO₄ is

A.  sodium tetraoxosulphate (IV).

B.  disodium sulphate.

C.  sodium (II) sulphate.

D.  sodium tetraoxosulphate (VI).  ✔

16. Which of the following vegetables provide the largest amount of roughage in the diet of humans?

A.  Carrot

B.  Cabbage  ✔

C.  Beans

D.  Pepper

17. The immunization of children is important because it

A.  stimulates the production of antigens.

B.  increases the production of white blood cells.

C.  stimulates the production of antibodies.  ✔

D.  destroys pathogens in the body.

18. What is the kinetic energy of a body of mass 20 kg moving with a velocity of 4 m s⁻¹?

A.  80 J

B.  320 J

C.  5 J

D.  160 J  ✔

KE = ½mv² = ½ × 20 × 16 = 160 J

19. The gas produced when dilute hydrochloric acid reacts with calcium carbonate is

A.  chlorine.

B.  carbon dioxide.  ✔

C.  carbon monoxide.

D.  hydrogen.

20. Which of the following statements about the image formed in a pinhole camera are correct? The image is I. inverted. II. upright. III. real.

A.  II and III only

B.  I, II and III

C.  I and II only

D.  I and III only  ✔

21. Which of the following traits in humans is an example of continuous variation?

A.  Body mass  ✔

B.  Blood group

C.  Gender

D.  Colour blindness

22. Which of the following chemical equations is balanced?

A.  K + O₂ → K₂O

B.  Mg + O₂ → MgO

C.  Na + Cl₂ → NaCl

D.  H₂ + Cl₂ → 2HCl  ✔

23. The instruments used to measure the mass of a body include I. top pan balance. II. spring balance. III. electronic balance.

A.  II and III only

B.  I and III only  ✔

C.  I and II only

D.  I, II and III

A spring balance measures weight, not mass.

24. Which of the following animals is a non-ruminant herbivore?

A.  Rabbit  ✔

B.  Cattle

C.  Pig

D.  Poultry

25. The energy needed for natural cycles to operate is obtained from

A.  decomposers.

B.  the air.

C.  the sun.  ✔

D.  fossils.

26. Ectoparasites of farm animals are effectively controlled by

A.  quarantine.

B.  dipping.  ✔

C.  drenching.

D.  handpicking.

27. A device which converts chemical energy to electrical energy is

A.  voltmeter.

B.  bulb.

C.  cell.  ✔

D.  resistor.

28. A flowering plant with poorly developed roots, yellow buds and yellowing new leaves is likely to be deficient in

A.  manganese.

B.  copper.

C.  boron.

D.  sulphur.  ✔

This one is uncertain. Yellowing of new leaves points to sulphur, but poor root development and bud damage are also linked to boron (C).

29. Water is not suitable as a thermometric liquid because it I. is opaque. II. wets glass. III. expands abnormally.

A.  II and III only  ✔

B.  I, II, and III

C.  I and II only

D.  I and III only

Water is transparent, so I is false.

30. Conversion of nitrites to nitrates in the nitrogen cycle is caused by

A.  Azotobacter.

B.  Nitrobacter.  ✔

C.  Nitrosomonas.

D.  Rhizobium.

31. In the control of malaria, the main aim of spraying stagnant water bodies is to

A.  prevent the laying of eggs by the mosquitoes.

B.  make the water unsuitable for egg development.

C.  prevent the larvae from breathing in air.  ✔

D.  ensure that the adult mosquitoes have no hiding place.

The spray (oil) forms a film that blocks the larvae's breathing tubes at the surface.

32. Aluminium does not corrode easily because it

A.  forms aluminium oxide on its surface.  ✔

B.  forms aluminium hydroxide on its surface.

C.  is hard.

D.  is a strong metal.

33. In which part of the leaf is the amount of glucose produced during photosynthesis the least?

A.  Upper epidermis  ✔

B.  Guard cell

C.  Palisade mesophyll

D.  Spongy mesophyll

The upper epidermis has no chloroplasts.

34. Which of the following physical properties of water are correct? I. It is tasteless. II. It has a pH of 7. III. It is colourless.

A.  I, II and III  ✔

B.  II and III only

C.  I and III only

D.  I and II only

35. During rusting, iron reacts with oxygen to form

A.  iron (III) oxide.  ✔

B.  iron (IV) oxide.

C.  iron (II) oxide.

D.  iron (V) oxide.

36. Members of the same species living at the same place at the same time make a/an

A.  trophic level.

B.  community.

C.  ecosystem.

D.  population.  ✔

37. The westerlies are winds that blow

A.  towards the equator.

B.  towards the poles.  ✔

C.  from the equator.

D.  from the poles.

38. The P–N junction diode has

A.  more electrons than holes.

B.  no electrons.

C.  no holes.

D.  equal number of holes and electrons.  ✔

39. The correct sequence of the arrangement of vertebrae in a mammal is

A.  thoracic, caudal, lumbar, cervical.

B.  cervical, lumbar, thoracic, caudal.

C.  thoracic, cervical, lumbar, caudal.

D.  cervical, thoracic, lumbar, caudal.  ✔

40. Which of the following structures is present in animal cells only?

A.  Ribosome

B.  Mitochondrion

C.  Lysosomes  ✔

D.  Golgi body

41. Loss of appetite and poor growth in humans are due to the deficiency of

A.  sodium.

B.  iodine.

C.  copper.

D.  zinc.  ✔

42. Nucleons refer to the sum of

A.  electrons and neutrons in an atom.

B.  electrons and molecules in an atom.

C.  protons and electrons in an atom.

D.  protons and neutrons in an atom.  ✔

43. Which of the following statements are correct? I. Green house effect can be reduced by afforestation. II. One effect of ozone layer depletion is global warming. III. Green house effect is reduced by bush burning.

A.  II and III only

B.  I, II and III

C.  I and II only  ✔

D.  I and III only

Only I is clearly correct and III is false. C is the closest available option, so this one is uncertain.

44. The nuclide ²²⁶₈₈Ra undergoes alpha decay. The mass number and atomic number of the daughter nuclide are respectively

A.  230, 90.

B.  226, 89.

C.  226, 88.

D.  222, 86.  ✔

Alpha decay removes 4 from the mass number and 2 from the atomic number: 226 − 4 = 222, 88 − 2 = 86.

45. Ash from cocoa pod tastes bitter because it contains

A.  alkali.  ✔

B.  soap.

C.  acid.

D.  alcohol.

46. A musical note is sound with a definite

A.  intensity.

B.  velocity.

C.  amplitude.

D.  frequency.  ✔

47. Hydrological cycle is the system by which water continuously circulates through the

A.  mesosphere.

B.  troposphere.

C.  biosphere.

D.  atmosphere.  ✔

48. The structure associated with the absorption of fatty acids and glycerol in the small intestines is the

A.  lacteals of the villi.  ✔

B.  lymphatic system.

C.  blood capillaries.

D.  hepatic portal veins.

49. It is most difficult to detect carbon (II) oxide gas than most poisonous gases because it

A.  does not support combustion.

B.  is insoluble in water.

C.  is heavier than air.

D.  has no smell and colour.  ✔

50. Metamorphic rocks are formed through

A.  chemical change caused by heat and pressure.  ✔

B.  combination of igneous and sedimentary rocks.

C.  physical disintegration of igneous rocks.

D.  biological change of original rocks.

Quick Answer Key