WASSCE Mock Examination

Integrated Science — Papers 1 and 2 (Questions)

Paper 1: Objective Test

Instructions: Answer all questions. Each question has four options lettered A to D. Choose the correct option. Each question carries 1 mark.

1. Which cell organelle is the site of protein synthesis?

(A) Mitochondrion    (B) Ribosome    (C) Golgi body    (D) Lysosome

2. Which of the following is not a characteristic of living things?

(A) Respiration    (B) Excretion    (C) Erosion    (D) Reproduction

3. In the scientific name Homo sapiens, the word sapiens represents the

(A) kingdom    (B) genus    (C) family    (D) species

4. Which tissue transports water from the roots to the leaves of a plant?

(A) Xylem    (B) Phloem    (C) Cambium    (D) Epidermis

5. Malaria is transmitted by the female

(A) Aedes mosquito    (B) Culex mosquito    (C) Anopheles mosquito    (D) tsetse fly

6. Which enzyme begins the digestion of starch in the mouth?

(A) Pepsin    (B) Amylase    (C) Lipase    (D) Trypsin

7. A deficiency of vitamin C causes

(A) rickets    (B) beriberi    (C) night blindness    (D) scurvy

8. The raw materials for photosynthesis are

(A) carbon dioxide and water    (B) glucose and oxygen    (C) oxygen and water    (D) carbon dioxide and glucose

9. Which blood group can donate red blood cells to all the other ABO groups?

(A) AB    (B) A    (C) O    (D) B

10. In the food chain grass → grasshopper → toad → snake, the secondary consumer is the

(A) grasshopper    (B) toad    (C) snake    (D) grass

11. The atomic number of an element is the number of

(A) protons in its nucleus    (B) neutrons in its nucleus    (C) protons and neutrons    (D) valence electrons

12. An element with electron arrangement 2, 8, 1 is in Group

(A) 3    (B) 2    (C) 8    (D) 1

13. Sodium chloride is formed by

(A) covalent bonding    (B) ionic bonding    (C) metallic bonding    (D) hydrogen bonding

14. Which pH value indicates a strong acid?

(A) 7    (B) 9    (C) 1    (D) 14

15. Which of the following equations is correctly balanced?

(A) 2H2+O2→2H2O

(B) H2+O2→H2O

(C) 2H2+2O2→2H2O

(D) H2+2O2→2H2O

16. Iron rusts when it is exposed to

(A) oxygen only    (B) water only    (C) carbon dioxide and water    (D) oxygen and water

17. The reaction between an acid and a base to form a salt and water is called

(A) oxidation    (B) neutralisation    (C) decomposition    (D) displacement

18. Which gas is produced when zinc reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid?

(A) Hydrogen    (B) Oxygen    (C) Carbon dioxide    (D) Chlorine

19. A car travels 120 km in 2 hours. Its average speed is

(A) 240 km/h    (B) 30 km/h    (C) 60 km/h    (D) 122 km/h

20. The SI unit of force is the

(A) joule    (B) watt    (C) pascal    (D) newton

21. A force of 20 N moves an object through 5 m in the direction of the force. The work done is

(A) 4 J    (B) 100 J    (C) 15 J    (D) 25 J

22. A current of 2 A flows through a resistor of resistance 6 Ω. The potential difference across the resistor is

(A) 12 V    (B) 3 V    (C) 8 V    (D) 4 V

23. Heat from the Sun reaches the Earth by

(A) conduction    (B) convection    (C) radiation    (D) evaporation

24. A ray of light strikes a plane mirror at an angle of incidence of 35∘. The angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray is

(A) 35∘    (B) 55∘    (C) 110∘    (D) 70∘

25. Sound waves cannot travel through

(A) air    (B) a vacuum    (C) water    (D) steel

26. A solid has a mass of 200 g and a volume of 50 cm³. Its density is

(A) 4 g/cm³    (B) 0.25 g/cm³    (C) 10 g/cm³    (D) 150 g/cm³

27. Two like magnetic poles placed near each other will

(A) attract    (B) neutralise each other    (C) repel    (D) have no effect on each other

28. Which of the following gases contributes most to global warming?

(A) Oxygen    (B) Nitrogen    (C) Argon    (D) Carbon dioxide

29. Two heterozygous tall pea plants (Tt×Tt) are crossed. What fraction of the offspring is expected to be short?

(A) 34    (B) 14    (C) 12    (D) 0

30. The HIV virus weakens the immune system by attacking

(A) white blood cells    (B) red blood cells    (C) platelets    (D) plasma

Paper 2: Theory

Section A (Compulsory: 40 marks)

Answer all questions in this section.

1. (a) State two differences between a plant cell and an animal cell. [2 marks]

2. Define osmosis. [2 marks]

3. A cylinder of fresh potato is placed in a concentrated sugar solution for one hour. State and explain what happens to the cylinder. [3 marks]

4. Name the pigment in red blood cells that carries oxygen. [1 mark]

5. State two ways in which a root hair cell is adapted for absorbing water. [2 marks]

2. (a) Define an acid. [2 marks]

2. Name an indicator and state its colour in an acid and in an alkali. [3 marks]

3. Write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction between sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. [2 marks]

4. In a titration, 25.0 cm³ of sodium hydroxide solution required 20.0 cm³ of hydrochloric acid of concentration 0.10mol/dm3 for complete neutralisation. Calculate the concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution. [3 marks]

3. A 12 V battery is connected in series with two resistors of 4 Ω and 2 Ω.

1. State Ohm’s law. [2 marks]

2. Calculate the total resistance of the circuit. [1 mark]

3. Calculate the current flowing in the circuit. [2 marks]

4. Calculate the potential difference across the 4 Ω resistor. [2 marks]

5. Calculate the power dissipated in the 2 Ω resistor. [3 marks]

4. (a) Define the term ecosystem. [2 marks]

2. Consider the food chain: maize → grasshopper → lizard → hawk.

  (i) Name the producer. [1 mark]

  (ii) Name the tertiary consumer. [1 mark]

  (iii) State and explain what will happen to the population of grasshoppers if all the lizards are removed. [2 marks]

3. State two effects of deforestation on the environment. [2 marks]

4. State two ways of preventing the spread of malaria. [2 marks]

Section B (Answer any TWO questions: 40 marks)

5. (a) Distinguish between sexual and asexual reproduction. [4 marks]

2. In humans, the allele for brown eyes (B) is dominant over the allele for blue eyes (b). A heterozygous brown-eyed man marries a blue-eyed woman. Using a Punnett square, show the genotypes of the possible children and state the ratio of their phenotypes. [6 marks]

3. Describe what happens from fertilisation up to the implantation of the embryo in humans. [4 marks]

4. State three functions of the placenta. [3 marks]

5. Name three methods of contraception. [3 marks]

6. (a) Sodium has atomic number 11 and mass number 23. State the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in a sodium atom, and write its electron arrangement. [4 marks]

2. Describe how sodium and chlorine combine to form sodium chloride. [5 marks]

3. State two properties of ionic compounds. [2 marks]

4. Describe a laboratory test for (i) hydrogen gas, (ii) carbon dioxide gas. [4 marks]

5. Write a balanced equation for the reaction between calcium carbonate and dilute hydrochloric acid. [3 marks]

6. State one use of limestone. [2 marks]

7. (a) Define (i) velocity, (ii) acceleration. [4 marks]

2. A car starts from rest and accelerates uniformly at 2m/s2 for 10 s. Calculate (i) its final velocity, (ii) the distance it covers in this time. [6 marks]

3. The car has a mass of 1200 kg. Calculate its kinetic energy when it reaches the final velocity found in (b)(i). [3 marks]

4. State the principle of conservation of energy. [2 marks]

5. A ball of mass 0.5 kg is dropped from a height of 20 m. Using the principle of conservation of energy, calculate its speed just before it hits the ground. (Neglect air resistance.) [5 marks]

8. (a) State four farming practices that help to maintain soil fertility. [4 marks]

2. State three components of soil. [3 marks]

3. Explain two ways in which illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) harms rivers and streams. [4 marks]

4. Distinguish between biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes, giving two examples of each. [4 marks]

5. Describe how the greenhouse effect leads to global warming. [5 marks]